Chapter - V

CHAPTER-V

ASSERTION OF FEMALE SELF IN LEGENDARY PLAYS

Tagore was born in such a period which synchronized with a revival of interest

in Buddhism. Various religious movements such as, Arya Samaj, Bramho Samaj,

Liberal Hinduism of Ramkrishna, Vaishnavism of Bijoykrishna, Mahabodhi Society

of Darampal influenced the nineteenth century Bengal life. Keshabachandra Sen, the

Bramho religious leader has the experience of Buddhism at Ceylon. He encouraged

his friends to study and explore Buddhist heritage and teachings. He was the

companion of Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore at Ceylon in

1859.

The noted dramatist-actor-director Girishchandra Ghosh's play

Buddhadevcharit published in 1887 had immensely contributed to the popularization

of Buddha in Bengal.

In 1891 Angarik Daharampal founded Mahabodhi Society in Calcutta. In the

following year Buddhist Text Society was established by Saratchandra Das and

Mahasthabir Kripasaran started Bengal Buddhist Association. Dharampal had joined

the Chicago conference in 1893 with Swami Vivekaand. He expressed great respect

and admiration for Buddha's humanism. In 1899 the journal Sadhana was started with

the active help of Rabindranath and from the first year Krishna Bihari Sen's Buddha

Charitra was published serially. Maheshchandra Ghosh had published a series of

articles on Buddhism in the then famous Bengali journal Prabasi, with which

Rabindranath was apparently familiar. The Dhammapal edited by Charuchandra Ray

in 1904 was reviewed by Rabindranath Tagore was familiar with the scholars of

Buddhism like Bidhusekhar Shastri and Saratkumar Ray who taught at Shantiniketan.

Rabindranath had come across with both Vaishnavism and Buddhism and he

responded to both with same sensitiveness of his keen kind. The most significant

influence on the young mind of Rabindranath was of Rajendralal Mitra, the great

scholar. In his Jibansmriti Tagore has mentioned the influence of Rajendralal.

Tagore and Buddhism:

Tagore was influenced by Buddhism for its message of love and forgiveness.

Tagore was not interested by the intellectual aspect or the abstract ideas of the

Buddhist philosophy. Tagore was impressed in the human side of Buddha's

personality. Tagore had constructed that image of Buddha and Buddhism which was

consistent with his own philosophy of life. Buddha is a major point of reference in a

large number of his literary works written at different phases of life and in different

genres. As Rama Kundu says:

The Buddhist literature - including the contemporary studies of Buddha's life and

teaching as well as the ancient tales of the Jataka- leave permanent trace on his mind

and work (Kundu R. 2004:216).

Tagore's observations on various occasions also bear evidence to and illustrate

his individual perception of Buddha and his teachings. Buddha's message of

withdrawal from the world and achievement of nirvana did not appeal Rabindranath,

but he emphasised on the 'positive' aspect of Buddha's thought. At various phases of

his life Tagore has consistently underscored the emotional intuitive aspect of love and

humanism over and above the rational - philosophical aspect of Nirvana.

Buddha's radical humanism and his emphasis on man's self-reliance had also its

appeal to Tagore's mind which had an essentially modern orientation. Upholding the

dignity of common man is the uniqueness of Buddhism which impressed Tagore.

Tagore was drawn towards Mahatma Gandhi because of his protest against the

dehumanization of man so cruelly manifested in the system of untouchability and the

same feeling drew him to Buddha. Tagore found comfort of mind in the humanistic

atheism of Buddha than in the cruel in sensitivity generated by mechanical orthodox

faith which worshipped god but hated man. Tagore viewed Buddhism as part of the

great Indian tradition of asserting the spiritual over the material world.

Tagore's dynamic genius had renewed itself again and again by branching off

in fresh directions. Buddha and Buddhism are partly the poet's own creation as well.

He has frequently humanized the stories of Abadansath by giving a subtle turn or twist

to the existing text and this has helped him to project that image of Buddha which is

the epitome of compassion and love, and which corroborates to the poet's own

humanistic philosophy of life.

Malini, Natir Puja and Chandalika are the three major plays of Taogre, based

on the Buddhist legends. The main source for these plays is the Sanskrit

Abadansataka, edited by Rajendralal Mitra.

Rabindranath Tagore's play Malini is his first Buddhist play. It is set against

the historical backdrop of the conflict between entrenched Brahminism and rising

Buddhism.

In the original story of Mahabastu-Aboctan, Malini, the daughter of the King of

Varanasi, revers Kashyap, a Buddhist mendicant, whom she invites one day to lunch,

along with his companions. This angers the Brahmans who insist to Malini's

banishment. Malini begs one week's time from her father. Within this time all her

brothers, ministers and citizens of Varanasi, adopt Buddhism. When the new converts

proceed to confront the Brahmans, the latter seeks the King's protection. Even after

this, they try to murder Kashyap, but fail to do so, and at the end they themselves get

destroyed.

Tagore adapted this story for his play Malini. But while adapting this story

Tagore strikes certain significant departures. Tagore has added two characters from

his own imagination. He added the characters of two young friends Supriyo and

Kshemankar. He also added the budding love between Supriyo and Malini. Tagore

brings enrichment to the story. Other incidents remain almost unchanged.

Tagore's Malini highlights the aspect of love and forgiveness in a sequence of

politico-religious turmoil. Supriyo represents the voice of individual conscience. He

cannot join the collective echo of hatred. He feels dissatisfied with the orthodox

religion of mechanical rites. In Tagore's play Malini herself embraces banishment. As

the Brahmans gather to invoke the destructive spirit of a ruthless goddess, Malini

appears before them and they realise that the Goddess has chosen to manifest herself

not in the form of the distracters but in an exquisite incarnation of compassion.

In Natir Puja Tagore rewrites the same story once again after writing the poem

Pujarini in 1899. The play is based on an anecdote in the Abadansakta. Bimbisar, the

King of Magadh, had made a stupa in his palace bower and consecrated it to Buddha.

When Ajatsatru, Bimbisar's son usurped the throne, he banned attendants cleaning the

place and lighting lamps at the feet of Stupa. But one day a maid - servant, Srimati,

dared to risk her life and lighted lamps at the Stupa.

Tagore was moved by this story of a common woman and her martyrdom for

the sake of her spiritual urge to do her worship. He captured the historical moment

when there had come a new surge of life in religion, society and politics through the

advent of Buddhism. As Mohit K. Ray points out:

In Natir Puja (....) we get glimpses of the great national upheaval that shook the

country particularly in the spheres of religion and society after the advent of

Buddhism. Bimbisara was a contemporary of the Buddha. They met for the first time

when Bimbisara was thirty and the Buddha was thirty five. (Ray M.K. 2001:156).

Tagore casts the entire play on the events of a single day. It is the full moon

that marks the celebration night of the birth of Lord Buddha. Bhikshu Upali arrives at

the place when the sun appears in the East. The palace dancer Srimati is awake at the

time. Bhikshu tells her, the Lord has blessed Srimati, her time has come. Thus the

reader gets the hint of forthcoming martyrdom.

In the original tale Srimati is killed by Aajatsatru who flies into rage at the

insolence of a servant girl who proudly defies him to obey Bimbisar and worship

Buddha. In the play, Tagore transformed Srimati in to a real artist whose profession is

dancing at the court, and the best gift she has to offer to her Lord is through her art. In

spite of repeated warnings from several quarters she quietly gets ready for her last

worship. When the order comes from the king that she must not dance at the Stupa,

she makes her dance her best offerings. The final dance marks not only the climax of

the drama but also symbolically sums up the beauty and strength of renunciation

through martyrdom. Tagore transforms and transcends the Buddhist legend to make a

work that reaches symbolic heights and attains universal significances.

His next play based on Buddhist legend is Chandalika (1933). It is based on

the tale of "Sardulkarna Abadan" in R.L. Mitra's Sanskrit Buddhist literature of

Nepal". Tagore sums up in the preface of his play:

The location of the story is Sravasti. Lord Buddha had been staying at the time in the

garden of Anathpindad. One day his favourite disciple Ananda, while on his way back

from lunch at some house, felt thirsty. He saw that a girl, Prakriti by name, drawing

water from the well. He asked for water, she gave. The girl becomes charmed at his

beauty. Finding no other way to have him, she sought help from her mother. Her

mother knew magic she smeared her courtyard with cow dung, prepared an altar, and

lighted fire. Ananda could not resist the power of magic and arrived at her house in

the night. As he sat on the altar Prakriti began to spread the bed for him. Then

Ananda felt remorse and tearfully prayed to Buddha to rescue him.

Lord Buddha had meantime come to know by means of his divine power of the

condition of his disciple and cited a mantra. Under the impact of that mantra the

magic spell of the Chandal woman become weak and Ananda returned to the

monastery .(Kundu R. 2004:234 ).

The original story underscores the orthodox idea of the superiority of the monk

and the lure of lustful women. In Tagore's story, the old story receives a sublimation

of effect. Here Tagore uses the legend to sensitize people about 'Untouchability” by

focussing on Prakriti's anguish at the humiliation she receives because of her 'low'

birth. Tagore's Chandalika, Prakriti is different from original, here Prakriti herself

realises that she cannot accept the degradation of a great man. Her passionate love is

sublimated into worship.

Another of Tagore's play having Buddhist theme is his dance-drama Shyama. It

is based on a tale 'Mahabastu-Abadan'. The original tale is like this:

Bajrasen, a merchant of Takshashila comes to Baranasi where he is mistakenly

arrested as a thief. As he is being dragged to execution Shyama, the beautiful

courtesan, sees him, feels attracted, and frees him in exchange of the life of young

man. Shyama is carried away by her impassioned love for Bajrasen. But Bajrasen

cannot forget the cruel death of the youth. He suffers from guilt, and also fears the

girl. One day during a joyride on the river, Bajrasen pushes her into the water and

thinking her dead flees (Kundu R. 2004:236).

But in Tagore's dance-drama Shyama, Bajrasen suffers from a feeling of guilt

and sin. Instead of killing Shyama he abandons her, leaves the boat and takes to

aimless roaming. He is cleft by sorrow and misery and cannot accept the girl. The

play ends with Bajrasen's prayer to the lord for forgiveness. This lord is obviously

Buddha.

Tagore's other two plays Raja and Achalayatan are also based on Buddhist

legends. Raja was based on "Kush Jatak" in Mahabastu Abadan. Achalayatan revises

the story of Panchank in Dibya-Abadanmala.

Feminist Twist to the Story of Chandalika:

Tagore’s selection of the Buddhist tale of Chandalika has specific reasons. As

per the Buddhist records (Dr. B. R.Ambedkar’s Buddha and HisDhamma) Buddha

was reluctant to accommodate women in his fold despite of his one the best disciples

Gautami’s pleas. The repeated denials on the part of Buddha had disheartened

Gautami. Finally, when Ananda, Buddha’s another disciple debated whether Buddha

shared the Brahmin’s views to women, Buddha narrated the practical reason, but

finally conceded inclusion of women in Dhamma.

In the story of Chandalika, the same Ananda is the protagonist. In the original

story, Prakriti, a Chandal girl, allured by the physical beauty of Ananda follows him to

marry him. He explains his inability to marry her as he has taken vow of celibacy.

Prakriti invites him at her home and with the help of her mother’s black magic tries to

molest him. Ananda reports it to Buddha. When Prakriti follows Ananda in Buddha’s

monastery, Buddha asks her to shave her head and appear before him. He explains her

futility of Maya. Prakriti realizes her folly and enters in the monastery. The episode

indicates Ananda’s integrity and greatness of Buddha and projects Prakriti as a

mistaken and submissive girl.

Tagore gives his imaginative touch to the Buddha oriented tale and converts it

into a feminist play. In the play, Prakriti falls in Ananda’s love not because of his

physical appearance but for his humanist approach of equality and he has given her an

independent identity as a human being. Prakriti does not follow him but demands his

attention. Contrary, she takes recourse to black magic to achieve him. She does not

want Ananda to accept her in marriage, but wants to merge in his soul and body. She

does not meet Buddha and follow his preaching but brings Ananda dragging towards

her home. She does need Buddha to convince or preach her but her own sense of guilt

brings her to a conclusion and she releases Ananda. In the original story, Prakriti

enters the monastery but in the play, she accepts death as punishment. In this way,

Tagore shifts the focus from Ananda to the inner working of conscience of a woman.

Chandalika in the play:

Chandalika is a play with a very compact and close knit structure. There is

nothing extraneous in this play and no digression of any kind. The plot moves in a

single line and there are no deviations and no sub-plot or side-issue. Everything in a

play contributes to the development of the theme which is the awakening of a sense of

her identity in the mind of a Chandal girl and the rapid growth of that sense of identity

into a feeling of excessive self-importance. An exaggerated or inflated sense of one's

own importance would inevitably lead to frustration and a painful recognition of one's

own limitations. Each one is important; but the importance of each one of is limited

and restricted, by free importance of others. Tagore appears in this play as a master

craftsman. Chandalika is the play based on Buddhist legend of the Monk Ananda,

who is the best and the closest disciple of Lord Buddha. He has skilfully used the

legend for this play.

