Re-reading the Cosmic Myth of Creation and Destruction in Tagore’s Muktadhara: A Discussion

Abstract

Mukta Dhara is an abiding testimony toRabindranath Tagore’s celebration of the cosmic myth of creation and destruction. In order to subjugate, Ranajit, the king of Uttarkut builds a huge dam across Mukta Dhara with the help of the brain-strong royal engineer, Bibhuti who is aided by his ‘new machine god’ that represents modern science, the very antithesis of the will of the benevolent creator. That Rabindranath has conceived of Prince Abhijit in terms Lord Shiva - the destroyer and the preserver - is well borne out by the fact that he breaks the dam at its weak point and frees Mukta Dhara for the people of Shiv Terai , though at the cost of his own life. The tinkling sonorous flow of the emancipated Mukta Dhara that helps Shiv Terai to pulsate with new life is reminiscent of the myth of salvation of the Ganges from the holy lock of Lord Shiva – a fateful release that is believed to yield in fertility of the earth. This paper purports to explore how man’s intoxication with and conceited use of ‘power’ represented by the creation of the dam in the play ultimately destroys creation, which awaits renewal and purgation by bold sacrificial figures like Abhijit.