Shodhsamhita : Journal of Fundamental & Comparative Research

Vol. VIII, No. 1(XI) : 2022

ISSN: 2277-7067
PSYCHOLOGICAL BALANCE AND IMBALANCE IN SUDHIR KAKAR’S THE DEVIL
TAKE LOVE

N. JAYASURYA Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of English, Thiruvalluvar University

Serkkadu, Vellore – 632115
Dr. B. KATHIRESAN Professor & Head, Deparment of English, Thiruvalluvar University,
Serkkadu, Vellore – 632115

Abstract
This paper makes a concerted effort to examine Kakar’s The Devil Take Love from a
psychological aspect. It also looks at how Kakar developed a therapeutic style that integrates both
psychoanalysis and spirituality. It also tried to define the psychoanalytic perspective in the context of
Indian spiritual and cultural contours. Through his key characters, he has exposed the Indian man.
Kakar is unique in explaining the merging experience with the theoretical frame of self-psychology
and Hindu religious background. His approach is that of psycho-spiritual and psycho-cultural
assimilation. It is a new approach of Indian psycho-spiritual and psycho-cultural unifications with the
application of scientific theories and methods to spiritual practices. His The Devil Take Love
confirms the positive impact of spiritual therapies in the formation of the self.
Keywords: Self, Psychology, Culture, Spirituality, Psychoanalysis, Consciousness, Mind

Sudhir Kakar as a foremost psychoanalyst and novelist understands the real world beyond
the mere physical world and presents an accurate form to the truth of experiences of the humanity.
His scholarly writings are based on the experience of the interaction between Indian culture and
psychoanalysis. While integrating these two major streams of knowledge, he claims that culture
plays a major role in shaping one’s personality. He outlines the characters with the purpose of
finding the actuality which is concealed in the way of the outer world.
Kakar’s The Devil Take Love (2015) tells the story of a young man named Bhartrihari from
Jalandhar. As he arrives in the city of Ujjayini, others notice his incredible aptitude for penning
poems. His writings are about the manifestation of love as seen through the eyes of King Avanti, a
fictional character. The king’s life path is not very lovely or pleasant in this novel. In this story,
Kakar uses psychoanalytic terminology to illustrate the struggle between sexual passion and sensory
disappointment. He portrays the life of a monarch in seventh-century India fantastically with sensual
knowledge of love. In this novel, he as a psychologist exposes the poet’s mentality.
Kakar’s The Devil Take Love depicts the life in seventh-century cosmopolitan India with
keen insight and sinuous beauty, while entering the actual depths of a poet’s psyche and wonderfully
capturing his peculiar voice: impassioned, cynical, despairing, sad. In the novel, Kakar tells the story
of famed Sanskrit poet Bhartrihari, who oscillates between morality and sensuality throughout his
life.
The Devil Take Love is a detailed research work about Bhartrihari, arguably the best Sanskrit
poet of love, and is arrayed with his poetry on ‘Nitisataka’ (verses on worldly and court life),
‘Sringarasataka’ (verses on erotic life), and ‘Vairagyasataka’ (verses on erotic life). It is set in the
seventh-century city of Ujjayini and it verses on renunciation and spiritual life. Despite the fact that
it is a work of fiction, Kakar has put out a valiant effort to depict ancient life in cosmopolitan India’s
Ujjayini city, where Bhartrihari, the court poet in the Kingdom of Avanti, is thought to have lived.
The novel focuses on Bhartrihari’s poetry, as well as Sanskrit literature and manuscripts, as well as
the social, cultural, and urban life of the time. The poet’s renown increases at a breakneck pace, and
his success comes naturally. However, his own journey is not that easy: he oscillates between sexual
excitement and erotic disenchantment, the attraction of the senses versus the call of the soul.
Kakar’s novel is interlaced with specific descriptions of love-making even as it keeps to its
major theme - the lure of senses at odds with the call of spirit - despite the fact that he has written
extensively on cultural psychology and psychology of religion, both fiction and non-fiction.
