Storytelling for Week 5: Thoughts

I brushed my long dark hair out with contemplative strokes while gazing at the white, fluffy clouds that graced the sky. I smiled for what seemed the first time in a long time. Life was not that bad in this particular moment.

the sky on the fateful day

Memories came back to me of a particular time I would rather forget. I stood before five brothers who just argued all of the time. Did they not realize that they were presenting themselves to be just five immature little children? They had not been thinking of my feelings in that moment for sure. The least they could have done is actually presented themselves to be men worthy of having me as their wife. After all, was I not the princess?

Who could really reason with them, though? After all, they had forced me to be the wife of five men. Of five men! I was really astonished that this was a thing. It had been mentioned that it was inappropriate for a woman to the be a wife of five men. She would be considered a "public" woman ... no, I was considered a public woman. I pondered this sadly for a few moments. I used to have a great reputation. Now, look at me. The humiliated woman who had five husbands.

Some indignation arose. How was it that a man could have five wives and not be considered immoral? There was an astonishing lack of equality in society. I could not do a thing about it, though, because I was a woman.

I thought of my mother and how she would have been deeply saddened to see me in this situation. She had higher hopes for me and my future. I had higher hopes for myself.

"Draupadi!"

I was startled from my thoughts and turned to see one of my handmaidens come running in a desperate rush. She looked somewhat terrified as she stopped to catch her breath,

"What is it?" I asked with hesitation. Did I really want to know?

"They ..." she gasped, "They have gambled you away to another man."

My heart sank. Why does this happen to me? Why always to me? I stood frozen in shock while her words slowly ran through me. Another man? I was to have six husbands? Or just one? What had my current husband done to me?

I realized I had to think quickly. Knowing his gambling problem, I was probably not the first thing he had lost.

“Go back and ask if he gambled away himself first.”

Her eyes lit up as she realized what I meant. She took off out of the room. I waited with my breath held and the hope that this was going to work.

Author's Note: This story is very close to the original. Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, had been given to five brothers as their wife. It had been brought up that her reputations was going to be ruined since she would be considered a “public” woman. However, it was done and she became the wife of five men. It was worked out that she would spend one year with each man. After that year, she would then move on to be the wife of the next brother for a year. In turn, the brothers had to agree to erase her from their mind at the end of their allotted year. So, Draupadi received the wrong end of that deal. She was not even going to be remembered by her husband with whom she had just spent an entire year. My hope in writing this story was to help the reader see more of Draupadi’s side. I want them to see how this situation must have made her feel. It was not good in any possible way. It was a horrible situation and it is somewhat astonishing she was able to still think quickly to attempt to find a way out of her circumstances. The original story comes from The Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan (2008).

Thoughts About My Comments

So, everyone has been super encouraging with the comments they leave on my wall. I really appreciate the feedback. At first, I was a little nervous because I am not used to putting out my writing like this on the internet. However, everyone has been so welcoming and nice about it. My favorite comments are those that give me specific feedback on the things I am incorporating into my stories, such as dialogue or sound effects. It helps me see what other people see when they read my posts.

I hope that my comments have been helpful for people. I have tried to mention my overall feelings about the post and then go into specifics about what I liked best and what stuck out to me the most in their writing. 

Reading Diary B [Narayan's Mahabharata]

I read from R. K. Narayan's The Mahabharata.

So, I realized I mentioned a story in the last reading diary that I was technically supposed to read for this reading diary. Oh well. Sometimes getting ahead in your schedule can create a little bit of confusion.

I still think Draupadi learning that she was the stakes in a game of dice was one of the craziest stories from this part of the epic. I would be so upset and would feel terribly betrayed if I was in her place. However, she demonstrated great courage and quick thinking. When they went to break the news to her that she had been essentially gambled away, she asked if her husband had staked himself first. So, she had already started looking for a way out of her predicament. Also, when they were going to so horribly rip off her clothing in front of them, she pleaded with Krishna and he came through for her. Draupadi demonstrated that she was always thinking even when in pretty horrible situations.

I think that the women of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are some interesting characters. Even though they are almost overlooked by the other characters, they all have strong personalities and are not afraid to act independently of the men. That is why they are going to be the focus of my Storybook Project.

another powerful portrayal of Draupadi requesting Krishna's help

Reading Diary A [Narayan's Mahabharata]

I read from R. K. Narayan's The Mahabharata.

This was very interesting. It was similar but also very different from the Ramayana in my opinion. I do not know if the language was updated somehow, but it was a little easier to read than the Ramayana.

I thought the opening story was an interesting way to start this story off. Santanu must have thought that Ganga was extremely beautiful to basically ignore her strange request. He let her drown seven babies before he finally realized he should probably stop this odd behavior. The situation kind of begs the question of was Santanu ever afraid of Ganga? Surely he felt like he was walking on eggshells at times when he knew his wife was murdering their children.

I would have to say the part of the story that describes Draupadi being given to five men is very strange. It was brought up that her being the wife of five men makes her look like the wrong kind of woman. However, in that same speech, it was discussed that it was okay for a man to have five wives. This shows the change in thinking for cultures.

Krishna comes to Draupadi's rescue