SHE .....
Being a big fan of Indian mythology (though not the follower), I would like to start (as this is gonna my first post) with some old and common stories of those magnificent era which is supposed to be rich in culture, moral views , rules, regulations, discipline and all those fancy words which we accept today as our sabhyata, maryada and sanskar.
The favourite epic of mine is Mahabharata, not only because I am Indian mythology fan but because this is the story which I can relate with our current society. It has a good description and manipulation of all those human emotions of love, hate, jealousy, anger, aversion, competition, sex which exists in the heart of an every common man, to more or less extent. The story started itself with the very basic instinct of human nature, where the great king of Hastinapur could not control his oomph towards beauty of pure and pious Ganga, and solicited her to marry himself. He has become so lost in beauty of her that he accepted to marry her with the condition that he will have no rights to ask any question or to interfere her in whatever she will be doing otherwise the day itself she will leave him and go back. In my opinion that was the day when devastation of Hastinapur has got decided.
Well, Mahabharata has some very strong characters like Kunti, Draupadi, Krishna, Karna. Probably these are the four characters the story is pivoting around. If you notice all the big destructions are caused because of women. And Mahabharata is not an exception. Pandavas after losing their kingdom could have left the state without any issue, but it was Draupadi who could not see her 5 strong, valorous and valiant husbands to keep silent and to accept their defeat especially after what had happened to her.
Draupadi was menstruating those days and to see a woman in that situation was considered as sin in timeline of Mahabharata. Though Dushasana had put this point in front of Duryodhana but he being blind in his power, said that "a woman lost by her husband in game of gamble is not less than a whore, so we will not be affected by the impact of this sin". I am not sure whether this is actually a sin or not to see a woman in her menstruation period (otherwise everyone in the present time would have impacted by this sin), but if it were, this was the day when Kaurvas had written themselves the day of their desolation.
Why I am describing this scene here is because I want to know, whatever Draupadi had suffered from the beginning to the end, what was her fault. She was the woman of glory. A strong personality. Well educated, not only in terms of bookish knowledge and theory but very skilful in using all kind of armament and weapons. In her parents’ home she was given all the rights, all the freedoms what a girl can think of. The freedom of education, freedom of participating in whatever she wanted and moreover freedom of marry someone of her choice. Then suddenly did the ill fate of Hastinapura impact her fate when she got engaged with Arjuna. Oh sorry, not only with Arjuna, but all the Pandavas. It seems me very funny, that a woman who has 5 so called brave husbands was insulted in front of the entire court of Kaurvas, and no one had courage to speak a word. All of them were just behaving like Dhritrastra, BLIND, rather more than that DEAF and DUMB also. But my question is WHY.
Who the hell were they to decide her future, when she was all able to think and take care of herself. Why Kunti needed to divide her among her 5 sons, was she scared that Draupadi being just of one could create jealous and aversion among her sons, was it her tactics to keep her sons united. Now, how the eldest pandav had all the rights to put her in the bet , when she was the better half of each brother. Was she an object, was she a pet of them or what was she actually to them. How can they even think of doing so. Why not other Pandavas could stop him by doing so. We say that Duryodhana did wrong to Draupadi, but it was Pandavas who gave him the right to insult her.
This is our society, even after yugas and yugas, the situation is not changed my dear. We say that being in 21st century, present women are all free, and they have all the rights. But the bitter truth is that it’s not true. Women are still the beautiful puppets for men, who they can make dance as their own wish. They have Dhirtrastra in their home, who knows everything but can’t help her because of the fear of society. They have Duryodhana everywhere who is just in a chance of grabbing her and insult her. And alas! Some of them has Pandavas as well, who himself torture her in each possible ways. And the present Draupadi being able all her way, is not able to protect herself. She needs Krishna. She is waiting for her Krishna to come and give her shelter and respect she deserves. But it’s the tragedy; I see Dhirtrastra, Duryodhana and Pandavas everywhere but not Krishna.
I am searching for my Krishna and I am searching him within myself, within every woman, who will be able to extend her own clothes all by herself. AMEN.
