ABOUT THE PLAY 👇

Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore

This one-act play "Chitra" has been written by one of the renowned Indian poet, writer and
philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. It had been initially published in 1913 in English by the India
Society of London. It is a lyrical play that has immense use of symbols and poetical language.
This play is based on one of the stories of the Mahabharata. This play has presented the story of
Chitrangada (Chitra), a female warrior as well as the daughter of Chitravahana, the king of
Manipur. Here in this play, she tries her best to attract the attention of Arjuna. This play is about
the love between Arjuna and Chitra. This mythological play has shown various things related to
illusions and truths. The play has used various figures of speech.
ORIGINAL STORY OF 👇
CHITRANGADA(CHITRA) FROM MAHABHARATA
Chitrangada was one of Arjun's wife among four wives. She was the third wife of Arjuna after
Dropati and Ulupi and before Subhadra. Arjuna married Chitrangada during his twelve years of
exile. Once Arjuna visited Manipur during his twelve years of exile. Chitravahana was the king
of Manipur during that time. Arjuna decided to stay in Manipur for some while. The king of
Manipur had a beautiful daughter named Chitrangada. When Arjuna saw her for the first time, he
was quite attracted by her charm and beauty. Arjuna went to king Chitravahana to ask for the
hand of Chitrangada. But, king Chitravahana asked about Arjuna's identity. Arjuna revealed his
real identity to the king. King Chitravahana became satisfied with Arjuna after hearing his
identity. Later on, the king revealed his problem to Arjuna. The king related a story of his
ancestor Prabbanjana to Arjuna. According to him, his ancestor Prabbanhjana was so sad
because he had long been childless. To obtain an heir, he performed severe penances. Pleased
with his devotion, Lord Shiva granted him a boon that he and his successors will each have one
child especially a son. But, king Chitravahana, was the first to have only a daughter Chitrangada
just opposite of Lord Shiva's boon. After that, Chitrangada was raised just as a son. She was
provided with all sorts of art and knowledge. She was taught archery and arts of war as well as
the rule of governance. King Chitravana agreed on Arjuna's proposal but even put forward a
condition before him. According to him, Arjuna wouldn't claim his children born by Chitrangada
in the future. Arjuna agreed to the promise that he wouldn't claim his wife or children born by
her in the future. Arjuna married Chitrangada keeping his promise in mind. He lived with
Chitrangada in Manipur for three years. A cute son was born from Chitrangada who was adopted
by Chitravahana later on. They named the son Babrubahana. After that, Arjuna continued his
journey of exile leaving Chitrangada in Manipur. Before leaving Manipur, Arjuna invited
Chitrangada to Hastinapur palace once. After the war of Kurukshetra, once Yudhisthir asked
Arjuna to bring Ashvamedha horse for Ashvamedha Yagya. While following Ashvamedha
horse, the horse entered Manipur's territory. Arjuna encountered Babrubahana after a long time.
Both of them fought with each other. Babrubahana defeated Arjuna and nearly killed him.
Chitrangada was shocked to hear the news. She decided to kill herself but Ulupi saved Arjuna's
life by her precious Sanjeevani Mani.

MAIN PLOT OF 👇
CHITRA: MODIFIED VERSION BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE:
Major Characters in the play:
Chitra: The Princess of Manipur
Arjuna: One of the warriors among Pandavs who is living a life of hermit during his twelve years
of exile.
Madana: The god of love.
Vasanta: The god of springtime and eternal youth.
Villagers of Manipur
Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore
When the play begins, we find the conversation between three major characters as Chitra, the
princess, Madana, the God of love, and Vasanta, the God of springtime and eternal youth. Both
Madana and Vasanta ask Chitra about her identity and her problems. She replies that she is the
daughter of the king of Manipur and has been raised like a son or a boy because her father had
no male heir. According to her, she has never experienced the life of a woman despite being born
as a woman. She relates that she doesn't know living like a woman.

