ACT TWO

The play resumes with the Bhagavata wondering what might be the solution for
the problem. He then recounts the tale of King Vikrama who answered a similar
question posed by the demon Vetala by giving a solution very quickly. He wonders
if the audience would be satisfied with the King's rational and logical answer that
was backed by the Sacred Texts. The Bhagavata sings that it was not advisable to
follow the tongue but that one should believe the forehead that Brahma writes
on, the palm that's disclaimed by the brain and the depths of rivers running under
the veins.

He tells that Devadatta, Kapila and Padmini go to a great rishi seeking the solution
to their problem. The Rishi gives a verdict that as the head was the most
important part of the body, the with 'Devadatta's' head was indeed 'Devadatta'
and so Padmini was his wife.

Padmini and Devadatta are happy with the verdict while Kapila is heartbroken.
Padmini and Devadatta swoon over each other and exclaim that this is all they
wanted. When they are about to leave Padmini runs to Kapila and asks him not to
be sad. She tells him that they shall meet again. She tells him to cheer up saying
that even if she's going with Devadatta, it was still his body that she would be
going with.

After the couple leaves, the Bhagavata asks Kapila to not grieve because it was
fate and so no one could help it. Kapila expresses his shock in asking Bhagavata
why he was called Kapila.

Bhagavata tells that the two roads part and Kapila disappears into the forest while
the couple plunge into the happiness of their married life.

When Padmini is occupied in stitching clothes Devadatta comes with two dolls in
his hands. Padmini asks whose dolls those were, to which Devadatta replies that
they were of course for their child that was on the way. He tells her that they are
special dolls and that he got them from the Ujjain fair. Padmini appreciates the
beauty of the dolls and asks him to tell her everything about the fair. She even
chides him for not taking her to the fair. Devadatta asks her how could he have
taken her when she was with child, He then recounts something that happened
there that he found peculiarly funny: A wrestler from Kamapura was challenging
people to a match and Devadatta jumped in, before he could even realize what he
was doing, he fought him and pinned him to the ground within minutes. Hearing
this Padmini gets afraid that if he continued doing things that are so unlike
'Devadatta', people would come to know of the truth. He reassures her that no
one suspected a thing.

When Devadatta tells her that more than brains, body was required for tasks such
as wrestling, swimming and such, Padmini replies that with a fabulous brain and a
fabulous body, he has indeed become a fabulous Devadatta. The conversation
about them going on a picnic and him taking a swim moves on to them arguing
about their child. Devadatta naturally assumes that it's a boy, but Padmini
questions him saying what if it was a girl. Devadatta tells her that, nonetheless he
will teach the child and her to swim. Padmini asks Devadatta why he wears that
sandal oil on his body. While Devadatta replies that he wears it because he likes it,
she tells him that she likes that strong, male scent that his body had before.
Devadatta tells her that he was wearing this oil from childhood. Padmini says that
she quite liked the manly scent of the body when they came back from the Kali
temple. Devadatta incredulously asks if what she was meaning to say was that she
liked the scent of Kapila's sweaty and smelly body? Padmini shrugs off the
question saying that it was but a thought.

Now the dolls that Devadatta brought with him start speaking to each other. Their
chatter is not understood by the persons in the play. They both speak of how they
have landed up in not so bad house, even if they would've preferred it if they had
ended up in a palace with a prince to play with. They gush about the way that the
children and their mothers at the fair looked at them with watery eyes. This all
makes them think that only a prince deserves them. And it was only fitting that
they be dressed in silk, seated in a cushioned shelf and given new clothes every
week. They lash at the doll maker who sold them. They think that if their maker
had any sense or brains, he would not have given them away to Devadatta who
has rough hands, palms of wood and a vice-like grip. They say that he did not
deserve them one bit.
Devadatta comes running, plays with the dolls in joy and exclaims that their
prince had arrived while the dolls curse at him for tossing them and kissing them.
Devadatta then rushes to Bhagavata and gives him sweets and invites him to the
feast at their house the next day. When Bhagavata asks him what the feast was
for, he tells him that his son was born!

After the baby is asleep, the dolls complain to each other about how the child-
that one of them calls "little Satan"- does not stop bawling and makes a mess
every so often. They are disappointed at themselves and think that they should
have known what was coming. They tell each other how ugly Padmini looked
when she was with this little Satan. They think that they should have seen that as
a sign of the coming of that little monster.

Devadatta and Padmini enter playing with child. When they exit the stage, the
dolls again start speaking to each other. They again complain to each other.
Complain about how they've been left there for six months to be feasted by
mouses and cockroaches. They wonder how pathetic their state would be in a
year's time.

Padmini asks Devadatta to take their child to the lake at least now as he was
older. Devadatta does not agree as he thinks that it was nothing but an
unnecessary trouble. To this Padmini gets annoyed and asks what had come over
him recently. He who used to jump in to wrestle with famous wrestlers was now
sitting at home for days and would never go out. Devadatta replies that doing all
those sporty things was all fun in the beginning but now he has a family tradition
to maintain. As he was a Brahmin it was only right for him to engage in daily
reading, studies and writing. Padmini still expresses her disbelief and to reassure
her, he wraps his arm around her. She shudders on and asks why, she tells him
that it was just a case of the goosebumps and nothing else. Devadatta withdraws
his arms and asks her if she had seen the copy of Dharma Sindhu. She tells him
that she might have seen it on the shelf. Devadatta goes to the shelf and moves
the Doll 1 aside and picks up the book. Doll I shudders and says to the other doll
that Devadatta touched it and he is surprised how soft Devadatta's once rough
hands are now. Hands that were like of a laborer have now become like that of a
young girl's. Doll 2 too speaks of how it has noted that his tight and muscular
stomach has given way for a soft and loose one. They both laugh about how his
stomach would continue to swell till it burst with a one day. bang

Padmini sings the child a lullaby about a rider from a land with a turban having a
long pearly tail, a garland of virgin- white around his neck, a sword with a
diamond studded hilt in his hand, clad in white atop a white charger. Where did
he come from? Why were the jasmines on his chest so red? What was that shine
in his eyes? Why was his body so cold? She sings of how the white horse gallops
across hills, fields and streams and gallops to nowhere. Devadatta comes halfway
through the lullaby and sits next to Padmini. As the lullaby ends, they fall asleep.
faraway

The dolls now look into Padmini's dream and speak to each other about it. They
speak of how she was dreaming about a man that she has often dreamt about
before. They see that it was not her husband but someone else. Even if they can't
see his face they say that they see someone who looks rough like a laborer, but
has a soft and nice body. (From the description of the dolls, it is clear that she was
dreaming about Kapila) The dream fades.

