– By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Suitable for Readers who Prefer: Mythology, Feminism, Religious fiction, Fantasy, Social Hierarchies

This story of Draupadi is no song of praise to some mysterious goddess who suffered through life for the greater good and lived in all joy of the sacrifices she had to make. No, this is a very real story of a very real woman…

Mahabharata is a religious epic that has gone down history as one of the most retold pieces of literature through generations of Indians young and old. It is considered by many as a beautiful lesson on the virtuous men of ancient times when the gods still walked the earth. This story is of a holy war waged against the great dark age of injustice that had risen amongst men. In fact, the holy book of hinduism – the Bhagavad Gita is a compilation of the discourse between Lord Krishna and one of the greatest warriors – the Pandava Arjun in the midst of this battle.

But Chitra doesn’t gloss it over as a delusional fantasy of rightness. She breaks in the reality of Draupadi’s situation like a splash of cold water. We empathize with the little girl who sticks out like a sore thumb since the moment she steps out of that ritual fire with her brother. The lines of society are clearly drawn from that very entrance where her brother is welcomed with open arms by a father who craves revenge and a kingdom looking forward to a promised destiny, whilst the little girl only has the strength of her brother’s hand clinging to hers like an immovable anchor in her storm.

But the Draupadi we see is unperturbed by the lack of attention from her father or the society that underestimates her or even her brother who considers her destiny to be inconsequential. She holds on to the words uttered at her birth and chooses to believe despite all, that she is meant to go down in history. This prediction of her future becomes the bracelet of charm that she holds on to. Every action, every thought is performed in line with this promise. On one hand, this persistence towards her destiny shapes her into a woman we are envious of with a strong-willed character of indomitable spirit. On the other hand, her obsession scares us. Her curiosity knows no bounds and she fights high and low on a quest to discover where her future leads her. The choices she makes in this path sometimes feel questionable and we hold our breath watching where her decisions lead her. At times I remember being filled with absolute sadness knowing where the story is leading me and still unable to look away or put it down.

It begs the question of what is truly considered noble, and beyond that how little was the value of a woman as a wife.

Thought provoking as it is, as a woman this literature touches me deep in my bones with the rage of a million ancestors. A rage that arises from the differential treatment she faces in a society that cradles only a man’s desires, rage that even though Draupadi is the better student her lessons are considered a favour dispensed begrudgingly and oh the rage at a group of men supposedly her husbands who watch as the woman they have married is abused and disgraced in front of their entire world. We have all heard the story of how Draupadi is disrobed in Duryodhan’s court and how her devotion to Lord Krishna saved her from humiliation. But Chitra brings out the details of this act that most people simply pass over, a grave injustice that some of the greatest men of our history simply observed, bound by an absurd notion of honour. It begs the question of what is truly considered noble, and beyond that how little was the value of a woman as a wife. For no matter how the argument is spun on behalf of the glorious Pandavas, we know in our hearts that had it been their mother in the place of Draupadi, the righteous Yudhishtir would not have even considered gambling her, but his wife was no more than a piece of property to be traded of and gambled.

The world could blame Draupadi for starting a war that ended the lives of millions, but I blame the men of her life who thought it was perfectly alright to treat a woman the way she was treated.

Of all things we read about Draupadi, this draws out the most blazing fury, and regardless of the tragedy of war, her words of pain, anger and dignity uttered in that moment, that defining moment that seeded the Mahabharat, were more than justified. I stood with a woman who lived several thousand years before me and burned with anger for her. The world could blame Draupadi for starting a war that ended the lives of millions, but I blame the men of her life who thought it was perfectly alright to treat a woman the way she was treated.

Her story is not without its periods of brightness though, in the midst of her turmoil she finds happiness in her state as a queen, even if it does not last as long as we’d all have liked. Her palace of illusions is the jewel of her existence and right till the end one of the most happiest times of her life – her own true home.

This story of Draupadi is no song of praise to some mysterious goddess who suffered through life for the greater good and lived in all joy of the sacrifices she had to make. No, this is a very real story of a very real woman, not unlike you and me who lived a life of the highest highs and the lowest lows, but stood steadfast and unwavering in spite of everything. We see a woman who fought, cried, broke, angered, laughed and deeply loved. Chitra beautifully weaves this tale as old as time into an enthralling narrative that extracts every emotion you are capable of feeling so that by the time you turn the last leaf you have lived Draupadi’s life in all its technicolour clarity.

“Can our actions change our destiny? Or are they like sand piled against the breakage in a dam, merely delaying the inevitable?”

– Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions