Week 7 Story: The Ending of Drapaudi

Draupadi shivered. 

The air around her kept growing colder and colder, and yet she did not let it stop her. She knew that she was close, so close, and so she kept putting one foot in front of the other as she followed her husbands. She would not allow herself to consider the possibility that she might not make it. I have to get to the top, she thought. Then we will live together in heaven until the end of times.

The sun rose higher and higher above Draupadi and the Pandavas, and they still did not stop. They knew that to stop was to mean death, not the good kind, and they knew that at the end of this mountain lay the entrance to Amravati. As she walked, Draupadi pondered her life and the many actions she had taken that might bar her from reaching the top of the mountain.

She remembered when she married each of her husbands, and how in the early days she would spend one year with one husband and then switch. She remembered how she had been almost sold to Duryodhana until her husbands managed to save her and eventually bring about her retribution for the wrongs suffered to her. 

She remembered the feeling of watching her husbands fight against the Kauravas during that long, long war. To her, it had felt like each day was a year, as she feared that either of her 5 husbands or any of her children would fall to the blade of an enemy warrior. And, lastly, she remembered the many years of peace she was fortunate to live once the war was over. And, she admitted to herself, the years she remembered the fondest were those she spent with Arjuna, though she of course loved all of her husbands.

That wouldn't condemn me to Naraka, would it? Draupadi worriedly thought as she chewed on her lip. No, there's no way. I have taken pains to not make my increased affections for Arjuna known. There's no way my husband's could be aware.

Suddenly, Drapaudi was startled as Sahadeva and Nakula fell to the ground ahead of her. She screamed, and ran forward. "Get up! Get up! Please, you must not leave us like this! I know you can make it!" She sobbed, shaking their shoulders. But, she soon realized her actions were futile, and so she sadly stood up and stepped around them.

Shaken by the loss of two of her husbands, she looked up ahead of her as she kept climbing the mountain. The top seemed so near, and yet so far. But, she knew she could reach it. She had to! And so she climbed without sound for what seemed like hours. She stepped in the footsteps of Arjuna, Bhima, and Yudhishthira, and, after most of the day had passed, she stopped as she realized there was nowhere else for them to go.

She smiled, and raised her face to the sun. They had done it. They made it to Amravati.

They were home.

Pleasing - Drapaudi Bringing Beverages to Keechaka's Court.

No Changes Made. By: Raja Ravi Varma. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note: The inspiration for this story came from Tale 191 of Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata by Laura Gibbs. In this tale, the five Pandava brothers and Drapaudi are climbing Mount Meru in order to reach heaven. Only Yudhishthira makes it, however, as Draupadi is the first to fall and then the rest of the brothers fall as well. Yudhishthira's thoughts reveal why each fell. Drapaudi, for example, fell because she loved Arjuna more than her other husbands. I read this tale and immediately wished Drapaudi and some of her husbands could have joined Yudhishthira in the afterlife. As I love writing about female characters, I decided to rewrite Tale 191 from Drapaudi's point of view. I thought it would be interesting to show her thinking back on her life while climbing Mount Meru. Besides that, I did not agree with Drapaudi's personal feelings being a suitable reason to spend the rest of eternity in hell. So, while I decided to have her acknowledge it, I did not make it the reason she could not reach the top. Additionally, while I did not agree with Yudhishthira being the only one to make it to heaven, I thought that at least one of the six should fail to reach the top. I decided to keep Sahadeva and Nakula's fall, because I honestly did not remember them well from the story and liked Drapaudi, Arjuna, and Bhima. And all of that together is how I came up with this story!

Bibliography: Part D, Page 20, Tale 191 of Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata by Laura Gibbs. Link: Tale 191.

Reading Notes: Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata, Part D

The ending of the Mahabharata was, I think, more satisfying than the ending of the Ramayana. I remember being angry at the ending of the Ramayana because of Rama's treatment of Sita, but I enjoyed the ending of the Mahabharata (besides the Pandavas and Draupadi ending up in hell) as it seemed most of the characters got a fitting ending. I especially liked how the Mahabharata started and ended with mention of the Mahabharata itself.

In Part D, the tale that stuck out to me the most was Tale 191, "The Pandavas Climb Mount Meru". These tales stuck out to me because they detailed the ending of the five Pandava brothers and Draupadi. As I mentioned above, I really did not life how Yudhishthira was the only one of the six who ended up in heaven. This dude literally gambled away every single one of his brothers and HIS WIFE, and yet because of "dharma" his actions were all magically okay.

Draupadi, who was forced to marry five brothers because of their mothers response to a joke (which I still think was a whole wild situation), has to live in hell forever because she loved one more than the others? That is not fair. Yudhishthira did nothing to help save her when they were in their final year of exile and the queen's brother was lusting for her. Also, it seems vaguely misogynistic that she was the first to fall.

I would think that if the other brothers could not make it because they were proud of certain aspects of themselves or had some flaws, then there has to be something that would prevent Yudhishthira from making it. Based on the choices he made throughout the story, it makes no sense. I think I would maybe rewrite this tale but make it where Yudhishthira also falls, albeit last.

Image of Mount Meru.

No Changes Made. Taken by Woodlouse on 7-15-08. Source: flickr

Bibliography: Part D, Page 20, Tale 191 of Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata by Laura Gibbs. Link: Tale 191.

Reading Notes: Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata, Part C

In this part, the big battle that the whole story has been leading up to has started. However, as of the end of Part C it has not ended, and for the first time I found myself accidentally reading into Part D.

While this part had more of moments that I found odd or funny as did the first two parts, I do think the story is much better now that there is a battle. There were often times that characters did an action that I thought was pointless. I think I can probably safely say that I like the Ramayana more by this point.

One tale that stuck out to me was Tale 144, "Indra Visits Karna in Disguise". I started this tale assuming Indra would finally get Karna to fight with his brothers, seeing as how he's a god and everything, but this dude literally gifts him a crazy weapon just because he was nice to him?? Where did the worry for your son's life go? I do not understand this man. He just gave a Shakti-spear to the person who has decided to face his son in battle just because of some earrings and armor.

Like sure, it is cool that Karna gave his stuff to a random old man (if a bit weird), but I was not expecting Indra to gift him a weapon. I think it would make more sense for Indra's gift that he asked of Karna to be to spare his son's life. That's what I would've asked for! And, it goes along with his whole reason for even going to Karna in the first place.

Statue of Karna fighting Ghatotkacha.

No Changes Made. Taken by: Sarah Welch on 10-19-18. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Part C, Page 15, Tale 144 of Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata by Laura Gibbs. Link: Tale 144.