Padmini and Devadatta sit up. Devadatta asks if she was alright as she was
moaning in sleep last night. To which she replies that she was good. She even gets
up energetically to show him what she means. Padmini grabs Devadatta's
shoulders and notes that he was sad. She asks him what happened. He tells her
that he had gone to the gym the previous day and that he had made a fool of
himself there. She laughs and Devadatta asks her not to.

Padmini goes out and wonders to herself about how Devadatta was growing
insecure about becoming soft, about losing his strong body. She thinks of how he
need not be insecure as Kapila was a chapter of her life that she would not revisit.
Despite deciding that she would not revisit that chapter of her life, she starts
wondering about how Kapila might be, how he might look and could it be that he
still has a fair body and a dark face. She notes how Devadatta changes, Kapila
changes but she remains the same.

The dolls start speaking to each other again. They note how the rough man
(Kapila) was in her dreams again. They note how she was dreaming of the man in
the middle of the day! In the dream, the man goes near her, climbs a tree and
dives in a river. The dream then fades and the dolls get angry about this.

Padmini viciously shouts against 'change'. Devadatta enters. He has now

completely changed to his earlier, original self. He tells her that a pundit was
coming to visit him and asks her to keep some lime-juice and sweets ready.
Padmini tells him of the news that she received from the maid this day: that
Kapila's bed-ridden mother died in the morning. Devadatta snaps at her and asks
her what did she expect him to do about it. He asks her to keep the juice ready.

The dolls speak to each other yet again. They too have heard the news and say
that it was fate's play. Then they speak of Padmini's dream from the previous
night. They fight about their account of last night: what they saw in the dream.
They fight and come at each other till their clothes are torn.

Padmini notices the state the dolls are in and thinks that the child has ripped
them to rags. She beckons Devadatta and tells him that they should get new toys
for the child as the dolls were in tatters. She asks him to get new dolls from the
Ujjain fair that is to be held in four days. She regards it unlucky to keep torn dolls
at home.

The dolls are offended by this. They lash at her and curse that bad things happen
to her. When Devadatta picks them up they shout at him too for throwing them
away but keeping the child-that they bitterly call the 'good for nothing ball of
flesh'-there. They ask him to better watch out for himself and to cover his wife
rather than think about their torn clothes.

Devadatta tells Padmini that as it takes more than a week to go to Ujjain and
come back, he asks her if he should ask one of the neighbors to get them. She
does not assent and tells him that as they can't be sure about the kind of dolls
that they would get, they themselves should get the dolls. When he asks her if he
should arrange a servant to sleep in the house while he was away, she curtly
replies that there was no need of that as they're not living in a forest. All this
while, the dolls shout at him to watch out and refuse whatever she was saying.
They shout curses as Devadatta takes them away.

Padmini speaks to the child in her arms, of the beauty of the forest. She describes
it and decides to go and see it. She tells the child that before they leave from
there, it was a must that they go to the tree of the Fortunate Lady and as it was
an old and close friend of theirs, say 'hello' to it. She goes out with the child.

Kapila who was now transformed to his original self-with a tough and muscular
body-, tells the Bhagavata that he was Kapila and that he lives right there in the
jungle. On being asked if he had had any news from the city, he replies that long
time ago his father had sent word asking him to return but he had refused to.
Bhagavata tells him that both his father and mother have died. Kapila grows sad.
Bhagavata also tells him that Padmini has had a son and asks him why he was so
angry at the news. Kapila denies the observation and goes about his work of
cutting a tree.

Padmini enters with the child in her arms. She sees Kapila and stands transfixed.
Kapila looks at her and he too is dumbstruck. Kapila wonders if it was really her
that has come there and he asks her. She tells him that it was indeed her and that
she had come there as her child had never seen the forest. She tells him that she
lost her way in the woods. When he tells her that it was very dangerous to get
lost in the forest, she replies that she asked many and that when she couldn't ask
any she asked herself and that everyone including her made sure that she
continued on the wrong path.

When Kapila points at the child and asks her if it was her son, she tells him that he
was his son too as it was his body that had seeded the child in her. Kapila
disagrees and says that it could not be his as he was Kapila and not Devadatta. He
tells her that despite being disappointed at first, he has now accepted that he was
Kapila and not Devadatta. She softly asks him how 'Kapila' was.
The Bhagavata then sings of how Kapila was living the life of an astrologer's bird,
seeing Padmini with a child at her breast, the red rust on her lips and a husband
on her thighs.

Kapila asks Padmini if he could look at the child. Padmini tells him that was why
she had brought him there. On being asked by Kapila to rest, she goes into the
house, rests the baby and comes out.

When Kapila notes to Padmini that the child looks exactly like her, she replies that
he looks like him too, that he has the same mole on the shoulder. He asks her
what mole she was speaking about. When she points at it, Kapila tells her that he
had never noticed it. Padmini takes his hand in hers and asks him if it was because
he despised his body so much. She questions him why he had tortured the body
so much.

Kapila tells her that when the body came to him, it was good for nothing because
after all it was the soft body of a brahmin. He tells her that he could not even lift
an axe with it. He tells her that the very moment it came to him, a war started
between him and the body. When Padmini asks him, he says that he won the war
over the body. Padmini tells him that the head always wins. Kapila tells her that as
his head won, he could do myriad challenging physical tasks without his body
giving up on him. He tells her that now, he was truly Kapila, with the body and the
head.

Padmini sings the same song that they sang in goddess Kali's temple. Back then
the tone was joyous, now it's sad. Kapila asks her why she has come away from
Devadatta. And she asks him what answer does he expect from her. They both
freeze. The Bhagavata says that she should say to Kapila that she would have
forgotten him completely if Devadatta's transformation had happened overnight.
That the slow transition of Kapila's body into Devadatta's had reminded her of
him. That if that rishi that day had given her to him, she would not have gone
back to Devadatta. Bhagavata notes that she does not say anything but remains
silent.
Kapila asks her why she had to come back to him just when he had won over his
body. Why did she have to come back just when he had repressed all the
memories of them. He tells her that he was Kapila now. Kapila's head and Kapila'
body. He asks her to go back to Devadatta, the father of her child and her
husband. Padmini says to him that she would go. Kapila moans as the memories
of his leaving haunt him. Padmini asks him if she can leave after her child wakes
up. Then she starts moaning about how Devadatta and Kapila have both won but
left her neither a winner nor a loser. She says that she deserves to suffer the
consequences of her mix-up. She apologizes to him for coming there and asks if
she can look at him at least till the child wakes up.

