By Sunil Kumar
“Revenge is not always better, but neither is forgiveness, learn to know them both son, so there is no problem””
– Draupadi in the Mahabharata, quoting Prahlada
The epics are the creative fount of the Indian mindscape, a fact that is so obvious that repeating it sounds cliched. Scholars throughout the world have recognized the profound impact they have had on this country. They are a spring that resembles the fountain of youth, never getting old and will continue to provide creative fodder for generations to come.
Draupadi is one of the most enigmatic, vivid and fiery characters ever etched in Puranic narratives and certainly exposed to heart-rending suffering, perhaps exceeding even the trauma Sita encountered in some places. Contemporary takes on the epics have gained currency in recent years, with Amish Tripathi, Anand Neelakantan, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni among others.
Oriya writer and 2022 Padmashri Pratibha Ray also has her own take on Draupadi in the now relatively ‘old’ Yajnaseni. In the 21st century, with women increasingly in positions of power and participating in more spheres, there is a slight alteration in the gender politics.
All traditions throughout the world are naturally more predisposed to patriarchy, and it reflects in the Indian epics as well. However, skewed feminism neglects the creative liberty and ‘relative’ freedom of choice ancient Bharatiya culture offered women in the form of ‘swayamvaras’, education and teaching. In fact the so-called ‘pagan’ cultures across the globe including the Greeks, Egyptians, Celts and the Polynesians revered the ‘female’ goddess, or the ‘shakti’ principle in Indian thought.
In comparison to the weighty academic debate, reading the author Sonali Raje’s ‘The Empress of Indraprastha: Entering Kuruvansh’ was a breeze in comparison. Admittedly, the writer has mentioned that this is the first in a series of books on Draupadi and being from the ‘STEM’ field, this is her first brush with ‘creative’ writing.
I enjoyed reading it as it has many lyrical and descriptive passages and gives us a sense of Draupadi’s point-of-view. Dhristadyumna, Shikhandi and Drupada often mentioned in the epic get a more ‘contemporary chic’ element associated with them as ‘Jyeshth’, ‘Pitashree’ and ‘Dhrist’. Although I feel the writer Rahi Masoom Raza coined the moniker ‘Pitashree’, Bhratashree et al in the most famous televised Mahabharata of them all, B.R Chopra’s take, it has made its way into popular culture.
There is sparse detail about the ‘birth’ and the ‘youth’ of the young princess, but the story never lags in pace, a good point. We are confronted quite early with the real ‘movers’ and ‘shakers’ of the epic and the ‘sutradhar’ of the entire piece, the enigmatic and wily mastermind Lord Shri Krishna. Although Divakaruni gave us an extremely rebellious Draupadi, the Dharmic fiery epitome of Puranic ‘women’ was etched very vividly in my mind by Sai Swaroopa Iyer’s ‘Rukmini’.
The author’s Draupadi is somewhere in between in my opinion, not hinging at extremes, but unsure at times, independent at others. This is a more realistic portrayal of Draupadi, but nevertheless any ‘creative’ work carries the imprint of the writer’s personality. Some jarring anachronisms in the text were munching ‘samosas’ and Raag ‘Jaunpuri’ both of which are a later interpolation that do not match with the epic timeframe. Also, like the last book I reviewed Ashwin Sanghi’s ‘Magicians of Mazda’, it would be better if the ‘mythology’ categorization was kept aside for Puranic narratives referred to as ‘Itihasas’ in the Indic tradition.
The author has done a creditable job of exploring the personalities of all the Pandavas, including the often less discussed Nakul and Sahadev. Draupadi’s ‘mother’ Prishati also makes an appearance, albeit less often. The comparitively ‘controversial'(in recent times) feelings of Draupadi towards Karna have also been handled by the author with ‘tact’.
As most Indians know the ‘gist’ of the epic and the fact that Kunti’s first-born was Karna, the chapter where the Queen Mother hands over her most prized ‘necklace’ to his wife makes sense. There is some foreshadowing of events of come, as we know the ‘eventual’ trajectory of her life. The visit to Dwarka, meeting Rukmini, conversations with Lord Krishna and dealing with Karna’s wives were the chapters I most enjoyed reading.
In the insightful ‘Evolution of the Mahabharata’ by SR Ramaswamy the evolution of the current ‘palimpsest’ of the epic with its multiple recensions(Northern, Southern et al), the diversity of the epic narrative over the ages has been discussed in fascinating detail along with the effort done by great scholars like VK Sukthankar in compiling the famous Bhandkarkar ‘Critical’ Edition of the Mahabharata.
Apart from accounts of other epics like AK Ramanujan’s essay ‘300 Ramayanas’ and the works of legendary Sanskrit poets and playwrights such as Kalidasa and Bhasa, the epics have been consistenly evolving and morphing into newer forms. However, till the last century, the Dharmic framework has been more or less kept ‘intact’ as it permeates the entire text. A danger in today’s times is the complete ‘subversion’ of the noble message of the epics with a vindictive, malicious ‘mindset’.
The author’s attempt at breathing new life into the fascinating story of one of the most powerful ‘women’ in India’s civilizational narrative is creditable and fun to read. However, quite like the ‘fiery’ protagonist, we need to challenge the ‘rigidity’ of our ‘platitudes’ mouthed by the political patriarchy and skewed opinion-makers in both the Indian context and internationally. Draupadi’s tale can be trailblazer and a guide for the Indian mind for generations to come as it has been in the past, if interpreted in the right context.
Hoping that the writer comes up with even more interesting volumes on the great Draupadi as she matures into the regal personality that is one of the primary catalysts of the great “Mahabharata’ war.
