Week 7 Story: Draupadi and Iatha
Day after day, Draupadi found herself confined to the women's
quarters of king Virata's palace, performing the ritual tasks of a sairandhri. She longed to roam the magnificent halls and sneak out into the gardens, to breathe in the rich scent of the earth and drink the sunlight. The marble walls began to feel as if they were closing in on her, and
she became a prisoner among the gold fixtures and jeweled
ornaments.
Each day resembled the next. Every morning Draupadi rose
before the sun to help the women of the palace dress and prepare for the day ahead. She wound
her hands through hundreds of royal ringlets and sculpted the clay of their faces, creating the statuesque beauties that were beholden throughout the kingdom.
She applied pigments that made their features come alive, and it could indeed
be said that all the rosy cheeks glimpsed at court were the work of the artist
Draupadi.
One of the women always lingered slightly longer in Draupadi's
care. Her name was Iatha, and she was the wife of Kichaka, brother of the king.
Her beauty was unrivaled among the women of the land, her radiance preceding
her as she strode through the palace and lit up the passages with her presence. Only
Draupadi’s beauty stood in contest with hers.
As the weeks went by, the two women became close friends. Iatha
was always the first to arrive in the dressing chamber, and would bow in
submission as Draupadi arranged her tresses and painted her face with vibrant
hues. Iatha spoke of the happenings at court and the politics of the land,
with a mind keener and a tongue more eloquent than advisers of the highest standing. Her words were compassionate and just, grounded in the divine authority of knowledge. Draupadi always listened intently, in awe of the clever mind before her. Iatha’s perfect features did not phase Draupadi, but the brilliance of her inner beauty quickly became blinding.
One morning, Iatha came in with a mysterious gleam in her eye. As Draupadi laid out an array of fine silks and jewels for her, Iatha said, “This morning, I will be servant to you; let me braid your hair
and wrap you in finery. I wish to repay your kindness and the gentleness of your hands, my only reprieve from the greedy embrace of my husband.”
Draupadi
bowed to Iatha’s request and reveled in the luxuries afforded the
royal women. A flood of memories rushed through her as she remembered her own
royal days, and she teared up at the thought of her home and the life she once had. Iatha noticed Draupadi’s forlorn gaze and turned to look in her
eyes.
“What is it my child? Does my work displease you?”
Draupadi quickly replied, “As the sun displeases the blade of
grass reaching for it’s light! Your presence is a ray of hope in my life. I am
merely reminiscing on past events that have not looked favorably upon my fortune,
and my emotions have gotten the better of me.”
Draupadi met Iatha’s gaze, recognizing for the first time the
intense blueness of her eyes. She felt herself falling into the sea, swept away
on crystal waves.
Draupadi and her five husbands. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author's Note: Draupadi is an intriguing character in the Mahabharata. Her origin story and life circumstances are very unique, and I thought it would be fun to write a story centered around her experience during the 13th year in exile. Relationships between women are not often explored in the Mahabharata; in fact, very few women are ever given a voice in this collection of stories. I hope to showcase the importance of female relationships and how women can support one another during trying times in their lives. Draupadi is reassured by the strong presence of Iatha (a character I have made up for the purpose of this story), and Iatha is able to relax and enjoy living in the moment, apart from the duties of royal life and from her awful husband (who is similarly awful in the original story, where he lustfully pursues Draupadi).
Bibliography
Narayan, R.K. The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic.
Hey Joni,
ReplyDeleteI liked the amount of detail that you had in your story; especially when you described the palace. Also, I liked how you described the relationship between Draupadi and Iatha. It is true in the Mahabharata that we don’t get to the extent of relationships between the women of the court. Therefore it was really refreshing to read a story that described this relationship. There were some terms like “sairandhri” that you might want to define in your story. Overall, I really enjoyed your story.
Hey Joni,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this story, as your use of diction and imagery is superb! I totally felt cabin fever while reading about Draupadi's time stuck in the castle. I think the relationship between Draupadi and Iatha was pretty interesting, as it shows a more feminine view onto Draupadi's life. In the book, Draupadi is always shown in the view from her 5 husbands, so showing a non-male focused story on Draupadi's life was very refreshing, can't wait to read more!
Hi Joni,
ReplyDeleteUsing Draupadi as the center of this story was great because we got to see a glimpse of what she was feeling as she lived life away from her previous splendor. I feel like this is the story that would have been told if Draupadi was won in the first dice game by the Kauvaras and then kept as a slave. It would certainly make me happy to see her rescued from her life and brought back to what she once knew.
Hey Joni, I really enjoyed the imagery of your story! I love when stories incorporate imagery because it lets me place myself at the scene and really dive deep into the characters and what they are enduring. I think you did a great job explaining Draupadi and his story, as well as focusing on using women more than the average epic does as most of the time women are the side characters.
ReplyDeleteHey Joni, great story! I think Draupadi is a character that does not receive enough development in the Mahabharata. It is interesting to read a story centered around her time in the 13th year of exile. I like how you focused on the relationship between two people to tell your story. I think that the setting lends itself to developing a character.
ReplyDeleteJoni, your story is a pleasure to read thanks to your descriptive writing. You maintain a comfortable pace despite the rich expression. By the time we experience Draupadi’s awaking feelings for Iatha, you have managed to create an empathetic bond with your main character. We sense her sadness and quiet despair. The brief ending leaves the reader with the buoyant butterfly feeling of first love. Incredible writing!
ReplyDeleteHi Joni,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you are a fantastic writer. I really enjoyed this story and thought that your imagery was amazing. You have set the story well and I enjoy that it is focused around Draupadi. I'm happy that the brothers were not really mentioned because that allowed her character to develop under the supervision of someone new. Again, this was a great story and I look forward to reading more from you!
Hey Joni, I loved how detailed and descriptive your story was. It had lots of imagery, so I was able to have a visualization in my head. I think the way you explained Draupadi was great because you really dived deep about her and made her the center of the story. Good job, I look forward to reading more stories of yours!
ReplyDeleteHey Joni, I really enjoyed the imagery of your story! It was very detailed and I was able to picture everything. It really let me picture myself in the story and really put myself into the character's shoes and what they were going through. You did an awesome job explaining Draupadi and his story and focusing on women in the story since they were typically just there on the side.
ReplyDelete