Chandalika is a short two act play. The story of the play revolves round only

three characters - Prakriti; the heroine of the play; a Chandal girl, Ananda; a Buddhist

Monk and Prakriti's mother. The play is a story of very sensitive girl condemned by

her birth to a despicable caste. “Tagore presents a psychological study of a young

woman who suffers on account of her vanity and self-consciousness. Her wild

physical desire surrenders before Ananda resplendent with the light of truth; perhaps

Tagore highlights the enigmatic character of a woman, the character of being all

dominating over possessive to devour al that stand before her, precisely, her excessive

materialistic approach that ultimately fails”(Agrwal, B. R. 2004, 132). She thinks that

none is so worthy of her love and devotion as the Bhikshu who redeems her from her

degradation and recreates her. At the end, Prakriti is purified by the fire of suffering

and Ananda also recovers from his momentary lapse.

All the three characters of the play has been drawn at some length, though

Ananda the Monk himself makes a brief appearance, that two, towards the end of the

play. The mother is the important figure in the play, because without her the story

would not move. Her magic powers are quite necessary for the exposition of the

theme of the play. Tagore has intended to show that the monk's sensual desires are

not of his physical carving but they have emanated as a result of magic spells of

Prakriti's mother. Prakriti, who in the beginning desires to take revenge upon him for

his indifference and forgetfulness, later realises the enormity of her offence. She gets

transformed into spiritual transformation or spiritual rebirth. Ananda experiences a

painful struggle between his newly awakened sensuality and his vow of celibacy.

The mother is a sorceress, but she does have a sense of a religion. She feels an

unusual reverence for the Buddha and his foremost disciple Ananda, to whom at the

close, she offers her worship. In fact she seeks his forgiveness as his resistance to the

magic force become predominant. Ananda is detached and indifferent because the

change in him is only the impact of the magic spells.

The play shows that even a small entity as soon as it gets to be aware of its true

individuality tires hard to seek beyond what is given or permitted to him/her such is

the law of life. The spirit of self consciousness develops into a feeling of egoism on

the part of Prakriti and she assumes a sense of a excessive self-importance. The

mother finds a perceptible change in the manner and tone of Prakriti's speech. She

makes it clear that she will eagerly wait for the day when Ananda comes again. She

likes to have him beyond all limits. She desires to place her life at his feet like a

basket of flowers. She is prepared to serve him as his handmaid.

The mother points out that she is a born slave and that nobody can modify the

will of destiny. Prakriti asserts that she is not a slave to the world. Her own spirit is

free and so she is not a Chandal. The mother offers to go to him and request him to

come to their house and accept food. But Prakriti wants to send a message to his soul

and impress upon him to come to her so that she can offer herself to him. In case the

monk does not respond to Prakriti's call, her mother must use her spells to drag him

there and into her embrace. Her mother pleads that it is not safe to try such methods

on the holy monks, for it amounts to play with fire. She drives home the fact to

Prakriti that the use of black magic would do unaccountable damage to her. However,

she is prepared to do so for the sake of her daughter Prakriti, who is the apple of her

eye. Prakriti consoles her saying that she chants the spell under her compulsion and if

the action is a crime, the real culprit is herself.

The play depicts the tragedy of self- consciousness over-reaching its limits.

Prakriti's most cherished desire is erased and the tragedy lies in the frustration which

she experiences. Her triumph over sensuality brings her a sense of relief. It is a

moving tragedy containing deep religious appeal and a noble message.

The Theme of the Play:

The theme of the play is the spiritual conflict in the heart of a sensitive Chandal

girl. When she is at the village well, the Buddhist monk Ananda asks her for water.

She hesitates that she is a Chandalika, a girl of an untouchable class, whose mere

touch is considered to pollute, but he states that no human being is untouchable. He

asks her not to feel or call herself degraded, stating that self-humiliation is worse than

suicide.

Don't humiliate yourself, he said, self-humiliation is a sin worse than self-murder

(Tagore, 2006:2).

These words from a holy man give her a new sense of self-respect and a new

consciousness of her rights as a human being and of her worth as a woman. No this is

a tale of my new birth (Tagore, 2006:2).

She learns to disregard to the artificial values that society attaches to birth and

to value herself merely by her capacity for love and service. With her new birth, new

awareness of her capacity for love, she wants to give herself to her redeemer. She

thinks that none is so worthy of her love and devotion as the Bhikshu who redeems

her from her degradation and recreates her. She loves him with the purest love, in

which there is no taint of sensual desire and longs to offer her to him.

Blessed am I, says the flower, who belong to the earth for I serve you, my God, in this

my lonely home.

Make me forget that I am born of dust, for my spirit is free from it.

When you bend your eyes upon me my petals tremble in joy;

Give me a touch of your feet and make me heavenly,

For the earth must offer its worship through me(Tagore 2006:5).

But the Bhikshu is not aware of the flame of love in the heart of Prakriti and

posses on detached and indifferent. His neglect hurts the self-love of the girl and in

her resentment she determines to pull the monk from his pedestal of holiness and

bring him full of desire and craving to her side. It is here that her self-consciousness

takes a wrong turn. It is good for her to be conscious of her essential dignity as

woman and of her right to love and be loved.

I want him, mother; I want him beyond all measure. I want to take this life of mine and

lay it like a basket of flowers at his feet(Tagore 2006:6).

In her eagerness to give her love, Prakriti, forgets that Ananda need not accept

her love. Her longing for him which at first is a pure desire to give her turns into a

craving to possess him. Her thwarted love turns to anger and she resolves to win him

at any cost even if it should mean his degradation.

That won't do for me; I won't simply sit and watch. You know how to work spells; let

those spells be the clasp of my arms, let them drag him here(Tagore 2006:7).

She persuades her mother to employ her powerful magic spells to drag Ananda

to earthly love. By using all her strength the mother succeeds in breaking down his

mental defences and Ananda comes to the house of Prakriti. Prakriti is shocked to see

that Ananda who comes to her door is not the holy Saint whom she loved with light

and purity radiating from him. There is present a look of lust in his eyes and he

appears coarse and unclean. At once Prakriti realises what a crime she has committed

against the great man she has loved. Prakriti's love is not the sensual love of a lustful

woman. Even in her error, she does not lose her idealism.

O, my heart will break. I will not look in the mirror; I cannot bear it, such agony, so

furious a storm. Must the king of the forest crash to the dust at last, his cloud kissing

glory broken?(Tagore 2006:14).

When her mother uses her spells Prakriti is seized by doubt whether she is right

in inflicting so much pain on her beloved. When she sees that her triumph has meant

the downfall of Ananda, she is seized by a passion of noble remorse. She begs her

mother to undo the spell before it is too late. Prakriti tells herself that if she is no

Chandalini she should offer no insult to the heroic. She is no Chandalini and there is

nothing base or degraded in her nature. Her new self-awareness makes her lose her

self-restraint for a moment. But her essential goodness soon asserts itself and she

begs Ananda to forgive her. Her attempt to drag him down has taught her the secret of

true devotion, which delights to give and asks for nothing in return. Prakriti’s mother

undoes her spell and dies in the attempt, praying Ananda for forgiveness. Ananda goes

away chanting his homage to the Buddha. As Krishna Kriplani Says It is not the story

of a wicked girl roused to lust by the physical beauty of the mank but a very sensitive

girl condemned by her birth to a despised caste who is suddenly awakened to a

consciousness of her full right as a woman by the humanity of a follower of Buddha,

who accepts water from her hand and teaches her to judge herself not by artificial

values that society attaches to the accidents of birth, but by her capacity for love and

service (Kriplani K. 1950, Preface).

Chandalika is a short drama based on the Buddhist legend. Ananda, the famous

disciple of the Buddha was one day returning from a visit, when he felt thirsty. He

appeared a well on the way and asked for water from a Chandal girl, belonging to the

lowest untouchable caste. She gave him water and fell in love with the monk. She

wanted to possess him. Her mother was well versed in the art of magic. The girl

forced her mother to work the magic on the monk. The spell bound monk came at her

house at night. But now the monk whom she saw as handsome and bright, celestial

and attractive was not remained but he was distorted and disfigured. He was soon

overcome with shame and remorse and prayed Buddha to save him. The Buddha

broke the magic spell and the monk returned as pure as he went.

The above plot is a crude one. It is the popular Buddhist tale. It shows how the

power of Buddha saves his devotee from the Chandal girl. Tagore has changed the

plot into a psychological drama of intense spiritual conflict. As the Buddhist legend

shows it as a story of wicked girl, roused to lust by the physical charms or beauty of

the monk, but is a story of a sensitive girl who is awakened to a consciousness of her

full rights as a human being by the Buddhist monk, who drinks water from her hands

and teaches her to judge herself by her capacity for love and sacrifice and not by the

artificial values imposed by birth or the society.

After her first meeting with Ananda, she received a great revelation. It is a new

birth for her. She overcomes her self-degradation and rises as a full human being with

her rights. She realises her power of love and give. She has nothing to give except

her own self and there cannot be any precious gift than herself for the monk. The

monk has given her a new birth so she longs to offer herself to him. But Ananda, as

the Buddhist monk, is detached from all earthly cares and is immense in his inner self.

He is not aware of her new birth and will to surrender herself to him, passes by

without recognizing her.

She feels disgraced, insulted and injured in her newly born sensibility. She

resolves to pull down the monk from his pride or renunciation to the abjectness of her

desire for him. She has lust all the fear. She owned nothing to the religion.

She compells her mother to work magic spells on Ananda. She calls it the

primeval spell, the spell of the earth, which is more powerful than the immature

Sadhana of the monks. The spell of earth proves powerful and Ananda is dragged to

her door. But his face is distorted with agony and shame. This change in her noble

and bright redeemer awakens her and she curses herself in remorse and falls at his feet

asking for pardon. The magic spell is revoked by her mother and her mother willingly

pays the price by her death. It is the second time the Chandal girl is reborn, purged of

the pride and egoism that had made her forget that love does not claim possession, but

it gives freedom. The tragedy of Chandal girl turns round the awakening of self

consciousness without self control. In the fire of the conflict, the poor loving mother

gets burnt. The Chandal girl is purified by the fire of suffering and Ananda too

recovers from his momentary lapse.

Tagore has given a new view to the old Buddhist legend of the monk. He has

shown the new humanist side of the old Buddhist legend.

He has written his play based on this very popular Buddhist legend. Tagore

has written this play Chandalika only in two acts without scenes. The first act opens

with a scene near a village well, in which the heronie of the play Prakriti, a Chandal

girl, is taken to task by her mother for lingering so long near the well. Prakriti tells the

mother that she waits at the well for some one whose call has come to her. Ever since

the day she gave water to the monk near the well. She has been hearing in her heart

cry "give me water". Her mother thinks that the words of the monk have cast a spell

on her and have changed her very soul. Her mother asks her not to build her hopes on

such small things. The mother takes the high aspirations of her daughter as ambitius,

to desire to achieve wealth and position and power by using her woman's charms. Her

mother is ready to go to the monk and beg him to come to her hence and accept food

from their hands. But Prakriti is not calling him that way. She wants her mother to

use her magic spell, if he does not hear her call of the soul and respond it. On learning

this wish of using magic spells on Ananda she is seized by doubt and fear. She urges

Prakriti to forget her dreams. But Prakriti does not regard her desires as dreams, they

are grim realities that grip her heart. The mother yields to the insistence of her

daughter and chant the spells.

It is only through the conversation of Prakriti and her mother the plot unfolds

itself and shows the redemption of the Chandal girl and in her awakening as a result

thereof her desire to assert her right to rise above her station and love and the conflict

in the mind of the mother whether or no use the magic spell on mendicant of the

stature of Ananda.

In the second act, the conversation is continue and develops the plot. Prakriti's

mother has been working her spells for about fifteen days. She urges upon Prakriti to

undo the spell, but Prakriti thinking that victory is in sight asks her mother to continue

and not to be relax. At last Ananda yields to the spell and comes to their door. But

this Ananda is completely changed. The light and purity that at one time adorned his

face was not. Present on his face. There was distortion due to agency and suffering.

Prakriti cannot bear this for long and asks her mother to undo the spell. To stop the

spell and to undo it the mother has to pay a heavy price of her life and she meets the

death willingly.

Tagore has made the plot simple, neat, compact and very well constructed. The

plot develops smoothly through the dialogue between Prakriti and her mother.

Sometimes it assumes a poetic ring which is a special feature of Tagore.

Though Tagore's play Chandalika is based on the Buddhist legend but it is a

tragedy of self consciousness. Only through the dialogues between Prakriti and her

mother, the character of Ananda is presented and only at the end of the play it appears

before the reader. It is not only the story about how Lord Buddha saved his disciple

but it is also the story of the spiritual conflict in the heart of a Chandal girl, Prakriti.

The Buddhist monk Ananda asked her to give him water. She refuses to give it by

saying that she was a Chandal girl of an untouchable caste. Her touch would pollute

him. His reply was different from the others. He told her that no human being was

really untouchable. The nature doesnot make any such partiality between the persons

or the things.