CHITRA'S FIRST MEETING WITH ARJUNA:

Chitra explains about her meeting with Arjuna in the forest while hunting. According to her, she
was in man's attire during that time. She saw him lying on a bed of dried leaves on her way while
hunting near Purna River. She asked him to get away from her way but he didn't respond and
move. She pricked him with her arrow. Arjuna got up after that. When Chitra asked him about
his identity, he related his identity to her. After listening to it, Chitra remained dumb and
speechless like a barbarian boor. She had a long-cherished dream to fight with Arjuna and prove
her superiority over him in archery. She forgot to greet, speak, beg forgiveness to him. In the
meantime, Arjuna left the place with a smile on his face to find Chitra’s boyish arrogance. That
incident aroused womanhood within her. The next day, Chitra wore woman’s clothes and met
Arjuna. She expressed her love for him and wanted him to marry her. But Arjuna didn't get
impressed with her ordinary beauty. He told her about celibacy and his inability to be her
husband. Chitra became so sad to hear Arjuna's reply. Chitra fell in love with Arjuna.

CHITRA GOT A BOON FROM TWO GODS:

Chitra explains to Madana and Vasanta that she has changed herself after meeting with Arjuna.
She explains that she had broken her bow and cast away her arrows, changed her man’s costume
to a woman’s after seeing Arjuna.

Chitra begs in front of two gods to provide her a day of perfect beauty to win Arjuna's heart and
spend a night of love with him. The gods not only provide her with a day's beauty but a whole
year's beauty to spend her days with him. Chitra becomes extremely happy with her beauty.

ARJUNA'S ATTRACTION TOWARDS CHITRA:

In the next scene, Arjuna is attracted to Chitra's beauty. When Chitra enters, Arjuna immediately
starts talking with her. When he requests to know what she is searching for, Chitra deliberately
replies that she is searching for the man of her dream who is Arjuna. Arjuna replies to her that he
is the man of her dream. Arjuna says that he will break his vow of celibacy (chastity) to accept
the beautiful Chitra. Chitra hides her real identity saying that she lives in the Lord Shiva temple
alone.

But after her meeting with Arjuna, Chitra doesn't feel happy inwardly. She knows that her beauty
is just an illusion and doesn't last long. Arjuna is only attracted by her temporary beauty which
will only last for a year. Chitra is extremely unhappy because she knows that Arjuna is not
attracted to the original Chitra. She is also unhappy that a man like Arjuna who is famous for his
vows, easily broke his vow of celibacy to enjoy her beauty.

CHITRA'S REGRET OVER HER OWN BEAUTY:

Later the next day, Chitra seems so sad because she sees her false beauty. She regrets much over
her temporary beauty. She feels much about her deceitful acts. She hates herself and feels like a
cheater of Arjuna. She relates her inner regrets to both of the gods Madana and Vasanta.
According to her, Arjun had once rejected her due to her real appearance. Arjuna loves her only
because of her temporary beauty. She becomes fearful about the future consequences when
Arjuna will know the reality. She requests the gods to take back the boon because her own body
has become her rival. The two gods scold her as they had only given her what she had asked for.

GODS' ADVICE AND CHITRA'S HONESTY:

God Vasanta advises Chitra to go home and spend her year with her husband. According to him,
by the end of the year, Arjuna will be able to accept the original Chitra when her perfect beauty
is over. Chitra follows the command of God. She spends her time with Arjuna but she always
fears the reality after a year. Arjuna begins to grow restless and desires to hunt once again as
time passes by. He also begins to ask Chitra questions about her identity and past, wondering if
she has anyone at home that is missing her. Chitra replies that she doesn't have a past and that
she's as transient as a drop of dew, which upsets Arjuna.

By the end of the year, Chitra again requests the two gods to make her most beautiful on the last
night with Arjuna. Both gods grant her tremendous beauty for the last time.

