IKS in English Classroom: Waiting for Godot through the Lens of Gita

This research adapts Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot into the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) framework, specifically using the Bhagavad Gita to analyze the "Theatre of the Absurd."

The Eternal Wait in the Wheel of Samsara: A Gita Reading of Beckett

Introduction: Bridging Two Worlds

The image is iconic: a country road, a tree, and two men in bowler hats. For decades, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot has been the quintessential symbol of Western existentialism a bleak portrait of a universe without meaning, often read through the grim lenses of Camus or Sartre. However, if we shift our gaze from the streets of Paris to the battlefield of Kurukshetra, a new dimension emerges.

By applying the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) specifically the philosophical framework of the Bhagavad Gita we can reinterpret the tramps' despair not just as "modern boredom," but as a profound failure to navigate the laws of Karma (Action), Maya (Illusion), and Kala (Time).

AI-Generated Image- Description: A surrealist landscape where Vladimir and Estragon sit beneath a tree that resembles the Ashvattha (sacred fig), while the faint, cosmic silhouette of a chariot and a divine guide (Krishna) looms in the twilight sky.

Section A: Conceptual Warm-Up

1. Arjuna’s Vishada vs. the Tramps' Crisis In the Gita, Arjuna falls into Vishada a soul-crushing despair and psychological collapse on the battlefield. Similarly, Vladimir and Estragon live in a permanent state of existential angst, suffering from "guilt-laden depression" and "inaction". While Arjuna’s crisis is resolved through Krishna’s guidance, the tramps remain stuck in their despair because they lack the spiritual knowledge to move forward.

2. Absence of Karma in the Play Krishna teaches Nishkama Karma acting without being attached to the results. Beckett portrays the "failure of karma" because his characters are completely obsessed with the "fruit" of their action: the arrival of Godot. Because they only act in hope of a specific result, they are paralyzed and unable to find peace in the present moment, turning their life into a "fruitless plot".

3. Cyclical Time (Kala) in the Play The Gita views Kala (Time) as cyclical and eternal. Two moments in the play reflect this:

• Structural Repetition: Act II almost exactly repeats the events of Act I, showing an endless loop where nothing truly changes.

• The Tree: The tree grows a few leaves between the acts, yet the characters are trapped in a "perpetual present" where they forget the past and repeat the same mistakes daily.

Section B: Guided Close Reading

Godot as an "Expectation"

If Godot is viewed as an "expectation" rather than a person, the title Waiting for Godot describes a state of mind rather than a physical act. Through the IKS lens, Godot can be compared to Asha (Hope/Desire) or Maya (Illusion).

Comparing Godot to Maya suggests that the tramps are deluded by the material world's energy, which hides the true nature of reality. They believe that an external force (Godot) will save them, which is a classic symptom of identifying with the "body" rather than the "soul". This "expectation" is a veil that prevents them from reaching Atma-Gyan (Self-Knowledge). Instead of finding the "knower of the field" within themselves, they look for salvation in a mysterious figure who "does nothing". By waiting for "Asha," they ensure their own continued suffering in the cycle of Samsara, as they are slaves to a future result that never arrives.

Section C: Comparative Thinking Table

Concept in Bhagavad Gita	Explanation	Parallel in Waiting for Godot
Karma	The law of action and consequence.	Actions (like checking boots) lead to no progress or change.
Nishkama Karma	Action without attachment to results.	Missing; the characters are paralyzed because they wait for a specific reward.
Maya	The veil of illusion masking reality.	The belief that Godot will "save" them is a false hope that hides their void.
Kala	Cyclical, eternal time.	The repetitive daily loop where today is exactly like yesterday.
Moksha	Liberation from the cycle of suffering.	They consider suicide ("the rope") as an exit but never follow through.

Section D: Creative-Critical Task (Dialogue Writing)

Krishna Explaining "The Wait" to Arjuna (MA English Student)

Arjuna: "Krishna, I am reading about these two men, Vladimir and Estragon. They stay by a bare tree for an eternity. Is their waiting not a form of Tapas (austerity) or devotion?"

Krishna: "No, Arjuna. Do not confuse stagnation with devotion. Devotion is the alignment of the soul with the Eternal. These men do not wait out of love; they wait out of fear and a hunger for a result (Phala). They are in a state of Tamas the darkness of ignorance. They have forgotten that the Master they seek is not coming from the road, but resides within the 'knower of the field'."

Arjuna: "But they say they have a 'binding' with Godot. Is that not their Dharma?"

Krishna: "Their binding is with Maya (Illusion). They have made a mirage their master. He who waits for meaning to be delivered from the outside will wait until the end of the Kalpa (age). True meaning is created through right action - Nishkama Karma - not through the passive passing of time. They are like the man who sits by a dry riverbed waiting for a flood instead of digging a well."

Arjuna: "So, their absurdity is simply their refusal to act?"

Krishna: "Exactly. They say 'Let’s go,' but 'They do not move'. Their paralysis is the result of identifying only with their physical suffering their boots and their bladders rather than their eternal nature. To be free, they must drop the expectation of Godot and perform their duty in the present moment."

Section E: Critical Reflection (Metacognition)

How does using Indian Knowledge Systems change your reading of a Western modernist text?

Using IKS to read Beckett changes the play from a story about "nothingness" to a story about "forgotten selfhood." In Western existentialism, the void is often seen as final and hopeless. However, through the Gita, the "Absurd" is reinterpreted as the natural consequence of living without Dharma or Nishkama Karma.

This lens provides a "vocabulary for suffering" that Western modernism lacks. Instead of seeing the tramps as victims of a cruel universe, we see them as souls caught in Samsara because of their own attachments to Maya. Reading through IKS decolonizes the classroom by showing that our ancient philosophical traditions can provide a "cure" for modern despair. It suggests that the "Eternal Wait" is not an inescapable fate, but a choice made by those who have not yet realized their internal divinity.

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Academic Integrity & AI Disclosure:

This content was developed with the assistance of AI to structure the comparative table and generate the conceptual dialogue in Section D. The IKS integrations are based on classroom study of the Bhagavad Gita and Samuel Beckett’s text.