He said it wasn't true. If the black clouds of sravana are dubbed Chandal, he said,

what of it? It doesn't change their nature or destro the virtue of their water (Tagore,

2000:148)

He asked her not feel or call herself low or degraded. A self humiliation of this type

was worse than suicide.

Don't humiliate yourself, he said; self-humiliation is a sin, worse than self-murder

(Tagore, 2000:148).

She was filled with a new sense of self-respect on hearing these words from a holy

man, she came to be filled with a new consciousness of her worth as a woman.

Now she has possessed new consciousness, it is of her capacity for love and

she wants to give it to her redeemer. As the monk has redeemed her from degradation

and had given her almost a new birth. So she wants to offer her love to her redeemer.

The monk, completely unaware of her feelings towards him and detached to this world

neglects her. His neglect hurts her and the wounded girl resolves to pull down the

monk from his pedeste of holiness and inflame his with a passion and craving for her.

Chant your spells, your cruellest spells; wind them about his mind till every coil bites

deep. Wherever he goes, he shall never escape me! (Tagore, 2000:157).

Tagore has depicted the character of Prakriti as a sensitive girl, and this

sensitive girl is wounded by his neglegence and her pure love turns into passionate

longing to possess him. Now she wants to conquer him at any cost. Her passionate

feelings degrade him. This reborned Prakriti is hurted and her sensitive and instinctive

goodness overcomes her passionate love and she begged pardon of the monk.

Character of Prakriti:

Tagore has given a significant place to the character of Prakriti in Chandalika.

Tagore has deliberately titled the play after the name of its female character, Prakriti.

Though set in the post-Vedic period, the character of Prakriti a girl born into a

Chandal family shows the streaks of women empowerment. As empowered women

dare to challenge the age old customs and practices prevalent in the society from time

immemorial, she ( Prakriti) voices against the denial of natural denial (Vattoh,

Georgekutty, 2007:111). Prakriti is a girl of extraordinary beauty. Her beauty is not

described anywhere in the play but one knows it from the reference made by her

mother to the indifference which Prakriti had shown towards the King's son who had

come to the forest on a hunting expedition and who, on seeing Prakriti, had wanted to

take her with him to his palace.

With her beauty, Prakriti also combines an intelligence of a kind which too is

rare among ordinary girls. Throughout the play reader can experience her intelligence

which is revealed by her speaking. At the very outset one finds her fully

understanding what the Buddhist monk tells her after she has revealed to him the fact

that she is a Chandal girl and not fit to offer water to him because of her low caste.

The Buddhist monk exhorts her not to humiliate her self by thinking that she is unfit to

offer water to a thirsty man of an upper caste, adding that self humiliation is a sin,

worse than self-murder Subsequently Prakriti almost quotes the Bhikshu's words

saying that self-humiliation is something evil and sinful. At the same time she also

tells her mother that plenty of slaves are born of royal blood but she is no slave.

Fie, fie, mother, I tell you again, don't delude yourself with this self-humiliation it is

false, and a sin. Plenty of slaves are born of a royal blood, but I am not slave; plenty

of Chandals are born of Brahmin families but I am no Chandal (Tagore 2006:6).

It is because of her intelligence that she quickly imbibes the lesson which the

Buddhist monk has tried to teach her. As the monk has spoken his words of advice to

her, Prakriti acquires a sense of her identity as a human being. She thinks that the

monk's words have caused her to be a reborn. Her heart begins to leap with wonder at

the monk's words and at the monk's ready acceptance of the water which she pours

into his hands to quench his thirst. She tells her mother that for the first time she had

heard the kind of words which the monk had spoken to her and that ordinarily she

would have not dared even to touch the dust under the feet of that man to whom she

had given water and who had actually drunk the water. She had so deeply been

influenced by the monk's words that while pouring water into his cupped hands, she

had felt that the water was growing to a bottomless sea and that into the water were

flowing all the seven seas of the world, drowning her caste and washing her clean of

the stigma of her low birth. Indeed, Prakriti's mother is astonished by Prakriti's

manner of speaking which has changed entirely because of the monk's words to advice

to her.

Why, even the way you speak is changed. He has laid your tongue under a spell. Do

you understand yourself what you are saying?(Tagore 2006:3).

Prakriti tells her mother that her heart has been dancing ever since and that

night and day the monk's words have been echoing in her ears.

My heart has been dancing ever since and night and day I hear those solemn tones-

'give me water, give me water(Tagore 2006:3).

Prakriti has now become conscious of her status as a human being, in no way

inferior to any other. A feeling of self-respect has now taken roots in her heart. But

unfortunately, Prakriti's self-consciousness grows unduly large and oversteps the

limits which as an intelligent girl, she should herself have recognized and imposed

upon herself. In the process of pouring water into the monk's hands, Prakriti had also

fallen in love with the monk.

Prakriti should have realized that she had fallen in love with a Buddhist monk,

who, by the very nature of the religion to which he belonged and because of the vow

of celibacy which he had taken, could never regard any woman as the means of

sensual gratification. But Prakriti not only fell in love with this Bhikshu but has

begun to wait for another visit by him, expecting him to come again in order to ask her

for water to quench his thirst.

He who has recognized me will reveal me. And so I wait and watch(Tagore 2006:4).

Then Prakriti does something which is not only indiscreet and wrong but

actually sinful. She urges her mother to use her magic powers to force the Buddhist

monk to come to her house in order to seek her love;

That won't do for me; I won't simply sit and watch. You know how to work spells; let

those spells be the clasp of my arms, let them drag him here(Tagore 2006:7).

Although the mother is most unwilling to adopt such a sinful course of action

she has to agree to it in difference to her daughter's urgent wishes. Nor does Prakriti

change her mind when her mother says that for her to work her magic against a

Buddhist monk would be tent amount to playing with fire.

What are you saying, wretched girl? Is there no limit to your recklessness? It would

be playing with fire!(Tagore, 2006:7).

Prakriti says that the monk must be brought to her house to work more

wonders, besides the one which he has already worked by making her recognize

herself as a human being.

Bring him here you must! I speak so boldly such great matters - isn't that in itself a

wonder? Who worked the wonder but he?(Tagore 2006:8).

Prakriti shows herself to be a very sensitive kind of girl and she proves to be a

sensual one too. When the Buddhist monk happens once again to pass the well where

Prakriti had given him water to quench his thirst, he does not even look towards that

well because he is not thirsty and because he has completely forgotten the incident of

his having met a girl to whom he had imparted the knowledge of her identity as a

human being. Prakriti misinterprets the Buddhist monk's forgetfulness of the whole

incident as an insult to her; and she now becomes even more determined than before

to have him as her lover. With that object in her mind, she becomes even more

insistent that her mother should use her maximum strength as a sorceress to compel

the monk to come to her. She even says that her mother's magic is something ancient

as old as life itself, while the mantras of the Buddhist Bhikshsus are raw things of

yesterday.

Mother, yours is an ancient spell, as old as life itself. Their mantras are raw things of

yesterday. These men can never be a match for you − the knot of their mantras will be

loosened under the stress of your spells. He is bound to be defeated(Tagore 2006:12).

Here one finds Prakriti's determination stiffening to such an extent against the

man, who had given her a new life that one begins almost to feel hostile to her. In

fact, at this point, she loses all our sympathy.

Prakriti's self-consciousness has now become arrogance, and her self-respect

has become vanity. She now appears as a self-centred, egoistical girl obsessed with

her own passion, regardless of the tremendous harm which she is going to do to that

man. The intensity of her longing for that Buddhist monk is now combined with her

pride which has been wounded by the monk's forgetfulness of her. She now becomes

reckless, her chief aim now being to vanquish the monk’s spirituality and to subdue

him by the power of her mother's magic.

I fear nothing any longer except to sink back again, to forget myself again, to enter

again the house of darkness. That would be worse than death! Bring him here you

must!(Tagore 2006:8).

Her mother starts spells on the Buddhist monk, but soon conflict begins in

Prakriti's mind and it shows that after all she is not merely a creature of lust, she is not

a brazen woman seeking merely the gratification of her sensual desire and that she is

devoid of all moral scruples. This conflict begins when; looking into the magic mirror

provided to her by her mother, Prakriti sees Ananda experiencing the agony of a

struggle which has began to take place within him.

O my heart will break. I will not look in the mirror; I cannot bear it, such agony, so

furious a storm. Must the king of the forest crash to the dust at last, his cloud - kissing

glory broken?(Tagore 2006:14)

As the magic spells continue, the sensual desire in Ananda grows stronger and

stronger, but his resistance is increasing. A conflict between sensuality and spirituality

begins to take the shape of a storm in his soul; and the onslaught of the sensual desire

has begun to distort and twist his face which is fast losing its radiance. Observing all

this, Prakriti begins to realize the gravity of the sin in using magic on Ananda. The

Bhikshu is now very close to Prakriti's house but Prakriti seeing the tremendous

change in the appearance of Ananda feels that she is about to destroy all his glory and

all his spirituality by forcing him into her arms.

His journey is almost at an end and what then? What then for him? Only my self, my

wretched self?Nothing else?Only this to repay the long and cruel pain?Nothing but

me?Only this at the end of the weary, difficult road? - Only me?(Tagore 2006:20).

Overwhelmed by her sense of guilt Prakriti calls out to her mother to stop her

spells and then she herself kicks a way the paraphernalia with which her mother had

surrounded herself.

O Mother, Mother, Stop! Undo the spell now − at once − undo it! What have you

done? What have you done? O wicked, wicked deed! −better have died. What a sight

to see! Where is the light and radiance, the shining purity, the heavenly glow?(Tagore

2006:2)

Prakriti overcome by her feelings to remorse and repentance, falls at Ananda's

feet, seeking his forgiveness. Here is a transformation indeed. She has been able to

conquer her egoism and her lust, and she has shown in her a rare capacity for self

sacrifice. Her desire for Ananda has surely been frustrated and there is something

tragic about this frustration. But her frustration is also her triumph and this triumph

won by her, has an uplifting effect. The Chandal girl has risen to a height to which

even a girl of the highest caste might not have been able to rise.

Prakriti's mother

As any mother of girl, Prakriti's mother is also having the same curious and

caring nature. She is aware of the social customs and of her place in the society. She

reminds Prakriti about it. Though she is sorceress but she know the power of the

Buddha and his disciples. She reminds Prakriti of this power.

Are these Bhikshus like ordinary folk? How am I to work spells on them? I Shudder

even to think of it.(Tagore, 2000:153).

She finds her daughter in love with the monk and she advises her not to play

with the fire and it will burn her. She also asks Prakriti about her refusal to the King's

son who proposed Prakriti, when he saw her at the time of hunting. He was attracted

towards Prakriti. She also suggests her to accept his proposal. But Prakriti tells about

her rebirth as a human being. Prakriti insists her to use her magic spells against the

monk. Though the mother realises her child's feeling but she tries to make aware of

the fact and asks Prakriti to face the reality. She makes her to remember the place at

which they are living.

The filth into which an evil fate has cost you is a wall of mud that no spade in the

world can break through. You are unclean beware of tainting the outside world with

your unclean presence. See that you keep to your own place, narrow as it is. To stray

anywhere beyond its limits is to trespass (Tagore, 2000:150).

Though she has magic powers, but she also has a conscience. She is an

exceptional kind of sorceress. She has moral scruples. She warns Prakriti at the very

outset against using magic spells against the monk.

Aren't you afraid of bringing a curse upon yourself? (Tagore 2000:154).

But Prakriti insist her to do the magic spells. She asks Prakriti if she has no respect

for religion. She also warns her that it would be like playing with fire. She tells her

that the Buddhist monks are having power of their virtues. The mother has fear of

their virtues.

They draw men by the strength of their virtue. (Tagore, 2000:154)

The mother tries to convince Prakriti that her insistence is immensely daring and she

must forget the meeting with the monk. She also tries to convince her that she should

go to the king as he has realised her beauty but not to the monk who has not seen the

woman in her. She again reminds Prakriti of her low caste birth and asks her to accept

the destiny. She is ready to go to the monk and invite him to her house. But Prakriti

denies it and says that she want to call him by her soul. Prakriti tells her that such

calling is useless. But her mother speaks like a philosopher.

What is the use of such talk? If the clouds come, they come. If they don't, they don't, if

the crops wither, it's no concern of theirs! What more can we do than sit and watch

the sky (Tagore, 2000:152)

Though she speaks like a philosopher, but she is the mother, who could not see her

child unhappy. She know that doing magic spells to the monk is dangerous and will

cost heavy but she could not bear suffering of her daughter and is ready to do the

spells.

O Prakriti, I cannot bear to see you suffer so. Come get up. I will chant the spell, I

will bring him (R. Tagore, 2000:157)

As the monk is not an ordinary person, the mother has to use all her mental and

physical faculties and energies to work her magic. She feels so exhausted that she

thinks herself to be on the verge of collapse.

I never knew it would take so long. My spells have no power, child; there is no breath

left in my body (Tagore, 2000:159).

