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    A play written by Girish Karnad

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    2K visualizzazioni42 pagine

    Hayavadana

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    Enigmatic Tapaswi
    A play written by Girish Karnad

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    HAYAVADANA Girish Karnad HAYAVADANA Translated by the author OXFORD LUNTVERSITY PRIS OXFORD ‘YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001 (Oxford University Pres sa department ofthe Universi of Oxor, It fctbers the ‘Univers’ objective or excellence in rerearch scholarship and edcaton ‘by publishing Worle fn Oxtont New York ‘Aucldand Cape Town Dares Salaam Hong Kons Kerachi Kuala Lampne ‘Matha Melboute Mexico Ghy Nairobi New Delhi Sheughal Tapes Terouto ‘with offen Argentina Avssia Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Goatemsta Hongaty Lely Japan Poland Porsgal singapore South Rovea Switvetland ‘Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnaun (Oxford is aregisere trademask of Oxford University Pest Je the UK and in cenaia other counties Published in ini ty Osfard University Pen, New Del © Oxford University Press 1975 ‘The moral eghts of the author have been aterted Datatare night Oxford University Press ike) Fit pnblsned 1978 Twenty-six impression 2010 All rights reserved, No par ofthis publication may be produced, or tatsmited jaan fom or by any meats. electronic or mechanics, Including photocpying. eeorsng or by any information storage ste retrieval system, wit ov permitsion in writing fom Oxford Ustveriy Pres Enquiries concerning reproduction ovtrde the scope ofthe above shoulé be sent to the Righs Department, Oxford University Presa the adders sone You ros notcisulate this book in any ater binding o cover and you ana impose this same condition om any acquirer 1smv.13:973 0195e0382-8 ISBN20:0 198603826 Printed in India by Bara Frintograph, Delhi 110 051 ‘ue published by Oxford University Press YWCA Library Builng Singh Roed, New Delhi 110001, For INTRODUCTION Until very recently playwriting in Kannada was a mere literary exercise, with no contact whatever with the living stage. The professional theatre was, a it continues to be, 39 naive and rudi- mentary that both Kailasam and Adya Rangacharya, the 680 ‘major playwrights in Kannada, rejected it out of hand. But they ‘could not create aa enduring substitute for it and were forced to work in isolation. Fortunately the situation has changed now and a group of ‘young directors and actors have been able to create @ theatre hich, though entirely dependent on non-professional, fas proved congenial to the growth of new dram, With this new theatre growing around them, new playwrights like Girish Karnad have been able to bring to drama a first-hand know- ledge of the practical demands of the stage and a better under standing of dramatic style and technique. In his works Karnad has moved sway from the regionalist tradition that had given Kannada literature its identity in the carly years of the century. None of his three plays has a speci- fically Kannada theme. Yayati, his first play, reinterprets an. ancient mayth. Tugilag, his second play, is based om history. And both the plays are thoroughly modem in outlook and spirit. “The plot of Hayaradana comes from Kethasartsagera, an Ancient collection of stories in Sanskrit, But Karnad har borrowed it through Thomas Mann’s retelling ofthe story in The Transpoed Heads. The Sanskrit tale, told by a ghost to an adventurous king, {gains a farther mock-heroic dimension in Mann's version. The Original poses a moral problem while Mann usc ito ridicule the mechanical conception of life which differentiates between ‘body and soul. He ridicules the philo:ophy which holds the head ‘superior to the body. The human body, Mann argues, is a Ac instrument for the fulfilment of human destiny. Even the trans- position of heads will not liberate the protagonists from the psychological limits imposed by nature. Karnad’s play poses a different problem, that of human vi HAYAVADANA identity in a world of tangled relationships. When the play opens, Devadatta and Kapila are the closest of friends—‘one ‘ind, one heart’ as the Bhagavata describes them. Devadatta is a man of intellect, Kapila a ‘man of the body’. Their relations _get complicated when Devadatia marries Padmini. Kapila falls in cove with Padmini and she too starts drifting towards him, ‘Tie friends kill themselves and in a scene, hilariously comic but atthe same tie full of profound dramatie implications, Padmini ‘transpose their heads, giving Devadatta Kapila’s body and Kapila Devadatta’s, ‘The result is confusion of identities which reveals the ‘ambiguous nature of human personality Initially Devadatia—actually thé head of Devadatta on Kapila’s body—behaves differently from what he was before. But ever so gradually he changes to his former self. So does Kapila. But there isa difference, Devadatta stops writing poetry while Kapila is haunted by the memories in Devadatta’s body. Padiini who, after the exchange of heads, had felt that she hadi the best of both the men, gets slowly disillusioned. OF the three, only she has the capacity for complete experience. She under. stands but cannot control the situation in which she is placed. ‘Heer situation is beautifully summed up by the images of the river and the scarecrows in the choric songs. A.ducl that leaves both the friends dead brings the puzzling story to an end. Neither the death of the lovers nor the subse: queat suttee of Padiini is presented as tragic; the deaths serve only toemphasize the logic behind the absurdity ofthe situation. Tne sub-plot of ‘Hayavadana’, the horse-man, deepens the significance of thc main theme of incompleteness by treating it on a different plane. ‘The horse-man’s search for completeness ends comically, with his becoming a complete horse. The animal body triumphs over what is considered the best in man, the Ultananga, the hurean. hea ‘Karnad uses the conventions and motifs of foc tales and folk theatre—masks, curtains, dolls, the story-within-a-story—to ereate a bizarre world. It is a world of incompleie individuals, Introduction vii indifferent gods, dolls that speak and children who cannot, a evden he dee statins oar ‘of human beings. What is real is only the tremendous, irrational energy of the horse and its rider who move round the stage symbolizing the powerful but monotonous rhythm of Bie Kimad as publsied only three plays so far and iti 00 early to judge his dramatic achievement, But his work has the tone and expression of great drama. Fit The the genius and the power to transform any situation into an aesthetic experience, the quality of which, to use Joyee’s vecabulary, would be tai rather than “kinetic, One looks forward to works of greater an more enduring worth. Vallabh Vidyanagar Kievan Kuerxont 25 June 1973 NOTE ‘Hlayavadana’ was originally written in Kannada and I must ‘express my thanks