Q.- What is the literary device of framed narrative? Explain using the context of both Mahabharata and Kadambari.
Ans: A framed narrative (also called a frame story) is a literary device in which one story is set within another story. In this structure, an outer narrative introduces the main story (or several inner stories) told by one or more characters. The frame helps connect different events, times, or storytellers, making the work richer and more layered.
This device allows the writer to present multiple perspectives, create depth, and explore themes like time, memory, and storytelling itself.
Framed Narrative in the Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is a perfect example of a multi-layered framed narrative. It is not told directly by one narrator but through several layers of storytelling:
- Outer Frame – Ugrashrava Sauti’s narration:
The story begins with Sauti, a bard, narrating the epic to sages at Naimisha forest. - Middle Frame – Vaishampayana’s narration:
Sauti tells how Sage Vaishampayana recited the Mahabharata to King Janamejaya during his snake sacrifice. - Inner Frame – Vyasa’s creation:
Inside this, Vyasa, the author of the epic, narrates the story to his disciples, including Vaishampayana.
Through this layered structure, the Mahabharata becomes a story within a story within a story.
This technique serves several purposes:
- It preserves authenticity and tradition through oral transmission.
- It reflects the complexity of human experience and time.
- It allows different viewpoints — divine, human, and moral — to coexist.
Thus, the Mahabharata uses the framed narrative to weave together history, philosophy, mythology, and moral lessons, making it one of the most intricate narrative structures in world literature.
Framed Narrative in Kadambari
Kadambari by Banabhatta is another excellent example of the framed narrative technique in classical Sanskrit literature. Its structure is even more elaborate and circular.
- Outer Frame – Story of King Shudraka:
The novel begins with King Shudraka, who hears the story of a parrot named Vaishampayana. - Inner Frame – Story told by the parrot:
The parrot tells his previous life story as Chandrapida, the prince of Ujjayini, and his love for Kadambari. - Further inner layers:
Within Chandrapida’s story, other characters narrate their own tales, creating multiple levels of narration.
This complex frame gives Kadambari a dreamlike quality, mixing reality and illusion, past and present, and life and rebirth.
Conclusion
Both the Mahabharata and Kadambari use the framed narrative technique to enrich their storytelling.
- In the Mahabharata, it emphasizes oral tradition, moral complexity, and the continuity of dharma.
- In Kadambari, it creates a romantic and philosophical depth, exploring love, memory, and reincarnation.
Thus, the framed narrative serves as a powerful device that transforms these works into multi-dimensional masterpieces, blending different times, worlds, and emotions into one unified whole.
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