Exploring the Dichotomy of the Self and the Non-self: A Vedantic Study of Raja Rao's The Serpent and The Rope

The present research article critically analyses Raja Rao's novel The Serpent and the Rope in the light of Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic sub-school of Vedanta in the Hindu philosophical tradition, which insists that the transient individual self is identical to the eternal Absolute self which, in turn, is the essence of existence. The true nature of existence is sat-chit-ananda or truth, consciousness and bliss. The Serpent and the Rope, published in 1960, narrates the story of Ramaswamy, a young South Indian Brahmin who pursues his doctoral studies in France on the history of the Albigensian heresy. While in France, Ramaswamy marries Madeleine Roussellin, a French lecturer specialising in history. However, the marriage falls apart due to Ramaswamy's infidelity and a lack of understanding between the two. The cause of their incompatibility is not solely the presence of psychological disparities but rather their diametrically opposite cultural sensibilities. The narrative reveals multiple meanings as the reader is left reflecting and introspecting. This research article contributes to the existing scholarship on Raja Rao's The Serpent and the Rope by contextualising the novel within the philosophical framework of the Advaita Vedanta, a school of ancient Indian philosophy. By doing so, this study illuminates how the novel comments on complex philosophical ideas such as the nature of reality and the nature of self, alongside re-evaluating societal norms that perpetuate differences within the culture. The research also attempts a nuanced, comprehensive understanding of the novel's significance as a work of literature as well as philosophical treatise.