THE SHIVA TRILOGY AND THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES: A CROSS-CULTURAL MYTHIC STUDY

This study explores Amish Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy through the perspective of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth theory, as detailed in his work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949).Campbell's universal framework of the Hero's Journey-comprising the stages of Separation, Initiation, and Return-has been widely applied to various cultural mythologies.However, applying it to a modern Indian popular narrative like Tripathi's trilogy highlights both its strengths and limitations.By aligning Shiva's evolution from a tribal leader in Tibet to the Mahadev of Meluha with Campbell's Monomyth stages, the research reveals archetypal patterns of departure, trials, and apotheosis.Simultaneously, the narrative incorporates distinctively Indian philosophical concepts-dharma, karma, moksha, and Shakti-which challenge Campbell's model and place the story within a uniquely South Asian mythic context.The analysis also emphasizes the gendered aspects of the narrative, particularly the portrayal of Sati, whose active role as a warrior and embodiment of shakti challenges Campbell's male-centered paradigm.A cross-cultural comparison with Western and Near Eastern epics, such as The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, highlights both the universality of mythic structures and the cultural specificity of their expression.The paper contends that Tripathi's trilogy both supports and critiques Campbell's Monomyth by embedding the hero's journey within the ethical and spiritual concerns of Indian tradition.