Pandavani (about the Pandavas) is a narrative ballad form of Chattisgarh, sung primarily by the Pardhan and Devar castes, which is based on the stories from the Mahabharata. Since the epic was read by and was accessible only to upper castes, a body of folk poetry developed around it that became popular in villages and among lower castes in forms that are a little different from one another – Kapalik literally, from the forehead, and Vedamati, based onthe Vedas. The former uses the outline of the Mahabharata but has Bhim as its hero. It is highly improvisatory, freely bringing in local legends and myths stored in the head, which exist in the collective popular consciousness. The latter bases itself strictly on the epic.
The Bhagavad-Gita is significant as a scriptural form in that it contains the idea of revelation occurring through incarnation. God (Visnu) incarnates himself in the human form of Krishna, a prince and chariot driver, to teach people divine truth. (Symbolized by Arjuna, the warrior whose chariot Krishna drives) The story of The Bhagavad-Gita is start with Krishna joins Arjuna on the eve of battle between two related dynasties, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Arjuna sees his own relatives on both opposing sides and is full of anxiety. Disguised as his charioteer, Krishna explains how one should follow one’s calling in life and for Arjuna this is as a warrior.
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important philosophical and religious classics in the world. It systematically synthesizes both rational analysis and religious inspiration in answering the fundamental questions of existence. The major ideas woven together in the Gita has their roots in ancient Indian texts like the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Samkhya and Yoga systems. A number of chapters in the Gita are soaked in the concept of the three gunas of the Samkhya Philosophy. These three gunas are ‘satwa’, ‘rajas’ and ‘tamas’.
This has been made clear by Christopher Byrski in his Concept of Ancient Indian Theatre that, “The fact that Yajna is an organized movement makes out of it an archetypal action, the actors of which are the gods. The first action, which signifies the emergence of order from chaos and of dynamic activity out of the womb of stillness or rest dressed up in the intricacies of an elaborate ritual and endlessly repeated by both gods and men became not only a model sacrifice but became also a pattern for everything that
Often, rituals originate in ancient, revered texts or practices of a religion, acquiring legitimacy through their alleged age. For example, the Upanayana ceremony originates in the ancient Vedas; therefore, the ritual relies on traditionalism for its authority. Multiple Vedic texts outline the significance of the ceremony, although descriptions of how to perform the ceremony differ among these references. Regardless, Hindus view the ceremony as possessing divine origins as a result of its presence in the Vedas. Furthermore, the language of the ceremony uses traditionalism.
Also, the Hindus worship Rama as Lord whereas the Jains believe him to be an evolved Jain man who is in his last birth hence, does not commit a sin by killing Ravana. The culture of the society also has an impact on the number of Ramayana stories that exist. A common example of this can be observed by the impact of the Southeast Asian culture on the Ramayana. "Ramakirti" the Thai version of Ramayana mainly focuses on the excitement and the details about war, the techniques used and the fabulous weapons rather than the separations of family and union of lovers which is of major importance to the Indians. Also, the way Sita 's birth has been described in South Indian folklore also portrays a very different and unknown part of the epic
This myth represents moral and religious elements as one can notice the hero’s of the story Rama, Sita, Lakshman, Bharata, Hanuman, and Ravana are all faithful and conscious of the Indian and Nepal culture. This story also covers the regional country around India, such as Thailand and Indonesia. This concept covers all myths and cultural stories around the world because they don’t address a nation but a whole regent. We can find this in the Arabic myths and folks story. This explains the shared values and human concerns
This also happens to be one of the most priceless documents written during the time of ancient India. It contains ten “Mandalas” or chapters, one thousand twenty eight “Suktas” which are sacred Sanskrit hymns along with ten thousand six hundred verses in totality. These Suktas are basically acknowledgements addressed to several Hindu gods which personify the powers of nature. There are a number of Hindu gods mentioned in the Rig Veda, most importantly among them being Indra and Varuna. There are several verses which are recited in the form of Hindu prayers at many religious Hindu functions and a number of other occasions, thus making the Rig Veda one of the oldest religious written pieces of the world in use.
Karnad’s Hayavadana explores the fashionable dilemma of identity crisis from a modern outlook based on Indian mythical folklore. In the play, Karnad uses dolls as a significant conventional motif of folk theatre to create a bizarre mythical world. Through the presence of dolls, Karnad presents Hayavadana with elements of Brechtian epic theatre such as alienating effect and problematizing empathy. By engaging the audience with a fictional world that is distanced from a reality, Karnad draws links to the contradictions about female sexuality in an oppressive Indian patriarchal society, specifically about the social issues regarding women’s existence within complicated marital relationships. In this essay, I argue that dolls in Hayavadana function
I also draw from modern Indian theatre- references to plays of Sriranga, Badal Sarkar and Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana enrich the discussion. Making them comment upon the plays enacted by different drama clubs of the institute too make them relate to the medium better. These references to multiple mediums/ forums help the students to link and form comprehensive shapes in their repository of 'learnt '