The meaning of life has probably been the most troubling of all philosophical questions that we as humans have pondered upon, one whose answer is being searched for since times immemorial. When the young cub Simba puts forth this question in front of his father Mufasa, the king of pride lands, he tells him about ‘The circle of life’, an eternal cosmic cycle that encompasses all beings with each possessing a unique role. He explains that the antelopes eat the grass, the lions eat the antelopes, and when the lions die the grass feeds on their decomposing corpses. We live in an ecosystem in which all beings are connected to each other and if anyone fails to play their part, the circle of life might collapse in its entirety.
Things take an unpleasant turn when Mufasa’s brother Scar murders him and even manages to convince the impressionable Simba that his father’s demise was Simba's own undoing. Guilt ridden, Simba shuns his royal destiny and wanders off into the wilds and finds himself in the company of Timon, a meerkat and Pumbaa, a warthog with whom he spends a few carefree years. His companions are symbolic of fear and shame respectively which explains their anti social way of being that tackles every tribulation of life with the phrase hakuna matata - no worries (Profound SIMBAlism is scattered all over, pun intended).
Indoctrinated to believe that he caused such a catastrophe, Simba becomes increasingly troubled with age, guilt begins to slowly eat him away (even though he is at the top of the food chain), at this climactic moment, by sheer coincidence, he encounters his childhood sweetheart Nala, who makes him conscious of his responsibilities as a king and persuades him to challenge Scar whose mismanagement has led the kingdom into ruins. The female shames him for his prolonged adolescence, persuades him into dropping his immature arrogance and actualize his potential. Relatable isn’t it?
The idea of the circle of life explained earlier seems to be a modern interpretation of a conversation between Arjuna, a warrior and Lord Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita. Amidst a civil war against his own relatives Arjuna is consumed with doubt and begins to wonder about the purpose of his existence, Krishna explains to him that within this cyclic cosmic drama, each entity possesses a distinctive function or dharma. Finding your dharma and fulfilling it is the ultimate goal of existence and no matter how hard the journey may be, once you realize your distinctive function, doubt and distress will never come in your way. A cook who is devoted to his dharma is far better than a prince who wanders off the path of a prince.
Having understood the meaning of life Arjuna proceeds on the path of his dharma and leads his army to victory. So does Simba who arrives back in pride lands to challenge Scar and reclaim his position as Mufasa’s successor. The movie ends with Simba and Nala presenting their offspring to the animal population of pride lands and ensuring the continuation of the great circle of life.
Whether it be Arjuna, Simba or any other being, shying away from your dharma will be a rebellion against the laws of nature and will disrupt the natural course of things.
On looking closely, it is quite easy to notice that this concept is omnipresent not just in mythological and Disney stories, but also in everyday life around us. Seemingly insignificant insects like bees are responsible for practically all pollination that happens in our world, without them, we would have almost no agricultural produce.
The Lion King is A tale about loss, trauma, healing and the road to self realization, that reminds us that understanding the meaning of life is understanding your distinctive function and role in the proverbial stage of life and fulfilling it is the ultimate goal. How to go about discovering your dharma? Well the movie doesn’t have much to say about it, but definitely motivates the viewers to try their best.