The Disowned Son: Ghatotkacha as the Pandava Shadow in Anand Neelakantan's Ajaya

Author(s)	Ms. Nanthini S, Dr. Jhansi N
Country	India
Abstract	Ghatotkacha, son of Bhima and forest woman Hidimbi, saves Arjuna’s life at Kurukshetra and gets little grief in exchange. This research investigates his representation in Anand Neelakantan’s Ajaya: Roll of the Dice (2013) and Ajaya: Rise of Kali (2015) through Carl Gustav Jung’s concept of shadow. The shadow is for Jung the traits a self refuses to acknowledge, and hence represses, and projects on others, and recalls when its energy is needed. The paper contends that Ghatotkacha is the shadow of the Pandava dynasty, and especially of Bhima. The study, based on an incident-based reading of six events, follows the Pandavas as they leave this shadow in the forest, name it Rakshasa, invoke its force in war and let it be sacrificed. The difference between the lamented Abhimanyu and the hardly lamented Ghatotkacha depicts a dynasty that mourns its persona and neglects its shadow. Ajaya, by challenging the winners' account and Krishna's stratagem, partially reveals the disowned son. Suyodhana remains at the center of the narrative, therefore the integration is still imperfect. The paper concludes by comparing this collective shadow to India's forest
Keywords	Ghatotkacha, Ajaya, Anand Neelakantan, Carl Jung, shadow archetype
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 6, November-December 2026
Published On	2026-11-05

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research