to the Homi Bhabha Fellowships Counc} for the fellowship which enabled me to write the play. ‘The central episode in the play—the story of Devadatta and Kapila—is based on a tale from the Vetalapanchavimskika, but T ihave drawn heavily on Thomas Mann’s reworking of the tale in The Transpoted Heads and am grateful to Mrs Mann for permission to do so. My special thanks are also due to Mr Rajinder Paul who persuaded me to translate the play into English and firse published this translation in his journal, Jia% and to Mrs ‘Laksheai Krishnamnurty and Mrs Yamuna Prabbu who jointly produced it for the Madras Players in 1972. In translating this play, I have not. tried to be consistent while rendering the songs into English. Soine have been put in a loose verse form while, for others, only a straightforward prose version has been given. GRK. HAYAVADANA was fist presented in English by the Madr Player at che Museum Theatre Madras on T Desens 103, ltwas directed by Lakshmi Krishnamurty and Yamuna Prabhe, with music by B. V. Karanth. The cast was as follows: BHAGAVATA ——_S. Ramachander ACTOR I A. V. Dhanushkodi HAYAVADANA —_S. Krishnaswamy ACTOR It E, Raghukumar DEVADATTA A. V. Dhanushodi KAPILA E. Raghukumar PADMINI A. Ratnapapa DOLL I Vishalam Ekambaram DOLL 11 Bhagirathi Narayanan KALI Lakshmi Krishnamurty CHILD ‘Aman Mitel. ACT ONE The stage is emply except for a chair, kept centrestage, and a table on stage right—or al the back—om which the Bhagacata and the musicians “AC the beginning of the performance, @ mask of Ganesha is brought on stage and kept om the cher. Pooja is dane. The Bhagavata sigs verse in press of Cones, accompanied by hs musicians Then the mask is taken azvay. (© Elephant-headed Herambha whose flag is vietory, and who shines like a thousand suns. ‘O husband of Riddhi and Siddhi, seated on a mouse and decorated with a snake. (O single-tusked destroyer of incompleteness, ‘we pay homage to you and start our play. BHAGAVATA. May Vighneshusara, the destroyer ofobstacles, who ‘removes all hurdlesand crownsallendeavours with succes, bless, ‘our performance now. How indeed can one hope to describe his, glory in our poor, disabled words? An elephant’s head on a buman body, a broken tusk and a cracked belly—whichever way you look at him he seems the embodiment of imperfection, ‘ofincompleteness. How indeed can one fathom the mystery that, this very Vakratunda-Mahakaya, with his crooked face and dis- torted body, is the Lord and Master of Success and Perfection? ‘Could tbe that this Imageof Purity and Holiness, this Mangala :moorty, intend to sgaily by his very appearance thatthe com- pleteness of God is something no poor mortal can comprehend? Be that as it may. Its not for us to understand this Mystery or tay to unravel it, Nor is it within our powers to do so. Our duty ismerely to pay homage to the Elephant-headed god and get on with our play. This ie city of Dharmapura, ruled by King Dharmashecla ‘whose fame and empire have already reached the ends of the ‘ight directions, Two youths who dwellinthiscity are our heroes. 2 HAYAVADANA ‘One is Devadatta. Comely in appearance, fair in colour, une rivalled in intelligence, Devadatta is the only son of the Revered Brahmin Vidyasagara. Having felled the mightiest pundits of the kingdom in debates on logic and love, having blinded the ‘greatest poets of the world with his poetry and wit, Devadatta is as it were the apple of every eye in Dharmapura. ‘The othcr youth is Kapila, He is the only son of the iron-smi Lohita, who is to the King's armoury as an axle to the chariot- wheel. Heisdark and plain tolookat, yet in deeds which require drive and daring, in dancing, in strength and in skal ‘he has no equal. "grin stength and in physieal kl [A scream of ero is heard of-stage. The Bhagovata frowns, quic looks in the direction of the seream, then carries on.] wey The world wonders at their friendship. The world sees these two young men wandering down the streets of Dhatmapura, hhand in hand, and remembers Lava and Kusha, Rama and Lakshmana, Krishna and Balarama. [sings] Two friends there were (Tes ia one hea scream is heard again. The Bhagavata cannot ignore it any mor Who could that be-crenting a disturbance at thevery oatct of our performance? (looks) Oh! It’s Nata, our Actor. And he is running. What could have happened, I wonder? [The Actor comes running in, trembling with fear. He rashes on tothe lage, runs round the stage onc, then ses tha Bhogavata and grabs him.) -ActoR. Sit, Bhagavata Sir— BHAGAVATA [iting to free himself}. ‘Toat Tut Wits thse What hs? Actor, Sir... oh my God!—God!— Buagavata. Let me go! [tell you, let go of me! [Freeing himself] Now what's this? What . actor. I—I—I—-Oh God! [Grabs him again. Buagavata. Let me go! (The Actor moves back.) ‘What nonsense is this? What do you mean by all this shouting and screaming? In front of our audience too! How dare you Ad One 3 disturb. ‘Actor. Please, please, I'm—sorry . .. But—but ... BHAGAVATA [morecalms]. Now,now, calm down! There's nothing ‘to be afraid of here. I am here. The musicians are here. And there is our large-hearted audience. It may be that they fall asleep during a play sometimes. But they are ever alert when someone isin trouble. Now, tell us, what's the matter? ‘acon [panting]. Oh—Oh—My heart... It's going to burst... buacavaTa.Sitdown! Sit. Right! Now tell me everything quictly, slowly. serow, I was on my way here... Twas already late.» didn’t ‘want to annoy you . . . So was hurrying down when . . . Ohb! [Covers his face with his hand] bHacavaTA. Yes, yes. You were hurrying down, Then? ‘actor. I'm shivering! On the way ... you see... I had drunk ' lot of water this morning . .. my stomach was full... 80 t0 relieve myself. BHAGAVATA. Watch what you are saying! Remember you are on stage . ‘crow T didn’ do anyshing!Ionty wanted t,o satby the ‘ide of the road—and was about to pull up my dhoti when .. BHAOAVATA. Yes? ‘actor. A voice—a deep, thick voice... itsaid: “Hey, you there—don’t you know you are not supposed to com mit nuisance on the main road?” BHAGAVATA. Quite right too. You should have known that much. ‘actor. I haif got up and looked around. Not a man in sight—no ‘one! So I was about to sit down again when the same voice said. mHAGAVATA. Yes? ‘actor. ‘You irresponsible fellow, can't you understand you are ‘not to commit nuisance on the main road?” T looked up. And there—right infront of me—across the fence . auacavata. Who was there? actor. A horse! Buacavata. What? + HAVAVADANA cro. A horse! And it was talking. buisonvazn, What did you have © dink this moring? actor. Nothing, I swear. Bhagavata Sir, haven’t been near a toddy-shop fora whole wesk-T dic even have milk today suagavata. Perhags your liver is sensitive to water. “ cron [duiprate]. Please believe me. I saw it clearly hhorse—and it was talking. BHAGAVATA [resigned]. TPs no use continuing this nonsense, So You saw a talking horse? Good. Now go and get made up - AcTOR. Made up? [all to your feet, Sir, can't auxcavara. Now look here... ~ ‘acToR. Please, Sir... fet els shan, wmbing) ‘ou see, Sir? How can T hold up a sword with this? How c Yous pasword with this? How ean I BHAGAVATA [thinks], Well then. There's only one solution left You go back... Hy ene station te actor. Back? DHAGAVATA. .. back to that fence, have another look and mak sure for yoursel that whoever was talking it couldn’t have been suteforyou alking, itcouldn’t have baoavata, 1s an order Aeron (pleading). Must 1? mmacnvara, Yes you must weron Sir (The Bhagat ten he dice nd tars singing BHAGAVATA. Two [riends there were ‘nsie] —one ind, one hear — ‘Are you stil here? (Theo oes ot king th Bhagavan or lat in reprieve. It doesn’t come.