Kapila yet again gets mad at her for coming there. He says that her departure will
have no effect as the damage was already done. All the memories that he had
buried, memories of his incompleteness would resurface. He tells her that
although one could beat the body into shape, one could not do the same with
memories. He says that these memories of the body are much more painful as
their presence was lingering but their meaning difficult to understand as it was
attached to a different head when the memories were made.

He softly asks her why she came. Why she had to touch his body and bring back
all the memories that were stored in the body. Padmini tells him that he will
continue to be incomplete until and unless his head too does things that his body
did.

When Kapila looks at her, she caresses his face and rests her head on his chest.
She moans to him about how he had tortured himself. He lifts her and takes her
into his house. Bhagavata sings that one can never engrave on water or wound it
with a knife and hence a river has neither memories nor fears. The female chorus
sings all that river feels were the pulls of the waterfall. They sing that the river
giggles, tickles the rushes on her banks, turns a top of dry leaves, weaves itself
through the green of forests, frightens the frog and flows on as if in a rush.
Bhagavata sings of the scarecrow on the river's bank whose face is fading and
who has a body torn with memories.
Devadatta enters holding a sword in one hand and two cloth dolls in the other. He
asks the Bhagavata about where Kapila lived. After some hesitation he tells him
the whereabouts of Kapila. When Devadatta asks the Bhagavata about how long
Padmini had been there, he replies that she had been there for four or five days.
Devadatta sarcastically says that it was just amazing how Padmini was able to trod
the dangerous path with a child in her arms.

Devadatta reaches the doorstep of Kapila's hut. The fuming Devadatta who is
hungry for blood stops still once at Kapila's door. Kapila comes out and tells
Devadatta that he was eagerly waiting for him since the previous day. Padmini
comes out and stands watching. Kapila and Devadatta note that the other person
looks very much like their original self. Kapila points at Devadatta's sword and
asks what it was. Devadatta extends his hand that held the dolls and tells that
those dolls were for the child and that when he came home from the fair, he
found no one and so he had come there. Padmini takes the dolls and goes back to
the place where she was previously standing. Kapila asks Devadatta to rest for a
while as there would be enough time for them to talk later. Devadatta refuses in
anger. Kapila asks him why was he angry. He replies that he was not angry
anymore. Devadatta questions Kapila if he despised his body too. Kapila says that
the body was not made for his kind of life. He tells him that the body did give him
new feelings, new words and new awareness. That he even started writing
poems, albeit bad ones. They both laugh. Devadatta tells him how he wanted
power from the body and not the wildness that it gave him. They both agree that
they lived in fear of their bodies. Devadatta asks Kapila if he loved Padmini.

Kapila replies with a yes and Devadatta says that he too loved her. Kapila asks him
if it was not possible for all three of them to live together. In reply, Devadatta asks
him what he thought. Both agree that it was not possible and Devadatta tells him
that he brought the sword for that precise reason. Kapila goes in.

Bhagavata sings of how after dining with Indra in the heavens, he returned to the
earth and from afar saw that a crack had appeared on earth's face and that the
crack looked exactly like Indra's smile.
Kapila comes out with the sword. Both speak of how good they are at wielding
the sword but decide that it does not matter as the only solution for the problem
was for both of them to die. They wonder that in fighting each other and cutting
off each other's head, will they be committing murder or suicide. They both
decide that now there's no question of friendship and mercy and that they both
should fight to their deaths. They fight.

Bhagavata sings of how their fight was like a cock fight and that they would
continue till they quench the earth's thirst for blood and blood alone. He says that
the rishi who spoke of how knowledge gives rise to forgiveness had no idea of
death. Kapila and Devadatta fight each other and die.

Padmini sits between the bodies and laments that they both had their ups and
downs together and died. She says that she could have avoided this fate by
agreeing to live with both of them. But she didn't as she knew that they both
would not be able to share her as well as their bodies. To be reminded of their
sense of incompleteness would annoy and hurt them. She says that she drove
them to death because it was better than for them to live and come at each other
every day and rip each other to pieces. She notes how they forgave each other,
but left her out like always. Bhagavata asks her what had happened and if they
could help her. She asks him to take her child under his care and give him to the
hunters in the forest telling them that it was Kapila's son. And when he's five, to
take him to Devadatta's father, the revered Brahmin Vidyasagara of Dharmapura
telling him that he was Devadatta's son. She asks him to give the dolls to her son.
She also asks him to prepare a funeral fire as she intends to commit sati.

She snaps at Kali and says that while other wives pray to get their husbands as
their partners in their next lives, she does not even have that to take solace in.
She does Namaskara and as the flame consumes her the female chorus sing. They
sing that their sister was leaving in a beautiful ruby studded sandalwood
palanquin. That she was decked in beautiful flowers made of molten gold. That
the garlands cover her with love. They sing that the lady's procession goes up the
streets of laburnums, surrounded by other beautiful flowers. They bid their sister
goodbye and tell her that on offering three coconuts, the lord of death would be
pleased.

Bhagavata then tells the audience that by committing sati Padmini joined the long
line of Pativratas in India. He praises her saying that no Pativrata matches up to
her. He tells the audience that no one knows where exactly she committed sati.
The hunters on being asked the question would point at the tree of the Fortunate
lady from where a song arises and fills the forest on new moon nights.

The female chorus sings about why should love stick to the sap of a single body
and why the many petalled and many flowered Lantana's stem should be tied
down to a relation with a single flower. Just like the flowers, why should she not
have a head for each breast, a pupil for each eye and a side for each arm. Why
should she have any regret or shame for wanting that. Her blood pours into the
earth and gives rise to a song.