On the other hand, Arjuna hears stories of the warrior Princess Chitra from the villagers. He
begins to ponder about the princess much. Arjuna knows from the villagers that Princess Chitra
has gone on a pilgrimage. The villagers tell Arjuna that they are always protected by Princess
Chitra, who is the terror of all evildoers. Arjuna says that some villagers have informed him that
Manipur is under attack. Chitra assures him that the city is well protected by Princess Chitra.
Arjuna's mind is occupied with thoughts of the princess. Chitra asks Arjuna if he would love her
more if she were like the Princess Chitra he admires. Arjuna replies that since she has always
kept her identity (true-self) a secret, he has never truly loved her as much as he could and that his
love for her is "incomplete".

Finally, Chitra reveals the truth in front of Arjuna. She says that she is the princess Chitra of
Manipur. She relates the help of two gods Madana and Vasanta in making her beautiful and
winning his love. She admits that she is not a perfect beauty, but that if he would accept her then
she would remain with him forever. Chitra also admits that she is pregnant with his son. Arjuna
becomes too joyous to hear the news and states that his life is truly full.

SHORT SUMMARY OF THE PLAY 👇

Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore
Chitra, the princess of Manipur visited two gods Madana and Vasanta to share her problems. She
related her identity and her problems to them. She told them the event of the forest when she met
Arjuna. She informed them how she had been rejected by Arjuna in her next meeting. She
begged for a day's beauty to win Arjuna's heart and spend a night of love with him. Both gods
granted her beauty not only for a day but for a year to spend with Arjuna.

In her next meeting with Arjuna in Lord Shiva's temple, she became able to attract Arjun's
attention. Due to her beauty, Arjuna became ready to break his vow of celibacy and enjoy her
beauty. They started living together in the forest. Chitra never told him the truth about her
background. She started feeling regret. She became fearful about future consequences when
Arjuna will know about the truths. The illusioned life of Chitra made her feel sad. She moved to
the gods and asked them to take their boon back which they had granted her. Both gods advised
her the way and also the solution to her problems. She followed gods advice and spent her
remaining days with Arjuna. She spent her days in fear. By the end of the year, she requested the
gods to grant her the perfect beauty to spend her last night with Arjuna. Both gods granted in her
wish's fulfilment. Arjuna desired to hunt once again being restless. Arjuna heard various stories
related to a warrior princess Chitra from villagers. His mind was occupied by her thoughts. He
kept on taking as well as admiring princess Chitra all the time. Chitra even knew about Arjuna's
liking towards princess Chitra. Finally, when Chitra put a condition in front of Arjuna that if she
were princess Chitra herself, he would love her more. Arjuna related to her that due to her hidden
identity, he was unable to love her much. When Chitra revealed her true self along with
pregnancy news, Arjuna became over joyous and stated that his life was full.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS OF 👇

Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore
1. How does the play begin?
Answer:
The play begins with the conversation between Chitra, the Princess of Manipur, Madana, the
God of love, and Vasanta, the God of springtime and eternal youth.

2. Who is Chitra? How has she been raised and why?

Answer:
Chitra is the Princess of Manipur and the daughter of King Chitravahana. She has been raised as
a son with the art of war and governance because her father didn't have male heir.

3. What does Chitra beg with the two gods and why?
Answer:
Chitra begs with the two gods for a day's perfect beauty because she wants to win Arjuna's heart
and spend a night of love with him.

4. Where has Arjuna come? What does he ask with the king and why?
Answer:
Arjuna has come to Manipur. He asks the king for Chitra's hand to marry her because he is
fascinated by Chitra's charm and beauty at first sight.

