Being Draupadi - Thoughts On Women's Day

March 17, 2012
Was it a coincidence or was it destined that I would be finishing reading this book (yes, it takes me a around two months to finish a book) around International Women's Day? I don't know but  there is a rush of power flowing in my blood as i  flip cautiously through the crisp pages of the book "The Palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  If I put it simply for you, which i am tempted not to do, I would say that this book is an interpretation of Mahabharata through the eyes of "Draupadi".

We all have grown up on the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata, and the countless repetitions, the convincing tones of our grand parents, the supplementary reading books in schools of these epics, and the live characters shown on TV serials made on these stories make us believe deeply that these were real. Were they?  After reading the book, i am getting convinced they were.

All this time I was waiting to finish the book, to be able to write about it. I was burning since the time Draupadi is  insulted and humiliated in Court of Hastinapur.  I was livid on her husbands' silence.  I too wanted an answer as to what kept everybody quiet? But I pulled along with the woman with five husbands, as she moves ahead in her life, but i burnt in anger, grinding my teeth as i read the name of  'Yudhisthir' again and again in the book. 

 But, i can't believe where my anger has dissolved suddenly, as i finish the book.  As i closed the hard bound cover, i also covered my eyes preventing them to lose the sight, the solace, the peace and the contentment I have got.... just as Draupadi might have felt before dying. As she lay bruised, hurt, frozen, numbed by cold of the snow on the way to Mahaprasthan, she has amongst all the questions this one question which haunted her all her life "Why did Bheeshma not stop Duryodhan from robing her modesty in full view of his royal court?" And Krishna, her friend for life, omnipresent, (he had already died by then, simply put) says :

 " Bheesma thought too deeply of the laws of the men.  It paralyzed him.  He wasn't sure whether you were already Durodhan's property - in which case he had no right to intervene.  But sometimes one has to drop logic and go with the instinct of the heart even if it contradicts law"

 A balm for my heart... and a resonance of my thoughts... made me relax.  Sometimes a mere understanding of your pain from your loved one is all you need.

As I try to make sense to you, dear reader, I realise that my thoughts on this book, my feeling for Draupadi and my intent to write something on the occasion of Women's Day, today as we live in a different Yuga altogether, are all mixed up,and all so connected,  roughly speaking.  It's almost like trying to pull out the loose end of a badly entangled woollen yarn.

This book is a powerful reading, seeing and feeling the world and life around Draupadi was indeed an eye opener, as the author takes you along the journey right from the Yagna fire from which she was born to the open sky where her soul wanders relaxed after she leaves her body.  It was mystical. 

I never knew that Draupadi loved Karna so intently and so passionately in the secrecy of her heart and nor did I know that amongst her five husbands, it was Bheema who actually loved her truly.  The book "The Palace of Illusions" puts forth the women of that era, puts their feelings and thoughts at the fore front.  And that really delights me, to be able to feel another woman's heart and soul.  

To sum up Draupadi's persona, I would not say that she was a great woman, as she had her flaws which caused the great war.  But, I would surely say that she lived her life as she wanted it, she followed her mind and was strong willed.  She respected herself even when her husbands faltered.  That is something amazing about her.  Although as a queen and as a wife of five men she outshone other women, but she simply ignored her five sons born out of the Pandavas.  She hardly contributed in their upbringing as she chose to remain with her husbands in exile.

Lastly, to sum up my thoughts over the book and the current situation of women in our country, I am left with one question: What would a common man choose today family honour or personal pride and ego or the well being, safety and security of a loved one?  The answer may vary from situation to situation, but think about it.


RESTLESS

11 comments:

Jack said...

Restless,

Nice to see you back. I may sound a non-believer but has anyone seen the original manuscripts of Ramayan or Mahabharat? If so, when were those written? Who were the authors? I think it is a matter of belief which has been inculcated in us from generation to generation. And I too live with that belief. I do believe in God and do worship imagining God in various forms as told to us. But at the same time I truly believe that God is ONE and it is we who have given different names or forms for God. I have not read the book you cited but do feel that she has presented the epic with a different approach. Now coming to women, I sincerely think that instead of just lip service we need to do something concrete for equal rights for them.

Take care    

Vivek said...