When Bhagavata does a namaskara to the audience and the play is seemingly at
its end, a scream is heard. He sees the Nata (Actor II) rushing out. Bhagavata
wonders why he was running and also about the playing of the national anthem in
the theatre. Hearing Bhagavata speak about the national anthem, he stops in his
tracks. Actor II asks him how he knew about the national anthem. The Bhagavata
questions him if he had never seen a play and an audience and that it was quite
common for it to played in the setting. Actor II is relived. Bhagavata asks him what
had happened. Actor II shows him his trembling hands and tells him that he
almost died from fear. He tells him that he was coming down the road when he
heard someone's loud singing. Someone was singing Jhanda Ooncha rahe
Hamara, Sare Jahan se Acchha Hindostan Hamara, Rise, Rise my Kannada Land,
Vande Matram and other such patriotic songs in succession. He tells him that he
was quite surprised and wondered about who it was singing these patriotic songs
at night. He found it was coming from a big house. He crawled in through a hole in
the fence and he saw a horse! A speaking horse. A horse that turned to him and
said that it would now sing the national anthem and that all should rise to
attention! Bhagavata asks the Actor II if he was sure about what he saw and heard
when the commotion happend.The Actor I enters with a five year old child. The
child has a stern expression and actor I was trying to make him smile. In doing
this, Actor I does not even notice the Bhagavata. Bhagavata beckons him and
pointing to Actor II tells him how that man saw a talking horse- headed man and
that the news makes him wonder if it was in fact Hayavadana. Bhagavata asks him
where Hayavadana was now. To which Actor I replies that Hayavadana chased
him away the moment they reached the Kali temple. The Bhagavata then turns to
the child and asks the child for his name and the whereabouts of his parents.
Actor I tells Bhagavata that the child was a typical child of that age and that he
does not talk, laugh, cry and even smile. That he has a long face always and there
just might be something wrong with him. He says that he found him in a tribal
village of hunters. A tribal woman brought him and told that he be taken to the
city where he was from. When Bhagavata touches the dolls, the child gets angry
and moves away. Actor I asks the Bhagavata to dare not touch the dolls for the
child will get very violent. The Bhagavata looks at the child's shoulder and realizes
by the mole that he was in fact Padmini's son. Actor II tells the Bhagavata that it
was not a horse-headed man that he had seen but a proper horse and notes that
the horse was arriving. Hayavadana comes singing and stands in front of them.
They start speaking and seeing the horse laughing, the boy laughs too. Bhagavata
tells him that it was Padmini's son and tells him that he finally laughed because of
him. When Bhagavata asks him about what happened in his pursuit of
completeness. Hayavadhana starts narrating what had happened: He had gone to
the temple of Kali and picking up a sword lying around he put it on his neck and
asked Kali's help and exclaimed that on not receiving the help, he would cut his
head off. Kali appeared. She was angry and she wondered aloud why everyone
comes to her and cuts their head off. He asked her to make him complete and she
granted his wish. He forgot to specify to her to make her a complete 'man' but
she had disappeared before he could say it to her. So, he now was 'complete' but
as a horse.

He was quite happy how things turned out but had only one sorrow: that he still
had a human voice. And that obstructed him from being complete. He says that
was why he sang the patriotic songs as the voices of people who sang them were
always hoarse. like that of a horse. He says that it had not worked till now and
starts crying. The boy asks him not to cry. Hayavadana agrees that there was no
point in crying, but says that he will continue to sing the national anthem to get
rid of his human voice. He asks the boy to sing the national anthem with him. The
boy asks what was national anthem. Bhagavata intervenes to say that the boy
does no know it as he's brought up in a forest. Hayavadhana tells the child to sing
any song and that if he did, he would let him ride on his back. The boy rides the
horse as he sings the lullaby of the distan rider that his mom used to sing him
when he was a child.

Hayavadana asks the Bhagavata if the rider described in the lullaby was dead. The
Bhagavatha says yes. When Hayavadana wonders who might have taught the
child such a tragic song, the child replies that it was his mother. Then Bhagavatha
speaks of how there was nothing quite like a child's laughter in its purity.
Hayavadana notes that this sort of sentimentality was what was leading to the
deterioration of literature and the national life. That this sentimentality keeps one
from accepting reality and makes people find their solace in escapism.

Hayavadhana asks the child to sing again. The child asks him to laugh first. The
boy insists Hayavadhana to laugh again and again till he starts neighing.
Hayavadana is finally devoid of his human voice and so, he jumps around with the
child still on him, both full of glee.

Bhagavata exclaims that Hayavadana had become complete. He tells the actors to
inform the Revered Brahmin Vidyasagara that his grandson was returning home
on a big white horse. He asks them to throw the dolls away as there was no need
for them.

He speaks of the mercy that Lord Ganesha showers on his devotees. A mercy
beyond words. The Lord fulfills any and every desire: that of a grandfather to
unite with his grandson, that of a child to smile, that of a neigh to a horse. He
beckons Hayavadana and tells him that it is time for them to pray to Lord Ganesha
and thank him for the success of their play.

All the actors of the play, all the characters of the play join in the prayer to the
Lord, the imperfect master of perfection.
FIVE MARK QUESTIONS

1) What story does Hayavadana narrate to Bhagavatha about his being or

existence? Or What were the reasons given by Hayavadana for possessing the
body that he did?

Ans: When Bhagavata asks Hayavadana about his horse's head, he replies that he
was born with the head that he despised so much. He tells Bhagavatha that his
mother, the princess of Kamataka fell in love not with a man, but with a horse,
She fell in love with the white stallion of the prince of Araby, After all efforts to
convince her were in vain, the King married her off to the horse. His mother and
the horse, lived a happy married life for fifteen years and he was the fruit of their
marriage. Then one day she discovered the horse turned into a Gandharva. The
Gandharva told her that he was cursed by Kubera to a horse's life and now has
returned to his original form after a decade and a half of human love. The
Gandharva asked her to accompany him to paradise. She refused and told him
that she would come only if he returned to being a horse. The enraged Gandharva
cursed her to turn into a horse and returned to his heavenly abode. She too ran
off. Both abandoning Hayavadana.

2) Write a note on the agonizing moments of Devadatta, when he understands

Padmini's passion for Kapila.

Ans: Padmini had feelings for Kapila, becomes very clear to Devadatta when he
notices an otherwise chattering Padmini uncharacteristically and silently,
watching Kapila climb the Fortunate Lady's Flower tree. Devadatta chides and
scolds himself for not noticing all this while, the fire of passion that raged wildly in
Padmini for Kapila. When Kapila and Padmini leave for the Rudra temple,
Devadatta is agonized. Even if on the outside he appears to be fine, on the inside,
his sorrows know no bounds. He bids them goodbye and as he seeks God's
blessings on them, he also seeks the lord's help in dealing with the thought of
letting Padmini go, of bequeathing her to his friend. And as he wishes that they
live happily together, he desperately prays for God's help in dealing with the
agony of parting with Padmini, the love of his life.
3) How do Devadatta and Kapila end up severing their heads?

