Waiting for Godot through the Bhagavad Gita: An IKS-Based Reading of Absurdism

Waiting, Hope, and Meaning: An IKS Perspective on Waiting for Godot

This blog is written as part of a Thinking Activity Task assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad sir. In this activity, we carefully studied a worksheet shared in Google Classroom that integrates Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) with Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, particularly through the philosophical lens of the Bhagavad Gita. The task required us to engage in conceptual analysis, comparative thinking, close reading, and creative–critical reflection by applying ideas such as karma, maya, kala, and existential crisis to the play. Here is the link to the professor's Blog for background reading:

click here

 

Section A: Conceptual Warm-Up (Short Answers)

1. In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna experiences vishada (existential crisis). Briefly explain how Vladimir and Estragon experience a similar crisis in Waiting for Godot.

 Like Arjuna’s vishada in the Bhagavad Gita, Vladimir and Estragon suffer an existential crisis marked by uncertainty, fear, and paralysis. They do not know their purpose, why they are waiting, or whether Godot will come. Their confusion, repetitive questioning, and dependence on hope mirror Arjuna’s despair before moral and existential meaning is clarified.

2. Krishna emphasises karma (action) without attachment to results.How does Beckett portray the absence or failure of karma in the play?

Krishna teaches action without attachment to results, but Beckett portrays a world where meaningful action fails altogether. Vladimir and Estragon attempt actions leaving, thinking, helping but never complete them. Their karma is suspended; actions lead to no transformation or resolution. This failure of purposeful action highlights modern existential stagnation and contrasts sharply with the Gita’s call to disciplined action.

3. The Gita presents time (Kala) as cyclical and eternal.Identify two moments in Waiting for Godot that reflect cyclical time.

Cyclical time appears clearly in two moments: first, the repetition of Acts I and II, where events recur with minimal change, suggesting eternal return. Second, the Boy’s repeated message that Godot will come “tomorrow” reinforces a loop of endless waiting. Time moves forward yet remains unchanged, reflecting cyclical and stagnant temporality.

Section B: Guided Close Reading (Text + IKS)

Read the following idea carefully:

“Godot is not a character but an expectation.”

Answer the questions below:

1. How does this idea change your understanding of the title Waiting for

Godot?

1. How does the idea “Godot is not a character but an expectation” change the understanding of the title Waiting for Godot?

When Godot is understood not as a real character but as an expectation, the title Waiting for Godot acquires a profound philosophical meaning. The focus shifts from who is being waited for to why waiting dominates life. The title no longer suggests a simple delay before an arrival; instead, it symbolizes a human condition marked by uncertainty, hope, and postponement. Vladimir and Estragon are not merely waiting for Godot but for meaning, direction, and change in their otherwise empty existence.

This interpretation reveals waiting as a substitute for action. By believing that Godot’s arrival will resolve their problems, the characters avoid making decisions or taking responsibility in the present. The title thus reflects existential paralysis, where life is suspended between expectation and fear. It mirrors modern humanity’s tendency to rely on future promises—success, salvation, or answers—rather than confronting reality. The endless waiting highlights the absurdity of existence, where hope sustains life but also traps individuals in inaction. Therefore, Waiting for Godot becomes a metaphor for human life spent anticipating fulfillment that never arrives.

Q | 2. Compare Godot with any one concept from the Bhagavad Gita:

o Maya (illusion)

o Phala (fruit of action)

o Asha (hope/desire)

o Ishvara (idea of God)

Comparison between Waiting for Godot and the Concept of Asha (Hope/Desire) from the Bhagavad Gita

Godot can be meaningfully compared to the concept of Maya in the Bhagavad Gita. Maya refers to illusion—the false perception that prevents individuals from seeing reality as it truly is. In the Gita, Maya binds human beings to ignorance, suffering, and attachment by creating deceptive hopes and expectations. Similarly, Godot functions as an illusion that governs the lives of Vladimir and Estragon. They believe that Godot’s arrival will transform their existence, yet this belief has no evidence and never materializes.

Like Maya, Godot diverts attention away from the present moment. Instead of acting or understanding their condition, the characters remain trapped in anticipation. Their faith in Godot prevents self-awareness and meaningful action, just as Maya prevents spiritual realization in the Gita. Krishna teaches that liberation comes through recognizing Maya and performing action with detachment. Beckett, however, presents a bleaker vision: his characters fail to recognize the illusion and remain bound by it. Godot, therefore, symbolizes the power of illusion in modern life—an imagined solution that sustains hope while perpetuating endless suffering and stagnation.

Section C: Comparative Thinking (IKS + Absurdism)

Complete the table below: 

Concept in Bhagavad Gita Explanation Parallel in Waiting for Godot 

• Karma (Action) 
• Nishkama 
• Karma 
• Maya
• Kala (Time) 
• Moksha / Liberation

