Sahityasetu

ISSN 2249-2372

Year-6, Issue 3, Continuous Issue 33, May-June 2016

A Peer Reviewed Literary e-journal

Use of Myth by Girish Karnad

Generally, a myth is a tale or a narrative with a symbolic meaning. Human, non – human and
super-human characters appear in myths. And the presence of these super-natural agencies
endows myth with a numinous character. Likewise, as these characters are transcendent, they
raise ‘awe and fear’ in us (Barthes 1957). Myths are considered to be pre-historical, and,
therefore, they belong to no specific author. They have a social or collective authorship. The
most remarkable characteristic of myth is its normative nature. It sets down rules which
specifically apply to the moral realm (Chakravartee 1991).

Karnad uses myths, legend and folk tales in his plays Yayati, Tughlaq, Hayavadana and
Nagamamdala. His ‘Yayati’ is a re-interpretation of the familiar old myths from Mahabharata,
which deals with the exchange of ages between father and son. In Tughlak Karnad handles a his-
torical myth for the modem theatre, depicting the ‘absurd’ conception of the human situation. His
Nagamandala is based on two folk tales from Kannada which he heard several years ago from
Prof. A. K. Ramanujan. Karnad thus revels in rooting the contemporary concern in old myths.

Hayavadana – Reshaping a Myth In Hayavadana, Karnad re-shapes an ancient Indian myth from
the veralapanchavimsati to point to man‟s eternal quest for completeness, or self-realization.
With its highly stylized action and mimicry, especially the scene at the temple of Kali and the
sword fight between Devadatta and Kapila in the second act, Karnad invests the play with a
significance, which brings out the emptiness of the “incomplete” human being. Padmini – An
Archetypal Figure In this play, the central figure is a woman, Padmini. Selfishness and sensuality
find expression in her insatiable desire for both brain and brawn, which are symbolized by
Devadatta and Kapila respectively. Married to Devadatta, Padmini craves for the „muscle‟ and
„body‟ of Kapila. In the myth, and in the play as well, the craving is not explicit, it runs as an
undercurrent in Padmini‟s sub-conscious. She desires deeply for both the body and the intellect,
though sub-consciously. It is difficult to prophesy whether or not she would have behaved
differently had there been a proper equation of physical strength and intellectualism in either
Devadatta or Kapila. The happenings in the Kali temple, where she transposes the heads of
Devadatta and Kapila, reveal her sub- conscious desire. Padmini‟s act, though unintentional, is
indicative of the “incomplete” human beings “silent cry for wholeness.”

In Hayavadana, the presence of goddess Kali reveals the religious sentiment prevalent in Indian
society, culture and psychology. Devadutta prays to the goddess to win the hand of Padmini in
marriage. Later he beheads himself as an offering to the goddess. Divine intervention unfolds the
central theme of the play, ‘incompleteness’ and quest for completion. The theme also reveals the
Upanishadic principle that visualizes the human body as a symbol of the organic relationship of
the parts to the whole.
Religion and ritual not only forms a part of the narrative of Karnad’s plays but is also integral to
the dramatic representation of the plays, a take-off of the folk theatrical tradition of the country.
Hayavadana begins with an invocation of Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles,who is to
be worshipped first among the gods.

Conclusion
Girish Karnad makes use of myths, mythologies and folklore as his source for his plays, not for
the glorification of the chosen myths but to relate the myths to the present and to the past beliefs
found in these myths. Karnad provides us with a glimpse of the past as well as its relevance to an
understanding of the contemporary world. In conclusion it can be said that myth and folktale
merge and come together and weave a rich tapestry of meaning that explore the modern
predicament. Myth can never be dismissed as belonging to the past, because a great deal of its
charm lies in its principal quality- that of repeating itself. Thus the old-aged myth reappears in
disguise form to confront us. Myths and folktales always interpret human life, and in the
contemporary context they interpret modern sensibility or the modern consciousness. In this way
by exploiting myth and folktale Karnad presents various problems of contemporary society.