Ans: A heavy hearted Kapila, who is agonized from parting with Padmini, climbs
up to Kali's temple and prostrates before the goddess. He pleads for her
forgiveness for not fulfilling the promise that he had made; the promise that he
would sacrifice his head and arms if he received Padmini as his wife. Seeking
forgiveness for forgetting the promise, he picks up a sword lying nearby and
severs his head. He groans, writhes in pain and dies. Kapila, who climbs up to the
temple of Kali in search of his friend is petrified to see Devadatta's head severed
from his body. He cries out, takes his friend's head in his hand and asks it if his
disgust and contempt for him was so much that he killed himself. He asks it if he
did not realize that he was ready to sacrifice for him, everything that was his.
Kapila finds the thought of continuing to live while his friend had embraced death
to be very revolting. So he too picks up the sword, severs his head and dies.

4) The character of Padmini.

Ans: Padmini is a pivotal character in the play 'Hayavadana'. She is very attractive,
in that Devadatta falls head over heals for her and claims that with her as his
muse, he can outdo even the great Kalidasa himself. Padmini is very intelligent,
sharp and witty as is evident from her first interaction with Kapila. Padmini's
loyalty in her marriage to Devadatta quavers when she finds herself having
feelings for Kapila, even as she is married to and with the child of Devadatta.fter
the transposing of heads, even if she goes to live with Devadatta, she still harbors
feelings for Kapila. 1 She thinks and dreams of him very often. She even goes into
the dangerous forest to meet Kapila and speaks of him very fondly. When
Devadatta and Kapila decide to duel to their deaths, she chooses to be a mute
bystander even if she could have prevented the tragedy from happening, but she
doesn't. Heartbroken and angry at her unique predicament, she commits Sati
towards the end of the story.

5) The character of Kapila.

Ans: Kapila is the Brawn among the duo of Kapila-Devadatta. Son of the royal
armory's blacksmith, he is dark complexioned and uncommon in his features. He
excels at tasks that require physical strength. Before the transposing of heads,
Kapila is naïve and innocent and is very true to his friendship with Devadatta, his
only fluke being that he harbors-albeit not fully-passions for Padmini, his friend's
wife.

Kapila stays loyal in his friendship and severs his head. After, the transposing of
heads, he stubbornly claims Padmini to be his. He is heartbroken at the thought
of 'his' Padmini living a married life with Devadatta. When Padmini comes to him,
even if he time and again, denies it, he finds himself having feelings for Padmini.
When his plea for all three of them living together goes unheard by both
Devadatta and himself, he assents to fighting for their deaths as the only solution
t their problem.

6) Character of Devadatta.

Ans: Devadatta is the 'brains' among the duo of Kapila-Devadatta. Son of the
revered brahmin Vidyasagara, he is erudite and intelligent as he is also fair and
attractive. Before the transposing of heads, Devadatta first finds himself falling
head over heals for Padmini and wants her as his muse. After Padmini is married
to him, he chides himself for not noticing the passion that his wife and Kapila had
for each other. With a heavy heart, he lets go of Padmini, bequeaths her to Kapila
and wishes them well. He then delivers his long overdue promise to the gods by
severing his head from his body. After the transposing of heads, we get to see a
stubborn and arrogant Devadatta. His lethargy and supposed adherence to family
customs smoothens his strong and admired body he received from Kapila. When
Devadatta realizes that both Kapila and he too still love Padmini, he boldly faces
him, albeit to both of their deaths.

7) What purpose does the Female chorus serve in the play? Or Comment on the
role of the Chorus in the play Hayavadana'.

Ans: While the Bhagavata's songs foretell the tragic events that are to come, the
songs of the female chorus speak out loud and justify the thoughts and actions of
Padmini even before the said actions could occur. They sing for her and feel for
her. The female chorus first sings about why should love stick to a single body and
not have multiple relations like the many petalled, many flowered Lantana? They
ask what is wrong in she i.e Padmini wanting a head for each of her breasts, a
pupil for each of her eyes and a side for each of her arms. They hint at her
committing Sati too. The female chorus sings again when Padmini is at Kapila's
house. They sing that the river that has neither fears nor memories flows on as if
in a rush. When Padmini performs Sati and the flames engulf her, they sing of her
as their sister and say that she is travelling through fields of flowers in a bedecked
palanquin towards the lord of death. After her death, they again sing their very
first song and justify her thoughts and action.

8) What does the Bhagavata ask to happen before the performance after he sing's
Lord Ganesha's praise? or significance of Lord Ganesha in the play.

Ans: The Play begins with the custom of the Bhagavatha asking "God's blessing on
the show, as was the custom before starting the show. Bhagavatha sings praises
of and pays homage to Lord Ganesha; He also seeks the lord's blessings on their
play. In praising the lord, the Bhagavata wonders and marvels at how Ganesha
with his myriad physical imperfections is the god of success and perfection. He
says that this mystery, this completeness of the lord despite being imperfect was
possible only to gods and was beyond the understanding of humans. The prayer
foretells the tragedy of the humans of the play: How the characters seek to be
complete but do not, as they just return to being their old selves. It is solidified in
the play that only gods can be complete and the mere mortals that the humans
are, can never attain the completeness that they desire and strive for.

9) What is the purpose of Hayavadana in the play?

Ans: The story of the horse headed man Hayavadana serves as a symbol to the
story of Devdatta and Kapila. Born incomplete as a man with horse's head,
Hayavadana tries to get ridof his head and thereby wishes to be complete. In the
play, Hayavadana narrates the story of how he was born with the horse head and
pleads for Bhagavatha's help in making him a complete man. On Bhagavatha's
advice, he goes to the temple of goddess Kali and there he asks the goddess to
make him complete. As he does not specify to her to make him a complete man,
he ends up being a complete horse with a man's voice. He makes peace with the
fact that he is a horse now, but still is disappointed that he is not complete. His
desire to be complete is fulfilled when he gets rid of his human voice when he
laughs to the satisfaction of Padmini's child. The story of Hayavadana and his urge
to be complete parallels that of Devadatta and Kapila after their heads are
swapped. Initially they sense that they are not quite truly what they once were.
While Devadatta is happy to have received Kapila's Body, Kapila despises
Devadatta's weak body that he has received. After a while the incomplete
Devadatta and Kapila become their earlier selves. Kapila's body that Devadatta
receives softens and Devadatta's body that Kapila receives becomes strong and
muscular. Hayavadana's story serves as a symbol for the entirety of Devadatta
and Kapila's story, except for the end. While Hayavadana's is a story with a happy
ending, Devadatta and Kapila's story ends in tragedy.

10) Comment the encounter between on Bhagavatha.