} torte, hing fr eat ae Poor boy! God alone knows what he saw —ane what he to to be! There's Truth for you. . . Pure Illusion. athe woke Act One [pings] ‘Two friends there were —one mind, one heart— [4 seream in the wing:. The Actor comes rushing in.] Now look here... actor, It's coming. Coming... auiagavata. What's coming? actor. Him! He’s coming ... [rushes out.] IMAGAVATA. Him? It? What's coming? Whatever ot whoever it is, the Actor has obviously been frightened by its sight. If even a hardened actor like him gets frightened, it’s more than likely that our gentle audience may get frightened too. Its not proper to let such a sight walk on stage unchallenged. [To the wings]. Hold up the entry-curtain! {Tio stage hands enter aad hold up a half-curtain, above six feet in height the sot of curtain used in Yakshagana or Kathakcali, The curiain masks the entry of Hayavadana, who comes and stonds behind it] ‘Who's that? [No reply. Only the sound of someone sobbing behind the curtain.) How strange! Someone's sobbing behind the curtain. It looks. ‘as though the Terror which frightened our Actor is itself now [To the stage-hand] Lower the curtain! [The curtain is lwered by about a foot. One sees Hayaradana's head, tuhich is covered by a veil. Ata sign fiom the Bhagevata, one of the ands removes the weil, revealing a tors's head. For a while he Ihorse-head doesn’t realize that it s exposed 'a the gaze of the audience. ‘The moment the realization dawns, the head ducks behind the curtain.) suaoavata. A horse! No, it can't be! [He makes a sign. The curtain is lowered a tittle more-—just enough f0 shove the head again. Agein it ducks. Again the curtain is lowered. This ‘goes om till the curtain is lowered right down to the flor. ‘Haycvadana, who has man’s body but a horse's head, is sitting on the floor kiding his head between his knee.) Incredible! Unbelievable! (At a sign from the Bhagavata, the stagehands withdraw, The Bho 6 HAYAVADANA gate goes and stonds rear Hayasadana erat sh hae tah ey Phen te grits hinelfas 0 are you? (Hayavadana lifts his bead, and beds hn mecca 0 Te Bla ome here! ° ([Hayavedana hsttes, then comes fonourd: Fit jou go around tig eee wil ths sap the you have te ek to dir oso wih goer Sas ing? Have you no sense of proportion? Enough ofthis nore fense now. Take it off sy, take of tat rapid mock finan ee Yosef that sup mask ‘out won’t?—Then Il have to do it myself! [Holds Haywoadana's ead wi ir hand and i Comet ent SESE Dens ies tli is tight. Nata—My dear Actor. . [Fhe Aor esi wily nd ens ont ate sieht he Wiy are you standing there? Don't ere ou see i by ally mask? Cand elpme ake offtow or comes and lds Hayavadana by his eis wile the Bhagas fat pls teh. Hada fs tee ac roaring when the pain lecomes unbearable. The tug jaar contin fora while. Slots, th ruth duns on the Bhagenate| ° Nate thisov'sa mask! hil be " ctor drops Hayavadana witha thud. Haycradan Leica td. Hoyovdona gets up and uly, surprises will never cease! Ifsomeone had to See minutes ag that tere was a man wii whoa heck 7 ‘would have laughed ou: in hisface, rt {o Hoados] Whe are you? layacadana gets 4p and lari to ried eines ms {0,go cut, The Actor iuariedly moves ait! Wait! That's ourgreen room there, It's bad enough ; Thao ere. Tes that you scared this actor. We have a play to perform today, yout ‘Act One [Hayacadana stands, dejected] [Sg] Who are you? [No reply] ‘What brought you to this? Was ita curse of some rishi? Or was it some holy place of pilgrimage, sccrated? Or could itbe that you insulted a patiorata, to the service of her husband ? Or did you AYAVADANA. Hey. « muaoavara (taken aback). Eh? MAVAVADANA. What do youmean,Sir? Do you think just because ‘you know the puranas you can go about showering your Sanskrit Gn everyone in sight? What temple did I desecrate? What ‘woman did T insult? What . suacavara. Don’t get annoyed . .« HAVAVADANA. What else? What riski? What sage? What? Who Ihave I wronged? What have T done to anyone? Let anyone ‘come forward and say that I've done him any wrong. I haven’ —Tknow I haven't yet [He is on the point of beginning to sob again.) anAaGavata. Don't take it to heart so much. What happened ? ‘What's your grief? You are not alone here. I am here. The musicians are here. And there is our large-hearted audience. Tt ‘may be that they fall asleep during a play sometimes. . avavapaws, What can anyone do? It’s my fate. ntisoavata. What's your name? HAYAVADANA, Hayavadana, BHAGAvATA. How did you get this horse's head? HavavabaNa. Iwas born with it. piacavara. ‘Then why didn’t you stop us when we tried to take it off? Why did you put up with our torture? HAVAVADANA. All my life I've been trying to get rid of this head. T thought you with all your goodness andi punya ... ifat least you managed to pull it off. . soavata, Oho! Poor man! But, Hayavadana, what can any~ ‘one do about a head one’s horn with? Who knows what error ‘committed in the last birth is responsi. .« 2 1a punyasthana, which you de- dedicated 8 HAYAVADANA Hayavapana [amnped]. It has nothing to do with my last birth. It's this birch whieh I ean't shake off BuAGAVATA, Tell us what happened. Don't fel ashamed. BAVAVADANA [raged]. Ashamed? Me? Why should 1 auacavaza, Sorry. I beg your pardon, I should have ea HAYAVADANA [lesa]. 