Answer to Question #316896 in English for Garg

Question

Discuss the theme of love and power in the Mrichchakatika

Answer 1

Love is the central theme of the play, which is apparent in three different manifestations. Firstly, the love between Charudatta and Vasantasena is what sets the tone of the story, and the ways they try to please each other is pure, unadulterated love. Despite Vasantasena being a courtesan, who generally have immensely bad repute, Charudatta falls in love with her, who is a brahmin himself. In fact, there’s a point in the play when Maitreya, his friend tries to make him understand the dangers of being with a courtesan who is wanted by the king’s close aide, but Charudatta’s yearning for his love only increased. Realizing this, Maitreya says, “you can never reason with a lover.”

econdly, the story of Sharvilaka and Madanika portrays love in a controversial manner. Justifying the act of stealing sounds creepy, and Sharvilaka also had the thought of killing those who were sleeping and hadn’t it been for Maitreya’s conversation with him, he would certainly have killed them. However, that aside, Sharvilaka makes an honest effort to end the bondage of the woman he dearly loves and marries her as soon as she got free. Contrastingly, despite a happy ending, Vasantasena could never be the wife of Charudatta.

The third manifestation of love can be seen in a third love story, which is unapologetically understated, and that’s the love and devotion of Charudatta’s wife towards her husband. She is ready to give away her prized possessions, and even accept Vasantasena as her husband’s mistress, only to make Charudatta happy. While this seems to be quite an injustice in modern times, the age in which the play is set, having a mistress was quite common, and the wife always had a higher status.