Ans: When Bhagavatha starts the play by narrating the story of Devadatta and
Kapila, a loud commotion happens and Nata I comes running on stage, with a
frightened look on his face. Bhagavatha then calms him down and asks what the
matter was. The Nata says that when he was about to relieve himself on the side
of the road, a voice ordered him not to do such a disgusting thing. When it
ordered another time. he looked around, he was dumbstruck to find Hayavadana,
a man with a horse's head. He says that the sight terrified him. And when
Bhagavata sends him back to verify if he really experienced what he did, he comes
back, running frantically. He says that the dreaded creature was coming to where
they were.

TEN MARK QUESTIONS

1) Describe the journey of Devadatta, Kapila and Padmini to Ujjain.

Ans: On their trip to Ujjain, Padmini continues to gush about and praise Kapila.
Her fascination with the fortunate lady's flower tree makes Kapila climb the tree
and bring a load of those flowers to her. Padmini notes him climbing the tree and
finds him extremely irresistible. She finds herself having passions for him.
Devadatta too notes how Padmini and Kapila have feelings towards each other.
He is angry at himself for not noticing it all this time.

When Devadatta insists that Kapila and Padmini go to the Rudra temple and he
stay back to guard the cart, an argument takes place that ends with Padmini
concluding that Devadatta was throwing his tantrums and an unwilling Kapila
joining her in visiting the temple. A heart-broken Devadatta bequeaths his wife to
his friend and wishes them. happiness in their lives. He goes to the Kali temple
and delivers his overdue promise by severing his head. When Padmini and Kapila
return, they find Devadatta missing Despite Padmini's protests, Kapila goes to Kali
temple and finds his friend dead. He too pines and kills himself. An annoyed
Padmini too follows them and is stricken with grief to find them both dead. When
she is about to cut her breast in sacrifice, Kali appears. Padmini asks the goddess
to restore them both back to life. While executing the Devi's instructions, Padmini
commits a blunder by which Devadatta and Kapila's heads are transposed. They
come back to life and react quite happily to their situation. But it does not last
long as both fight over their claim in being the true Devadatta and their claim over
Padmini. A Rishi decrees Devadatta to be the rightful husband. Devadatta and
Padmini return home quite happily but Kapila goes into the forest, a heartbroken
soul.

2) How does the play analyze gender roles? In what ways do the characters
conform to gender stereotypes and in what way do they go against these
stereotypes?

Ans: Devadatta, before transposing of heads is shown to have feminine

characteristics, and as a man who is not "manly" enough. On his first encounter
with Padmini, Kapila thinks that the 'gentle' Devadatta can not be her match and
only a man of steel can be. Padmini too wonders how the gentle Devadatta with
his innocent ways can brave the harsh realities of the world. She makes fun of his
cart riding skills and admires Kapila's instead. She even admires Kapila's strong
and muscular body.
After transposing of heads, Devadatta asserts his rights over his wife and even
challenges Kapila to a duel over her. This is one of the only few instances where
Devadatta conforms to his role as a 'man'.

Kapila, before transposing of heads is one with a strong muscular body that even
a married woman like Padmini finds hard to resist. He does 'manly' things in:
riding the cart, wrestling, climbing the fortunate lady's flower tree to get flowers
for Padmini, toughening his soft body and such things befitting a 'manly' man.
Padmini goes completely against the notion of the 'ideal' woman. Whether it is
just or not-that's left to the reader to pass a decree on- she is not subservient to
her husband Devadatta. She also harbors feelings towards Kapila, despite being
married to and with the child of Devadatta. Later in the confrontation and even
through the events, she does not take her husband's side but treats him very
badly. Even after transposing of heads, she still has feelings for Kapila. In
becoming a mute spectator to the downfall of both Kapila and -especially-
Devadatta, she flips the notion of 'ideal' woman on its head.

3) Comment on the use of myths and mythical stories by Karnad in the play
'Hayavadana'.

Ans: Girish Karnad's plays are a synthesis between the ancient and the modern.
He uses the stories from the Myths, Legends, Epics and Folklore to shed light on
the contemporary society. In his 'Yayati', he has used the myth of Yayati and
Pooru from the Mahabharata to shed light on the ins and outs of Indian family
structure and challenge its moral authority. In 'The Fire and The Rain' he has used
the story of Raivya, Paravasu, Arvasy and Yavakri from the Mahabharata to
explore the universal and eternal themes of love, hatred, family and loneliness.

Coming to his 'Hayavadana', the plot itself comes an age-old collection of Sanskrit
stories called 'Vetalapanchavimshika'. Girish Karnad has not borrowed it directly,
but has used Thomas Mann's retelling of the myth, The Transposed Heads'. The
myth is in the form of a tale told by a ghost Betala to an adventurous king Vikram.
Girish Kamad uses this myth to highlight humanity's eternal and invariably
doomed quest for completeness and the conflict between the 'rationality' of the
head and the 'pleasure' that the body thirsts for.
4) How is caste represented in the play "Hayavadana"?

Ans: Devadatta is the son of the revered Brahmin Vidyasagara. He is shown to

engage in activities befitting his high status in society: reading, debate, poetry and
so on. Due to his high caste, he can afford to be the 'brains among the duo. His
intellectual exercises leave his body soft and good for nothing. When he receives
Kapila's body after the transposing of heads, he does non-intellectual things for a
while in the beginning. But after a while, he goes back to being his original self
and softens the tough body. When Padmini asks him about this, he defends
himself saying that as a Brahmin, it is his duty to engage in things like reading,
writing and studying as befitting to his high status in society.

Kapila, on the other hand, belongs to a lower section of society by birth. He is not
encouraged in the pursuit of knowledge owing to his low status in society but is
made into one who excels at physically demanding tasks. He is the one who rides
the cart. He is the one who climbs the tree to get Padmini flowers. Even after the
transposing of heads, he only deems it fit to toughen his "soft" body and makes -it
available for hard, laborious, physical tasks that a person belonging to a low caste
is expected to do.

5) How is the conflict between mind and body depicted in the play 'Hayavadana"?

Ans: The conundrum of what decides one's identity springs right after the
transposing of heads. Kapila stubbornly claims his right over Padmini, saying that
she was his wife as be now had 'Devadatta's body. Devadatta counters, saying
that marriage happens not between bodies but between persons. Devadatta is
elated while Kapila is sad when the Rishi declares that as head is supreme among
human limbs, Devadatta with 'Devadatta's' head is Padmini's husband.