Hi RESTLESS,
Nice to read this ..and welcome back..
yes The Draupadi scene always used to stick into mind ... why n in which logical sense a man can bet on his wife and everyone in the arena couldnt muster the courage to stop this from happening...
But as you mentioned that the character Draupadi portriad tells that she lives with her true self n never swayed by situations ...but her belief in self became stronger with time..

on the other hand looking @ today ..i would say security is for women esp in capital is sleeping ...they dont even reach the spot in time ...which is a concern today..


nice post

RESTLESS said...

I agree with u Uncle... i too am skeptical about the origin of the epics.

Agree again..

RESTLESS said...

Vivek says:


Hi RESTLESS, Nice to read this ..and welcome back.. yes The Draupadi scene always used to stick into mind ... why n in which logical sense a man can bet on his wife and everyone in the arena couldnt muster the courage to stop this from happening... But as you mentioned that the character Draupadi portriad tells that she lives with her true self n never swayed by situations ...but her belief in self became stronger with time.. on the other hand looking @ today ..i would say security is for women esp in capital is sleeping ...they dont even reach the spot in time ...which is a concern today.. nice post

RESTLESS said...

Tks Vivek... glad that u dropped in here.

I know... it had been disturbing for all...

hmm.. nothing much changed...

By the way, it was mentioned in the book that after Pandavas decided to retire and the reign was handed over to Parikshit (Abhimanyu and Uttara's son)... it was predicted that afterwards the safety of women in general would not be there.... women won't be safe in public... as a different era is going to begin (Kalyug I think)

Bookworm said...

Welcome Back.. and a big thumbs up for this piece of writing.. beautifully written.. and felt as if you were not at all away from writing and was writing for ages.. not at all rusty...

the highlight of the post is the para about Bheema..and the question as to why Bheema was silent.. yes. it did make us ponder.. may be.. soon you'll find out why.. Bheema's point of view is to be taken into account...right...

she had her flaws.. dont know whether Bheema loved her so dearly.. for he he loved Hidimbi too.. very deeply from his heart. and he was very touchy about his son 'Ghatolcha' too... but Draupadi's fault was that she loved Arjuna more..

anyways. nice piece.. keep writing..and keep making us read.. !

BookWorm said...

Welcome Back.. and a big thumbs up for this piece of writing.. beautifully written.. and felt as if you were not at all away from writing and was writing for ages.. not at all rusty...

the highlight of the post is the para about Bheema..and the question as to why Bheema was silent.. yes. it did make us ponder.. may be.. soon you'll find out why.. Bheema's point of view is to be taken into account...right...

she had her flaws.. dont know whether Bheema loved her so dearly.. for he he loved Hidimbi too.. very deeply from his heart. and he was very touchy about his son 'Ghatolcha' too... but Draupadi's fault was that she loved Arjuna more..

anyways. nice piece.. keep writing..and keep making us read.. !

RESTLESS said...

Book Worm Says :Welcome Back.. and a big thumbs up for this piece of writing.. beautifully written.. and felt as if you were not at all away from writing and was writing for ages.. not at all rusty... the highlight of the post is the para about Bheema..and the question as to why Bheema was silent.. yes. it did make us ponder.. may be.. soon you'll find out why.. Bheema's point of view is to be taken into account...right... she had her flaws.. dont know whether Bheema loved her so dearly.. for he he loved Hidimbi too.. very deeply from his heart. and he was very touchy about his son 'Ghatolcha' too... but Draupadi's fault was that she loved Arjuna more.. anyways. nice piece.. keep writing..and keep making us read.. !

RESTLESS said...

That's a big encouragement Book Worm! And I mean it... thanks :)

It seems u mistook Bheeshma as Bheema, although yes righlty said, Bheema too fits the bill.  His love for draupadi and his silence also raises many questions. But having another wife, Hidimba, should not affect his love for her first wife... i think men are good at it!! Will have to read the other book u gave me to understand Bheema's perspective.

Thanks Book Worm for sharing this and many more books with me.  U introduced me to the world of books... and i strive to become a better reader now :)

thanks again!

Vaish said...

I've read so much about this book, but never got a chance to lay my hands on them!  I have to buy them in india the next time I'm there. 

Reema said...

Oh It is one of my favorite books..loved the book and fell in love with Karna's character. 

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