Relevance of The Minister’s Vow in the Contemporary Context

 Relevance of The Minister’s Vow in the Contemporary Context

Dr Swati Joshi

Gujarat 

 1 King Udayana is represented like a mythical hero having perfection of bravery, skills and elephant management and skills in playing lute which he taught to Vasavdatta also. Here the teacher student relationships is not like Arjuna and uttra where Arjuna did not marry Uttra telling her that she is his student and thus like a daughter while Udayana carries Vasavdatta with him and marries.

There is a mythical concept regarding the teacher and student relationship where teacher is respectful for his student. But even in contemporary context one can see the emotional attachment that converts into marriage. The example is of Udayana and Vasavadatta. Here the question arises that is Udayana a real teacher because he was also in a role of a king. But it does not mean that every teacher student relation is converted into marriage or emotional attachments. Another example is of Arjun who refuses to get married with Uttra and considered her as his daughter. Even in contemporary context we have still two situations which are represented by Arjuna and Udayana regarding the relationship of teacher and student.

 2 The story has very similar tricks employed by Greeks during the war of troy. They made an artificial horse having soldier on it so is the views of the king of Ujjain who got made a huge blue elephant having 100 soldiers in it and king Udayana left his army to hunt this wonderful elephant.

“The imagery of mythology and poetic fancies regarding animals is invoked and we are in the domain of lyric poetry. Such descriptive scenes are rare or short in Bhasa but a regular and much appreciated feature.”16

 The plot of the story is completely based on the trick of blue elephant which is turning and crucial point of the play. The attachment and love, lust, wish, passion, demand for blue elephant in contemporary context symbolizes “Maya” for humans. This mythical concept of Maya is related to the great epic the Mahabharata and the Ramayana where the war between Kauravas and Pandavasa was for this Maya only and even the Vanvas of Ram and Sita and the kidnapping of Sita by Ravan was also for the Maya. Here Maya symbolizes ‘a wish to gain something at any cost’. The Maya be in the form of love, hate, materialistic things, revenge, position and power, female and male body. The wish to find something leads human to the extremist condition where human loses his sanity and humanity and take the wrong path in shape of doing conspiracy, killing, rape, acid attack, etc. Every genre has its rules, regulations, ethics, and system, moral and different layers of level. Politics is also one genre or institute of society where to get the triumph at any coast by using conspiracy is highly relevant in the contemporary context. This relevance is not only related with politics for power and position but also even every individual is suffering at some extent with this ‘Maya Jal’ which is scientifically related to our mental health and its spontaneous reaction.

“One may seem to be the only reality and everything else Maya, a purposeless and inexplicable illusion.”17

 Second relevance with the contemporary context is Udayana who leaves everybody behind him without giving notification and left for his passion or skilled to deal with the blue elephant and then the political benefits come out.

“Human nature and political man oeuvres are shown realistically and human traits only amusingly pointed up through the interpretation of animal characters.”18

 To run behind the passion and avoidance of all the duties of yours towards family, relationships, and society are shown highly relevance with the contemporary context. Maya is a mysterious power for humans to understand. King Udayana was also kidnapped under the Maya of Elephant. Maya is an illusion that was not understood by Udayana and even not by the contemporary humans.

“The human being dwells in the realm of maya. Maya does not allow knowing God. This maya has made the human an ignorant.”19

 3 A dedicated man should complete his duties with efficiency. Though the success and failure depends on fate but the duties carried out with devotion may increase the change of success. In many of ancient myths we find the lesson of devoted duties going for ahead.

“A difficult task should be entrusted to devoted agents, or to a connoisseur of qualities held in esteem. Whose so ever be the plan by which efficiency is purchased, success or failure depends on the dictates of fate.20

 4 Yougandharayana as a precaution tries to forewarn his king to be aware of rues played by the king of Ujjain. Here again a myth of tricks comes where a person incapable of face to face war tries to win over his enemy by employing tricks. Yougandharayana having sense of such tricks sends Salaka to his king and tells him that Mahasena the king of Ujjain is very fearful and also a failure because his huge army lacks in unity of action. He compares his army with a wife without devotion. In Indian culture there are so many myths telling about in efficiency of wifely duties that can lead to destruction of the whole family. Here Yougandharayana is projecting as incapable king who will employ tricks to capture Udayana the king of Vasta.

“A huge force he clearly has, but lacking in unity of action, a number of brave warriors there in, but no devotion. So in the hour of battle he prefers to resort to a trick. For every army without devotion is no better than a wife that lacks the same.”21

 5 Yougandharayana fails in taking precautions like many mythical characters and thus endangers his king’s life. In modern context many a time people fail and carrying out their duties and thus risk their life, families, societies and nations. At this point of time Yougandharayana gets the news of Udayana’s imprisonment. He curses himself his planning and the destiny.

 During this dialogue with Hamsaka he tells that a man can be tricked even when he is awake with his eyes wide open but because the bad fate is lacking over. In the forest Udayana meets a person who informs him about the elephant called “Blue Lotus” which was actually a man made tool like a horse in Greek Mythology. The king gets attracted towards that extra ordinary elephant and goes to hunted. Mythical stories say that an extra ordinary attraction towards unknown and unfound like Sita’s attraction towards the golden deer can lead to a critical situation. Even in contemporary world such attraction proves to be fatal.