Devadatta is quite happy to have received Kapila's strong muscular body and
thereby, to have gotten the best of both worlds. As Kapila tells Padmini in a later
part of the play, he was not happy with the body that he had received. He tells
her that the body was good for nothing and a war began between him and the
body as soon as he received it. That he, after much efforts, made the body tough
and fit for physical tasks. Kapila later tells Devadatta that the body gave his
simpleton head new ideas and feelings, which gives an idea into the conflict that
raged between the body and the head.

No sooner did he receive Kapila's body than Devadatta embarks on strenuous

physical tasks. He jumps into the gymnasium and pins wrestlers to the ground
with much strength and valour. But as time progresses, conflict rages between
the body and the head, with the head winning it. Devadatta limits himself to
intellectual tasks and the body softens. He later tells Kapila that his body
bothered him very much, that it did not give him its power that he wanted, but
just wildness. Both of their experiences chronicle the conflict that raged between
the head and body.

6) How is the theme of incompleteness and imperfection depicted in the play

'Hayavadana"?

Ans: The play comments on humanity's eternal quest for perfection- that is
invariably a doomed quest- through the characters of the play. The play begins
with the Bhagavatha's prayer to Lord Ganesha, wherein he solidifies the belief
that only Gods can attain perfection. This belief strengthens further as the events
of the play, play out.

After transposing of heads, Devadatta is very happy to have received the best of
both worlds: Devadatta's' intellectual head and Kapila's muscular body. He revels
in him being the perfect specimen and Padmini is elated as well. But this
perfection reveals itself to be a mere illusion as it does not last. Perfection gives in
to imperfection as Devadatta returns to being his original imperfect self.

Similar is the case of Kapila. Disgruntled at having received the bad end of the
deal, he strives and succeeds at turning the soft body he received, into a tough
and muscular one. Though he thinks that he has won over the body, it is later
revealed that the memories of the body still haunt him, that he is far from the
perfection he strove for.

The subplot of the play, the story of the horse-headed man Hayavdana too
comments on imperfection and incompleteness. Hayavadana, who sought to be a
'complete' and 'perfect' man becomes a complete horse. Though he settles for
what he is given, he too is incomplete and imperfect.

7) Comment on the prominent symbols and motifs that are employed by Karnad
in 'Hayavadana'.

Ans: The play 'Hayavadana' is replete with symbols and motifs that effectively
cater to the story and themes of the play. The motif of switching heads is pivotal
to the theme of incompleteness. The motif is used thrice: first in Lord Ganesha,
who has the head of an elephant but still is complete. Second, in Hayavadana,
who has the head of a horse and seeks to be a complete man. Next, in Devadatta
and Kapila with their heads transposed. All except Lord Ganesha- the master of
perfection- are doomed to live as incomplete and imperfect.

The fortunate lady's flower can be seen as a symbol for Padmini. The flower,
having features similar to a married woman stands for the unfortunate 'fortunate'
Padmini. Even after her death by sati, the flower and the tree that bears it stand
as a symbol for Padmini, in that a lovely scent and a song arises from the tree in
her memory on nights of full moon.

The dreams are a motif wherein Padmini has desires and passions towards Kapila
and lusts after his body. This recurring motif shows how despite being married to
Devadatta she still harbours feelings towards Kapila. The chatty, squabbling dolls
reflect upon the relationship between Devadatta and Padmini, while the two-
headed bird on Padmini's door symbolizes her split feelings for Devadatta and
Kapila.

8) What are the various techniques from folk, classical and western theatre used
by Karnad in 'Hayavadana"?

Ans: Girish Karnad is known for amalgamating the past and the present. If he
does so in his plots, he amalgamates different traditions and techniques of
various theatres in his story telling.
The custom of singing praises to God and seeking blessings for the success of the
show is one of folk theatre. The play 'Hayavadana' begins with the Bhagavatha
singing praises to Lord Ganesha and it ends the same way too.

The play 'Hayavadana' is a classical tragedy in truest sense of the genre. It is a

classical tragedy as it evokes pity in the audience towards the predicament that
the characters of the play find themselves in, and not hatred towards them. The
tragedy of Devadatta, Kapila and Padmini does not make the audience hate any of
them. No character is villainized and demonized so to speak. In addition to this,
the play also employs the six essential elements of tragedy, as given by Aristotle:
Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song and Spectacle.

The female chorus that speaks and feels for Padmini is inspired by the chorus of
western theatre. The chorus originates from Greek theatre and was amply in
Elizabethan drama. The female chorus in 'Hayavadana' underscores the terrible
tragedy to come as it also understands and justifies Padmini's thought and
actions.

9) What are the different thematic concerns of the play 'Hayavadana'?

Ans: The play 'Hayavadana' explores the question of what gives a man his identity
without conclusively answering it. After the transposing of heads, confusion
ensues as to who is 'Devadatta': the one with his body or the one with his head.
This instance raises the question of what gives someone their identity. Even if the
characters try to go against the identity they actually have in favour of the idea of
their identity they have in their mind, it all ends in a spectacular failure.

The play also explores the themes of 'incompleteness' and 'imperfection'.

Through the prayer at the beginning of the play, it is cemented that only Gods can
be perfect and complete. Devadatta, Kapila, as well as Hayavadana's plight in their
running behind perfection shows that one can never be complete and perfect.
The play also comments on gender and caste. Kapila is portrayed to be a 'manly
man' and Devadatta as having 'feminine' characteristics. Padmini shatters the idea
of an 'ideal woman'. She is overbearing and manipulative in her treatment of
Devadatta. She insults him while praising Kapila and his mannerisms. Even if she is
married, she still desires and lusts after Kapila, as is clear from her dreams. During
the confrontation, she does not take her husband's side as an 'ideal' woman is
expected to but remains a mute spectator in not avoiding the tragedy. Her actions
and thoughts make it clear that she has no interest in sticking to patriarchy's
construct of an ideal wife, even if her actions are for good or bad.

10) How is the idea of identity explored in the play 'Hayavadana"?

Ans: The play 'Hayavadana' raises the question of what gives a man his identity. Is
it the head, as it is regarded widely? Or is it the body?

Just after the transposing of heads, both Kapila and Devadatta claim themselves
to be 'Devadatta', as they have his body and head respectively. By their 'head' or
'body', both claim themselves to be 'Devadatta' and thereby the rightful husband
of Padmini. The argument that they both have makes even the reader confused
about their identities. Then they go to the Rishi, who declares that a man's head
gives him identity. Devadatta and Padmini agree and are happy. Kapila is
heartbroken. Devadatta is happy at having received a muscular and attractive
body, in addition to his head with lots of intellect. Though he is joyous at this
identity, it is broken nonetheless.