1’ along story. anacavata. Carry on HAYAVADANA. My mother was the Princess of Karnataka, She was a very beautiful girl. When she came of age, her father deciced that she should choose her own husband. So princes of every kingdom in the world were invited-—aaud hey all came. From China, from Persia, from AVrica. But she didn’t like any of them. The last one to comne was the Prince of Araby. My mother took one look at that handsome prince sitting on his great white stallion—and she fainted, ‘actor. Ah! HAYAVADANA. Hier father at once decided that this was the man. Allarrangements forthe wedding were made. My mother woke ‘up—and do you know what she said? AGTOR, BHAGAVATA, What? HAYAVADANA, She sid she would only marry that horse! ‘actor. What! HAYAVADANA. Yes. She wouldn’t listen to anyone. The Prince of Araby burst a blood-vessel. actos. Naturally. HAYAVADANA. No one could dissuade her. So ultimately she was married off to the white stallion. She lived with him for fifteen years. One morning she wakes up—and no horse! Ta ts place stood a beautiful Celestial Being, a gandharoa, Apparently this Colestial Being had been cursed by the god Kuvera to be born a horse forsome actof misbehaviour. Afterfiftecn yearsof human love he had become his origina self again. uagavara. I must admit several such cases are on record. Hayavabana, Released from his curse, he asked my mother to accompany him to his Heavenly Abode. But she wouldn't. She said she would come only if he became a horse again. So he ‘shy’. Act One 9 cursed hr. scvon Nol . Minvavabavn, He cured esto become Kose heel So my veser Seaman hese and an avy hap yar went tackiohisieavenly Abode Only thechidof her marige set hin. sncavage teal oy on Very , avavapan What should I do now, Bhagavata Sit? What can voget idol head? stuseavdin: Hapavadan bs wen om ou frends can ou be altered nas ling Kimo fread. "putt aferceadl Wat fc I esa freed ike fou, T would have aecepte anything. Bue ist T have se accpt my te: My pesnal te ha natal been Hinde S01 tok interest a the sci ofthe Nation Give, Pott, Pati, National, Tndianizatn, the Soa Patera of Soviet -nei have Wied everything, But Sire’ ny tity? Where) Vou must lp met bee Tomplcstan,Bhagavata Sr at how? What ca To Cie tne Th ti) tivavannas Wha? / Minaatn, you got Banaras and make a owin fost the thre * ava Tv hat, Did woe zoron, Rarcawat / diroavanann, Banas, Ramesh, Clara, Haridwar, Gaya ‘clamathnot only date but the Degak of Khwaje Yas Dab the Gaet of Our Virgin Mary “ve ted them al Magicians, mendicants, maharishis, fakirs, saints and sadhus— tes with short hat adhus with beards—sads in saon, sadhus in the altogether—hanging, singing, rotating, gyrating sage he pity nthe ai ner tee rth oud Teceovered them als Ard what eld Tgecout ofall th? Every 10 MAYAVADANA where went a to cover my head with avl—and 1 ead with avel—and Tstarted goitg bald [Powe Sip] Von, how hate ths elo Just can’t help being fond of this lovely, Jong mane. [Pause.] So Wearealready lates. sonstonac? [Trey lok athe, suprised] xAPULA, But ifyou aren't well, we won't. Papwit. What's wrong with me? Tm perfect. T had a Ieadache this morning, But layer af ewer-pare tok cre of at Why should we cancel our tipo a ite thing ke that? (Devadaia opens is mouth to say somhing but stays quiet} {to Kapila] Why are you standing ther like a statue? xarita. No. realy, if you have a headache Papuan. I don’t have a headache nov! pevaparra, But, Padmin vapuant. Kapila, put those bundles cut there in the cart. The servant will bring the rest. rie de ars Up tnd tly Bed ets ot Deets fr eine Be quick. Otherwise Pll put them in myself [xapite goes out. Pain goes o Deva, Pleading] Plate don't get angry. Poor boy, be looked 0 lst and dix appointed, [couldn't bear toseeit, He has been running aro for us this whole week. garound evaDarra [taming his head avy]. Where's the boxin which I put the books Takei : Nehipes Papuan. Yo mi «. You are an angel. I knew you wouldn’t mind... . 11 bring it, Ics quite ight. ™ fmiade Tl [Gees cut} DevaDArTA [tohinself]. And my disappointment? Docs that mean nothing to you? [Ain Don't, lake it You den it any- {Gaesin after fr] auaoavata. Why do you tremble, heart? Why do you cris Tike atouch-me-not bush through whicha sakehas passed ‘The sun rests his head on the Fortunate Lady's flower, Act One 25 “And the head is bidding good-bye to the heart. (Kapita, followed by Padmin ard Devadatta, ener, miming acartride, Kapila is driving the cart.| pamurst, Hlow beautifully you drive the cart, Kapila. Your bands Gon't even move, but the oxen seem to know exactly where to ©. (Kopilelnghs happily) fatter stap here for a while? We've becn in this cart all day and miy legs fel lc bits of wood. xapita, Right! Ho—Ho Pals the cat lo a hall They get dren. She sips but Deadata suport fer) pat: What a terible road. Nothing but stones and rocks— ‘pat onc didn't feel a thing in the earel You drove it so gently — almost made it float. I remember when Devadatta took me ina san that was soon after our marriage—T insisted on being Sfown the lake outside the city. So we started—only the two of seahd Devadatta driving against my advice, I must say. And Weididn's even cross the citygates. The oxen took everything ‘xcept the road. He only had to pull to the right, and off they Seal ash to theleft I've neverlaughedso much in mylife. But of course he got very angry, so we had to go back home straight! [Laughs But Kapila and Devadatta don jin in.) apis, what’sthatglorioustreethere? That one—covered with flowers? xara, Oh that! ‘That's called the Fortunate Lady's flower— hat means a married woman . apunt L aov! But why do they cal it that? Eariia. Wait. I'll bring a flower. Then you'l se. Goes out} abut [watching him, to href}. How he climabs—like an ape. etore L could even say ‘yes, he had taken off his shirt, pulled fib alot! up and swang up the branch, And what an ethereal qNape! Suet a broad back like an ocean with masces rippling donee itand then that small, feminine waist which looks 50 helples. 26 HAYAVADANA brvaparra [aside]. She had so much to talk about all day, she couldn't wait for breath. Nove-—not a wer apust [aside]. He is like a Celestial Being reborn as a hunter How his body sways, his limbs curve—it’s a dance almost, evanatra [aid]. And wy should I blame her? Te's his strong body-—his manly muscles, And to chink T had never eu noticed ‘em all these years... . Twas an innocent—an absolute baby. ana [aside]. No woinses could resist hin >brvaparta [aside No woman could resist him—and what does itmatter that she's married? What‘a fool I've been. Al these days I only saw that pleading in his eyes stretching out its arms, begging for a favour. But never looked in her eyes. nd when 1 did-—took the whites of her eyes for their real depth. Only now Flite the depths--now I see these flames leaping up from those depths. Now! So late! Don’t turn away now, Devadatta, Jook at her. Lookat those yellows, purple flames. Look how she’s Pouring her soul in his mould. Look! Let your guts burn out Jet your lungs turn to ash—but don't turn away, Look and don't scream. Strangle your agony. But look deep into these ¢es—look until those peacock flames burn out the blindness in you. Don’t be a coward now. “abwast, [aside]. How long can one go on like this? How long? How long? If Devadatta notices ..