5. On what condition does the king want to give the hand of his daughter to Arjuna?
Answer:
The king wants to give the hand of his daughter to Arjuna in one condition that Arjuna wouldn't
claim his children born by Chitra in the future.
1. Explain the extract "Beloved, my life is full" with reference to the play.
Answer:
This extract has been taken from Rabindranath Tagore's famous one-act play 'Chitra'. This line
has been spoken by Arjuna at the end of the play being quite joyous about the good news related
to Chitra's revelation of the facts. At the end, when Chitra reveals her truth about her identity,
beauty as well as pregnancy, Arjuna becomes too happy to hear all these facts. The news of
pregnancy makes Arjuna feel so happy that's why he speaks out this line to achieve each and
everything in his life.

2. Discuss Chitra as a mythological play.

Answer:
Chitra is a mythological story from the mythology epic the Mahabharata. According to the story
of Mahabharata, the Pandavas were in exile for twelve years. Arjuna was living as a hermit in the
forest of Manipur. The king of Manipur had a beautiful daughter Chitrangada (Chitra).

The ancestor of Chitravahana was Pravanjan who had got a boon from Lord Shiva that his each
generation would have a male child which would be the future king. But Chitravaha was the first
king to have a daughter that was Chitra. He didn't get a male heir. Arjuna fell in love with
Chitrangada at first sight and met her father to ask for her hand. Chitravahana got ready to get his
daughter married to Arjuna on one condition. The condition was that Arjuna would have to give
his first son/child as an heir to the kingdom as Chitra was the only daughter of his. Arjuna
promised to do so and finally married Chitra. This is the short love story of Chitra- Arjuna myth
in the Mahabharata. Tagore has used the above myth in the play, "Chitra". But he has made
certain changes in it, perhaps, to heighten the dramatic effect.

3. Write a summary of the play.

SEE ANSWER ABOVE IN SHORT SUMMARY
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
Draw the Character sketch of Chitra.
Answer:
Chitra was a warrior princess and daughter of king Chitravahana of Manipur. She was born just
against Lord Shiva's boon. She had been raised as a son by king Chitravahana because the
kingdom lacked a male heir. She was provided with all sorts of knowledge regarding war and
governance. She used to be in male's attire most of the time. Due to her appearance, she seemed
like a male and less beautiful. She preferred to involve herself in risky activities like war as well
as hunting. She used to perform her duty through her task of saving her citizens in the time of
crisis. But her womanhood was aroused by Arjuna in the forest. After meeting with Arjun, she
changed herself and tried her best to attract Arjuna's attention. She was rejected by Arjun at first.
She fell in his love and tried to get his love through fake means. She took the help of two gods
Madana and Vasanta to win Arjuna's heart. With the help of two gods, she became able to
beautify her appearance and break Arjuna's vow of celibacy. Her disguised appearance bothered
her later on. She regretted over what she did and asked both gods to take their boon back. She
suffered a lot living her life with Arjuna in illusion. Both gods showed her a way at last. She
followed their commands and acted accordingly. Finally, she put forward a condition in front of
Arjuna regarding princess Chitra. She related all the facts related to her and her pregnancy. She
became able to win Arjuna's heart and make him happy at last.

Discuss Chitra as a lyrical play or a poetic play.

Answer:
Rabindranath Tagore was regarded for his poetical creations. His most of creations have been
written in poetical languages. Apart from his poems, his plays also have lyrical qualities. In most
of his plays or dramas, he has made use of poetical language the most. With the help of his
poetical usage, he has made all his creations quite effective.

“Chitra” is one of his poetic plays which has been beautifully written using lyrical language.
This play is also regarded as a dance-drama or verse drama or lyrical drama. It has been written
using ‘blank verse'. This play has presented the major theme of love between Arjuna and Chitra.
The romantic scenes in the play have been presented using lyrical dialogues of the characters.
The characters in the play seem acting along with their poetical narrations. It has focused mainly
over the concept of love where there is immense use of lyrical lines and beautiful expressions.
The characters seem singing while delivering their dialogues in a very poetical way. Thus, this
play is a lyrical play where there is immense usage of lyrics.