छद्मपीड़न (Chhadmapīḍana): DARVO & The Victim Card
The Crocodile's Tears
The aggressor positions themselves as the victim, reversing the moral equation. Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender - the ancient pattern of the weeping crocodile who lures the monkey with false tears.
The Pattern Hidden in Plain Sight
In 2024, a renowned musician gave an interview claiming he hadn't received work in the film industry because of 'communal bias' against his religious community. Social media erupted with outrage. The narrative demanded: Hindus must prove they are NOT discriminating.
There was just one problem with this victimhood narrative.
At the very moment of this interview, the same musician was composing music for a major film adaptation of the Ramayana, one of Hinduism's most sacred epics. He had recently completed the score for Chhaava, a film celebrating the great Maratha warrior Sambhaji. His calendar was filled with high-profile Hindu-themed projects.
The evidence of his ongoing, celebrated work sat unexamined while the accusation dominated headlines. The burden of proof had been reversed. Those who pointed out the contradiction were labeled 'communal.' The accuser became the victim; those questioning the narrative became the oppressors.
This pattern has a name in modern psychology: DARVO.
Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim and Offender.
But Dharmic texts identified this pattern millennia earlier through a simple story about a crocodile and a monkey.
The Crocodile's Tears: An Ancient Warning
The Hitopadesha tells of a monkey who lived in a jamun tree by a river. Each day, the monkey would drop sweet fruits into the water, and a crocodile below would eat them gratefully. Over time, they became friends, or so the monkey believed.
One day, the crocodile mentioned that his wife wished to taste the monkey's heart, believing it must be especially sweet since the monkey ate such delicious fruits. 'Come to my home,' said the crocodile, 'my wife wishes to meet you.'
The trusting monkey climbed onto the crocodile's back. Midway across the river, the crocodile revealed his true intent: 'My wife wants your heart. I'm taking you to be killed.'