- Looks at Devadatta. He is looking a her already and thir ees meet. Bath ook aay. Papuant [efod]. There he comes. All T wanted was one flower and he’s brought a heap. [Kapita comes in, miming a whole load of fers in his arms and tends, He pours them out in front of er] xarita. Here you are. The Fortunate Lady’s flowers, Papuan. And why a Fortunate Lady’, pray? xapuia, Because it has all the marks of marriage a woman puts on. The yellow on the petals—then that red round patch at the bottom of the petals-—like on your foreheads—then—here— that thin saffron line—tike in the parting of your hair Then — uhm... oh yes—here near the stem a row of black dots—like a Act One or black bead ; ve reekas heiion! Te Det] Youshould pati toa et fob en, god ir coat ve hangin car i do a hers a longer route. This is a mor rete T Mok hse minded nen i ee SRS Ek ths do you ef Th he Res ‘Bhargavi.The poct Vyasa had a hermitage on its ban aoe ta And thereby the! ill re ge alf-curtain in the comer to Sd cone an lo isin i oer a enh of Coe Rl. ae ses hat nts qed crunch eta Taceome ef Rn Afieen miles ont you go and see che Kali temple fs? teartiar No, thats quite core... T've een ie ence bats, Snakes, all sof poisonows insets and mo proper read, ‘can go to the Rudra temple, though. It's nearer. paper. Come on. Lev’s go. pevaparra. You twa go. I wont comic. ann [ewe And you? Stn Mereandvarhheee seers there's fear thieves ee» (Sewing eon]. ‘Or else, Pl stay here. 28 MAYAVADANA pevanarta, No, no. You two go, Fin also ite tied sown [ai He ha start again, Another tant hi. What do I eare? [Aloud] Come, Kapil, wel go. ssi Bit pis your cin asain [esplding]. Why ate you two hounding me with this on? If you dont want to come, ayo Tr ie xatmua, Devadatt, i's not very far. You e DevanaTTa told you to go. Don’t force me aan ees not go do wan thet of youre foemy evant [lo Kaila). Go, atza [ivi no choice]. Come. We'll be back soon. [Kapila and Padinini go out.) navabarea, Good-bye, Kapila, Good-bye, Padi May the Tard Rudra bless you You are two pieces of my heart live happily together. Ishall find my happiness in that (Agoized} Give me strength, Lard Rudra, My father, sive me courage Fm already trembling, Fd never thought | would be so afas Ghee cna Fair, caine fecal tot temple Kal aspen ical lind, He exhausted by the time he reaches the tem} Te prrostra before cau re le esas inset before Bhavani, Bhairasi, Kali, Durga, Mahamaya, Mother of all Nature-—I had forgotten my promise o you. Forgive me Miche. You lial ihe seep ring ony eg ge ime Padmini—and I forgo my word. Forive me, form here now to cary out my promise Tits up exer} Great inde our mere. Ene in his ney ace ome eve of yoursa hunter, perhaps or a tibesthan has thnweapon, Who know how many lnestheweneeg hase fice to you. {Sreaning ] Here, Mother Kal, here'sanothen My head. Take it, Mother, accept this little offering of my head. (Gas of shad, Nota ey ting dbs ray tether. tint scan ling himself The ha td te two... Aa One 2» mask—rolls aff and blood fl. 7h long silence. Pamir’ aud Kepila return tothe cart) whe should have come. How thrilling ft course he has no cathusiasm for these ‘was! Heavenly! But o things. After all [Notices Desadatta isn't there.) Where's Devadatta? [They took around.) He said he'd stay here! xaviza {ealls]. Devadatta—Devadatia papaiist. He's probably somewhere around. Where will he go? ‘Hie has the tenderest fect on earth. They manage to get blisters, ccotts, cuts, boils and wounds without any effort, So. - karma [calls]. Devadatta . papas. Why are you shouting? Sit down. He [apila inspects the surounding area. Gives a gasp of suprise.) What's it? ‘karma, His footprints. He has obviously gone in that direction. [Pause] But—that’s where the Kali temple raps. You don't mean he’s gone there! How absurd! apa. You stay here. 111 bring him back. Papwivt. But why do you have to go? There's nothing to fear in this broad daylight! aria [hurrying of}. 1 hhe'IL have to spend the whole night in TLeome back soon. [Runs out] aban! [exasperated] He's gone! Really, he seems more worried ‘about Devadatta than me. [she sts dour, Kapila goes to the Kali temple—but naturally faster than Devadatta did. He ses the body and his mouth half opens in a cream, He runs to Devadata and kneels beside "im, Lifts his truncated ‘head and moans.) KAMA, You've cut off your head! You've cut off your head! Oh Shny dear friend, my bruther, what have you done? Were you 50 Angry with me? Did you feel such contempt for me—such "come. "5 very thick wood there. If he gets lost, the jungle. Youstay here. » HAYAVADANA abhorrence? And in your anger you forgo: that I was ready to die for you? If you had asked me to jump into fire, T would have done it, Ifyou had asked me to leave the country I would have done it. I'you had asked me to go and drown in a river, T would have gladly done it. Did you despise me so much that you couldn’t even ask me that? I did wrong. But you know T don’t have the intelligence ro know what else I should have done. T couldn’ think—and so you've pushed me away? No, Devadatra, T can't live without you. I can't breathe without you. Devadatta, my brother, my father, myfriend . [Picks up the sword.) ~ ‘You spurned me in this world. Accept me as your brother at Jeast in the next. Here, friend, here I come. As always, I follow in your path. Cuts off his head. 1's am easier death this tine. Padmin, who has Seen still ill now, moves} Papuist, Where are they? Now this Kapila's He couldn't still be searching for him. That's not possible, Devadatta’s too weak to have gone far. They must have met, Pethaps they're siting now, chatting as in the old days. For ‘once no bother of a wile around. ... No, more likely Deve datta’s sulking. He's probably tearing poor Kapila to shreds by Just being silentand grumpy. Yes, that would be more like hiny, (Pause) i's almost dark. And they aren’t back. Shameless men—to eave me alone like this h No, it's no use sitting here any longer. I had better go and look for them. If] die of a snake-bite on the way, 10 much the betcer for them. [Walks tothe temple, slowly, Rubs er ees when she reaches there.) How dark it ist Can't see a thing. (Calls.) Kapila—Kapila— Devadatta isn’t here either. What shall [do here? At this time of night! Alone! [Liviens] What's that? Some wild beast. A wolf! Tes right outside—what shall Ido ifit comes in?.-. Ah! Ics one, Mother Kali, only you ean protect ne nus. [tumbles ever the bodies] lisappeared too, Act One 31 Ih Gori! What's his? Bosh! Bosh gone! And did't even shi Temedatta, what did Ido that you left me alone in this st e? Igo home? hat sal 1 Hee owas say whan 1 get dere? What shal vi a Nena go ee en OS ard its point on her breast when, elite goer seed) th to hack off my head. But what does it 1-2 You dor't care. It's the same to you fave it then—here’s another , from behind the wore Hey admin freezes. , Hien Pat dow that ord {[Padinins jumps up in fight and throwing the scord aside, tes 1102 tntop te lnpls Then noua wo that? [No ry 7 ae her epes in terror, Behing dat ie of ra edi usr pein a Bio epi Boned pol fh coe Te eee ex taken ne a nse ring fib ee edt mah wide veh he fone lng Te Fr dis phew ed shor month, 3 2 HAYAVADANA cme clea she has ben sats [omblite thyun). All gh see hyn). All ight: Open your eyes and be quick, adn opens er ees and ses y Ps es ad es the godess: Sh rans and falls a er ADMIN, Mother—Kali. ats [oly]. Yes, i's me. There was a time age te at this hour they woul have ot ro make a deafening racket wit conchae and cmb So waa be wile awake soured Fa ete abl eon] Rig What do you vane? abun, Save me, Mother =. xatt. [know P've done that already. apsans, Do you ell this saving, Mother ofall N how my fie toanyonein sword. ea “ Att [lite testy}. Yes, yes, you've said that once. Ne scpeat youll Now do as ell ou Pu thse heads pee, Beely. Attach them to their bodies and then prc that word oa PaDuest. Mother, you are ou 'anunt, Mother, you are our breath, you are our bread —and— au. Ski ~many many years he mangalarati, The ? Tean’'t it! Doas I told you. And quickly. I'm collapsing with wasn eat], May Laka question? 