 Udayana does not pay attention to the wise council of his ministers and leaves for the forest with twenty soldiers. Mythically when advices are given one should think over it and thus Udayana risks his life and becomes a prisoner of Ujjain. Another example can be seen through the mythical character of Sita who also received advice not to cross the boundaries by Lakshman but Sita did not pay attention to words and leads to the prison so does Udayana. Even in the contemporary society we are not ready to listen to the advice or suggestion because we do not have passions to listen.

 Hamsaka relates the story of kings’ capture and he tells about Pradyota’s minister Salankayana who shows sympathy towards imprisoned king. Mythically there are many stories tell us that even a defeated king should be treated with kingly honor and respect. Yougandharayana considers an excellent person and praises Salankayana and says,

“Well done, Salankayana! Distress can change even an enemy into a friend.”22

 Even in contemporary world we teach and learn to treat others with honor and respect. This view point can be seen through the contemporary context as we do at the national or international level, we do not want to give respect to caste, religion, culture, traditions. It may be possible that we may have different opinions but honor and respect can change our perspective.

Yougandharayana considers the preparation of his precautions useless because his king was already imprisoned. Now he has the duty to inform the Queen mother about the incident and he gives the duty to tell the Queen mother to Portress Vijaya and tells her to be sympathetic and guard against a mother’s heart. He suggests her to start discourse on the evils of God, dangers of God and other events related to war like suspicious doubt and death and at last the fact about the king.

“First discourse on the evils of war, suggesting dangers. When the meaning is doubtful, death suspected and grief at its height then report the actual facts.”23

Udayana sends Hamsaka to se Yougandharayana can give two meanings.

1 He was confident in his minister and was sure that he will be able to take him back home.

2 He was not happy with his half preparation and information and wanted to remind him his failure.

 In contemporary context people are in dilemma that who is right and who is wrong and we are not ready to take the accountability that it has been done by me. We tried to blame other’s activity and create disparity in the society. This dilemma mythical concept can be seen in the Mahabharata where Arjun was in dilemma what to do and what not to do.

 Even Queen mother shows confidence in Yougandharayana to restore Udayana to her in the kingdom and like brave character Yougandharayana goes to restore to the king to kingdom. He compares enemy to Rahu who has taken the moon but the moon will be shown again so will his king.

 Portress represents as strong feminine character guard of the palace in Hindu Mythology. Even in Lanka the kingdom of Ravan also has been protected by female soldiers.

 It can be said that the act II of the play shows faith in the Institution of marriage. The king of Ujjain waits for suitable match for his daughter. So many princes from various countries are coming but the king was not sure about anything. He wants to see the king of Vatsa Udayana bold and defeated before him. Mahasena is not able to make up his mind to whom to offer his daughter’s hand. Mahasena was confused about his feelings for udayana. He was neither happy nor sad for his sorry plight. But at the end of the play Mahasena declared the celebration for the marriage of his daughter Vasavdatta and king Udayana- a marriage by the rules and regulation of the warrior caste. Mahasena somewhere in unconscious mind find the qualities to become son-in law and the husband of Vasavadatta in Udayana but because of his politically mind and because of his kingship the revenge feeling was heavy on him rather than the qualities of Udayana. This is highly relevant with the contemporary context where a father finds all the qualities in a boy to be suitable for his daughter but the caste, religion, status, tradition, cultures are creating boundaries for a father to take the decision.

 There is a Myth of the magical power of music that can even tame the heart of elephants or everyone. Udayana was having power to control the elephant by his music. Even in contemporary society also Music gives peace of mind, enjoyment, arouse the feeling of tragedy when one is sad, and enhance the happy moments. Music has healing and controlling power that even leads towards spirituality and also keeps connecting with the real world also.

 Planning is again a mythical concept is all about planning to restore Udayana to Kosambi and in this act they come to know about the first sight love of Udayana for Vasavadatta and Yougandharayana decided to take Vasavdatta as Shubhdra was taken by Arjun. Many a time we see people revamp their planning for their love. Even in contemporary context the aspect of planning can be seen from negative and positive perspective. Planning to build something is in the category of positive but planning for destroying something is in the negative aspect.

 In the last act Mahasena accepts the marriage between Udayana and Vasavadatta and thus they celebrated marriage having a painted picture of Vasavadatta and Udayana. The reason behind the celebration was that Mahasena the king wanted to surrender to Mahasena as a father for the happiness of his daughter and finding the suitable match for his daughter.

“Marriage, birth or death- where how and when it must be; there thus and then only it happens, surely and not otherwise.”24

 The Minister’s Vow is the strong example of established convention and political pragmatism that has been challenge by the strong urges of individual in form of instinctive obsession and precipitate nature. These characteristic symbolizes mythical concept and even contemporary context it is highly relevant with every individual and society.

Dr Swati Joshi

Gujarat