Myth And The Mind (Psychological Tales of Mythological Characters)

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Indian mythology is a teeming storehouse of heroes and heroines, who are psychological studies in themselves. Did you know, for instance, how Krishna's son, who was his father's alter ego, tackled the curse to be the destroyer of his entire clan? Did you know that sage Gargi was the only lady amongst legendary sages who competed for the prize for the greatest sage in the sub-continent? Did you know that Sahadev, the youngest Pandava, had qualities lacking in any of his other, better-known brothers? Did you know that Shakuni is actually a tragic hero?

Myth and the Mind is a collection of six short stories about very interesting personalities in Indian mythology. These men and women are all great, and they are all human beings in whom we will all discover a small part of ourselves.

Indrani Deb is the Principal of a Women's College in West Bengal, India, with a teaching experience of about 30 years as a professor of English Literature. Because of her profession, she has always been interested in the human mind and has found in ancient myths and legends the raw material for understanding the human psyche. This interest has been expressed in this collection of short stories based on mythological characters. Previously, she has authored three books of academic interest, in the sphere of literature, including one on Sanskrit drama. She is also the editor of an internationally recognized, peer-reviewed, annually published, literary journal, Heteroglossia

Indian myths are eternal. It seems that all Indian literature, including ancient history, science, and philosophy, looks back to the Vedas, the Puranas, the Upanishads, and the two epics. The characters that have evolved through these texts have become household names, recurring in various forms in folk-lore, in ancient dramas, and in modern and postmodern re-creations. It is matter of great satisfaction that there has now emerged a new interest in ancient texts and characters in modern times, and much of television content, of popular books, and of the social media fall back upon themes, stories, and characters taken from our ancient roots.

From childhood I had been brought up on these books - books that have cultivated my consciousness, and the consciousness of the people of this country. I have seen human nature recurring again and again from the past to the present. The ancient myths have become sometimes real, sometimes symbolic. And at every stage of life the stories have taken on added meaning. Yet, to my mind, there is more of popular interest in the outward crust of the stories-the tales of heroism, of war, of love, of murder, of killing, and of violence - that are strewn throughout the ancient tales. The depth in these tales, however, far exceeds their outward attractions. Every time I have read and re-read the tales of those immortal characters, I have discerned human psychology being reiterated in various forms through them, and modernist theories are only, as Freud has asserted, codifications of what poets have already shown to us. What need feminist theories, for example, when there is Draupadi, Gargi, or Damayanti? What need Political treatises, when there are the tenets of Krishna? What need Freudian psychoanalysis, when there are characters like Karna or Samba?

These six tales are an attempt at re-interpreting mythical characters in order to bring out their psychological depth. If readers are able to connect, more will follow. My purpose is only to express my love for ancient Indian mythology, but with a modern twist. If the characters appeal to the common reader as much as they have to me, then I will consider my work well done.