Act IV

In this act, the providers of the gods and animals exchange places. They meet the other kind and believe they have found their destiny. Kali and Kapalika are now passionate lovers.

Act IV

(The stage remains exactly the same, except for Kali and Kapalika. Kapalika is at Kali’s knees, gazing up at her face like a lover. Kali gently caresses his hair as she speaks to him passionately.)

Kali: And as fate would have it…the two lovers…

Kapalika: Oh, they are lovers already? You never told me that…

Kali: Well, can’t you see it for yourself 

(turns her face away coyly and then resumes again)

The two lovers, each went to the other side.

Kapalika: The beast amongst the Gods and the God amongst the beasts, eh? 

(he smiles flirtatiously and draws close to her face. Then whispers in her ears, almost kissing them.) 

I like that.

Kali: Oh hush! Not now…they are all watching!

Kapalika: Let them! What rules do you speak, when passion is at its peak!

(They kiss.)

Kali: Oh you cunning master of words. Shall we get on with the story now?

Kapalika: Of course of course. Although I think our story is getting on very well as well…

Kali (pushing him firmly away as he draws close again): First, the God went amidst the beasts.

(Kali and Kapalika freeze, with him trying to draw close to her and she holding him at away by her arm. The beasts unfreeze. They continue their surprised expressions from the previous act and then act like they are arguing confusedly. Then suddenly, unannounced Agni walks in, in a dream, singing to himself.)

Agni:

Everywhere I go

I drink thy golden glow

And yet thou moveth not

And yet thou loveth not

 

With every sight I see

I see thy beauty free

Yet blind are thy eyes

Thou who art so wise

 

With every breath I take

A song for thee I make

Yet deaf thou art my dear

Or have thee got no ear?

 

With every gesture made

Through thy thoughts I wade

Yet thou feeleth not

Or hast thou got no heart?

Come to me, my soul!

Come and make me whole!

Come to me, my soul!

Come and make me whole!

 

(The beasts look amazed as he sings. Brief silence. Elephant has his eyes closed and looks in perfect peace. Swan takes her hands off the log totally. Hare raises his arms to the sky in rapture. Horse looks around with kind eyes. Then they all snap out of it and become themselves.)

 

Horse: Not bad! Not bad at all! Although I am not sure if the meter and rhyme was perfect in the second stanza.

 

Elephant: Great! One singer leaves and another comes to disturb my peace!

 

Hare: Personally, I think all the deafness, blindness and lameness of the song comes from not propitiating Mercury before composing it.

 

Swan: And what is all this about calling and making yourself whole? If you don’t desire anything, you automatically become whole.

 

Agni (taken aback by the flurry of comments): Aren’t you people supposed to first ask who I am?

 

Butterfly (bursting on to the stage): Here I am! You called and I came!

 

(When Butterfly enters thus, all the beasts turn to look at her. Kali and Kapalika unfreeze briefly and laugh at some secret joke of theirs before freezing. Then the beasts quickly put aside their crows and put on their animal insignia " the trunk, the nose, the tails, the ears and so on.  They all assume their God expressions " Horse becomes shifty leaving his sneer, Elephant relaxes position, Swan begins chewing her empty mouth, Hare starts mumbling incoherently.  From this point, in this act, Agni and Butterfly will talk in turns with the Gods/Beasts responding. Whenever they respond to the Butterfly, they put on their God character and whenever they respond to Agni they put on their Beast character.  When they do not speak, they lay aside both their insignias.

 

If the parts of beasts and Gods are played by different actors, then the Gods walk into the scene immediately after Butterfly enters.  In this case, Butterfly stands at the center of one circle formed by the Gods and Agni stands at the center of another circle formed by the Beasts.

 

Agni and Butterfly remain ignorant of each other. But both mirror each other’s expressions.)

 

Surya: Who are you, O stranger?

 

Agni  (in a powerful voice): I am Agni, the provider of Gods.

 

Butterfly (in a dreamy voice): The hunter of nectar.

 

Agni: The devourer of hunger.

 

Buttefly: Messenger of flowers.

 

Agni: Messenger of the skies.

 

Butterfly: Seeker of love…

 

Agni: Seeker of truth.

 

Horse: Ah, if it is truth you seek, you have come to the right place! For I have read many a book on truth and know all the lofty philosophies that lead to it!

 

Elephant: And experienced nothing of it. You must seek truth through the path of silence and stillness. In penance like me.

 

Soma: Oh, you have to be drunk, drunk senseless to be in love.

 

Indra (amorously): Oh, heed not that fool. Come to me and I shall show you what love is.

 

Saraswati: Hush you uncouth men. Come and sit here my child. I see you have travelled long and far. Are you by any chance the bamboo’s illegitimate daughter? I know he had an affair with the river reeds once…

 

Agni: What a notion! Spending a month as a corpse!

 

Hare: Well, that’s what the scriptures say you must do if the sun and the moon are in the 10^th house and in the declining phase. ‘Recline when the duo decline’ the scriptures say.

 

Agni (in awe): You mean, you know the art of reading stars? Will you teach me?

 

Hare (proudly): It is a difficult art, reading the stars. You need to prepare charts, observe them for hours together…but if you prove a worthy people, I surely will!

 

Swan: Oh what is the point in looking into stars and suns and earth…when the truth you seek is in you? Why hold on to all these external things?

 

Agni: Oh! Are you a follower of the principle of detachment?

 

Indra: I  am. It is with these very same hands that I slew the serpent. He put up a fight that old monster. But he was no match for me!

 

Surya: Oh, from where I saw it Indra, it looked more like you were just lucky to get the serpent stuck amongst the marshes!

 

Butterfly: Oh, you saw that battle?

 

Surya: Of course, I saw it. I see everything. 

(leers at the Butterfly vulgarly)

 

Soma: That’sh right. He shees everything. She shpeaks everything. I drink everything…. It’s all the same wine. All drunk! 

(hiccoughs and falls)

 

Surya: He finally speaks a true word. That we all are. Drunk and content.

 

Saraswati: Except for Indra. He is never content with his women! So beware or else he will drink nectar even from you, the Butterfly! 

(They all laugh.)

 

Butterfly: Such laughter! Such happiness! Content like the free beasts!

 

Agni: Such wisdom! Such knowledge! You are so wonderful! I wish I could learn all of that! I could be…a God then!

 

(Kali and Kapalika unfreeze and proceed to share a deep passionate kiss.)

 

Elephant: Well, we do need someone to get us our food…

 

Butterfly: Oh, I can do that. I always hunted food for my old friends.

 

Surya: Then we will definitely share the secrets of the jungle with you.

 

Horse: Then we will definitely share the secrets of our knowledge with you.

 

Agni: Oh blessed am I! Glory is mine! Here I go to hunt for life again!

 

Butterfly: Oh blessed am I! Happiness is mine! Here I go, to hunt for nectar again!

 

(They both run in opposite directions eagerly. Kapalika suddenly breaks free from Kali’s kiss and shakes his head, as if he has drunk too hard. Kali smiles, the smile of a woman who has got her man in her thrall.)

 

Kapalika: That was…that was…heady! I feel dizzy!

 

Kali (laughing): Dizzy…with just this?

 

Kapalika: Well, it was unexpected…and so much…so soon. I could hardly understand what happened.

 

Kali (laughs): If this dazes you… (turns away coyly)

 

Kapalika: Oh, there is more?

 

Kali: Of course. There is the main act, the buildup of the crescendo…and then of course…the grand finale, the climax. 

(laughs coyly as the Kapalika draws close to her.)