Myth in Fire and The Rain

Treatment of Myth in Girish Karnad`S Play the “Fire and the Rain”:
Girish Karnad has already set out his dramatic excellences while working on the myths and symbols
in his Hayavadana, Tughlaq and Naga-Mandala. Myth and folk-tales becomes symbolic of unveiling the
social and moral norms and the psychological obsessions with men and women of the society. He surpasses
his own dramatic genius in the structural pattern of The Fire and The Rain for showing vehemently opposing
elements; the rain of human loves and sacrifices. The Fire and The Rain abounds in its hard-woven texture
the riches of psychology, the aversion and the jealousy of man against man, father against son, wife against
husband, high caste against low caste people, man against God, freedom against bondage, hate against love,
the fire against the rain, passion against the truth, and above all vidya against avidya.
The structural plan of The Fire and The Rain runs into three parallel streams; Raibhya and vishakha
at the hermitage, the sacrificial place with Paravasu as the chief priest and the story ofNittilai and Aravasu as
actors I a theatrical performance. The soul of the play entirely rotates around the indigenous myth of
yavakri.
The mythical and symbolic plan of The Fire and The Rain is so designed as it links in its structural
with the original myth of “Mahabharatha” for displaying Indian ethos and modern apathy towards human
relationship. The original story of the Mahabharata shows the molestation of Raibhya`s daughter-in –law by
Yavakri but Karnad exhibits a willing submission of Vishakha to the incestuous behest of Yavakri. The
incestuous and aggressive forces in vishaka become salient properties of her mind but her meeting with
Yavakri creates a stress and split in her personality.
Karnad follows some psychological devices when arranging a secret meeting between Vishaka and
Yavakri. Vishakha listens carefully to the latent and unfulfilled desires of Yavakri ; she doesn`t respond to
Yavakri with the morality of wifehood. Vikshakha knows the inhibition of natural impulses in Yavakri and
perceives symbolically the metaphor of his hunger. Vishakha in her meeting with Yavakri concedes to her
unwilling marriage with paravasu who is also cousin of him.
Both Paravasu and Vishakha are shown by the dramatist in their respective quest for identities but
neither in successful to fulfill it in the entire course of the narrative. Vishakha feels heavenly pleasures in her
sensuous fulfillment in the company of her husband. For she is eager to know the real meaning of life
through the attraction and repulsion of the body. Amidst such bodily pleasures her husband Paravasu,
decides to leave her alone in the hermitage. He lives her in the security of her father and lives the hermitage
for the sacrificial place for performing the obsequies of yajna for it becomes a quest for his identity as a
priest but Vishakha as a young wife undergoes severe pains and she reports them before Yavakri. As a young
girl and as a wife, the mystery of life a mystery that emanates from physical union with the opposite sex, but
the departure of her husband to be the chief priest left her alone with her pangs of isolation and separation.
Her long isolation in the hermitage bites her and she becomes a psychosis patient who desires for
her immediate which fulfillment with no concern for logic, morality, time sequence, or the demand of
external reality. Vishakha realises the deeper and mysterious meanings that emanates from the union of man
and woman, body and soul, conscious and unconscious streams of human psyche, but it does not longer on
incessantly and she puts up a question before she fails to save Yavakri`s life when Brahma Rakshasa kills her
inspite of his spiritual powers.
The entire plot structure of this play based on the

performance of vedic rituals, Obsequies and the art of Natya. On the pattern of the Fire and The Rain,
Bharata`s Natyasastra is an extent work of Indian Poetics, and it becomes helpful to common people,
especially the people belonging to so called lower castes, and for all kinds of entertaining and visionary
perceptions as well.
Like the Elizabethan dramatists in Hamlet, Karnad too arranges the device of play within the play
for the self-reflexivity of the characters inside especially some sensations which are called in psychology she
process of nightmare. The nightmare represents unconscious motifs and unacceptable thoughts of human
mind. Nittilai as an obsession becomes an object of day-dreaming to Aravasu. This bizarre world of dream
brings forth the total flux of time in which the merger of time past and time present has been effected
successfully.
Aravasu resolves to act the role of vritra and unfolds another symbol like, The Waste Land by
T.S.Eliot of Brama`s triple progeny: god, man and a son of Brahma symbolises the acts of compassion and
kindness and has an edge over the pleasure loving principle of Indra, another son of Brahma. Brama
instructs his third son, vitra a demon for saving the life of his brother, vishwarupa from the jealousy and
trickery of Indra even at the cost of his own life.
Over-powered through unseen forces Aravasu as an actor in the play decides to save the life of
vishwarupa by killing Indra. Chaos prevails on the stage. Paravasu suspects of the foul intentions of demonic
powers for polluting the sanctity of the sacrifice, he calmly walks into blazing enclosures and sacrifices
himself for the general good of all.
Nittilai as a “lamp into hurricane” symbolises the rains of human love Vishakha as a young lady
symbolises the fire of human passions. Nittilai is finally murdered by her husband and brother. In such
situations, Indra appears on the stage and is pleased to grant a boon to Aravasu for two reasons; Paravasu`s
sacrifice and Nittilai`s humanitarianism. Being passion ridden man, he begs from Indra the life of Nittilai
back. But Indra makes him understand movement of the wheel of time with a complete chaos in the world.
Aravasu now understands the mysterious and visionary perception of Indra.
“I am viser, I can stop the tragedy from repeating itself on such occasions, a shout comes a far I want
release- release from bondage”
This was the voice of Brama Rakshasa who is the creation of his own father, between his two-
halves; the egoistic and altruistic impulses of human mind. Indra further unveils the secrets of a soul being
released from the pangs of life and death. Brama Rakshsa also stamps the superior validity of man for
performing the deeds of mercy and compassion.
Arvasu changes the contents of his boon and bags from Indra the release of Brahma rakshasa. The
release of Brama Rakshasa invites some parallel with that of The Tempest for apparent manifestations of the
colonial-consciousness in The Fire and The Rain. The total impression that the reader draws together after
the textual comprehensiveness of this play unfolds the vocal superfluity of the rites and rituals, the
restriction of the universal knowledge on the caste bases division in society and the essence of altruism over
egoism.
The world of gods with the concepts of immortality is scoffed off and the cyclic phenomenon of
death pertaining to human life is applauded for his dynamic of the indigenous myth with an individual talent
for enriching the store of Indian English drama.
So to conclude, it can be said that, it is an excellent combination of the elements, metaphysical and
supernatural that constitutes the core of the play. Karnad successfully makes use of the divine element,
especially in the climax where the hero holds a conversation with the Gods and the final result of the rain
pouring on a drought-ridden land. The play also focuses both on the negative and positive human emotions _
jealousy, betrayal, deceit, as well as selfless love and sacrifice. The hero, like most of Karnad`s heroes is a
man torn between moral righteousness, love and duty. It is interesting to trace this path of the hero to its
fitting end. CHAYAN DUTTA

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Treatment of Myth in Girish Karnad`S Play the “Fire and the Rain”:

The entire plot structure of this play based on the

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