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Shodhsamhita : Journal of Fundamental & Comparative Research
Vol. VIII, No. 1(XI) : 2022
ISSN: 2277-7067
Bhartrihari is a historical ghost, which is a novelist’s delight because biographical facts do not limit
the search for fictional truth while writing the story of his life.
Aspects of linguistics and grammar are linked to politics and history in The Devil Take Love;
elevated register poetry is married to modern prose; and stories of love, desire, ambition,
renunciation, and more unfold in a mosaic-like pastiche pattern. The protagonist begins the novel by
establishing his assertive presence.
I am Bhartrihari, the court poet of Avanti. My father … named me after the famed
grammarian (who he hugely admired), whose theory of sphota - of how the mind
orders units of language into coherent speech and meaning ... Which is ironic since,
like most poets, I have a deep dislike for grammarians. (1)
This hilariously obtuse declaration at the start is similar to a chess opening gambit in that it may be
both beneficial and harmful. It is a creative ruse, a novelistic risk Kakar makes right from the start, a
risk that is important to the novel’s overall plot. Bhartrihari admits in the First Chapter of novel that
“even when they called me a second Kalidasa, I knew that I could never have written a kavya like the
Meghadutam” (1). He believed himself “a miniaturist, a master of fragmentary verse, not an epicist
who can sustain poetic fervour through a long narrative poem” (2). As a result, it is natural that the
poetry referenced in this book is fragmented and sexual, like Sappho’s. The metaphors can appear
outdated and over-the-top, and the rhythm of the language utilised is elaborate and too lyrical:
your breasts are like the globes
on elephant foreheads -
a splendorous receptacle for pearls. (11)
Or here are other examples where “Ambika’s wetness trickled along my thighs as I slid into another
woman”; or “drinking the headiest wine the gods have made … the elixir of sexual self-discovery”;
(12) or even the verse by Govinda, the court poet of Kannauj:
As her amorous partner casts her garment aside,
feasting his eyes upon her nakedness,
her hands go first to between her thighs, then to her breasts,
then to her lover’s eyes. (33)
Because the peak of a sexual act or union is felt not merely in the lovers’ groynes, but between the
two ear lobes, in the mind’s “eye,” the “eyes” are vital.
The Devil Take Love is a bold fictional experiment set in a future where pornography is
mainstream and practically passé, where subtlety and the languorous poetic dance of the act of love-
making are completely gone, and where success and contentment are largely determined by
performance. All of these realities of a contemporary modern-day reader must be overcome by the
novelist, and Kakar’s accomplishment in doing so is a testament to his skill and devotion.
The Devil Take Love is filled with insights into poetics - in terms of both the mentality of the
moment and the universal emotion of creative expression - thanks to its protagonist, a poet. Kama
and kavya (poetry) are related. The primary goal of poetry is to earn popularity, which is fleeting.
But, if not profit, at least the pursuit of poetry provides some joy. Before a poem takes flight in
words, it is in that state of wholeness, its silence resonating with myriad voices. Despite the fact that
it is a work of fiction, Kakkar has put out a valiant effort to depict ancient life in cosmopolitan
India’s Ujjayini city, where Bhartrihari, the court poet in the Kingdom of Avanti, is thought to have
lived.
Sanskrit poetry is often thought to be impersonal. This is not the case with Bhartrihari. As he
bares his tensions between sexual excitement and sensuous disenchantment, between the appeal of
the senses and the call of the spirit, between his desire for money and recognition and a sense of
shame for harbouring such a desire, his distinctive voice comes through clearly. The Devil Take Love
is a refined achievement in that it describes the life of a poet in ancient India, explaining what it
might have been but no one knows for sure. It is a fun read with a great love tale thrown in for good
measure.

