Devdas’s destructive drinking

Devdas’s destructive drinking is a recurring act of self-harm that deepens the distance between him and the people who care for him. Its return is marked not by a declared resolve but by a drink taken after a long interval, followed later by nights away from home and a collapse that others must confront.

Emotional Context

In Lahore, Devdas’s thoughts alternate between Parvati Chakravarty and Chandramukhi, who seem in his mind to preside over his heart in turn. At times he imagines them side by side as close friends; at other moments, the thought that both have fallen asleep leaves him feeling bereft. The pattern makes his drinking part of a wider emotional withdrawal: Parvati Chakravarty has, in his perception, gone to sleep where he is concerned, while Chandramukhi remains vivid to him as loving and composed.

The Return to Drink

After a long time without liquor, Devdas drinks again. He remembers that Chandramukhi had forbidden him to drink, and the recollection of her does not prevent the act. The contrast is central to the episode: he can recognize her care and still return to the behavior she opposed. Parvati Chakravarty, by contrast, appears to him only intermittently, like a lamp wick about to go out, while Chandramukhi’s presence in his thoughts remains bright and calm.

Secrecy, Absence, and Collapse

Devdas’s drinking follows a concealed routine. He usually does not drink at home, except when Chunilal visits; otherwise, he goes out, returns late, and sometimes does not come home at all. When he has been missing for two days, Dharmadas weeps and refuses food and drink. Devdas returns on the third day with a burning fever, lies down, and cannot get up again. Three or four doctors attend him. The scene places the consequences of his drinking alongside his physical decline without reducing every symptom to alcohol: the narrative has also noted that the climate does not suit him, that he often falls ill, and that his stomach frequently aches.

Refusal of Family Intervention

As Dharmadas proposes writing to Devdas’s mother in Varanasi, Devdas hastily stops him, asking how he could face her in his present condition. His response turns illness into another occasion for concealment: even when he can no longer rise and doctors are attending him, he resists bringing his mother into the situation. The drinking thus carries consequences beyond bodily harm, sustaining a pattern in which care is near at hand but Devdas makes himself difficult to reach.