Concept in Bhagavad Gita	Explanation (Gita Context)	Parallel in Waiting for Godot
Karma (Action)	Karma refers to purposeful action as a duty necessary for maintaining order and meaning in life. Action is essential even in uncertainty.	Vladimir and Estragon fail to act meaningfully. Though they talk about leaving or doing something, they remain inactive, highlighting the collapse of purposeful action.
Nishkama Karma (Selfless Action)	Krishna advises acting without attachment to results (phala). Peace comes when action is performed freely, without expectation of reward.	The tramps are deeply attached to the outcome Godot’s arrival. Their waiting is not detached endurance but anxious dependence. Unlike nishkama karma, their expectation binds them instead of freeing them.
Maya (Illusion)	Maya is the illusion that makes the temporary world seem permanent and meaningful. It hides ultimate truth and creates confusion about reality.	The uncertain memory, repetitive dialogue, and Godot’s perpetual absence create an atmosphere of illusion. Godot himself becomes a symbol of imagined hope an illusion that sustains yet deceives the characters.
Kala (Time)	The Gita presents time as cyclical and eternal, moving in recurring patterns beyond human control.	The two acts mirror each other almost exactly same place, same waiting, same uncertainty. This circular structure reflects cyclical time, where existence repeats without real progress.
Moksha (Liberation)	Moksha is liberation from attachment, illusion, and the cycle of suffering. It comes through self-realization and detachment from desire.	Vladimir and Estragon express a desire to leave but never move. Their attachment to Godot prevents liberation. Instead of achieving moksha, they remain trapped in endless existential waiting.

Section D: Creative–Critical Task  (IKS Integration)

Option A (Dialogue Writing):

Write a short dialogue (300–400 words) where Krishna explains one key aspect of Waiting for Godot (waiting, hope, time, or meaninglessness) to Arjuna as an MA English student

Final Dialogue: Krishna Explains the Meaning of Waiting, Time, and Existence in Waiting for Godot

Arjuna: O Krishna, as a student of literature, I struggle to understand Waiting for Godot. Why do Vladimir and Estragon keep waiting when nothing changes? Is their waiting meaningful?

Krishna: Arjuna, your question arises from the same confusion that troubles the modern mind. In Waiting for Godot, waiting is not for a person alone; it is for meaning, certainty, and salvation. Vladimir and Estragon wait because they fear action without assurance. Their waiting replaces living.

Arjuna: But they believe Godot will come. Is hope not necessary for life?

Krishna: Hope sustains life, Arjuna, but blind hope binds it. Their hope is attachment. In my teaching, action must be performed without clinging to results. The two men refuse action because they expect Godot to give their lives purpose. Thus, hope becomes a chain, not a guide.

Arjuna: Then what about time in the play? Everything repeats. It feels as if time does not move forward.

Krishna: You observe well. Beckett presents time as circular and stagnant. Each day resembles the last, just as a soul trapped in ignorance repeats the same suffering. When one fails to act with awareness, time becomes a prison. Without insight, tomorrow is only a repetition of today.

Arjuna: Is this why the play feels meaningless and empty?

Krishna: Yes. Meaninglessness arises when life is postponed. Vladimir and Estragon surrender their present to an imagined future. They do not recognize that meaning is created through conscious action, not awaited as a gift. Their world lacks purpose because they refuse responsibility.

Arjuna: So, are they lost souls?

Krishna: They are human souls, Arjuna—reflecting modern humanity. Beckett shows what happens when individuals abandon duty, clarity, and self-knowledge. Unlike my teaching, no guiding wisdom appears on their path. Therefore, they remain trapped in waiting.

Arjuna: Then what lesson should I, as a reader, take from Waiting for Godot?

Krishna: Learn this: do not surrender your life to endless expectation. Act with awareness in the present. Where there is right action, time flows meaningfully, hope becomes strength, and existence regains purpose. Beckett shows the absence of this wisdom—so that you may recognize its necessity.

Arjuna: I understand now, O Krishna. Waiting for Godot is not about waiting—it is about forgetting how to live.

Section E : Critical Reflection ( Metacognition )

2. Do you think Absurdism becomes more meaningful or more challenging when read through the Bhagavad Gita? Why?

Reading Absurdism through the Bhagavad Gita makes it both more meaningful and more challenging. It becomes more meaningful because the Gita provides a philosophical framework that helps interpret the silence, waiting, and inaction in absurd texts like Waiting for Godot. Concepts such as karma, Maya, and attachment allow readers to see the characters’ suffering not as random chaos but as the result of illusion, fear of action, and attachment to outcomes. The Gita helps us understand why Vladimir and Estragon remain trapped: they lack self-knowledge and purposeful action.

At the same time, Absurdism becomes more challenging through this lens because the Gita ultimately offers solutions detachment, right action, and liberation whereas Absurdist literature deliberately refuses resolution. Beckett presents a world without Krishna-like guidance, where no divine voice intervenes to clarify meaning. When read alongside the Gita, the absence of wisdom, direction, and moksha in Waiting for Godot feels more striking and painful. The play seems to show what human life looks like when spiritual frameworks collapse.

Thus, the Gita does not simplify Absurdism; instead, it deepens it. It highlights the contrast between a worldview that promises liberation and one that insists on uncertainty and repetition. Reading Absurdism through the Gita sharpens our awareness of modern existential loss and makes the suffering of absurd characters more intelligible, yet more tragic. The dialogue between the two traditions enriches interpretation without reducing their differences.

reference :

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400607958_UNDERSTANDING_'WAITING_FOR_GODOT'_THROUGH_THE_BHAGAVAD_GITA

https://www.faber.co.uk/journal/waiting-for-godot-an-analysis/?srsltid=AfmBOoqgsx70fBEvoRMdrqYGohgESVDXEM6EMVF8Jn0O3ml2_6xGrADV

https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/engp04/chapter/samuel-beckett-waiting-for-godot/