11. Tit’s not too fon "os. Can thre eer fother? The past and t ‘Then shy didn you st id’ Ki youstop Kapila hhave been spared all so long? aus [suprised]. Is that all yo 1c [oii Ts tha ll you can think of now? aus. ve never ee anyone ike you, . How could one possibly hide anything from you, ating ou aed do’ he ie future are mere specks in your palm. op Devas whe Be eae be Why 2 iyottued eet er Two ret sanyo oe dt One 8 Mother? xaus. That's true enough. papuasa. Then why didn’t you stop therm? katt, Actually ifit hadn't been that I wasso sleepy, ‘thrown them out by the cruffof their necks .- - ‘aout. But why? xaus. The rascals! They were Tellow Devadatta——he had once promi ‘and his arms to me! Think of it—head Then becaute you insisted on going to the Rudra temple, he cams hore and offers his head. Nobly tco—wants to keep bis ‘word, he says—no other reason! "Phen this Kapila, Died right in front of me—but ‘for his friend! Mind you! Didn't even have the courtesy to refer to me. And What es! Says he is dying for friendship. He must have known. derfetly well hewould be accused of ling Devadata for you. Bo you think he wouldn't have grabbed you if it hadn’t been few that fear? But till his last breath—'Ob my friend! My dear brother!” Only you spoke the truth. ‘papsers. It all your grace, Mother caer Don't drag me into it. I had nothing to do with it. You poke the truth because you're sefish—that’s all. Now don't go Ga talking. Do what I told you and shut your eyes. rapvawt. Yes, Mother [apeiy, Pani puts the Reads—tho is, te mashs—back. But in per erritement she mixes ther up 50 that Devadata’s mask goes lo piles body ond vice versa. Thon presses the seard on ther necks cane amaskara ta the goddess, wks dcenstage and stands with her back tothe goddess, har eyes shut tight] papas. Pm ready, Mother. cant [ina resigned fg), My dear daughter, there should be a Timi ‘even to honesty. Anyway——So be Tiga the drums. The certain is held wp again and th goes: dix “poor betindit. Daring the following sen the slagehands, th curt aswell as Ue goddess leave the siage. would have lying to their last breaths. That jsed his head to Rudra to him and arms to me! a HAYAVADANA Padinini stands immobile sith her exes shut. The drums stop. A long lence followes. The dead bodies nce. Their breathing becomes loud and laboured. They situp,slow'y,stifly. Their movement is mechanical, as though blood-irewation has at started properly yet. They fel theit ‘we arms, heads and bodies, and look ard, becildered. Henceforth the parson weering the mask of Dewadatta will be called Devadatia. Similarty with Kapila. They stand up. 1's not easy and they rel around a bit Pedi ti pevaparra, What —happened? aria. ... What happened? [Padi opens her eyes, but she still doen't dave to lok at them.) apint. Devadatta’s voice! Kapila’s voice! (Screaming with joy] Kapila! Devadatta! CTuums and rans to them. Tien sudderdy stops and stands paralysed.) RapiLa. Who. ..? pevaparra, Padmini? xavtLs. What—happened? My head—Ooh! It feels so heavy! pevaparra, My body—seems to weigh—a ton. apunt [running arcund in confusion]. What have 1 done? What have I done? What haveI done? Mother Kali,only youican save me now—only you can help me—What have I done? What have T done? What should I do? Mother—Mother Devabarta [a litle more alive]. Why are you—crying? aria. What’s—wrong? Papaat. What shall I tell you, Devadatta? How can I explain it, Kapila? You cut off your heads—but the goddess gave you life—but—1—I—in the dark... Mother, only you can protect me now—Mother! I—-mixed up your heads—I mixed them up! Forgive me—I don’t deserve to live—forgive me... ‘kapita [looking at Devadaita]. You mixed up... pevanarta. ...the heads? (They stare ot each other. Then burst into laughter. She doesn’t know ow to react. Watches thom. Then starts loughing.] DEVADATTA, Mixed-up heads! karita, Heads mixed-up! Act One nevanarza, Exchange Bed! karma Hen nicl All thee yours we were oy cai we aveblood-relations! Body-rlations![Lauping-) ‘What a gift! " -. Forgive you? We must thank you « Rey nets Be ale to dank you enough wvabarTA. Exchanged heads! soandin aera ath age Then al er ald and andr round aie sgt snus (together. fe at ond is! No more tricks! Ts this one that ‘or that one this? (They sing rnd oe agin stil clo on the foor] xapita, Ovoh—T'm finished! a bad seine PAM 5 Nong ike this could have ever happened reaceing you two with your heads off was bad Pa Nut caben you gu up it was tile! Lalmost ded of igh. But when you fight. hi] . ohn Nel tbe wife tl he Paboant [Suddeniy]. We won't tell anyone. DEvADATTA, We'll keep our secrets insic paps ‘Inside us" is tight cr hn can went ll? They know 108 pevaparta. No one'll know. xapia. P'm sure they'll. pevaoasta, Tbtakeany bel karma: bows that possible? Dpevaparra, You'llsee. Why worry now? 96 MAYAVADANA Paptant, Come. Let’s go... xatba. Its late, pavanarra, No Ujjain now. We go back home! KAPILA, Absolutely api. This Ujjain will last us a lfetime, Come. [hey get up. Every now and ther someone laughs and then all burst ut together.) apua, Devadatta, I really don’t know how we're going to this from your parents They ques as soon as they sce you bare-bodied. ~ pevaparta. They won't, I tell you. They take us too much for granted... xarita. What do you mean? DrvaDarrA. Who ever looks hard at a person he sees every day? xara, Idon'tmean that... vy Papaunt. I'm not so sure. I'm affaid I'll get the blame for it ultimately... DivaparrA. Stop worrying! I tell you it... xaptta, But what has she got to do with you now? pevaparra [Stops]. What do you mean? karma. I mean Padmini must come home with me, shouldn’t she? She's my wife, so she must ... (Exclamations from Devedaita sand Padmini Papst. What are you talking of, Kapila? xaita [explaining]. I mean, you are Devadatta’s wife. T have ‘Devadatta's body now. So you have to be my wife... Papuan. Shut up prvanarrA, Don't blather like an idiot! Tam Devadatta Papin. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? kari, But why, Padmini? I have Devadatta's body now .. bevaparza. We know that. You don't have to repeat yourself like a parrot. According to the Shastras, the head is the sign ofa APiLA [angry new]. That may be. But the question nove is simply ‘this: Whose wife is she? [Raising his right hand.) This is the hand that accepted her at the wedding. This the body she’s lived with Act One 37 all these months. And the child she’s earrying is the seed of this, body. a ‘apaina [fightond by the logic]. No, no, no. It’s not possible. I's not. (Riauting to Devadatta.] I's not, Devadatta, eenparra, Ofcourse my deer. He is gownat [Te "Kepila.