Mudra rakshasa

Group 1
THE NARRATIVE
 • Chanakya & Nipunaka – his spies in the city
• Rakshasa‟s ring & Sakatadasa‟s letter
ACT I • Chandanadasa, and his attempt to hide Rakshasa‟s family
• Chadanandasa resistance & his arrest

• Rakshasa plotting to overthrow Chandragupta

• Foiling of all of Rakshasa‟s plans due to Chanakya‟s
ACT II vigilance
• Sakatadasa‟s rescue & subsequent meeting with Rakshasa
• Siddharthaka‟s reward & employment by Rakshasa

• Chanakya‟s sham quarrel with Chandragupta

ACT III • Chankya‟s estrangement with Chanakya

• Rakshasa‟s pleasure at the estrangement

• Malayaketu & Bhagurayana‟s arrival at Rakshasa‟s camp
ACT IV • Bhag.‟s attempts to create a suspicion in Malayaketu‟s mind
regarding Rakshasa‟s sincerity
• Rakshasa‟s advise to lead an expedition against Pataliputra
 • Jivasiddhi‟s attempt to poison Malayaketu‟s mind; his
success in suggesting Rakshasa employed poison-maid
against Malaya‟s father
ACT V • Siddharthaka‟s attempt to flee; an attempt to suggest that
Rakshasa was in secret communication with Chandragupta
• Rakshasa convicted of killing Mala‟s father
• Mala‟s order to kill five kings under him

• Mala‟s failed expedition & capture by Bhagurayana

ACT VI • Rakshasa‟s Pataliputra trip to save his friend Chandanadasa

• Rakshasa‟s arrival at Chandanadasa‟s execution

• Rakshasa‟s meeting with Chanakya
ACT VII • Chanakya‟s offer to hand the Chief Minister‟s post to
Rakshasa
• Rakshasa‟s acceptance & all ends happily
THE CENTRAL THEME
• The play belongs to the imperial Gupta age.
• Maurayan Kings attempt to win over the Chief Minister of
deposed Nanda Regime
• Two masterminds, Chankya & Rakshasa are pitted against
each other
• Chanakya uses subtle, elaborate & amoral techniques
• There is absolutely no sentiment of love in the play
• The play covers a year‟s time.
• It is a historical or political drama, and represents a curious
state of public morals, in which fraud and assassination are the
simple means by which inconvenient obligations are acquitted,
and troublesome friends or open enemies removed.
RELEVANCE OF THE THEME IN
MODERN TIMES
MEANS Ends

• The Independence • Independent India

Struggle
• Allying with Rogue • Protecting National
Nations Interests

• Reservations • Upliftment of the

socially downtrodden
• Triple Bottomline • Profits

We contend that debate between relative importance of Means

versus Ends, is highly contextual; the reality is Grey instead of
being Black or White
COMPARISON WITH A
MYTHOLOGICAL PERSONALITY
Chanakya Krishna
• Leadership styles
– Chanakya‟s leadership style can be seen as
“Telling/Directing” while Krishna‟s leadership style
can be considered as “Participating/Supporting”
• King-Makers
– Just as Chanakya provided counsel to Chandragupta,
Krishna played a pivotal role in installing Yudhishtir as
a king
– Negotiated for Pandavas to have 5 villages to rule
(after talks for half the kingdom failed)
• Overthrew a despot
– Krishna ended the tyrannical reign of Kansa over
Mathura whereas Chanakya ended the rule of Nanda
over Magadha
• Believed ‘Ends justify the means’
– Chanakya laid to rest in a single day hundred kings in order
to save the lives of thousands of soldiers and countrymen.
All the hundred kings were got poisoned in a single day
– Krishna‟s questionable actions (e.g- suggesting to Bhima to
hit Duryodhan below the navel, patently illegal in mace
combat)
• Contrasting relationships with their protégés
– Krishna‟s relationship with Arjuna more affectionate than
Chanakya‟s with Chandragupta
– Chanakya more secretive and rarely showed emotion
• “The biggest guru-mantra is:Never share your secrets
with anybody. It will destroy you.”
COMPARISON OF THE CHIEF
PROTAGONIST WITH A BUSINESS
LEADER
Comparison with Dhirubhai Ambani

• Founder of the "The Reliance Industries", India's largest

private sector company.
Chanakya
 Father‟s death inspires him
 Leaves Patliputra for Taxilla to
come back and get justice
 Led a mini revolution against
Greek rule in India
 Displayed tremendous
negotiation skill in transforming
kingdoms of Paurava and
Taxilla into his side
 Displayed pride when he
decided to overthrow the
Nandas rule
Dhirubhai Ambani
 Inspired by father‟s lack of
interest and belief
 Left his job and came back to
start his own business
 Tussle with Wadia –
strengthened his resolve
 Displayed negotiation skill by
establishing business at a
large scale in spite of the
license raj
 Displayed pride in face of all
business and political
rivalries and continued to
work with passion
Chanakya & Dhirubhai Ambani

 Both were visionary leaders

 Both were willing to work around the system, modify it to

achieve goals

 Believed in „Ends justify means‟

 Worked towards creating a long lasting legacy

 Both had good judgment about people

 Both were king makers

 Planned and executed schemes on large scale