Mahabharata: Two More Stories

By Indrajit Bandyopadhyay

The first story "Draupadi Satyabhama Samvada" is based on an episode in Mahabharata. Satyabhama, Krishna's wife, meets Draupadi, the wife of five Pandavas, and ask her how she manages her five husbands. Actually, Satyabhama is insecure in her married life that she cannot 'control' Krishna, and wants to know from Draupadi how she can 'tame' Krishna. The conversation that follows reveal much about Draupadi's character, her powerful sexuality, her 'inner secrets' etc. The story written in humourous style is a brilliant interpretative exposition of Mahabharata. The second story "Draupadi's Last Trek" is another interpretative humour on Draupadi and Pandavas' character. As they set out for their last journey, the inner dimensions of their characters are revealed to each other. And now, Yudhishthira falls first ... and Draupadi survives them all. Finally, Draupadi reaches Heaven. Indra comes to take her. What happens then?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781300473671

Book preview

Mahabharata: Two More Stories

Mahabharata: Two More Stories

Indrajit Bandyopadhyay

Copyright © 2012 Indrajit Bandyopadhyay.

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-300-47367-1

Contents

1   Draupadi Satyabhama Samvada

2   Draupadi’s Last Trek

Draupadi Satyabhama Samvada

Yudhishthira lost the dice game and went to Banabas with his brothers. It was a condition set by Shakuni and Duryodhana that Draupadi should go with them.

Duryodhana would not forget how Draupadi outwitted them all and won back all that her elder husband had lost in the first dice game.

The Pandavas and Draupadi first went to stay in the forest of Kamyaka. They were hospitably received by hosts of Rishis there.

Soon many Brahmanas from Hastinapura and other places came to live with them. They were clearly in favour of the Pandavas.

Vidura managed to squeeze a favour from Dhritarashtra that two hundred servants along with chariots and all items of daily necessity should accompany the Pandavas. Duryodhana could do nothing but swallow his anger.

What Vidura actually did was to send a few servants, and the rest of the party consisted of select diehard Pandava-loyal soldiers and trained spies.

He would not take any risk.

One day Krishna and Satyabhama comes to meet the Pandavas. Rishi Markandeya also reaches there the same day.

The Pandavas and Krishna sit together with the sages and Brahmanas and start discussing various matters.

Satyabhama peeps into Draupadi’s kitchen and helps her in preparing some dishes.

After serving the dishes, the two Sakhis escape the hermitage and go for a walk along the banks of a very beautiful lake.

With hearts full of joy the two ladies laugh and sing merrily and seat themselves at their ease by the lake. Having met after a long time, they begin to gossip upon various delightful topics, particularly about their husbands, mother-in-laws, other in-laws, co-wives and neighbours.

Satyabhama asks Draupadi, 'One thing makes me very curious. How do you alone rule the heart of the Pandavas? How is it that even after so many years they are so obedient to you and are never fed up with you? Tell me Panchhi, the reason of this. Is it practice of vows, or asceticism, or incantation or drug at the time of the bath or the efficacy of science, or the influence of youthful appearance, or the recitation of particular formulae, or Homa, or collyrium and other medicaments?’

Draupadi has a hearty laugh, ‘Well well…so you need a recipe to tame Krishna.’

Satyabhama is serious, ‘You know very well what sort of man he is! He is so complex, paradoxical, enigmatic – in short a very dangerous sort of male species.’

- Now Now! Have you exchanged genders? You utter words like an enamoured male!

- What’s that?

- Leave it… Don’t believe that husbands can be tamed by incantations. Superstitions! Drugging etc are just bogus. Don’t make Krishna suffer from dropsy and leprosy, decrepitude and impotence and idiocy and blindness and deafness and…

- Stop stop. I know your heart will break if he becomes so.

- Now now Satya…

- Unpalatable truth, eh? Anyway, to comfort you - He is too clever to fall a prey to these, anyway!

Draupadi muses a while making various faces.

Satyabhama becomes impatient and slaps her on the back, ‘Would you be serious? You don’t know what a hell of a stress I go through!’

Draupadi smiles with all the splendour of her pearls, ‘O.K., since you are so enthusiastic in HOW-TO GAME, I will give you a volley of tips. Listen carefully.’

Satyabhama pretends to be a devotee with folded palms and bowed head.

Draupadi chuckles and continues, ‘Keeping aside vanity, and controlling desire and wrath, I always serve them…and I used to serve them along with their wives.’

- What! Serve the other wives? This is too much…! What right do they have…

- Ummmm…don’t interrupt. Restraining jealousy, with deep devotion of heart, without a sense of degradation at the services I perform, I wait upon my husbands’

Satyabhama frowns, ‘Wait Wait! Are you quoting from scriptures or what?’

- O.K. O.K. Here are the HOW-TO strategies along with explanations and annotations. Control over the sense organ of husband or husbands…you see…is of utmost importance. I never bathe or eat or sleep till they have bathed or eaten or slept,--till, in fact, our attendants have bathed, eaten, or slept. Whenever they are returning from anywhere, hastily rising up I always salute them with water and a seat. I always keep the house and all household articles and the food well-ordered and clean. I must see that they do not get any opportunity to compare me with their mothers. The male species is peculiarly mother-fixated at heart…you see. Carefully do I keep the rice, and serve the food at the proper time. It is a time-tested wisdom that the shortest way to their heart is through stomach. Love feelings do not sprout in empty stomach. I never indulge in angry and fretful speech. I always do what is agreeable. That way they have their cup of machismo brimming! It is a peculiar phenomenon of male psyche to bask in domineering! I never laugh except at a jest. That way they fear to offend me, and in fact struggle to make jest. A rarity is always a thing of