Q.- What is framed narrative discuss with reference to the text in your course.
Ans: A framed narrative (or frame story) is a literary technique in which a main story provides the setting or background for another story to be told. In other words, one story is “framed” inside another. The outer story introduces the narrator or situation, and within it, other stories are narrated, sometimes in layers. This structure creates complexity and allows multiple perspectives to appear in the same work.
Framed Narrative in Kadambari:-
Banabhatta’s Kadambari is one of the best examples of a framed narrative in Sanskrit literature. The novel is famous for its story within a story technique, which makes the plot long, layered, and artistic.
- The Outer Frame – King Shudraka
The novel begins with King Shudraka, who meets a sage and listens to a story from him. This outer story sets the frame for the main narrative. - The Sage’s Story
The sage narrates the story of a parrot named Vaishampayana, who begins to speak in a human voice. The parrot then becomes a narrator himself. - The Inner Story – Chandrapida and Kadambari
Through the parrot’s narration, the reader is introduced to the central love story of Prince Chandrapida and Princess Kadambari. Their meeting, love, separation, and fate form the inner plot. - Further Sub-Stories
Within this inner story, Banabhatta also inserts the tale of Mahashveta and Pundarika, along with references to rebirths and past lives. These add more layers to the frame.
Advantages of the Frame
- It creates suspense and keeps the reader curious about how the stories will connect.
- It allows Banabhatta to include many sub-plots without losing unity.
- It shows the richness of Indian storytelling tradition, where stories flow naturally into other stories.
Conclusion: Thus, a framed narrative is a story-within-a-story technique, and Kadambari is one of the earliest and most artistic examples of it. Through the frames of King Shudraka, the sage, and the parrot Vaishampayana, Banabhatta presents a layered narrative where love, separation, and rebirth are beautifully connected. This technique makes Kadambari unique in world literature.
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