The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chitra, by Rabindranath Tagore

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Title: Chitra
A Play in One Act

Author: Rabindranath Tagore

Posting Date: December 11, 2008 [EBook #2502]
Release Date: February, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHITRA ***

Produced by Elliot S. Wheeler

CHITRA

BY

RABINDRANATH TAGORE

A PLAY IN ONE ACT

New York
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1926

All rights reserved

Copyright 1914

by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

Set up and electrotyped Published February, 1914
Reprinted March, twice, June, 1914; October, 1914;
February, June, 1915; March, October, 1916; March, 1917;
December, 1926.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY

THE BERWICK & SMITH CO.

TO

MRS. WILLIAM VAUGHN MOODY

PREFACE

THIS lyrical drama was written about twenty-five years ago. It is based
on the following story from the Mahabharata.

In the course of his wanderings, in fulfilment of a vow of penance,
Arjuna came to Manipur. There he saw Chitrangada, the beautiful
daughter of Chitravahana, the king of the country. Smitten with her
charms, he asked the king for the hand of his daughter in marriage.
Chitravahana asked him who he was, and learning that he was Arjuna the
Pandara, told him that Prabhanjana, one of his ancestors in the kingly
line of Manipur, had long been childless. In order to obtain an heir,
he performed severe penances. Pleased with these austerities, the god
Shiva gave him this boon, that he and his successors should each have
one child. It so happened that the promised child had invariably been a
son. He, Chitravahana, was the first to have only a daughter
Chitrangada to perpetuate the race. He had, therefore, always treated
her as a son a