Academic literature on the topic 'Satyavatī (Character)'

This paper throws light on the denial of one’s own right based on patriarchal impositions levied on women of all ages. Even epic heroines have been voiceless because of the social conventions set by the male dominated society. The prolific writer Kavita Kane has skillfully portrayed the intricate details of the Indian Epics The Ramayana and The Mahabharata by retelling the story from perspectives of unvoiced characters like Urmila, Menaka, Surpanaka and Satyavati.

The Mahabharata (composed in Sanskrit sometime between 400 BC and 400 AD), is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It has been used as a source of inspiration for various literary, artistic, and cultural expressions, and its themes and characters have been reinterpreted to reflect contemporary political and social concerns. This has led to the creation of new interpretations and revisions of the epic, which have challenged traditional narratives and added new perspectives to the epic’s cultural significance. Focusing on Kavita Kané ‘s The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty, the paper suggests that the trauma experienced by Satyavati in her infancy shaped her character and her actions as the Queen of Hastinapur. The author analyses the influence of trauma in her life and how it led to her determination to re-establish a powerful clan. The author’s perspective offers a unique interpretation of Satyavati’s character and highlights the importance of considering the impact of traumatic experiences on an individual’s life and behaviour. The protagonist’s abandonment by her father was a traumatic event that influenced her emotional fabric and perception of the world. She was constantly haunted by a past that fuelled her insecurities and anxieties. The paper analyses this modern narrative representation of female desire for power and autonomy (which is repressed by the patriarchy) and how this desire can originate in past traumatic experiences.

Scriptures are often used to make patriarchal control sacrosanct over women’s bodies. A stereotypical monogamous woman is generally idealised by patriarchy; Polyandrous Draupadī in the Mahābhārata, however, stands sharply in contrast and the epic struggles to legitimise it by different myths to soothe the moral discomfort. Principal women characters of the epic like Draupadī, Kuntī and Satyavatī having more than one man in their life suggest that during the early stages of development of the epic, the values that governed man–women relations were not as rigid as they became later. During the growth of the epic, the lives of these women characters were transformed according to patriarchal perception, which expects that a woman should be a virgin when a man marries her. As a way out, the epic repeatedly restores the virginity of these women characters. As men are considered as owners/protectors of womens’ bodies/sexuality, the restoration seems to have restored the sense of honour and also redeemed the transgressions of men who ‘soiled’ them. Obsession with virginity also indicates the attitude of the commodification of the woman’s body. These women characters are portrayed as passive, whose lives and bodies are manipulated according to men’s perception.

The essence of the modernistic awareness is located amply in the literature of the Indian universal mythical theme. Erudition of ancient texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata, not only is a source of popular culture but also detects concerns related to individuality and authority that have taken over subaltern probing. Patriarchic misogyny claims are elated while the paper attempts to look forward as Lisa Tuttle in her book The Encyclopedia of Feminism urges to look into “new questions for old texts,” prods over the role of women who are commonly considered as the weaker sex and submissive ones. A close analysis can impart a ray of understanding that amidst patriarchal society and regulations, the women in The Mahabharata did occupy prominence in terms of spirituality, salvation and sexuality that what the general assumptions would affirm. Focus is to reveal that women in the epic portray strong will power and ability to change the decisions made by men, thus playing a crucial role in hi(s)story. The present paper probes into a principal concern of the prominent women characters- Madhvi, Satyavati, Kunti along with a few connected instances of Gandhari and Draupadi; their relationship of their self, by their self and for their self.

