Raja (play)

Raja (Bengali: রাজা), (also known as The King of the Dark Chamber in the English translation), is a play by Rabindranath Tagore written in 1910.^[1]^[2] This play is marked as a symbolic play as well as a ‘mystic play’.^[2] The story is loosely borrowed from the Buddhist story of King Kush from Mahāvastu.^[1] A short stage version of Raja was published under the title of Arupratan in 1920.^[1]

The theme of the play is ‘the secret dealing of God with the human heart.^[2]

Reception

Sukumar Sen described Raja as ‘the first really symbolic drama by Tagore.’^[1]

The play became one of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's favourite books, who found in it an expression of his own religious ideal.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Sen, Sukumar (1979) [1960]. History of Bengali Literature (3rd ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 279–80. ISBN 81-7201-107-5.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ghosh, Sisirkumar (1990). Rabindranath Tagore. Makers of Indian Literature (1st ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 66. ISBN 81-260-1994-8.
^ Monk, Ray. "The Reluctant Professor". Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius.

External links

The full text of The King of the Dark Chamber at Wikisource

[sukumarseneng-1] Sen, Sukumar (1979) [1960]. History of Bengali Literature (3rd ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. pp. 279–80. ISBN 81-7201-107-5.

[sisirkumar-2] Ghosh, Sisirkumar (1990). Rabindranath Tagore. Makers of Indian Literature (1st ed.). New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 66. ISBN 81-260-1994-8.

[3] Monk, Ray. "The Reluctant Professor". Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius.

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