| When one accepts a partner in marriage, with the hol Setasome'swftnes one accopsaperon,norabody Stedidn ‘marry Devadatia's body, she married Devadatta—the person, xara. If that’s your argument, { have Devadatta’s body, so T ‘am Devadatta—the person. pevapara. Listen to me. Ofall the human limbs the topmost—~ ‘in position as well as in importance —is the head. I have Deva- datta’s head aad it follows that T am Devadatta, According to the Sacred Texts... kagica. Don’t tell me about your Sacred Texts. You ean slways twist them to suit your needs. She married Devadatta's body with the holy fie as her witness and that’s enough for me. pevaparta [laughs.] Did you hear that, Padmini? He claims to ‘be Devadatta and yet he condemns the Texts. You think Deva- atta would ever do that? . aria. You can quote as many Texts as you like, I don’t give a nail. Come on, Padmini -.. [Takes «step towards her. But Decadata steps in between] pevaparra. Take care! . Papsant. Come, Devadatta, It's no use arguing with this rascal. Let's go. DEVADATTA. Come on... | | xartca (stepping beteeen ther]. Where are you taking my wife, friend? prvanarra. Will you get out of our way or should. . APIA. [twas you who got in my way. : pEvaparta [pushing Kapila aside]. Get away, you pig. KAPita [triumphan!}. He’s using force! And what language! ‘mini, think! Would Devadatta ever have acted like this? This is Kapila’s violence... pevaparra. Come. Padmini. 38 HAYAVADANA xara. Go. But do you think Tl stay put while you run away ‘with tny wife? Where will you go? How far can you go? Only to the city, after all, PL follow you there, I'l kick up a row in the streets. Let's see what happens then, [Decadata stops] apuast. Let him scream away. Don't pay him any attention, bevapatrA. No. He’sright. Thishas to be solved here. Itllereate scandal in the city... Panuasr. But who'll listen t> him? Everyone will take you for Devadatta ly sour face. ~ xavita. Ha! You think the people in Dharmapura don't know ray bedv, do you? They've seen me‘a thousand times in the vwrestlng pit. Pye got T don't know how many awards for body Iuildine, Let’ssce whom they believe, Pabust{plending). Why are you torturing us Tike this? For so tony years you have been our friend, accepted our hospital. Karis. + junrw what you want, Padimini, Devadatta’s clever head and Kapila’ strong badly 4 Suppose she did. There's nothing wrong in it. Tes atural orawonan tofee attracted toa fine figure ofa mat. anit, Pha itis. But thet doesa?t mean she can just go aad “ho stl cian sli’ nos ht ineband, That's not eight, sooo fives oat]. Hox ron we get rid of this scoundrel? Let's ) sagt swhere—ie1ewonds--to the desert-—anywhere Karn... Yess have to kill -ne before you'll really eseape me. Yor ented, Fdow't have the sorength to resist Kapila, HIS Es Aiea mts ca-umeet! But L gave you life arma... Thar wees fava, {yon hadn't. yon would have bromn a widow tan he shou? Le veatefl io mie because iy wilt saved bis life. Det, fe 1 DPradrnt meas in exon] A. This wae we wear me Devadatta ng lv snaieh you away. auytehere, Kapila. Ad One a DEVADATTA, Whatever youare, thisisnoway tosolvetthe problet. aPiLA. Of course not. If marriage were contract it would be. But how can Padmin's fancy be taken as the solution? pevaparta. Then what is the solution to this problem? all feeze. ansonat, What? Wanda the sation oth pb, which holds the entire future of these three unfortunate being. ina balance? Must their fate remain a mystery? And if so shall we not be insulting our audience by tying a question-nark round its neck and bidding 1t good-bye? We have to face the problem, But it's a deep one and the answer must be ssught ‘with the greatest caution. Haste would be disastrous. Ss there's ‘break of ten minutes now. Please have some tea, ponder 0 this situation and come back with your own solutions. We sb: then continue with our enguiry. . [The stage-hands hold a white curtain in font ofthe fibzen tiresome, while the Bhagavata and others relax and sip tea.) ACT TWO. [The white crtain is removed] auacavata. What? What indeed is the solution to this problem, ‘which holds the entire future of these three unfortunate beings ina balance? Way back in the ages, when King Vikrama was ruling the ‘world, shining in glory like the earth's challenge to the sun, he wwas atked the same question by the demon Velala, And the king offered a solution even without, as it were, batting an eye- Tid. Bue will bis rational, logical answier hacked by the Sacred ‘Texts appeal to our audience? [Sings.] ‘The future pointed out by the tongue safe inside the skull is not acceptable tous. We must read the forchead which Brahma has disconnected from the entrai ‘We must unravel the net on the palm disclaimed by the brain. ‘We must plumb the hidden depths of the rivers running under our veins, ‘Yes, that would be the right thing to do. So our three unfortunate friends went to a great rishi in search ofa solution to their problem. And the rishi—remembering per~ haps what King Vikrama had said—gave the solution: [ira loud, sonorous voice] As the heavenly Kalpa Vriksha is supreme among trees, so is the head among human limbs. Therefore the man with Deva- datta's head is indeed Devadatta and he isthe rightful husband of Padmini. [The three spring to life. Devadatta aed Padmini scream with joy and ‘move to one comer of the stage laughing and dancing. Kapila, broken- hearted, drags his fet to the other corner.) pevaparra [embracing Padmini.] My Padmini.... my lovely Padmini. . Papsant, My King~My Master... Act Two al pevaparra, My litle lightning apat. The light of my joy. - pevaparra. The flower of my palin .. Pabsint, My celestial-bodied Gandharva....My sun-faced Indra... pevaparra. My Queen of Indra’s Court «.. apuant [caressing his shoulders], Come. Let's go. Let’s go quickly. ‘Where the earth is soft and the green grass plays the swing. pevaparra.Let us. Where thebanyanspreadsa canopy and cur- tains off the skies... apaant. What a wide chest, What other canopy do I need? pevaparra, My soft, swaying Padmini. What other swing do want? abst. My Devadatta comes like a bridegroom with the orna~ ‘ment of a new body « pevanarra [a manly laugh}. And who should wear the ornaments but the eager bride . rapa Let's go. [Peuse.] Wait. [She nous lo Kapila.] Don’t be sad, Kapila. We shall mect again, shan’t we? [in a law voce, 50 Devadatta can't hear.] 1s my duty to go with Devadatta, But remember I'm going with your body. Let that cheer you up. [Goes back fo Deoadatta.] Good-bye, Kapila. EvADATTA. Good-bye. [The go out, laughing, rubbing against each other. Kapila stands mute for @ while. Ther moves] suaoavata. Kapila—Kapila ... [No reply] Don’t grieve. It's fate, Kapila, and... aria. Kapila? What? Me? Why am I Kapila? [exit BHAGAVATA. So the roads diverged. Kapila went into the forest ‘and disappeared. He never saw Dharmapura again. In fact he never felt the wind of any city again. As for Devadatia and Padmini, they returned to Dharmapura