Kapila, who is frustrated at his broken identity, tries to mend it and is seemingly
successful. But this success is not for long as his sense of broken identity
resurfaces later when Padmini comes to him.

At the end, both Devadatta and Kapila accept their dissatisfaction with their
pursued identity. This dissatisfaction shows how the play raises only the question
of identity without conclusively answering it.

11) How is the story of the horse-headed Hayavadana integrated into the main
plot of the play 'Hayavadana'?
Ans: The story of horse-headed Hayavadana serves as a symbol to the main plot
of the play. The incomplete man that is Hayavadana and his constant strife to
attain perfection and completion parallels the similar strife of the characters of
the play.

Born to parents, one a human and another a Gandharva who was cursed to be a
horse, Hayavadana receives the horse head at his birth itself. He despises it and
tries to get rid of it, but in vain. When Bhagavatha tells him to seek the help of
Goddess Kali at the temple atop Mount Chitrakoot, he does so and becomes
'complete'. Not a complete man, but a complete horse. Later, he even tries to get
rid of his human voice, his only hindrance in attaining perfection. He succeeds.
Even if he makes peace with his reality, his quest for perfection is doomed.

Similar is the fate of Devadatta, Padmini and Kapila's quest. Devadatta, on

receiving Kapila's body, is ecstatic to be the perfect specimen but later the body
softens and he goes back to being his original, imperfect self. Kapila on receiving
Devadatta's body, is dissatisfied with his imperfection and strives to be complete.
He even attains a self-perceived perfection, while the reality is far from it. Even
his quest is a doomed one. Though Hayavadana's story is a happy one, its not the
same for other characters. Thus, the story of the horse-headed man Hayavadana
is incorporated into the main plot of the play as a symbol of Devadatta and
Kapila's quest for perfection.

12) Explore the nature of relationship between Devadatta and Kapila in

'Hayavadana'.

Ans: Devadatta and Kapila are the best of friends before Padmini walks into their
lives and the transposing of heads happens. Their friendship is so praise-worthy
that the Bhagavatha regards them as "one mind, one heart". Kapila, time and
again, reminds Devadatta that for him he would be ready to sacrifice his
everything and that he cares for him more than he does for his own parents.
Devadatta too is thankful to have had a friend in Kapila. But after the entry of
Padmini in their lives, things change. Kapila burns with passion for Padmini,
Devadatta's beloved. Devadatta observes this and resigns to let go of Padmini.
Their friendship takes a hit. After the transposing of heads, the same Kapila who
sacrificed himself for his friend starts growing hostile towards him. Both squabble
over who among them is the real 'Devadatta' and thereby the husband of
Padmini. After the Rishi's decree, when Padmini goes to live with Devadatta,
Kapila is filled with anger and dissatisfaction towards his friend, while Devadatta
derives a perverse pleasure from Kapila's predicament and is, also filled with
contempt towards Kapila. When their confrontation over Padmini takes place,
both deem it right thing to kill each other as the sole solution. One time friends
who could not fathom living without each other, end up killing each other.

13) Comment on the events that lead to the commitment of Sati by Padmini in
the play 'Hayavadana'.

Ans: After the mishap of her switching Devadatta and Kapila's heads, an argument
ensues between Devadatta and Kapila on who among them is 'Devadatta' and the
husband of Padmini.

Kapila argues that as it was 'Devadatta's' body that Padmini lived with for all these
years and as it is the body's child that is growing in her, he is the rightful husband
of Padmini. Devadatta counters that a person marries another person and not
their body and that as in the scriptures the head is held supreme, he himself is
'Devadatta'. The argument continues and they finally go to a Rishi for a solution
who decrees that as the head is superior, Devadatta is 'Devadatta' and the rightful
husband of Padmini. An overjoyed Devadatta and Padmini live together in the
town, while a disappointed Kapila exiles himself to live in the forest.

Disappointed with Devadatta's behaviour and desiring to see Kapila, Padmini goes
into the forest and lands up at Kapila's place. Kapila is dumbstruck to see Padmini,
tells her his experience with 'Devadatta's' body and is mad at her for coming to
him and resurfacing all his repressed memories of her. Devadatta finds his wife
missing from home and guesses that she might have gone into the forest to meet
Kapila. He arrives at Kapila's place and they first discuss their unpleasant
experiences with their bodies. Devadatta asks Kapila if he loves Padmini, to which
Kapila says "yes". When Devadatta says that he too loves Padmini, Kapila asks
Devadatta if it is not possible for all three of them to live together, to which
Devadatta asks Kapila what he thought about the matter. They both agree that it
is not possible for them to live together and that the only solution to their
problem was their deaths. They fight each other and die. Padmini does not
intervene and try to avoid the tragedy as she thinks that if all three of them live
together, Devadatta and Kapila would find reasons to come at each other every
day. After Devadatta and Kapila's deaths, Padmini bequeaths the responsibility of
her child to the Bhagavatha, shouts at Goddess Kali for putting her in a unique
predicament and commits Sati.

14) Make a psychological analysis of the play "Hayavadana'.

Ans: The play 'Hayavadana' is rife with mind games that are so subtle and veiled
but not unimportant, as they are what lead up to the eventual tragedy.

Coming to the actions of Kapila, he time and again pledges his allegiance to the
friendship he shares with Devadatta but his actions suggest otherwise. Even if he
speaks of being ready to sacrifice his everything for his friendship, the audience
cannot help but wonder what exactly is he getting at by being how he is around
Padmini: when he climbs the Fortunate Lady's Flower tree and gets not one but a
heap of flowers for her, what is he getting at? Isn't his gesture a subtle one at
wooing Padmini? Him going with Padmini to Rudra Temple, isn't it betrayal to
Devadatta?

Coming to the actions of Padmini, her insisting on them continuing the trip-even
after she had cancelled it-to simply please Kapila at the cost of making Devadatta
sad: why did she do that? Her praising Kapila's skills while continuously insulting
Devadatta's skills: where was she trying to go with this? Her admiration towards
Kapila and his body and the passions that rage in her towards him shows how she
is not loyal in her marriage to Devadatta.

Padmini going to Kapila with an urge to see him and speak to him, later resting
her head on his chest and asking his consent to look at him- what do these actions
suggest? Her standing mutely even when she knows that a terrible tragedy is
about to unfold just to avoid future conflicts, and shouting at Kali for putting her
in a unique predicament, when she very well knows that it was her own actions
and desires that led to the tragedy, it makes one question whether she wasn't
more of a reason for the tragedy than Devadatta and Kapila.