After some time she tells Prakriti that a curse would descend upon her, for herself the

whole thing would surely mean death because the fibres of her being have already

been shattered.

Think well even now, lest sudden terror spring upon you with the work half done. Can

you endure to the end? When the spell has reached its height, it would cost me my life

to undo it.(Tagore 2000:158).

But Prakriti is not ready to stop the spells. She ask her mother to continue the spells,

till the monk doesn't appear at her door. When she looks the monk into the mirror

Prakriti feels ashamed and asks her to stop the magic spells. The mother feels

overwhelmed by the remorse. She begs pardon to Ananda at the time of death.

Victory to thee, O Lord My sins and my life lie together at thy feet and my day end

here, in the heaven of thy forgiveness (Tagore, 2000:166).

Not only at the end of her life she asks for pardon from the monk. But she requests

for his forgiveness as she began her magic spells on the monk.

Prakriti's mother has shown the conflict between right and wrong. Though as a

person she knew that doing magic spells on the monk is wrong but she do it for her

daughter, whom she could not see in suffering. This female character of Tagore

shows that the woman is not mere a mother but she is also a human being and is ready

to give her life, to make her child happy.

She is not blind, she can see the result of her deeds. But willingly she accepts

the death. Thus the mother gains sympathy though her deeds are wrong and her means

are impious.

Assertion of Female Self in Chandalika:

Tagore in his play Chandalika has portrayed two women characters. Both these

women are having the sense of womanhood. Tagore has exhibited his powers of

dramatic art in depicting these two characters. He has artistically handled these two

characters. If art is the revelation of human nature at its best, it cannot find a worthier

object than the heart of woman, the temple of love and pity. The art which takes a low

view of womanhood and depicts woman as either the tempter of man or as the

plaything of his passion, is neither true nor beautiful.

Tagore as the heir to the tradition of Kalidasa and Bana, has been

conspicuously successful in his portrayal of women. According to the poet, love is the

truth of life and love is centered in woman. Life gets a new radiance from love, which

also reveals the deeper meaning of life. Tagore shows that love is not a passion of

blood or the more allurement of sense, but is an affinity of souls. Such love has never

stood in the way of a truly religious life. To love God, one need not hate woman, to

serve one need not turn our backs on our fellowmen.

In his plays, and stories, Tagore depicts love not only in its romantic aspect, but

also in its relation to everyday life and shows how it illumines, purifies and sweetens

life. As daughter, bride, wife and mother, woman sheds a heavenly radiance on life.

Love is the ultimate meaning of everything around. It is not a mere sentiment; it is

truth; it is joy that is at the root of all creation.

Both the characters in Chandalika, Prakriti and her mother equally attract our

attention to Prakriti's mother who is sorceress. Her experience and age forsake in her

deep love for her daughter. Though she is of low caste and supposed as untouchable,

she is having the consciousness of womanhood in her. She is intelligent though she is

supposed as an untouchable, her dialogues with her daughter gives glance of her

talent:

At least he noticed your beauty, if only as game to be hunted. As for the Bhikshu, does

he see the woman in you? (Tagore 2006:6)

Prakriti is also intelligent like her mother. As her mother is having awareness

of her womanhood, Prakriti also is aware of her womanhood as well as her of human

being.

Yes, he had forgotten everything − forgotten that I was a human being. He had gone

out hunting beasts; he saw nothing but the beast whom he wanted to bind in chains of

gold.(Tagore 2006:6).

Prakriti is a Chandalini, a girl born in a Chandal family. As she is born in a low

caste family she is supposed as untouchable. But she is born intelligent and her

meeting with Ananda realises her self-consciousness as a human being.

That's what he said−that he belonged to our kind(Tagore 2006:2)

Prakriti's meeting with Ananda gives her a new identity of herself. He calls her

a human being. He makes her to think about herself as a human being. He tells her

that self-humiliation is worth a self murder. His preaching awakes her self-

consciousness. Ananda gives her knowledge and knowledge is a birth. So he gives

her a new birth. She tells the story of her new birth to her mother :

No this is a tale of my new birth (Tagore R. 2006:2).

Prakriti is now changed. She is no more Chandalini. She has got the

knowledge of herself. She supposes herself equal to all the human beings she got the

knowledge of her own I :

O words of great wonder! That I may serve, I a flower sprung from a poison -

plant(Tagore 2006 pp.4-5).

Prakriti becomes aware of her own identity as a human being. Though she is

inborn Chandalini, a low caste, untouchable girl, now she is a woman, more than

woman she is human being. Till she was Chandalini, she was not having any

expectation from the society but now she is the part of society, she got this knowledge

from Ananda. She is no more Chandalini:

Plenty of slaves are born of royal blood, but I am no slave; plenty of Chandals are

born of Brahmin families but I am no Chandal(Tagore R. 2006:6).

Like a modern woman, she has got the knowledge of herself and of her power

as a woman. Now she has got the confidence which the modern woman has because

of the knowledge. She has a tremendous change in her that her mother also could not

understand the meaning of her speaking. The knowledge given by Ananda has

awakened her soul.

As the feminist she is not satisfied only by noticing her physical beauty but she

needs more than that. She wants to be recognized by her soul. She wants that Ananda

should notice her. Ananda is her teacher and the person who gave her a new birth as a

human being. When her mother wants to call Ananda on behalf of her, She is not

ready for that but she want to give him an inner call.

No, no, I'll not call him in that way, from outside. I'll send my call into his soul, for

him to hear (Tagore 2006:7).

She is now a woman having her own identity, identity of herself and soul. She

now wants attention towards her, and when Ananda doesn't give any recognition to

her she becomes nervous. She wants to offer herself to him. She wants to mingle with

him like the Ganges mingles with sea. She is not ready to believe in faith or she is not

ready to wait and watch the things. She wants to bend the situation by any way. As a

feminist it is the woman who changes the situation according to her and gets the

success by her tries. She becomes angry, insulted and furious because of Ananda's

oblivion towards her. Now she uses the way which is not the fair way but she wants to

win him.

That won't do for me; I won't simply sit and watch. You know how to work spells; let

those spells be the clasp of arms, let them drag him here(Tagore 2006:7).

Here Prakriti is changed in a furious and revengeful woman. Tagore has

skilfully and successfully depicted the furious Prakriti also. Though her mother

instructs her that the way which she is using is immoral and incorrect, but Prakriti is

totally under the impression of her sensuous feelings. Her mother asks her about the

respect of religion but she refuses to recognize any religion which does not respect

her. She says,

I respect him who respects me. A religion that insults is a false region (Tagore

2006:7).

Now she wants the respect from the others. She is beyond all the fears. She

now can speak about herself and her existence. Her struggle is now for her own

identity and the recognition of her identity by the others. She is ready to do anything

and to use any mean which can bring Ananda to her. She doesn't suppose it crime to

use the black powers against the monk.

What wrong? I will bring to my side the one who brings all near. What crime is there

in that?(Tagore 2006:9)

Here the woman in her has shown the black side of her. She shows what a soul

hurted woman can do. She is not ready to understand the difference between right and

wrong. She becomes blind in her gloom of insult. All her fear is gone and now she is

daring. When her mother tries to console her she becomes more furious and unhappy.

She has misplaced her love. She is not accepting the truth that the monks have to take

the vow of celibacy. Though she knows it she is not accepting the fact and becoming

more unhappy and angry. She has misunderstood or misinterpreted the words of the

Buddhist monk. She knows that Ananda is not a common man then also she wants to

use the magic spells upon him.

But soon she overcomes her sinuous passions, as she looks into the magic

mirror and the changes which she observes in the Bhikshu makes her to think about

her decision to use the magic spells. It shows that she has a conscience in her which is

still awake in her as the fire remains under the ashes. She could not bear the change

which came in Ananda because of her magic spells.

O, my heart will break. I will not look in the mirror. I cannot bear it.(Tagore

2006:14).

But soon her injured self comes over and she asks to continue the magic spells.

Now she is in dwelling mood. She wants to offer herself to Ananda. She wants to give

him the same experience which she herself experienced during the period of her

awakening. She makes her mother to continue her spells so that he will experience the

pain which she is experiencing. Tagore depicts such a revolutionary picture of Prakriti

which is beyond the imagination of the Indian society. Till this time it has seen and

read about the silence sufferers like Sita, Savitri, Aihlya mother earth. Tagore has

shackled the view of the society and has shown the new and modern form of a woman

who can take revenge though it is wrong but she can take the step towards it. She is

bold enough to do the jobs which are supposed as the jobs of man. In Chandalika,

Prakriti use the magic spells as the power of her arms. At last she is successful to

bring him towards her:

He is coming, he is coming! All that once lay so far away, so many million miles

away, beyond the very sun and moon, immeasurably beyond the reach of my arms - it

is coming, nearer and nearer!(Tagore 2006:15)

As her destination comes near to her, she becomes eager to see him. Again she

becomes conscious of her self. The self to which he has given the identity as the self

taught her to be like a human being but now she is beyond all that, she now is only an

injured woman, she has forgotten about her past and not ready to accept the present as

it is. She wants him near her; unknowingly she has fallen in love with him and wants

him to love her. But when she sees his pale face and lusty eyes into the magic mirror,

she feels that all it is her own she is not different from him:

It seemed that the tortured form I saw was not his only, but mine too, it belonged to us

both. In those awful fires the gold and the copper had been melted and fused(Tagore

2006:16).

Thus she suggests the union of two different souls into one, two different

personalities into one. She doesn't want to be different from him. She wants to be the

part of the society and equal to others. When Prakriti watches Ananda into the magic

mirror, the changes in him make her to feel ashamed of herself, Fie upon it, how I am

ashamed! (Tagore 2006:17).

Prakriti herself is amazed by the change in herself. In the beginning she was a

Chandalini. After meeting with Ananda she got the knowledge of herself as a human

being and now she wants him towards her who gave her a new birth. She is giving

sufferings to him who brought her out of every suffering of human birth. She

supposes it as the union of two spirits for Mukti. She has the confidence that he will

not get the Mukti till her gaining of it. How can he attain his Mukti until I attain

mine?(Tagore 2006:17).

She is ready to welcome him with her offerings of the royal seat of her shame,

her fear and her joy. She is mad with happiness of his coming towards her. She is

cheering her success to bring him to her.

But soon her knowledge, her conscience awakens and makes her to think about

the destination of Ananda. She strayed him from the path of knowledge, happiness,

joy, light to the path of ignorance; unhappiness, gloom and dark. Her magic spells

made him to suffer a lot, but what will he get after such sufferings. It makes her to

think. There is nothing for the person like Ananda. What can she offer him without

her wretched self? And suddenly she changes and asks her mother to stop the magic

spells. Again the conscience in her, the knowledge in her gets victory over her mean

thinking and her mean way to get victory over the Buddhist monk and she asks her

mother to stop the spells. She wishes the victory for Ananda, the Buddhist Monk who

again gave her a new birth this time the spiritual rebirth :

O Mother, Mother, stop! Undo the spell now − at once − undo it! What have you

done? What have you done? O wicked, wicked deed! −better have died. What a sight

to see! Where is the light and radiance, the shinning purity, the heavenly glow? How

worn, how faded, has he come to my door! Bearing his self's defeat as a heavy burden,

he comes with drooping head............. Away with all this, away with it. (She kicks the

paraphernalia of magic to pieces) Prakriti, Prakriti, if in truth you are no Chandalini,

offer no insult to the heroic. Victory, victory to him!(Tagore 2006:21).

Prakriti realises that over weening self-consciousness get defeated. Self -

consciousness is a source of power upto a limit and it is essential for self-growth,

because one can not achieve one's worth and value without it. But is it disregards the

rights of others it turns into sufferings. She has suffered this awakening of her self-

consciousness and turning it into the cause of her suffering and death of her mother as

well as degradation of the Buddhist monk.

At the end of the play Prakriti gets the knowledge of her true self. Her mother

gives her life for the sake of daughter's love. Tagore has depicted many women

characters as a wife, daughter, sister, mother, beloved etc. But Prakriti is different

from all these characters. She is not a beloved or a wife though she wants to surrender

herself to the person who is much unknown to her.

Natir Puja:

Tagore's Natir Puja is another play based on the Buddhist legend. It is one of

the famous dramas of Rabindranath Tagore. It is the simple and moving play. The

drama contains a simple religious emotion which rises to extraordinary heights of

richness and nobility as the drama culminates in its tragedy of martyred devotion.

As related in Rajendralal Mitra's The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal,

published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1882, the play is inspired from the

Buddhist legend of Raja Bimbisara. The legend is as follows :

Raja Bimbisara, receiving the knowledge of truth from the Lord, had built a big stupa

over Lord's nails and hairs in his zenana, and his maids cleansed the place every day.

When Ajatasatru obtained the throne by parricide, he prohibited the females to sweep

the stupa on pain of death. Srimati, a female slave, caring not at all for her life,

washed it neatly and lighted it with a row of lamps. The king in great rage, ordered

her to the place of execution (Tagore, 1999:81).