Use of mythological tales for creating revisionist literature is contemporary approach of the modern Indian writers. Some famous works of literature, based on mythology are written by writers like Devdutt Pattanaik, Amish Tripathi, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Volga, Kevin Missal, SarathKomarraju and Krishna Udayashankar. These writers try to reinterpret mythological characters like Shiva, Rama, Draupadi, Amba, Krishna etc. Kavita Kane is one of the popular woman writers of India who renders Indian mythological texts and writes novels. Her ficitons are known for portrayals of the mythical characters who are less discussed. She picks up marginalized women characters from the mythical literature of India and retells their stories. She raises isssues of identity, individuality, gender, caste, femininity and patriarchy in her fictional works. In her novels, Karna’s Wife and Fisher Queen’s Dynasty, Kane has woven issues of gender and caste. Both of them are based on the Mahabharata. She retells the stories of Uruvi, Karna’s wife and Satyavati, Shantanu’s wife from their perspectives and explore their struggles against discriminations based on gender and caste. The novelist depicts these women characters with their courage, confidence, individuality and power to resist the class or caste-based violence. As modern literary works, their intersectionality is evident and they can be examined keeping in mind multidisciplinary approach. The present article examines caste consciousness as expressed by Kane in her Karna’s Wife and Fisher Queen’s Dynasty.

Indian culture is based on two epics; The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. Every Hindu knows about these two epics, other religion people too. There is not any Hindu house which does not know and follow the rituals which are discussed in these two epics. The present generation takes interest to read Retellings of Indian myths which are written by the contemporary Indian English Writers. Indian women like to read Retellings of myths which are written by Indian women writers. Its reason is that it gives voice to marginalized women of the Indian myths. Females compare their unspeakable voice with the voice of marginalized women of the Indian myths which are discussed by Indian women writers through the retellings. This paper discusses the research prospects of one of the well-known epic retellings of Mahabharata Myth – ‘Until the Lions’. It is an experimental retelling of the epic Mahabharata; Karthika Nair writes poetry in the voices of those whose narratives remained untold. Through this epic, Nair attempts to conduct an “inquiry of power” through the eyes of those who do not possess it: most often, the women of the Mahabharata. The story of women we do not hear as much about who were either eulogized too much or were peripheral characters in the story or were powerless queens- Queen Satyavati, Yuyutsu’s Mother, Dushala, Kunti, Gandhari, Hidimbi are fascinating. This epic is the best example to get the knowledge about female experience through the female voice. The objective of this research paper is to discuss research prospects which are applicable to this epic of retelling by the researcher. The researcher applies the theory of feminism to discuss this epic of retelling. The research question is that; Is the peripheral view of Karthika Nair justified as the female voice of Female experience through this epic of Retelling?

This article focuses on the libretto (the words) of Gustav Holst’s one-act opera Savitri (opus 25, 1908), which is based on a story told in the Mahabharata. The article introduces Holst’s Savitri project biographically in the context of his love of India. It explores the question of what sources Holst used in preparing his libretto. It discusses Holst’s main departures from his source text(s): his removal of the framing story, his featuring of the character Satyavan, and his introduction of the topic of maya. Historical reasons for Holst’s interest in maya are briefly explored. Finally, the article places Holst’s Savitri in the context of operatic history, reading it as a version of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Abstract The Mahābhāratian is, in a sense, a poetic narration of India’s history or, as mythography, perhaps something greater; as the noted nineteenth century scholar Ramendra Sundar Trivedi said, “The history narrated in the Mahābhāratian is the history of humankind,” a judgment repeated by Vyasa in Peter Brook’s The Mahābhāratian. That this most universal of epics describes, analyzes, ponders, and judges every imaginable human experience, both private and public, is a commonplace of Indian cultural history. Less common is the perception that, in pursuing its central moral enquiry into the nature of dharma or righteousness, the Mahābhāratian holds up alternatives to social norms to the point of subverting convention. The most basic of such reappraisals, given the apparently male orientation of the narrative, is the consistent projection of women’s perceptions of their predicaments in terms both of gender and class. We find in Mahābhāratian society not only extraordinary men but also women of exceptional character, whose strength has few parallels, even in the liberalized twentieth century. Women like Gandhari, Kunti, and Draupadi stand out, sometimes opposing the injustice of the male world, sometimes determined to claim their rights even while remaining under male authority. But behind the screen of these well-born Aryan women, who are cast ultimately in the heroic mold of the male heroes, stands one intriguing woman made unique as much by the circumstances of her birth as by her life. She is Satyavatī. the so-called sūidrar;ir, a woman raised in the peripheral sudra caste.