Pratham Partha: The Narrative of Battle Within

Pratham Partha (1960), a verse narrative by Budhdhadeb Basu is a nuanced portrayal of one of most tragic characters of Indian mythology. In this work, Basu’s poetic prowess has given voice to Karna’s inner psyche through his one to one episodic encounters with his biological mother Kunti, then Draupadi and finally Sri Krishna. Basu portrays Karna in this poetic drama as a deeply wounded person inside who is haunted by a sense of betrayal. He seeks recognition for his valour but finds himself a victim of social injustice for being a representative of the lower caste people. After his conversations with Kunti and Draupadi, he feels betrayed by the two women whom he wished to love most intensely in his life. His meeting with Krishna leaves him more disillusioned. Here, Krishna is stripped of his divinity and has been reduced to a political figure whose only concern is the well - being of the Pandavas, especially of Arjuna who has accepted his unquestionable authority and political supremacy like a blind follower. In this narrative, Sri Krishna is not the merciful saviour of all. On the other hand Karna, the hero of this narrative, eventually succeeds to establish himself as a true warrior who is determined to participate in the Kurukshetra war with a stern sense of duty, dedication and loyalty. Though he becomes aware of his inevitable death in an unfair battle with Arjuna, he does not wavers for a moment . Here, Karna adheres to the dharma or duty ( the key concept discussed in the epic Mahabharata) by refusing to switch side and remains firm in his decision to fight without any expectation of the results.