The Palace of Illusions - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Mahabharata - An epic tale of love and hate, boons and curses, power and pride, all leading up to the grand Kurukshetra War. We know the basic storyline; it’s been passed down through generations. The story of Draupadi and her five husbands – the Pandavas and their fight for power against their cousins – the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, i.e. the Kauravas. Cursed at birth, Draupadi is blamed as the cause of Hastinapur’s devastation, the reason behind this war, yet she was used as a pawn by the men in her life, such as her father giving her hand in marriage in return for the Pandavas support against Drona. Or Yudhishtir, virtuous, philosophical, righteous Yudhishtir who gambled away his wife and lost her to the Kauravas who humiliated her in open court. Is it not justified then that a woman subjected to such embarrassment would lash out? Why then should she not curse the men who caused her such pain?

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tells the entire tale of Mahabharat through the eyes of Draupadi. We are exposed to the sentiments of a princess; unexpected and unwanted by her father, a child who grew motherless in a world where woman had not many rights. We learn of her friendship with Krishna, her bond with her brother, her relationship with her husbands and her love for the one man she cannot have.

There are many parellels which can be drawn between society then and now. The atrocious acts to which women are subjugated (eve-teasing, disrobing, public humiliation, etc), pride and ego of both genders, the want for power and money, jealousy and vengeance, gambling and the downfall of the most righteous of men.

More important however is the way Divakaruni portrays how women established themselves in a strongly patriarchal society. Draupadi is a willful princess who wishes to learn and study alongside her brother. Sharp minded and well aware of her life and prophecies surrounding it, she is a lady with pride and knowledge, one who can speak out when needed and is fearless of the world, ready to take on challenges bravely. She remains loyal to her husbands till the end, putting duty above love each time.

Besides Draupadi, the stories of other females, in the Mahabharata are also depicted, showing the importance of strong females in the male dominated society. Kunti - who disciplines and educates her children - the Pandavas - to ensure that they get their rightful inheritance. Gandhari – wife of the blind king, who chooses to shut her eyes forever at marriage, thus choosing equality with her husband, and is grandly rewarded by the gods for her sacrifice. There’s Subhadra, wife of Arjun, who loses her son and yet risks her life to save her grandson. Bheem’s wife Hidimba sends her only son to fight in a war for a husband she hasn’t met in years.

What makes this book standout over other interpretations of the Mahabharat, is that it illustrates that women made their choices consciously, and not because of society or as ordained by the men in their lives. The women chose the lives they led and thus the story enfolds. Such power in the hands of women in a time of patriarchy is a phenomenal tale.

Of course there is magic and gods and boons and curses, following with the original tale, but these do not stand out as the highlights of this telling. Chitra Divakaruni skillfully focuses on “girl power” and its influence in the Mahabharat, making us wonder at the end, was society better then or now, or has it not really changed much in terms of its vices.