Selected “Curse Motif” Stories from Indian Literature

Indian tales have an important role both in Indian literature and world literature. This geographic area has a huge tale accumulation, which enables us to have knowledge about their culture and way of life. The curse motif tales which we examine in this study are literally selected from an ocean of tales, and they led us to become acquainted with Indian culture in a socio-cultural way. In this work, the notion of curse is studied in the light of Indian literary works (Râmãyana, Mahābhārata, Skanda Purāṇa, Padma Purāṇa, Vishṇu Purāṇa, Vamanā Purāṇa, Kathāsaritsāgara, and Şakuntalā) under related titles such as “Curse from Gods, Brahmans, Mythological Creature and Ordinary People”. In the stories, which are analysed in relation to their topics, it is generally seen that the person was cursed, which was conisdered a form of punishment for reasons similar to those mentioned in the above topics. For example, in the stories which are about the curse of Brahmans, it is understood that the curse of Brahmans was a result of a disrespectful behavior towards themselves. Many other examples of this theme of “disrespectful” conduct can be seen in Indian literature