Rabindranath Tagore has used this legend and produced very popular and effective

play. It is one of his simplest play. It is a dance drama in four acts. It is written in

prose but punctuated with music and dance. The play shows the conflict between

Buddhism and Hinduism. Tagore has retold a whole history in a few scenes and

situations. The incidents in the play occur in a single day. The play was based on his

own poem Pujarini included in Katha. It was published in 1926 and was performed on

the stage of Santiniketan in 1927. When it was performed second time, a prologue was

added and a new character 'Upali' was introduced. This role was played by

Rabindranath Tagore himself. It was performed in Tagore House, Jorasanko.

Natir Puja is one of the simplest and most moving of Rabindranath's plays (Kriplani,

1999:81)

As described by K. Kriplani about the play. The play has set a trend for dance form in

Bengal. The story of the play is noble, simple and pure. It has no symbolic

complexities and intellectual abstractions. The play focuses on a simple religious

emotion which rises to extraordinary heights of richness and nobility as the play

reaches its culmination in its tragedy of martyred devotion.

Though the play is based on the Buddhist legend but it is also related to the

history. As the legend has co-relation with the king Bimbisara. As the history shows :

King Bimbisara (C.546-494 B.C.) as every student of history knows was a

contemporary of the Buddha (C. 566 - 486 B.C.) and founder of the ancient empire of

Magadha with its capital at Rajgriha. The generally accepted historical version is

that he was killed by his son, Ajatsatru (C. 494-462 B.C.), who seized the throne;

though according to another tradition, Bimbisara is said to have handed over the

kingdom to Ajatsatru, the prince. The following version adopted by the poet for the

purposes of the drama draws upon both these traditions.

Bimbisara, having learnt from the Buddha the wisdom of renunciation and

seeing his son, Ajatsatru, ambitious of the throne, voluntarily gives up his kingdom to

the latter and retires outside the city to spend his days in meditation and prayer. His

younger son, Chitra, inspired by the same teaching, embraces the order and becomes

a Bhikshu. The queen-mother, Lokesvari, once a devotee of the Buddha, turns bitterly

against the religion that has deprived her of her husband and her son. The new king,

Ajatsatru, under the influence of Devdatta, a cousin and a rival of the Buddha, forbids

the practice of Buddhism and persecutes its followers. In the meanwhile, on the

Vasant Purnima day, which is the birthday of the Buddha, Srimati, the Nati (Palace-

dancer), is chosen by the order to offer worship at the shrine - a privilege hitherto

reserved for the princesses. One of whom, Ratnavali, is highly incensed at the idea of

a low creature like the palace dancer being honoured with this right, on this

auspicious day, in preference to one of them. In order to humiliate the Nati, Ratnavali

gets an order from the king (who has already forbidden, on pain of death, any worship

at the shrine) that the Nati should instead dance before the stupa. Srimati accepts the

order and at the appointed hour in the evening appears on the scene dressed for the

dance. She begins the dance, which turns out to be one of religious ecastasy in course

of which the dancer discards one by one all her ornaments as well as the gorgeous

outer garments, and is left with only one ochre wrap of a Bhikshuni. As she kneels

down and recites the final verses of formal worship, her head is struck off by order of

the king. The spectacle of this supreme and heroic devotion of the Nati melts even the

heart of Ratnavali.

In the mean while, Bimbisara, who was coming to offer worship at the same

shrine is murdered on the way by the king's men. Ajatsatru, frightened at the enormity

of the crime and revokes his policy of persecution.(Kriplani, 1999:83)

Tagore has used both the Buddhist legend and a historical incident in his play, he

successfully used his imagination and mingles the history, legend and his poetic

imagination in this play.

How far the plot as used by the author is historical, how far legnedary and how far

the creation of the poet's imagination, is not a relevant inquiry (Kriplani, 1999:83).

Though the play is based on the historical incident, but the interest of the play is not

historical, though it is based on the Buddhist legend, its interest is not legendary. The

interest of the play lies in its deep human appeal and the subtle analysis of the

character of the queen mother Lokeshwari. Its main interest lies in the psychological

analysis of the queen-mother. The play shows a conflict in her.

Theme of the Play :

The play has the theme, the devotional dance of a Nati or a dancing girl.

Srimati, the disciple and devotee of Lord Buddha is a dancing girl at the court

of the King of Magadha, Ajatsatru. She has heard the call of the Lord Buddha as

many other people of the time. She responded the call with all heart and soul. King

Bimbisara also has turned a disciple of Lord Buddha. He left his kingdom. Ajatastru,

his son throned as the king of Magadha, Bimbisara's younger son Chitra, becomes a

Buddhist monk. The queen-mother, Lokeswari, at one time an orient devotee of the

Buddha, now holds the Buddhist religion in contempt, as it has deprived her both of

her son and her husband. But she still holds the Buddha in high esteem and she

displays a vicient conflict in her heart between her devotion to the Buddha and her

anger born thwarted love, Ajatsatru allows himself to go under the complete influence

of Devdatta, a rival of the Buddha, and he prohibits the practice of Buddhism in his

kingdom. Bimbisara had set up a shrine and a small stupa in the palace garden. It was

her that the ladies of the court used to offer worship to the Buddha. Srimati is asked by

the order of Buddhism to offer worship at the shrine of the Buddha on the birthday of

the Buddha. The princesses get offended at the honour done to a dancing girl. One of

the princesses takes it so much to heart that she wants to humiliate Srimati. She

receives an order from the king that she should dance at the shrine. Srimati is not hurt

at all at this. She thinks that she can offer her heart's devotion to the Lord through the

dancing. Not at all caring for the king's order not to offer worship to the Buddha she

repeats the formula of worship and even as she kneels in worship, her head is chopped

off. Ratnavali is changed by her act of supreme devotion and sacrifice. She is now

repentant. Ajatsatru's men in the meantime waylay Binbisara and murder him. This

makes Ajatsatru repentant too and he revokes his policy of Buddhism.

The main action of the play centres round the exalted fervour and devotion of

Srimati and its climax in her martyrdom. She is a member of a despised class, but she

is reclaimed by the teachings of the Buddha and her devotion to him. Her strong faith

in Buddhism inspires all those who come in contact with her with a similar emotion.

All the princesses, except, Mallika and Ratnavali, come under her purifying influence.

Srimati's religious emotion rises to greater and greater heights of fervour with

her self-sacrifice, with a prayer of forgiveness for the wrongdoers. It is here that the

readers come to realise the grandeur of the human spirit and a glimpse of Buddhism at

its best is provided. Buddha's gospel of love which followed both in precept and

practice, his emphasis on simple faith and devotion in preference to dogma and ritual

and the message of social equality, they are all nicely brought out in the play. The

people under the influence of Buddhism were roused to moral and religious endeavour

never seen before or after on such a vast scale.

The theme of the play has a human appeal and the main interest of the play lies

in the analysis of Lokeswari's divided heart. The character of Srimati is simple. She

has a single minded devotion to the Lord. But the character of Lokeswari is complex.

She is the queen mother as well as the devotee of lord. She has conflict between the

loss of her son and her husband and the loyalities of her soul. So she turns against the

teachings of Buddha. Now she thinks that Buddhism weakens social order and kingly

power. It lays stress on renunciation and distintegrates family life. It does not build the

society but it breaks it. She says ahimsa may be good for lower classes but not for the

warrior because their duty is to fight and rule. According to her the old Hindu religion

is the best for country. But she also has respect for Buddha. This conflict of her

symbolises the conflict of the Hindu society between the call of the new religion and

attachment to the old.

In the play Natir Puja Rabindranath Tagore has depicted the female characters

which are from the royal house as well as from the downtrodden class. But all these

women are having one common thread among them. It is the Buddhism which ties

together the queen- mother Lokeswari, Srimati and Ratnavali stands as the type of

their own. The queen- mother Lokeswari has a conflict and confusion in her mind

about the Buddhism. Srimati has respect and devotion for the Lord Buddha and

Buddhism as it has given her an identity as a human being and has given her right to

worship which was denied by the Hindu religion. Ratnavali feels insulted by it. She

respects the Hindu religion and says it as the religion of warrior. She humiliates

Srimati.

The other characters are the princesses, Utpalaparna, Malini and the maids. As

the play is based on the Buddhist legend the characters are also shown as the

Bhikushini and the followers of the Buddha. Upali, the monk; Bimbisara, the king;

Chitra the follower of the Buddha and younger son of the King; Ajatsatru, the elder

son of the king and now the king of Magadha and Devdatta the rival of the Buddha are

male character but plays the secondary role in the play. As in many plays of Tagore

the female characters in this play has primary role and the men plays the secondary

role.

The Queen-Mother, Lokeswari :

In this play the queen-mother Lokeswari shows the psychological conflict

between her heart and brain. She shows the reverence for the Buddha as well as she

hates the Buddhism as it snatches her husband and her son from her.

The queen-mother Lokeswari is the queen of king Bimbisara. She is the

devotee of the Lord Buddha as well as she is the mother of the prince Chitra. She

respects the Lord Buddha and worships him. She also loves her son and wants him to

be live the royal and aristocratic life. Her husband the king Bimbisara leaves the

kingdom to follow the path of the Buddha. He also advises Chitra, his son and the

prince of Magadha to follow the Lord Buddha. Chitra also becomes the monk and

leaves the royal palace. It hurts Lokeswari and she is caught between her respect and

reverence for the Buddha and her love for her husband and her son. As she knows

that her son has become the monk her respect for the Buddhism is lost. When she is

informed about the worship of the Buddha on Vasant Purnima she denies to worship :

Go tell my husband that my worship is finished and done with. Other people may

offer their flowers and lamps; I've emptied my whole world (Tagore, 1999:90).

When she is asked for the offerings, she shows the paining heart of the mother. She

says that she has nothing for offerings.

My only son, my prince, my Chitra they've lured him away and made a monk of him

and now they ask me for an offering! They cut the root of the creeper and they ask for

flowers (Tagore, 1999:90).

She was the first who welcomed the Buddha religion in the court palace found it the

true religion. She used to call the Bhikshu Dharmachuri to read the scriptures for her.

She had not touched the water without listening it. She fed a hundred Bhikshus before

she broke her fast. She provided the yellow robes to the member of the Sangha.

When Devadatta, the rival of the Lord Buddha preached and opposed the Buddha she

had firmly supported the Buddha and invited Tathagata, who came there and spoke

sacred words for all of them. The result of her deed is that her husband left the

kingdom and her son became the monk. So now she calls it the ungratefulness :

O cruel and ungrateful one! This is how I am rewarded!(Tagore, 1999:91).

Now she remembers her past deeds and devotion to the Lord Buddha. She also

remembers that she laughed on the day when prince Ajatsatru cast his lot with

Devdatta. She find it as her foolishness :

I laughed that day, fool that I was! (Tagore, 1999:91)

King Bimbisara gave up his kingdom to his son Ajatsatru. Lokeswari now has turned

against the Buddhism. She now remembers her Kshatriya Dharma. She has nothing

of her remained to her :

Look at me, see what I am today - widowed, though my husband lives; barren having

borne a son; homeless, in the midst of palace!(Tagore, 1999:91).

She can't accept the truth of becoming her son a Buddhist monk. She has not expected

such reward of her reverence and devotion to the Buddha. She forgot all her

reverence and respect for the Lord Buddha and says that this was not her expectations.

Her expectations were different. She is now a common woman like others who

worships gods and follows the religion for their own sake :

I want other dreams called wealth, and motherhood and honour. Those women

yonder, how they flourish on such dreams, how high they hold their heads (Tagore

1999:92).

Though she is angry with herself and the Bhikshuni with whom she speaks but she is

not angry with her son and has not forgot her son. She asks the Bhikshuni about him :

Wait one moment, Bhikshuni, Chitra has taken some new name, do you know what is

it?(Tagore, 1999:92).

Listening about the new name of his son she gets hurted. Her heart pains. She found

that her son has forgot her very easily. He found the world unclean. Even he found

the name unclean which was given by his mother, by which name she called him from

his birth till now.

He thinks the name unclean by which his mother called him-so lightly he flings it

away!(Tagore, 1999:92).

She finds it insulting to call her son Chitra, through a Bhikshuni :

If I wish? O shame that I, who brought him into the world - that I should have to wish

you to bring him to me!(Tagore, 1999:93).

As she is the queen, so is she the mother also, she asks the Bhikshuni to bring her son

Chitra to her. She has the questions in her mind about the Dharma. She asks whether

there is no repaying of the debt of mother, who feeds her child in her womb with her

own blood. Is there not any debt that the son could repay to his parent -

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps! When the blood of my own veins fed his growing life,

there was no perhaps in that! His long debt to his mother has come down to this - a

hesitating perhaps! That's what they call Dharma.(Tagore, 1999:93).

She welcomed the Lord Buddha but now she feels that the teaching of him has no

power, who has become so weak and has lost everything of her with the loss of her

son and her husband.

Surely I am a living proof how little power the Buddha's teaching has. (Tagore,

1999:93)

When she comes to know about the visit of Ajatsatru with Devdatta she calls him

coward. She knows that the support of Devadatta means the support of falsehood.

