Context plays a vital role when we attempt a serious study of a piece of literature. Girish Karnad's well-known play Hayavadana requires us to pay close attention to its context and the current scenario if we truly wish to probe the psyche of a main character like Padmini. Although the play's roots lie beneath the soil of ancient myths and legends, its relevance is still felt today in terms of the dichotomy between body and mind in which we are often caught. In India, the roots of spirituality are deeply embedded in the essence of humanity in general. Even if our body desires something, the soul would deny it. However, it is the power of discrimination that wins! The main plot of the play Hayavadana is based on the “story of the transported heads” in Sanskrit Vetala Panchavimsati. What adds charm to the play is Karnad's very treatment of the ancient theme and hence what we see are the realistic characters that we come across in our daily lives. The central character Padmini undergoes the same pangs of life and the same confusion when it comes to making a choice. She is torn between the two choices in terms of Kapila and Devadutta, one is physically strong while the other is rationally superior. As she is flesh and blood, she desires to have both, but this is not possible due to social constraints. She can't marry both but fate does a miracle for her. At first she feels triumphant over her wish, but later she gets the good impression from nature that humans are mere puppets acting according to the tunes of nature. Devadutta is an attractive young Brahmin with a beauty of mind. He falls in love with a peerless and witty girl named Padmini. Being a songsmith, Kapila has a wonderful physique... middle of paper ......f performing sati. As a modern emancipated woman, Padmini's plight is worth mentioning in the current context. She aspires to the intellectual power of Devadutta as well as the physical power of Kapila. She has the opportunity to have both, but ultimately her triumph turns to failure over time. Since human beings are incomplete, most of their desires go unfulfilled. Like Savitri in Mohan Rakesh's Halfway House, Padmini wishes to be faithful to her husband but cannot resist the temptation of another man's physical beauty. However, there is a feeling of repentance in her and this leads her to the idea of ​​playing sati, like a typical Indian woman, at the end of the play.Works Cited1. Karnad, Girish. Hayavadana. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1975.2. Rakesh, Mohan. Halfway House (Trans. Bindu Batra) Delhi: Worldview Publications, 2001.