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Shodhsamhita : Journal of Fundamental & Comparative Research
Vol. VIII, No. 1(XI) : 2022
ISSN: 2277-7067
The Devil Take Love, like Kakar’s previous novels, returns to the themes of love, desire, and
renunciation in classical Indian literary, theological, and philosophical traditions in order to make
sense of its relevance and afterlife in modern India. Its dust jacket promises a captivating journey
back into the past, where “a great poet reflects on the journey of his life, and the never-ending
conflict between morality and desire” “under the shadow of imminent death, a great poet reflects on
the journey of his life, and the never-ending conflict between morality and desire” (97).
The Devil Take Love is a flashback-based game. It begins with a discouraged Bhartrihari
convinced that he only has a few more days of freedom, if not even life, before he is imprisoned
indefinitely, or worse, by royal decree. He feels compelled to write down his life-story, not only to
serve as a warning to others, or to prevent his detractors from seizing control of his story and
gleefully distorting it for posterity with slander and lies, but also to come to terms with his
impending downfall and disgrace without resorting to self-serving evasions. Bhartrihari, certain that
the only way to “reclaim my soul” is to “expose the sludge of my desires to the cleansing fire of
truth,” (121) begins writing an unvarnished account of his life up to the pivotal point at which the
novel begins. Bhartrihari’s childhood in provincial Jalandhar, his poetics schooling with the pedantic
Jagannatha, and his adolescent obsession with a teenage relative are all covered in the pages that
follow.
Bhartrihari’s great abilities as a poet are clear early on, and he sets off for Ujjayini to test his
luck. He swiftly attracts the attention of the sybaritic prince, Vikramsen, in Ujjayini by winning the
city’s annual poetry contest. Following the latter’s ascent to the throne, Bhartrihari becomes the court
poet laureate and a member of the hedonistic ruler of Ujjayini’s inner circle. For a few years,
Bhartrihari basks in the adoration of the court and indulges his carnal urges by cavorting with
courtesans and living lavishly. His enthusiasm for this way of life does not last, and his relationship
with the mercurial, voluptuous Vikramsen becomes strained over time. Meanwhile, one learns about
Bhartrihari’s philosophical transformation, his growing understanding of life’s ephemerality, his
middle-aged marriage to Anangasena, a ganika, and their slow breakdown due to adulterous
relationships with others.
Finally, the readers learn of Bhartrihari’s inappropriate behaviour with the king’s daughter
while he is tutoring with her. When the narrative begins, Bhartrihari thinks that this last incident will
mark his fate. The tale concludes with a lonely Bhartrihari slamming his paltry ambitions in rhyme
and prose, and morosely “awaiting death’s imminent call” (222). The Devil Take Love concerns with
the location and purpose of eros and morality, sometimes known as aesthetics and ethics, in life.
Among the characters in the novel are skilled poets, sensualist rulers, and attractive courtesans.
Shiva, “the erotic ascetic,” and Kama, the God of Love, Shiva crushed to cinders and subsequently
resurrected as Ananga, both rule over a busy cosmopolitan ancient metropolis. By all accounts, this
is a heady concoction that will spin a wickedly excellent yarn. Regrettably, the novel does not always
live up to its expectations.
On his study for The Devil Take Love, Kakar cannot be criticised. The story does an excellent
job of weaving historical truth and fiction together to paint a wide picture of the mores and customs
of a prosperous Ujjayini in ancient times. The Devil Take Love is a culturally thick text that rewards
attentive reading because of the attention to detail in the protagonist’s characterisation and the subtle
and not so subtle cross-referencing in the novel. Kakar’s desire to artistically rebuild Bhartrihari’s
historically elusive character and career is commendable. But that is the extent of the honours. In the
end, The Devil Take Love is not a page-turner. While the goal is big, the execution is mediocre.
The majority of the novel’s characters are underdeveloped, dull, and, more importantly,
unappealing. They play an important role in the novel because they provide an alibi for the
protagonist’s acts and pontifications. To the end, even Bhartrihari, the protagonist whose voice and
presence dominate the novel, is sadly predictable and stuffy. Kakar also commits the cardinal
mistake of “telling” rather than “showing” a lot of the time. This takes away a lot of the novel’s
dramatic force and emotional subtlety. The Devil Take Love, in the end, suffers from a lack of vigour
in terms of expression and imagination. Its vocabulary is clumsy, and the overall articulation is
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Shodhsamhita : Journal of Fundamental & Comparative Research
Vol. VIII, No. 1(XI) : 2022
ISSN: 2277-7067
uninteresting. This is a grave betrayal of what may have been.
Shame, and how it drives people to the outskirts of society, is one of Kakar’s primary
conceits in The Devil Take Love. Shame follows desire in this situation, as it does in so many others.
Bhartrihari was a Sanskrit love poet who was regarded as the greatest in the world even in his own
time. In the novel, he is born into a poor family in a provincial town, and after his father’s death, he
travels to Ujjayini, the great capital - “the city that was rarely called by its name but was simply ‘the
city’ to everyone in the land, the greatest nagar in the world” (12) - to pursue his dream of becoming
a famous poet.
Ujjayini was a thriving urban hamlet famed for its Shiva and Krishna temples, as well as
being a Buddhist and Jain religious centre and a gathering place for kama followers (desire).