Mallika tells the reason of the meeting of Ajatsatru and Devdatta. She says that

Ajatsatru has a kingdom and he wants it secure. So the fear drives him to Devadatta.

As Lokeswari has nothing to possess so she says :

My fortune is secure enough then! I have nothing to lose, so I need not stoop to seek

the aid of false wood (Tagore, 1999 pp:93-94).

Though she utters these philosophical words but soon she realises the hollowness of

these words:

These catch-words only anger me, Enjoy if you will your stainless empty truth- give

me all my earth stained ties again! (Tagore, 1999:94)

She is having hope that her son may return to the palace and will live like the prince.

She promises to have her faith in the Buddha if it will happen, but if not she will

welcome Devdatta.

Then once more I would light my lamps at the altar beneath the Asoka tree; once more

would a hundred Bhikshus be fed, their sacred texts from end to end recited in my

palace. But if that cannot be, let Devdatta come! I care not whether he be true or false

(Tagore 1999:94).

It shows that she still has hope that her son may return. Thus she shows the conflict

between her mind and heart. She is collapsed inwardly, then also she has the faith in

the religion of Buddha, she shows this conflict every time she speaks :

Who says this religion is false? As soon as the sacred text was chanted, the evil

vanished! you unbelievers, you laughed in secret at my misery! 'The Lord most

compassionate, what power is in his grace!' It can melt a stone! Mark my words, I

shall have my son again, I shall have my throne gain! As for those who insulted the

Lord, we shall see how long their arrogance will endure. My refuge is in the Buddha!

My refuge is in the Dhamma! My refuge is in the Sangha!(Tagore, 1999:102).

Lokeswari goes to meet her son who has turned as a Buddhist monk. When she

comes back to the palace garden she is disappointed of the meeting.

Seen my son? Where was my son? It's worse than death! I never looked for this

(Tagore, 1999:107)

She has the sorrow which cannot be compared to any other sorrow of the world. It's

the pain of the mother who could not see her son living a life which has nothing than

the life of an ascetic. When she speaks with her son, her dislike for Buddhism

doubled. She finds herself totally wiped out. She had never imagined her husband

and her son as a monk.

I am completely wiped out! I could never have dreamed of such disaster (Tagore,

1999:107)

In her meeting with her son, Chitra doesn't show any trace of his relation with her.

She outbursts in pain when he refuses to stay one night on the request of his mother.

She takes it as the insult of the mother in her.

It was an insult to the mother's love in my heart, the mother's life in my veins. What a

gulf between this new birth and the birth I gave him! It's not only different, it's hostile

(Tagore,1999:108).

Lokeswari is the queen and she thinks like the queen. When her husband and her son

leaves the royal palace she becomes unhappy as well as angry with the Buddhism.

She says that this religion ruins the home, the family and it takes away the son from

his mother and the husband from his wife. But she reminds herself about the power of

the woman who flourishes the family, decors the home with her caring and loving

nature. Now she is ready to fight against the Buddhism till the death to save her home

and her family.

Yet we women must stay on in our empty homes, with our blasted lives, to give alms to

all these home-forsakers, who are neither sons, nor husbands, nor brothers. It's death

to us Mallika, This man's religion; letus fight it to the death!(Tagore, 1999:108).

Then Mallika reminds her that the women are large in number to worship the Buddha.

Lokeswari calls these women fools who worship the man who makes them unhappy

and hurts them. It is the folly of the woman which must be protested. As she says:

They are fools! There is no end to their appetite for devotion. They worship most

whatever hurt them most. I refuse to encourage their folly (Tagore, 1999:108).

Every time when she speaks against the Buddha, she dislikes him, she reacts against

Buddhism but instantly as she hears a Buddhist chant she simply joins it. When she

hears the chanting of the Bhikshus on the road she bows her head in respect. Though

she says that the Buddhism makes the person weak. She herself accepts that it was

her fault and now she has fear of it more than the others. She realises that this religion

has the aim to make the people weak.

This religion of the weak makes folk weak, that is its purpose. It bows the heads that

were once held high. It teaches the Brahmin to serve and the Kshtriya to beg. I my

self have nourished its poison in my blood, of my own free will, for many days. That is

why I fear it now more than you all.....(Tagore, 1999:109).

She is against the Buddhism. She once was the queen and had the blood of Kshtriyas.

Here she advocates the age old Hinduism and its belief of four races. She reminds her

daughter that the non - violence is the religion of the vulgar now she tries to make

Vasavi believe in the Hinduism according to which;

Force is what befits the strong arm of a Kshtriya - it is a jewelled armlet, brilliant and

cruel( Tagore, 1999:109).

Lokeswari, believes that the god has created every thing and it has it's own place and

duties in this world. If it changes its role given by the god it will not good for the

world. It shows that her thinking and her philosophy has the effect of Hinduism in it.

One can see it when she says- With pitiless rock the creator fashioned his mountains,

not with mud (Tagore, 1999:110).

Though she, herself has welcomed the Buddha and his religion in the palace

court but now she repents for her deed. Though she has respect for the Buddha but

she has not forgotten about her duties as Kshtriya. She know the power which woman

possess and she also know when and where she has to use it. Men are powerful but

they forget it can be caught by the infatuation and then the woman has to remind him

of his power.

Men grow infatuated sometimes and forget their manhood. But if women allow them

to forget it, women must bear the brunt, and for them it spells disaster (Tagore,

1999:110).

The queen now wishes to follow Hinduism which is supposed as violent religion but

she says -

If all the trees were to shrink into shrubs.what would become of the creepers?

(Tagore, 1999 pp:110-111)

She has belief that the four classes as supported by the Hindu religion have their own

place and own duties. The duty of Kshtriya is to rule and to protect the weak. She

supposes the Buddha as a Parsurma who once wiped the Kshtriyas from earth, but the

Buddha will wipe the Kshtriyas not with axe but with his soft preaching. In the agony

and fear of the future she blesses death for Vasvi. It shows her dislike for the

Buddhism.

And when his work is done, you the King's daughters will shave your heads and tramp

the roads with your begging bowls! May you die first - that's my blessing! (Tagore,

1999:111)

Though she shows dislike for the Buddhism, she has a special place and a soft corner

in her mind for it. She has placed it in her heart. It can be seen by her own words

which she speaks when she hears about the crumbling of the altar.

When this altar crumbles to the dust, no one will ever know how much my life's has

gone with it- how much heart's devotion! May it be swiftly broken, Mallika. It is built

into my heart and I can endure no more (Tagore,1999:112)

As the queen and the mother she shows her greif and her dislike against the

Buddhism. She has the effect of Buddha upon her but she is not ready to forget the

rights of the royal family. Her mind doesn't accept that Srimati, the dancing girl

should worship the shrine which is very auspicious for her. She is ready to destroy the

worship than to be done by the dancing girl.

But the altar- the altar which my own hands have served! Let it be destroyed. I can

endure that. But for the feet of a dancing girl to tread the royal shrine- that I cannot

bear! (Tagore, 1999:114)

It shows her dislike for the low class girl. It is against Buddhism but still she has not

forgotten her Kshatriya dharma. As she speaks these words which show her dislike

for the Buddha but some where in her heart she has respect and bindings to this

religion. When she listens the news of falling of the shrine she becomes unhappy, her

eyes are full of tears. When Mallika asks her to accept the new creed of Devdatta she

curses him and realises her guilt and asks forgiveness from the Lord Buddha. It

makes clear that the devotee in her is still alive.

Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me all my sins, of thought and words and deed (Rising).

Do not be affraid, Mallika. The devotee within me shall remain hidden within

(Tagore, 1999:115).

Lokeswari objects to Srimati's going to worship the altar because she thinks a dancing

girl to be unworthy of offering worship to the Buddha and therefore regards Srimati's

very visit to the altar as a dishonour to the Buddha. Here she shows her prejudices

against the lower castes and the lower classes. Though she is mistaken in her thought

but through this she shows her respect for altar. When she learns that Srimati is going

to dance before the altar and insult it in obedience to the king's order, she secretly

offers poison to Srimati, urging her to kill herself by taking the poison rather than

dance before the altar and insult Buddha.

Take it and drink it, quick! Die here and you go to heaven. Dance here and you go to

lowest hell (Tagore, 1999:136)

In spite of all her criticisms of Buddhist gospel, she has not been able to reject the

Buddha and his religion. After Srimati's death, she takes the dancing girl's head in her

lap and takes the dust from the dancing girls feet she says that the yellow robe of

Bhikshuni is the parting gift to her by Srimati. This action of her and her speeches

show that the Buddha pervades her whole being. In the end she becomes Bhikshuni

by overcoming all her dislikes, hate and criticims for the Buddha. She reveals herself

as a clean, pure and holy hearted Bhikshuni and triumphs over her conflict and

confusion :All of you chant after me, My refuge is in the Buddha! (Tagore, 1999:139)

Thus Tagore has depicted confusion in the mind of Lokeswari. He has shown her

divided mind and her split personality. She is torn between her genuine reverence to

the Lord Buddha and her bitter rage against the Buddhist gospel. As K.R.S. Iyengar

says Queen Lokeswari has a grudge, as wife and as mother against the Buddha the

wrecker of homes and family loyalties (Iyengar, 1995:131)

Lokeswari rises as the woman, who cares for her status and her duties and

rights as the queen and tries to remind the duties of Kshtriya. She then shows her pain

as the mother and the wife. On the emotional level she becomes a very common

woman but intellectually she is a philosopher. Outwardly she is with the earthly ties

but inwardly she is away from all the bonds. This psychological conflict is

successfully analysed by Tagore in the play. As other heroines of him Lokeswari also

emerges from the lower level to the uppermost level of her emotions and her

personality. In the beginning she recognises herself as a woman and she sees the

sacrificial death of the dancing girl-Srimati, she easily throws all her ties and bindings

and now turns herself as the Bhikshuni and reaches beyond all the earthly roles and

accepts the divine role.

Lokeswari's journey from a mean, weak woman to her realisation of her own

power of giving, loving shows that the ignorance, confusion and conflict hides the true

identity of a person, but when known the truth, the knowledge makes a person as great

as the Lord.

She fluctuates between the Buddhist leanings and her devotion to the orthodox

Hindu religion. Tagore has described this picture of Likeswari, her rising as a woman

and her lifting up herself as the Bhikshuni. He has portrayed as a common, meek and

materialistic woman as well the woman who left all these things and accepts the

humanistic role as a Bhikshuni. She gets her own identity which she searched for.

Srimati, the daning girl :

Another major character which faces the emotional crisis is the dancing girl or

Nati, named Srimati. The play throws light upon the psyche of Srimati, who is

belonging to low caste and low strata of society. Her character is depicted as a low

caste girl, who becomes aware of her self. The character of Srimati is observed by

Tagore himself as :

Even a small entity as soon as it gets to be aware of its true individuality tries hard to

preserve itself intact such is the law of life. In fact, it would rather live in its

smallness than die in harness (Tagore, 1961:143)

Natir Puja contains four acts and a prologue. In the prologue, Srimati, a dancing girl

of the palace court meets with the Bhikshu Upali. At this time she has a strong feeling

of social inferiority because of the profession to which she belongs. At the beginning

of the play she does not think herself fit even to offer alms to the Buddhist monk,

Upali. Who has come for alms.

To me? But I am so poor! In your alms bowl anything that I could give would seem so

mean. What can I give, tell me? (Tagore, 1999:88).

The Buddhist, Bhikshu Upali, tells her that she should gift her best. Further he tells

her that she will be graced by the Lord himself. As the spring, the king of the seasons

touches to the flowers and awakens them so she will be awakened by the Lord himself

:

Indeed he will take it child. He will accept the flowers of your worship. Spring, the

king of the seasons, touches the flowering woods - he himself awakens them to

sacrifice. For you too the appointed day is at hand. I came to tell you so; you are

indeed blessed. (Tagore, 1999:89)

This is the beginning of the story of this dancing girl. She is at this time painfully

conscious of her low social position and thinks herself to be unfit to give alms to the

Bhikshu. But this Bhikshu produces a sense of her own identity in Srimati.

At her next appearance in the play she sings a religious song and sees Malati, a

village girl who has newly been appointed to the palace staff to work as a dancing girl.

Malati wants Srimati to give her lessons to develop her art and talent for singing.

Srimati advises her to go back to her village. When Malati reveals her true purpose in

coming to the palace is to pay homage to the Buddhist altar in the royal palace,

Srimati welcomes her. Malati tells her that she came here with the hope that she will

serve the altar. She also informs that her brother also had turned a Buddhist monk.

Then Srimati calls it as :

The sea is calling with one voice to the waves of a very river, and the moon is at the

full (Tagore, 1999:96).

