Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour
Please do write the story of Rukmin subtly instigating Rukmiṇī to run away with Kṛṣṇa.
Mahābhārata's version has no love letter; instead, Harivaṃśa 87.13-17 tells us that Kṛṣṇa desired Rukmiṇī just for her reputed beauty (rūpeṇ'āsadṛśī bhuvi. cakame Vāsudevas tāṃ śravād eva), and she desired him just for his reputed energy, heroism, and strength (abhilaṣitas tasyāḥ śravād eva Janārdanaḥ tejo-vīrya-bal'opetaḥ).
Who was telling Rukmiṇī about Kṛṣṇa? The text suggests that it was Rukmin, who competed with Kṛṣṇa of marvellous deeds perpetually, being proficient in astras as a student of Druma Kiṃpuruṣa and Rāma Jāmadagnya. And who was telling Kṛṣṇa about Rukmiṇī? The text suggests that it was Śiśupāla's mother, the paternal aunt for whose pleasure Kṛṣṇa came to attend Śiśupāla's wedding to Rukmiṇī, and whose name just happens to be Śrutaśravas - "hearing-reputation."
The text is silent about Rukmiṇī's feelings when her father Bhīṣmaka accepts Śiśupāla's proposal, when she goes to the Aindra temple to worship Indrāṇī the day before the wedding, and when Kṛṣṇa decides on the spot to snatch her. Only when Rukmin has fallen unconscious, Rukmiṇī falls at her husband's feet to plead for her brother's life (Harivaṃśa 88.27). What Kṛṣṇa discussed with his brother Rāma is also left to our imagination. They were there to please Śrutaśravas, they saw Rukmiṇī going into the temple, they talked, and by the time she came out of the temple, they had decided to abduct her and notified the Vṛṣṇis for cover. Was the Vṛṣṇi woman Śrutaśravas a member of the crowd observing Rukmiṇī's temple visit? How did everyone who came to celebrate with Śrutaśravas agree to spoil her son's wedding?
If you don't write the story, I just might!
Auntie Sruta is plain goals, always be rooting for her! (but no wonder Shishu bhai is jealous, fiancee toh chodo mummy tak bhao nahi deti 🤣)
You only go ahead and write, I haven't written even 500 words in the last month, so a full-fledged story from me is highly improbable. 😆
Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour
Karipura = elephant city = Hāstinapura. See more synonyms here.
The elephant originated in the name of King Hastin; it became the capital city's mascot; you associated it with the princes and relocated it to Indraprastha ... that's how poetic allusions develop across centuries.
I appreciate this thoughtful explanation.
Thanks man, I always believed, by Yudi/Dury's time, the Hasti part of the city name had become more enmeshed with the general grandeur of the animal rather than the old king!
Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour
Thank you so much for the encouragement. Since you've written about Śikhaṇḍin, and that was the topic we first discussed in the Mythological Masti forum, I was expecting your reactions to my three Nano Dramas and one Nano Tale featuring Śikhaṇḍin, his wife Dāśārṇī, and his son Kṣatradeva. If you don't have comments on them specifically, that's fine too.
You voted for my Nano Tale featuring Turī and Jarā, but your posts in this thread don't mention it. Do you like dark humour?
About Shikhandi, I'm myself very confused. There are so many loose ends in the story that could be tied up in so many different ways. His/her life was filled with such polarities...I always found the end of their character to be gut-wrenching. Somehow, that hurts me more than the other war casualties. The fact that they had no direct enmity toward Ashwatthama, and yet Ashwathhama takes a break from his normal revenge course to be specifically transphobic towards Shikhandi, and to kill their family (at least that's the version I've grown up with) in front of them, just too painful!
I loved your tales though, in fact, the Dasarni one made me think about a Bengali version of the myth...where Radha's husband Aayan Ghosh is a transperson, who in this story ends up exchanging with Shikhandi, instead of the Yaksha. Aayan then becomes a Vaishnava saint called Aayaani Boshtumi and she and Radha then live out the rest of their lives in a small cottage in the outskirts of Vrindavan (in some versions, raising Radha's twin boys with Krishna...Uttara Kanda Take 2 basically)
The Jara one, you're right I do like dark humour. However, the whole Mausala Parva I find especially painful so I usually go out of my way to avoid anything to do with that part of MB, but your writing made me make an exception from my general pretending-it-didn't-happen thing. 😳
comment:
p_commentcount