Bharatrihari, a Jalandhar native, came to this cosmopolitan city in search of fame and fortune. By
conveying sensuality in his art, he gradually achieved both, but his efforts were undone when his
fixation with the erotic was replaced by disenchantment. He had not only reached the end of his
professional career, but he had also been cuckolded.
Bhartrihari, wide-eyed and awestruck by Ujjayini’s ways, embarks on a walking tour of the
old city, taking in its cosmopolitanism and spacious boulevards and street bazaars. He is in town for
the ancient equivalent of a literary festival, where a poetry competition will be place, we are told.
Kakar having a lot of fun recreating the ambiance of Ujjayini:
The festival of letters was spread over three pavilions in the inner section of the
palace where poets recited their latest kavyas, drama ensembles presented scenes from
works in progress, and learned teachers discussed the finer points of aesthetic
theories. (121)
Bhartrihari, who already has a developed literary sensibility and a large Sanskrit vocabulary,
outperforms the rest of the competitors at the competition. His talent with words propels him
forward; he quickly rises through the ranks of Ujjayini’s court poets, gains access to the dissolute
king’s inner circle, and devotes himself unreservedly to a life of pleasure. “Like a poem,” he says in
the novel, “a city, too, has its distinct essence, and the rasa of Ujjayini, distilled to a higher
concentration than anywhere else, is pleasure” (99).
According to Kakar, desire is a basic element that exists in all of creation, not just humans.
Earlier generations have recognised and celebrated it, especially during the classical period. Desire is
about the intense pleasure of sexual intercourse and climax, not just the physical underpinnings of
love. Unrequited or unsatisfied desire’s burning torments, sharp stabs of jealousy, and possessive
violence are as much a part of desire’s terrain as the unconscious illusions that fulfilling desire will
free me from the prison of a separate body, make one transcend the boundaries of the body and self
in union with another. Kama’s vision conveys not only the ultimate pleasure of the body, but also its
transcendence.
Love is the most fundamental experience of human life, and it is the primary determinant of
the human state, along with death. Love mixes physical desires with spiritual yearnings. Humans
have a tendency to segregate the two streams when people are influenced by either moralists or
hedonists, not recognising that both streams join to form a river. Even if the fiction is not written in
the first person, psychoanalysis and fiction narratives are written in the first person: how did the
person experience the events of his life, what were his feelings, recollections, and thoughts about the
future. First person perspective is far more speculative, yet it brings the historical person alive, as it
strives for emotional reality rather than historical veracity of a life. Kakar benefits from the
historian’s third-person perspective since it places some necessary limits on the novelist’s
unrestricted exercise of imagination and keeps him honest. Pornography combines the darkest sides
of desire: brutality, sadism, and a mindless rush of tidal surge in which the partner is nothing more
than a degraded body.
Kakar and his novel, The Devil Take Love, have influenced many other intellectuals from
backgrounds as psychoanalysis, psychology, cultural anthropology, psychiatry, religious studies and
education. He has influenced modern Indian psychoanalytical thoughts through the practice and
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Shodhsamhita : Journal of Fundamental & Comparative Research
Vol. VIII, No. 1(XI) : 2022
ISSN: 2277-7067
research in mythology, scriptural writings, Hinduism and ecstatic states. He sketches the characters
to find the fact which is concealed in the way of the outer world.
In Kakar’s The Devil Take Love, there is more consciousness in the characters direct
psychological balance within that character, whereas unconsciousness in characters disclose
psychological imbalances in characters. The characters with more awareness or consciousness about
mind have positive qualities like creativity, thoughtfulness, sensitivity, empathy, sublimation, efforts
for social welfare and more control on mind’s activity. The characters with the unawareness or
unconsciousness have negative qualities like thoughtlessness, destruction, selfishness, violence,
suppression or expression, obsessed by desires and controlled by mind. Different characters go
through different psychological behaviours. Sometimes Catharsis is useful in removing complexity
from the human mind and returning to normal position. Nature, music, individuality, meditation and
love are helpful aspects in increasing consciousness in human characters. Increased consciousness
solves many psychological problems in the characters in Kakar’s fiction.

References
Doniger, Wendy and Sudhir Kakar. Vatsyayana Kamasutra. Oxford University
Press, 2002.
Gill, Vineet. “The Stream of Consciousness: Sudhir Kakar and The Novel.”
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/artbeat/the-stream-ofconsciousness-
sudhir-kakar-and-the-novel.29th Aug 2015.
Holl, Adolf. “Adolf Holl in conversation with Sudhir Kakar.”
https://www.eurozine.com/on-the-indian-view-ofthings/, 18 September 2006.
Kakar, Sudhir. The Devil Take love. Penguin Books, 2015.
Kumar, Manasi. “In a bid to restate the Culture Psyche Problematic: Revisiting the
Essential Writings of Sudhir Kakar.” Psychoanalytic Quarterly Vol.74, 2005. pp. 561-87.
Narayanan, Amrita. “Ambivalent subjects: Psychoanalysis, Women’s Sexuality in
India and the Writings of Sudhir Kakar.” Psychodynamic Practice: Individuals, Groups and
Organizations Vol.20 No.3, 2014. pp.213-27.

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