and plunged into the joys of married life. (Padiminé enters and sts. She is stitching clothes, Devadatta comes: He is carying in his hands two large dolls —cohich could be played by too 2 MAYAVADANA children. The dolls are dressed in a way whick mates it impossible to decide their sex. ° possible Davedata comes in quit and stands behind Padin) pevapaTra. Hey! ¥aowtnt [sted Oht Really, Devadarta. Yor fightened mo ‘The needle prcked me! Lock, my finger bleeding, pavaparza, PntcTut! Ts itreally? Pat icin my mouth suck Panmat, No, thanks, Pl stick it myself [Ses 4 ella} How pretiy! Whose are these? rel E nn utvapatia, Whece? Ours of cou apaist, But the guest won't be coming for months jet ily, ta. I know he isn’t, but you can't get dls like these ou like! These anv special dolls from ike Ujjain det They cok atoost ave soi ie esate ite eek fa en) ost wn and tell ie evry thy that happened atthe tle Yoru wealdn't take me with cose pened atthe ai. 1 snr How eld =f oe condition? Lent only bes ‘ase yar insisted you wanted Wo kep your mond. But Env Feat ery fay thing yee wa 3 wreaing piv and « wrester from Guthara was challening peogle te fight his dont know what got oto metre Teese reali ftp pus on the pants giveny itso ans! jar d into the pit, pansgeeay Sir ding th dis, Yon Aide ere dint Did hin of ain, Flt-—npied* Within * couple of mints, 1 ad pinned his ot prewe acts ate nt) What wont eu far Sy he beard of bivaoarta. My Le sequainiances there wore qiteamaced anion [eesing Bis an). "itat day th the Syslog you never wrestled Aa Tico 8 Ceeeaae Of course they were Twas standing there bares nee abulous body “labulous brain—fabulous Dovadatts Cane ore will havea pienie by the lake. I eel ikea goed, long abuse [mocking]. In my condition? dase ago onabout itsbeingason. What ifs adaughter? an i apes eae eit body? ee rae ord remem wwasa child! “4 HAYAVADANA ‘temple of Kali—you used to smell so manly . .- bevabarra, Youmean that unwashed, sweaty smell Kapila had? [ncredulous] You liked that? ramus [pause, Then light]. Tt was just a suggestion. Come on, Ter's start. We'll be late. [Thay go out, A long silence} ott, 1. Not a bad house, I would say. ott 1. Could have been worse. I was a little worried. DOLL, t Thisis the least we deserved. Actually we should have got a palace. A real palace! ~ pout. 1 And a prince to play with. A real prince ott. 1, How the children looked at us at the fair! How their eyes glowed! pou u. How their mothers stared at us! How their mouths watered! DOLL 1, Only those beastly men turned up their noses! ‘Expen- sive! Too Expensive? OL i. Presuming to judge us! Who do they think they are! ott 1. Only a prince would be worthy of us. out tt. We should be dusted every day . . pout dressed in silk DOLL H. .. . seated on a cushioned shelf... DOLL 1... given new clothes every week. DOLL Ht. ‘the doli-maker had any sense, he'd never have sold Ifhe had any brains, he should never have . .. given us DOLL tt. ... with his rough labourer’s hands, ott 1. Palmslike wood « DOLL 11. A grip like a vice pout 1 My armsare still aching ... DOLL 1, He doesn’t deserve us, the peasant. [Devadatta comes running in, tosses the dolls in the air, catches them and hisses them. Devanarra, My dolls, your prince has arrived! The prince has Act Two 4 ott. 1 [in agony]. Brute! An absolute brute! ots 1 [in agony]. Beast! A complete beast! . DevaDaTra [ruas to the Bhagavata]. Here, Bhagavata Sir, take ‘these sweets. You must come to the feast tomorrow at our house. BHAoAvATA. What's it for? | DEVADATEA. Haven't you heard? I’ve gota son like a gem—a son like a rose—-Yippeee . [He goes out dancing some Lezim steps. A long silence] pout 1 Is that little satan asleep yet? pout m, Think so. God! It’s killing me... oun fying all days DOLL 1, ... making a mess every fifteen minutes. Pout What have we come to! One should never trust God. pout i. It’s our fault. We should have been wary from the ‘motnent we saw that child in her dreams... . pout. 1 We should have noticed she was bloating day by day. DOLL 11. We should have suspected foul play then. DOLL 1 Itwasn’t our fault, How could we know she was hiding this thing inside her? pout How she was swelling! Day by day! Week by week! At ‘hough someone were blowing ar nto her pout 1. How ugly she! we DOLL 1 . . ,not to her husband, though! DOLL. 1. When they were alone, he would place his handon her ‘belly and say, ‘Is he kicking now?” pout 1 [seriously], We should have becn on our guard. pout 1 [dispirited]. We should. ‘And then comes this son of a satan... port 1... thislump of flesh... DOLL 1, He doesn't even have proper eyes or ears... Dott 1... but he gets all the attention. pout m [in disgust]. Ugh... port 1 [sick]. Awk {Devadatta and Padiini enter wilh the cild—forvehich a wooden doit may be used. They walk across the stage, engrossed in talking to and 6 HAYAVADANA about the child, and go out.| bout, 1. A spider's buil its web on my shoulders. port tt. Yesterday'a mouse nibbled at my toe. pots, 1. The other day a cockroach ate my leit eye. ott. 1, Six months—and not a soul has cons near us DOLL 1. Six months—and not a hand has tgniched us. pox. it, Six months and we reach this state. What'll happen in year’s time? ([Padmini and Devadatta enter] apsant. Listen. - pevanarta. Yes Papuryi. You mustn't say ‘no'—at least this time. pevavarra. To what? Papua, We'll take him to the lake, DEvaDatTA. In this cold? Papstt, What if it's cold? He's olier now. There's no need to mollycoddle hitn, I grew up running around in heat and cold and rain—and nothing happened to me. I'm all right - pevaparta. No, it's unnecessary trouble for everyone. aunt. What do you mean trouble? What's happened to you these days? You sit at homne all day. Never go out, You've for- gotten all your swimming and sports pevaparra. I'm a Brahmin, Padmini, My duty... Papwint. P've heard all that! pevaparra, Itwas fun the fist few days because it was new. All that muscle and strength. But how long can one go of like that? T have the family tradition to maintain—the daily reading, writing and studies papain I don't knew. puvabarta [affectionate]. Now look here, Padmii (Puts his and round her shoulder. She suddenly shudders} Why? What happened? samt. Nothing—T don’t know why—I suddenly had goose flesh. [Peue] DEVADATTA [withdrawing hir hand]. Do you know where I've kept Act Two uv the copy of Dfarma Sindtu? I've been looking for it. papsant. J think [ saw it on the shelf, Must be there. . . | eva- ddatia goes to Dall £, moves it aside and picks up the bt. Doll shes}. . nots. 1 Why? What happened: pout 1 Hetouched me, and « + brought yee ikea abouts an they ace = ikl Tike a young git!’ 1. 11 Lknow. I've noticed something t00. port 1 What? . pont at His siomach, Tt was s0 fight and tits ular. Now + wort 1 Thnx, 10s loose batt th, Do yon think iv HLywell up too? [They tach} , vont t Phlding ite hawks fone fk oe rent nation Deliy}. WOH sien Tt eo 1 Psi shad te fates infu

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