Srimati finds Malati impressed by the Buddhism and gets known the other reason of

her coming to the palace. Malati tells her would be husband also became a Buddhist

Bhikshu, who promised her that he will meet her on the path of Mukti. As Srimati

knows that Malati's brother and her would be husband had turned the Bhikshus and

Malati also wants to serve the altar. She makes a comment on the effects of the

Buddha's teachings on the lives of the woman :

How many women in these days have broken the homes they once built up! How many

have put on the saffron robe and taken the road! Is it the way they draws them, or the

Wayfarer - who knows? many and many a time I have lifted my hands and prayed with

all my soul to the Great One that He would not remain unmoved. He has set flowing in

every home the flood of women's tears, may he grant them peace! (Tagore 1999:97)

It shows that Srimati, like Queen Lokeswari, is keenly aware of Buddhism as an

influence which is causing the disintegration of family in Buddhist religion.

Although Srimati is a dancing girl and her profession is to provide

entertainment and pleasure. She is at heart a very minded person. She is at heart a

very religious person. She sings the religious songs too. The princesses are

sometimes indulgent towards her and sometimes indifferent. Ratnavali, the princess, is

bitterly hostile to her and would like to humiliate her. The queen Lokeswari also finds

it humiliating that the Bhikshu Upali received alms from Srimati and not from the

princesses. But when she listens the songs from Srimati she forgets it and joins her in

singing.

Srimati has deep and genuine devotion to the Buddha and his religion. When

Malati asks why had not Srimati availed the opportunity to see the Buddha with her

own eyes and to offer her homage to him on the occasion of his visit to the royal

palace? Srimati says :

Yes, quite true. In His presence, to present oneself is to present an offering. I was

unclean; the offering of my heart was not ready for sacrifice (Tagore, 1999:103)

She also criticizes the princesses for merely offering the formality of Buddhist

worship, and not having any genuine feeling of reverence for the Buddha. Ratnavali

scolds Srimati for this criticism and reminds her of her place. But Srimati's awakened

self replies Ratnavali as :

My days of mere good manners are over. I'll give you no false flattery. I tell you

plainly, your eyes have looked on Him, but you have never seen Him (Tagore,

1999:103)

listening these words of her the princess Nanda says that the Lord himself has

appeared to Srimati in her heart, Ratnavali calls upon Srimati to deny that any such

thing has happened. But Srimati again speaks boldly and asks :

Why should I princess? If he designs to set foot in such a heart as mine, is the glory

mine, or His?(Tagore, 1999:104)

These words of Srimati show the awakening of a sense of her own identity and her

dignity as a human being and she had then risen in her own estimation.

Utpalaparna, the Bhikshuni visits the palace and tells her that the Buddhist

monks have chosen Srimati to lead the rites of worship on the occasion of Vasant

Purnima, when the birth of the Lord Buddha is to be celebrated. Some of the

princesses do not accept this honour done to her and consider it as an insult of

themselves. But Srimati regards it as a call from the Lord and prepared for it, without

pride and without the element of fear as well -

I am not afraid. the temple door does not open to the worshipper all at once. But little

by little its bolts are withdrawn. I have no doubts - it is to me that the Master's call

has come. The barriers will go down this -very day (Tagore, 1999:118)

She prepares the worship offerings, with the help of the other women of the palace.

She arrange each of the object with appropriate Mantra and the blowing of a conch,

according to the Buddhist religion. But she recieves a set back when she is told that

the King has forbidden Buddhist worship altogether. She can hardly believe her ears,

she then says that perhaps she had done any wrong - Why should this have happed?

Have I done any wrong? (Tagore, 1999:117)

She consoles herself and supposes the birthday of Lord Buddha as the day on which

they all are reborn and it is her own birthday. In his birth we are all reborn. It is our

own birthday we keep today (Tagore, 1999:117).

When a princess asks if the ban imposed by the king would give her permission to

offer the worship she replies that the king cannot ban the worship. Thus we find the

graceful changes in her character. The dancing girl who was afraid to offer alms to the

monk is now ready to face the King to offer her worship. When Ratnavali challenges

her to go to the forbidden place and Ratnavali will see the result of it. Srimati replies

as :

None will see it, except the Lord who knows the heart. He has taken away all outward

things lest they hide the truth. And now She chants. In my words and thoughts, I

worship the Tathagata, sleeping and sitting, rising and walking, in all things (Tagore,

1999:118)

Ratnavali supposes it as pride of Srimati and tells her that her pride would soon be

brought to nothing and to this Srimati replies :Amen; may it come to nothing and leave

not trace behind (Tagore, 1999:118)

Srimati has now become a true devotee of the Buddha and is not afraid of any one,

neither of the Princesses nor even of the King himself. Bhikshuni Utpalparna says that

the order of the monks should be carried out and that all the barriers would make way

for Srimati. She tries to calm Malati's fear by saying that,

You mustn't see yourself from the outside. See yourself in Him who is born today-

eternally and your fears will be blotted out (Tagore, 1999:120)

When she enters in the palace garden the guards prohibits her from worshiping the

altar. This is the garden where Lord Buddha, himself as visited and preached his

disciples. Malati requests the guards and gets permission to chant a text. Srimati offers

her salutations and also invites the guards to chant with her. The guard gives reason

that her lips are unclean but Srimati answers :There is love in your heart. Your love

will cleanse your lips (Tagore 1999:121)

It shows the change in her. She, who was ignorant about her self-identity now can

make others to identify themselves. This is a revolutionary change in her and her

knowledge and devotion makes her more wise than before.

When the guard informs about the destruction of the altar, Malati shows her

sorrow and blames her fate but Srimati preaches her like a Buddhist monk in the

words full of wisdom like :

Why, Malati, what are you saying? His altar can never be broken. It's only what King

Bimbisara built that has gone. The Lord's throne needs no stone to give it strength. It

is strong in His own splendour (Tagore, 1999:121)

Srimati now has become a devoted follower of the Buddha. She is determined and

fearless follower. On learning that the Bhikshuni Utpalparna has been mudered by the

followers of Devdatta, Srimati becomes so indignant that she would like to seize a

sword to punish the evil-doers. But the very next moment she realises that she is

committed to the creed of non-violence which the Buddha has been preaching ; and so

she says :

No, no! I have my weapons already from my Master's hand; my warfare has began.

May violence be brought low, and the Lord have the victory! (Tagore, 1999:123)

Srimati gets another setback as Ratnavali has brought an order from King Ajatsatru

that Srimati should dance before the Buddhist altar instead of offering worship there

in the evening. She is surprised and dismayed by this order but she accepts the order.

Srimati has decided to obey both orders at the same time. One is the order of

the King and another is from the Buddhist monks. She would dance and yet she would

offer worship at the Buddhist altar. Though these are two contradictory orders but she

has thought of a way to reconcile them and combine them into a single ceremonious

deed. That is why she refuses to drink poison and kill herself. She has faith that her

Saviour would come to rescue her. None but the Saviour, He will deliver (Tagore 1999

:136)

Srimati begins her dance, at the same time singing a religious song. Ratnavali objects

to the singing of religious song, but Lokeswari prevents her from interfering with

Srimati's singing as Lokwesari begins to share Srimati's fervour. Then Srimati begins

to throw away her ornaments one by one, towards the altar which had been destroyed

personally by king Ajatsatru, Ratnavali strongly objects to Srimati's discarding the

ornaments which are the property of royal family. Again Lokeswari defends Srimati.

Then Srimati begins to cast off her dancing garments also, one by one, revealing

beneath them a Buddhist Bhikshuni's yellow robe, with which she has wrapped her

body. Ratnavali at once turns to one of the female royal guards and asks her to carry

out the King's order to put to death anyone who offers worship to the Buddha. When

the guard replies that Srimati has so far chanted no prescribed Buddhist text, Srimati

kneels and begins to chant :

My refuge is in the Buddha! My refuge is in the Dhamma! My refuge is in the Sangha!

(Tagore 1999 : 139)

The guard strikes Srimati who falls dead on the ground, close to the altar. She has

sacrificed her life in order to offer worship to the Buddha in honour of his birthday.

All are deeply impressed by her spirit of self sacrifice and take the dust of her feet.

Ratnavali too takes the dust of her feet and chants the Buddhist text.

Srimati's dance performance makes the climax of devotion to the Buddha and

also to climax of her courage. This dance - performance is an act of her homage to the

Buddha. She discards her ornaments and her clothes but keeps singing the hymns

throughout the performance. She is wearing a Buddhist Bhikshuni's yellow robe,

beneath her dance costume. She has given her best to the Lord Buddha as the

Buddhist Bhikshu Upali had asked her to give the best she had. At that time she did

not know what was the best she had. Subsequently she came to know that was the best

that she had and could offer to the Lord. Her talent for dancing was the best thing that

she possesed and so she dedicated this very talent to the service of the Lord. Srimati

proves that true worship is the surrender or dedication of the best we have to the call

of the Truth. The sage dedicates his learning, the man of action his deed, the poet his

song so the humble Nati her dance. And thus by her sincerity and her devotion no less

by her courage redeems the so-called degradation of her calling vindicates by her

death the innate majesty of her spirit. She has lost her life but won a great victory.

Srimati has died a martyr in the cause of Budhism and its founder. There is a

big contrast between Srimati of the prologue and Srimati of the concluding incident of

the play. In the prologue she was a timid girl afraid even to give alms to the Buddhist

Bhikshu Upali, who makes her aware of her own. For the first time she recognises

herself as a human being. With her devotion and her love she wins every heart which

comes in contact with her.

This transformation in her is finely depicted by Rabindranath Tagore, who has

shown Srimati as a timid but after becoming aware of her self dares to speak boldly

with the princesses. Srimati's tale is a story of journey from the ignorance to the self

awakening and martyrdom of her. She is awakened as a human being and a devoted

martyr of the Buddha.

Malati :

Another female character in the play Natir Puja is Malati, who overcomes her

inferiority complex and finds herself as a human being and becomes the follower and

devotee of the Lord Buddha.

Malati is a village girl who has newly appointed in the royal palace. She gets

the job as a singing girl. She comes to Srimati and says that she would like to learn

singing from her. Though she came to the palace to become a signing girl of the royal

palace but her aim is to offer worship to the altar in the royal garden. If she is not

allowed to worship she begs permission to sweep there Malati is a symbol of

innocence and purity. Her innocence is praised by Srimati :

Welcome, sister, I am glad. The lamps of worship in the hands of the princesses give

more smoke than light; they have been waiting for the touch of your innocent hands

(Tagore 1999 :96)

When asked by Srimati about the source of the inspiration of her wish to serve altar

she informs that her eighteen year brother left the house to become a Buddhist monk.

Malati relates that she fell into love with a young man above her ranks and wealth. He

responded to her love, but on hearing the call of Buddhism he became a Bhikshu. He

bade adieu to her by saying that if ever they met it must be as fellow seekers of Mukti.

She was not yet ripe for renunciation; I bowed to him and said, 'bonds are not yet

loosed''106 (P.97)

Malati expects that the Lord will release her from that bond of love and make her a

pilgrim on the path of Mukti.

The princesses comment upon her rustic look manners and language. Malati

gets confused by their witty talk, tinged and malice. She loves Srimati and is hurt by

their attack on her. Srimati sings a moving song that tells of the mysterious call that

has swept over her. It haunts her day and night and she is unable to do her duties as

before. To Malatithis call must be the same as that which called her brother away.

She hears a voice in every mind that day.

Malati asks Srimati why she did not go to see the Lord when He came there.

Srimati replies her that one has to go to Him only to make an offering and as she was

unclean she had no offering to make.

As Srimati goes out to wash the altar, Malati also goes with her when Srimati

feels that this has happened because she is unworthy of doing worship to the Lord.

Malati at this time shows her maturity and comforts her by saying:

Why are you crying. Sister Srimati? Our worship doesn't depend on rites or

offerings. The Lord has been born in our hearts too (Tagore 1999 :117)

Srimati sees the truth of these words and in her turn comforts others. Srimati and

Malati with other princesses goes to the worship. But the princesses take refuge in the

palace and Srimati and Malati are left alone. The guard advises them to leave the

place but Malati begs her to let them sit at the place which was hollowed by Buddha's

feet and celebrate His birthday in their hearts.

Subsequently Malati sees from behind the palace wall her former lover

accompanying the funeral procession of the Bhikshuni Utpalaparna. Malati

apprehends that this Bhikshu might be murdered in the same way as the Bhikshuni

Utpalaparna had been murdered by the followers of Devdatta. So she tells Srimati that

she would like to walk by the side of her former lover in order to defend him his life,

were in danger.

The reawakening of Malati's passion for her former lover reminds Srimati of

some frustrated love - affair of her own. Evidently there is much in common between

Srimati and Malati. In fact, they are kindered spirits. Srimati does not stop Malati

from going away to follow the lover who had turned a Bhikshu. Here we have a most

realistic episode. Although Malati has become a devoted Buddhist she cannot

renounce her earthly or worldly ties and attachments. Malati symbolizes the struggle

between the spirit and the flesh. She is the symbol of innocence and purity. Thus the

self awakening in Malati of her true self is depicted in the play.

Ratnavali : The Princess :

Tagore has a deep study of human mind and he always respected the woman as

a human being. He is the first Indian dramatist who depicted the intellectual and self -

assertive female characters in his writings. He placed before the whole world the ideal

of self-reliant Indian women. Ratnavali of the Natir Puja is the most self-assertive of

all the princesses. She is highly egotistical and possesses a lot of self-confidence. She

occupies an important position in the play by virtue of what she says and what she

does. She plays a three fold role. Firstly she contributes to the social and political

milieu of the play. Secondly she serves as the symbol of the orthodox beliefs of

Hinduism which were being challenged by the Buddha. Thirdly she performs a crucial

role in the final episode of the play is indispensable because it is she who precipitates

the tragedy of Srimati when that tragedy could easily have been prevented.

Ratnavali is the most dominant and the most dynamic of all the princesses.

She towers above all the princesses. When the Buddhist monk Upali has gone away

and the princesses are deploring the fact that they were unable to give him the alms.

She replies in an abhorrent manner :

What are you all afraid of Vasavi? There's no dearth of folk to take alms. It's the

givers who are rare (Tagore 1999 :89).

This is her ill-natured remark. But it comes from her jealousy of and antagonism

towards Srimati, which makes her an abhorrent person. She makes several sarcastic,

taunting remarks to Srimati. Seeing Malati engaged in a conversation with Srimati,

Ratnavali taunts Malati saying that Srimati would surely make Malati a disciple of

hers.

She is sarcastic towards Srimati all the time. When all the princesses are

engaged in the conversation with Malati, Lokeswari comes and asks the princesses

what they are doing, Ratnavali laughs and says that they are all waiting for Salvation

which they hope to get with Srimati's help. She adds that the princesses are purifying

their sinful minds in order to become Srimati's disciples.

We are waiting for salvation. We're purifying our sinful minds-we're well on the way

to become Srimati's disciples(Tagore 1999 :101)

Ratnavali is a highly class-conscious and caste conscious person and in her we see the

force of the orthodox Hindu religion asserting itself against the increasing influence of

Buddhist teaching. In Ratnavali we see the orthodox Hindu society resisting the

challenge of Buddhism. When she knows that Srimati has been chosen to lead the rites

of worship at the altar in the royal garden in the eving when the birthday of the

Buddha is to be celebrated, she condemns the Buddhist monks for having selected a

mere dancing girl for the honour in preference to all the princesses. She says that the

monks who have chosen Srimati for this honour are themselves persons of low origin

and therefore unfit to make the right selection.

No, indeed I don't. Perhaps this dancing girl does - perhaps there's no great

difference between their caste and hers. That's why they have such a regard for her,

no doubt! (Tagore 1999 :105)

When she finds that some of the princesses would work as Srimati's Maids-in-waiting

and would fan Srimati. Ratnavali speaks to princess Mallika in an indignant manner

saying that this sort of thing cannot last because it is completely against all nature.

This cannot last, it cannot last. It's completely against all nature(Tagore 1999:106)

It shows that the elevation of dancing girl to the status of a priestess is intolerable to

her because the dancing girl belongs to one of the lower castes. Now her reaction is

that she feeling ashamed of wearing bracelets and that it would have been much better

if she had been born a man and had been wearing a sword instead. She criticizes

Mallika in the following manner :

Patience is the weapon of the vulgar and helpless, not of the daughters of a royal

house(Tagore 1999 :106)

We reveal the villainous side of Ratnavali's character when she suggests Lokeswari

that the dancing girl should be ordered to dance before the very altar where she is

expected to offer worship as priestess. Lokeswari opposes this suggestion, but

Ratnavali inwardly decides to go ahead with her plan. Then she goes to king

Ajutsatru and obtains an order from him to the effect that Srimati should dance before

the altar in the garden instead of offering worship there. She then comes back and

hand over the King's order to Srimati. Here Ratnavali appears as a schemer and a

conspirator and even as a villain.

After receiving the news of the murder of Bimbisara only she replies that the

murder of Bimbisara is the fruit of his own deeds. She says Bimbisara had murdered

the Vedic religion of his forefathers and thus committed a deed worse than parricide.

Once again Ratnavali asserts her orthodoxx Hindu faith and opposes the Buddhist

creed.

Ratnavali's character has two aspects; these are her personal antagonism to the

dancing girl and her personal, religious and political opposition to the Buddhism. Both

these aspects of Ratnavali combine when she gets ready to witness Srimati's dance-

performance. She feels delighted at the prospect of witnessing "The Dancer's

Discomfiture" and she wants that the queen mother should witness it too. In coining

the phrase "the Dancer's Discomfiture" she shows her wit too; she makes a shrewd

remark, People hide behind this folly called religion only when they are cowed by

fear(Tagore 1999 :130).

Unaware of Srimati's plan, Ratnavali anxiously wait for Srimati to come and give her

performance, her motive is to degrade Srimati in everybody's eyes by forceing her to

dance before the altar instead of worshipping it.

Ratnavali breaks the record of ill-will and malicious designing as she withholds

the information about the latest orders that the king Ajutsatru has withdrawn his

proclamation banning Buddhist worship. It allows Srimati to go ahead with her

worship of the Buddha at the altar in the garden. But Ratnavali does not communicate

the latest order of the king to anybody present on this occasion in the order.

Srimati begins her dance without knowing that the ban on Buddhist worship

has been withdrawn. However Srimati has decided upon a strategy of her own; and

the result of that strategy is the discomfiture, not of the dancer but of the princess

Ratnavali. Srimati converts her dance into a reverent act of homage to the Buddha;

and beneath her ornaments and her-dancing-costume, she wears a Bhikshuni's yellow

robe. But Ratnavali though embarrassed and discomfited continues to be rigid and

callous in her attitude towards Srimati. Unable to tolerate the religious fervour of

Srimati, Ratnavali turns to one of the guards and asks him to carry on the orders of

the king to kill anyone who offers Buddhist worship. This order of Ratnavali is an

illegal one, because the king had withdrawn his proclamation against Buddhist

worship.

Here one sees Ratnavali as the most unscrupulous and vindictive woman who

can even break the law to satisfy her personal desire for revenge. Though Ratnavali is

against Buddhism and advocates Hinduism, she purposefully insults Srimati and

Bhikshuni Utapalaparna, though she is a schemer, a conspirator and a villain, though

she is an unscrupulous and vindictive woman and the cause of the death of the devotee

of the Buddha, the dancing girl, Srimati at last to some extent she redeems herself by

kneeling beside Srimati's dead body, taking the dust of Srimati's feet sings :

My refuge is in the Buddha! My refuge is in the Dhamma! My refuge is in the Sangha!

(Tagore 1999 :140)

Utapalaparna; the Bhikshuni :

Utapalaparna, plays a vital role in the play by virtue of her contribution to the

exposition of one of the main themes of the play. She serves as a spokes woman and

as an exponent of Buddhism. She is a true devotee of the Buddha and shows her

impressions on the queen - mother Lokeswari. She speaks the way of a philosopher.

When she appears on the stage for the first time, she has a message for queen

Lokeswari from the ex-king Bimbisara. Lokeswari doesn't show any interest in the

message, Utapalaparna asks the reason for it. Lokeswari then tells her that her son

Chitra too has left her under the influence of the Buddhism as her husband has done.

Then Utapalaparna assures her as :

You have given him away, but you have not lost him. Once you held him in your

arms; today you may still hold him in the whole world (Tagore 1999:90)

It shows her knowledge of divinity and oneness. When Lokeswari deplores the fact

that her son has given his princely life, she tells her that spiritual truth should not be

measured by the material values of this world. She explains it in such words :

One can't measure truth by this world's values, Maharani. Light is golden, but can't

be weighed with gold? (Tagore 1999 :91).

Again Lokeswari complains about her husband Bimbisara that he had given away his

kingdom to his son Ajutsatru and reduced himself to nothingness. Here too

Utapalaparna replies in a philosopher's words, she says :

King Bimbisara freely gave up his throne to the son who craved a kingdom and he

won for himself that day a kingdom that........ (Tagore 1999 :91)

In her second appearance on the stage Utapalaparna informs Srimati that the Buddhist

monks have chosen her to lead the rites of worship at the Buddhist altar in the royal

garden. The Buddhist monks have conferred a great honour on Srimati by selecting

her as the priestess for a very important ceremony to celebrate the birth of the Lord

Buddha.

Utapalaparna gives rise to a feeling in Srimati of her dignity as a human being.

But in the design of the play this information by her serves a negative purpose also.

Ratnavali becomes indignant on hearing this information. It also makes Ratnavali

condemn the monks who have chosen Srimati for this honour and who have shown no

regard at all for the high social rank of the princesses. Ratnavali's criticism of the

different low castes of the monks make Utapalaparna to say that :

Princess, their caste is one and the same. Theirs is an aristocracy of which you know

nothing(Tagore 1999:105).

The meaning of her saying is that they belongs to the caste of human beings and the

Buddha does not believe in the orthodox caste system of the Hindus because he

regards all human beings as equals. This message of equality has conveyed by the

Bhikshuni Utapalaparna.

Utapalaparna then appears on the stage, now she visits the royal palace to tell

the inmates that she is going to chant the text of protection as the evil has come upon

the city and the Bhikshus are afraid of those people. When Srimati asks her

permission to go with her she says that Srimati must stay here and conduct the

worship of the altar in the evening. When Malati points out that the King has

forbidden Buddhist worship altogether, Utapalaparna says that there is nothing to fear.

She assures that :

There is nothing to fear, be patient. Those very barriers will make a way for you

(Tagore 1999 :110)

She leaves the palace and goes for the prayers. There she has been killed by

Devdatta's followers in the city streets. Utapalaparna plays the role to calm the fears

of some devotees of the Buddha.

Utapalaparna is a true devotee of the Buddha and she dies a martyr in the cause

of her religion. Her genuine and profound faith in the Buddha and in the Buddhist

teachings serves as a counter blast to Lokeswari and Ratnavali's vehement speeches

defending and supporting the cardinal Hindu belief in the caste-system.

As K.R.S. Iyengar says, Srimati of Natir Puja and Prakriti of Chandalika are

both moving essays on the blessed eternal feminine and both plays testify to Tagore's

attraction to Buddhism as an ethic and the Buddha as a spiritual power and

personality (Iyengar, 1995:130). Thus both these plays are influenced by the

teachings of the Lord Buddha. These plays are having female personalities as the main

character. All the actions in these plays revolve round the women in it. As the Buddha

believes and teaches in the quality of human beings in the eyes of God. The Buddha

taught people to give up all the social and family attachments and ties, and also give

up all worldly activities in order to devote themselves to meditation, prayer and

penance.

In Natir Puja, Upali, the Bhikshu tells the dancing girl Srimat that She has

every right to give him alms even though she belongs to a low caste and to a despised

profession. Subsequently Utapalaparna, the Bhikshuni also informs that Srimati has

been chosen by the Buddhist monks to lead the ceremony of worship at the altar in

connection with the celebration of the Buddha's birthday on the Vasanta Purnima.

Utapalaparna says that all those monks and Srimati belong to an "Aristocracy". The

Bhikshu Upali and the Bhikshuni Utapalaparna regard the dancing girl as person who

is equal of any of the princesses. Here Srimati who in the beginning supposed herself

"unclean", she was aware of the degradation of her profession. She was aware of her

low social position. But the Bhikshu awakens her dignity as a human being and

Srimati turns not only into a devoted follower of the Buddha but also turns as

determined and fearless follower. She now is an awakened person, she is no more

dancing girl but a person, a human being is she now. This change in her makes her so

courageous that she tells one of the princesses that the barriers in her way would go

down this very day. She tells another princess that the King's sceptre cannot reach the

Buddhist altar and she tells Ratnavali that the king cannot forbid worship. All this

requires a lot of courage on Srimati's part and all these remarks by her show firmness

and her fearlessness.

As Srimati awakens to her self dignity, in Tagore's Nair Puja, in the same

manner Tagore shows his belief in the equality of human beings in his another

faminine play Chandalika. As in Natir Puja Upali awakens Srimati, here the Bhikshu

Ananda, tells Prakriti, the Chandal girl, that she has every right to give water to a

thirsty man like him even though she belongs to the lowest caste. He like Upali, tells

Prakriti that as he himself is a human being so also is she and that all water is clean

and holy that cools their heat and satisfies their thirst. He also tells her that she should

not humiliate herself by thinking herself to be an untouchable, self humiliation is a sin,

worse than self murder, further he tells her. The Bikshu Ananda's words to Prakriti

and Upali's words to Srimati create the feeling that she is a human being as good as

any other.

Both Prakriti and Srimati, becomes fearless after awakening of their self

dignity. Tagore has used the Buddhist legends for his plays Natir Puja and

Chandalika. But he has presented it with the touch of feminism. Here in these plays

the female characters are presented as strong, intellectual persons. He is the person

having humanist view, but not like others his humanist view is restricted to the men

only, but he supposes the woman as a human being and makes them firm and fearless

like Prakriti, Srimati, Lokeswari, Malati and Utapalarna. He also has depicted

Ratnavali as a villainous woman but there also he has not degraded the woman.

Tagore has gracefully and respectfully presented all his female characters. He

allows freedom to his women to raise as a human being as an intellectual and assertive

person.