Retellings of Ancient Indian Epics in
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Novels
Background
●Epics always fascinate and attract both readers and writers. Various
interpretations of the epics are prominent in the literary world. With
the rise of different psycho analytic theories, feminist theories, cultural
theories etc, writers have explicated and refurbished various epic
characters ushering new retellings of the epics.
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Introduction
✦ Retellings
● A new account or an adaptation of a story or a second or subsequent telling
● Epics
● derived from Greek word “epos” meaning “word” ->“speech” or “tale” or a “song” ->“poetry
about the deeds of a heroic figure”. Epic can also be defined as a lengthy narrative poem, majestic
in design and deals with legendary or historical events of national and global significance involving
action of magnificence and grandeur.
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Review of Literature
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● “ ‘The Mahabharata’ . . . is the most valuable contribution not only to the Indian literature, but to the world
literature. It is a treasure of philosophy, wisdom and finest poetry. It is the life-spirit of India” (Upadhyay
2002).
● “It may be stated that the epics have been written by great sages Vyasa and Valmiki, which have been known
as Itihasa in Indian tradition, which tell the story of great royal dynasties based in time and space and not all
based on in figment of imagination” (Sharma 2005)
● The original of the Mahabharatha titled ‘Jaya’ by Vyasa had only 8800 stanzas. Vaisambayana, the disciple of
Vyasa, by his additions, made it a book containing 24000 stanzas and changed its title from Jaya to
Bharatasamhita. Later, Acharya Sutan made it a book of one hundred thousand stanzas with the present title
Mahabharata” (Varghese 2008).
● K.C. Pandey in “Introducing Ethical Debates in the Epics” explicates why the epics are held in high esteem
even today: A significant portion of both the Rāmāyana and the Mahābhārata deals with moral dilemmas.
These moral dilemmas are universal in the sense that they mostly represent a conflict in the state of mind and
are found in everyday life. They are like logical paradoxes which can be resolved or dissolved but cannot be
solved. Various methods of such resolution or dissolution of moral dilemmas can be delineated in the epics.
(Pandey 2011).
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● Sister Nivedita (Margaret Nobel) gives the following reasons for the foreign readers to be impressed by the great epic:
“The foreign reader . . . Is at once struck by two features: in the first place its unity in complexity; and, in the second,
its constant efforts to impress on its hearers the idea of a single centralised India, with a heroic tradition of her own as
formative and uniting impulse” (Sashakt 11).
● In our long literary history, Draupadi remains unparalleled in personifying womanhood in its wholesomeness and
uniqueness, with all its glory, horror, retaliation and resilience. Her complex and contradictory nature makes her
versatile, and hence has served as an excellent literary device to write commentaries on nation, gender, caste and
class. (Bandlamudi 110)
● “You will marry the five greatest heroes of your time. You will be queen of queens, envied even by goddesses. You will be a
servant maid. You will be mistress of the most magical of palaces and then lose it. You will be remembered for causing the
greatest war of your time. You will bring about the deaths of evil kings – and your children’s, and your brother’s. A million
women will become widows because of you. Yes, indeed, you will leave a mark on history.” (Illusions 39)
● Sikhandi tells Draupadi, “Remember that, little sister: wait for a man to avenge your honour, and you’ll wait forever” (Illusions
49).
● “All the way back, I pondered the word endure, what it meant. It didn’t mean giving in. It didn’t mean being weak or accepting
injustice. It meant taking the challenges thrown at us and dealing with them as intelligently as we knew until we grew stronger
than them.” (Enchantments 90)
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Methodology
● Textual analysis is a methodology that involves understanding language, symbols, and
pictures present in texts to gain information regarding how communication of life and life
experiences are undertaken and made sense of.
● Employing textual analysis and a study of the results of a survey come hand in hand to
supplement more analytical and interpretative details to the arguments which have been carried
out.
● Therefore, the researcher aims understand the broader social structures that influence the
messages present in the texts under investigation
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Key Survey Results
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On The Palace
of Illusions
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Instructions for use
On The Forest of
Enchantments.
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Conclusion
●The survey results corroborate the argument that retellings apart from being an
entertaining read, help us look at different perspectives, styles and give a voice to
characters who are overlooked. In some cases make people reread or read the original.
●This study is limited to the novels of Dr. Chitra Divkaruni and further research can done
to study the nature of retellings in similar novels or works of literature in depth.
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Thank You
