I had once said in one of my previous threads, that I read Mahabharat for the first time, when I was in class V, and it was one of the kiddish versions, by Upendrakishore RayChaudhury. My tryst with Draupad started there itself.
Once, someone asked me, how can u relate to Draupadi, at such a young age?
I was in school then, and our Bengali teacher was reading out the part, where Arjun had kidnapped Subhadra. The moment that part was read out, one questioned echoed in my mind, "Isn't Arjun already married? What will happen to his first wife, now that he has fallen madly in love with Subhadra?"
And that was the moment, I became attached to her. I wondered, does Arjun not love Draupadi anymore? Has the separation of 12 years made him forget her? I was a child then, and didn't quite comprehend the idea of polygamy. Draupadi had obligations, and so she married 5 men. What obligation Arjun had, I wondered. Although, I love Subhadra as a character, but that feeling for Draupadi echoed, in my heart and mind.
Many, many members of this forum have made various posts regarding the relationship between Arjun and Draupadi. There is probably no doubt about the fact, that Draupadi loved Arjun, the most. However, what did Arjun ever feel for her? That is often a debatable point. Some people believe that he never loved her, some people believe that he loved her the most, and some others like me console ourselves with a "silent love" theory.
But today, without going into philosophy...let's analyze the moments of Arjun and Draupadi that, we have in the epic, as seen in KMG.
Arjun and Draupadi first met at Swamvar, where Arjun won Draupadi's hand by a winning a tough archery competition. Soon after reaching the potter's house, Draupadi was declared as the common wife of all 5 Pandavas. Arjun remained silent, and so did Draupadi. Why? It's difficult to say.
Next, we find Arjun leaving for exile, where he fell in love with Chitrangada and Subhadra, and came back to Indraprastha, with Subhadra. Draupadi felt wrathful, hurt, and jealous, and her distress was lessened by an innocent and lovely Subhadra. Soon after, both Draupadi and Subhadra gave birth to Arjun's children. Later, Draupadi was staked and dragged, and disrobed and all her husbands watch silently. Apart from Bhima, ALL of her husbands remained quiet, during her most difficult time.
But somehow, it is only Arjun's silence that pinches me the most. And I can give valid reasons for that.
Firstly, Draupadi loved Arjun the most, which is quite palpable. Moreover, Draupadi was being insulted by Karna, who also happened to be Arjun's greatest rival. When Duryodhan showed his thigh to Draupadi, Bhima stood up, to take a vow. When Dushasen touched her hair, Bhima stood up to take another vow. The childhood rivalry between Bhima, and the Kauravas, stirred in him, and unable to bear his wife's insult by those rivals, he promised to avenge everything. But Arjun remained quiet when his greatest rival called his wife a prostitute, and instigated her disrobing. Even later, it was Bhima who declared that Arjun would kill Karna...Arjun, himself, did not say it.
Another time, we see this silence, when Draupadi's sons died, where as usual only Bhima seemed to be the one reacting violently. Arjun did go after Ashwathama and shoot Brahmastra/Brahmashira(whichever it was), but somewhere, that wrath seemed to be missing. Yes, Yudhisthir too did not react violently. But, a man who calmly stakes his wife, calmly watches her getting disrobed, calmly accepts another round of dice game, after the debacle, is expected to remain calm, when his son is dead.
Once again, we see this same silence, when Draupadi died, and Yudisthir declared that Draupadi loved Arjun the most. Yes, they were following Yoga, and so did not look back. But did Arjun not feel anything after hearing that? Did he not feel like saying anything, to his brothers, at that moment? Or did Ved Vyas, not bother to record his words again?
However, amidst these silent moments, there are other moments too, which prove that Arjun did care for Draupadi, after all. Why else would he bother to console her after marrying Subhadra? In those days, Kings and princes married many times, and Draupadi herself had 5 husbands. So, why did Arjun bother so much, that he even sent Subhadra to appease her? He did console his beloved, in exile, when she poured her heart out to her Sakha regarding her humiliation. There's even a beautiful scene, where he carries a tired Draupadi, right before entering Virat, although at insistence of his brother. Their common connection with Lord Krishna can be felt in many scenes.
Often, Arjun's silence takes over those moments of joy, and his "love" for Draupadi gets lost somewhere, in translation, in between. Often his silence gets more etched in our minds, than his words with her.And it is for this reason, I guess, that Arjun and Draupadi's equation is called a forbidden love story.But what is it that makes Draupadi so expressive and open about her love for him, and Arjun so silent? Was it the polyandry? What is the reason, for which Draupadi despite having 4 more men in her life, did not forget the man, who had originally won her hand, and continued to love him the most till the very end...and yet, Arjun fell madly in love with another woman?
Was it the sharing? If women could share their husband with other co-wives, and yet continue to love him, with all their hearts, then why couldn't men share their wives with others? Was it the ego, or the social set-up?
There's probably only one reason for this...The heart wants, what it wants.
Amrita
(Anu and Bheegi...this post is probably an outcome of that verse in Parva) 😆
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