The palace of illusions- My Latest read
Overview
As we all Indians have grown up by reading and watching Mahabharata, I too continued to be fascinated by it. The world of the epic was vast and varied, a time when the lives of men and gods still intersected.
At the core of the epic lies the fierce rivalry between the Pandavas and Kauravas, royal cousins whose struggle for the throne culminates in the bloody battle of Kurukshetra, in which so many kings of that era participated and perished.
The author is dissatisfied with the portrayals of the women in the epic and, so do I.
For instance, there’s the widowed named Kunti, mother of the Pandavas, who dedicates her life in making sure her sons become kings. There’s Gandhari, mother of Duryodhan, and his brother’s who blindfolds herself at her marriage because her husband is sightless, thus relinquishes her power as queen and mother. And most of all there’s Panchali(Draupadi).
The author uncovers the story that lies hidden between the lines of the men’s exploits. She narrates the entire story, coloring it with her joys and doubts, her struggles and triumphs, her heartbreaks and achievements, her strength and her faults, and the unique, timeless way in which she understands her world and her place in it.
And this woman is Draupadi. who has the unique distinction of being married to five men- the five Pandavas brothers, the greatest warriors of their time.
The book reveals mysteries about Draupadi, through her childhood to her very end. She was born from fire as a boon besides his brother Drishtiduman. She was entirely different from a princess and never hesitated to question the societal norms defined for a girl.
My Favorite Part: Advice
Three pieces of advice were given to Draupadi at a very young age by sage Vedvyas.
- First: Just before your wedding, hold back your questions.
- Second: When your husbands are at the height of their power, hold back your laughter.
- Third: When you are shamed as you had never imagined possible, hold your curse.
My Review
I personally liked this book because I can connect to the emotions and pain felt by Draupadi at every step of her life. Whether it’s marrying to 5 Pandavas, or unable to choose karna in her swamvyar or the one where she was disrobed in front of the whole sabha (assembly). At that time, she stopped herself and did not curse anyone and became the reason to cause the greatest war of kruskstetra to avenge her pride.
Being a Queen she went through such harassment caused by her own people. But she remembered sage Vyasa’s words each time.
Characters
Krishna-The most important person whom she devoted herself truly was Krishna. He was the only person who guided Draupadi from the beginning . He was the one true lord who played the most important part in Mahabharata.
Kunti-I started to see Kunti very differently after reading this. As per the television series she was always kind and affectionate towards everyone. But in the book she was dominating and harsh because I guess the troubles she faced from the very young age after her husband (panda) died.
Karna – Draupadi always admired karna because of his skills and intelligence. She was in love with him but regretted not to marry him. Karna on the other hand was full of hatred towards Draupadi because of the events happened in the swamywar .
Karna could have stopped Duryodhan from disrobing Draupadi but he was the sole reason for causing it and making it worse besides Duryodhan.
All women in Mahabharata sacrificed a lot but Draupadi had scarified the most as she lost all her loved ones in the end including her brother , father and her five children. She regretted her whole life thinking how she caused the greatest war but she believed in Krishna as he said “ This war is necessary for starting a new era and you are all playing a part in it”.
Conclusion
I think We can all connect to Draupadi because every time she tried to step up she was disrespected and tortured . She was the first example of women empowerment as she battled at every step of her life and still emerged as the most powerful woman of that era.
What we can learn from Draupadi is whatever the situation is whether it’s your education, marriage or your job never scarify your values and what you believe in, no matter what people around you have to say.
So, all the women out there make decisions regardless of the results, if you believe that it will lead you to a better and safe future.
Cheers for Draupadi😊
