Mahabharat- The Epic: Sources, Variations, Discuss Here Only

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riti4u

@riti4u

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+ 7

Posted: 6 years ago

#141

It is not to offend anyone but at one point we say that we admire Draupadi for being blunt and saying things that mattered, raising her voice against injustice met out to her. If she stood for justice , then what about wrongs that her husbands did to her. If in that time woman had guts to stand out and call for justice then why not leave her husbands if they were the ones who dishonored her by staking her in a gamble. Its very easy justification that husbandless woman had difficult life. I believe without being husbandless she had a difficult life.. she served exiles with them for no fault of hers... .. then she faces the horror of seeing all her sons dead..and then she is blamed for cause of war as well...

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amritat

@amritat

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Posted: 6 years ago

#142

From what I have understood...in the Indian epics, the women - no matter how strong, how bold, how vocal - would yell, scream, question their husbands, but in the end acquiesced, and let him have the benefit of doubt.

Shakuntala goes to her husband after years with her son. Dushmanta sees her, recognizes her but refuses to acknowledge her. He calls her a loose woman, and rejects her son as his. Shakuntala then bursts out, and gives what is perhaps the most powerful speech given by any woman in the entire Mahabharata. Then suddenly voices come from skies 🤔 and Dushmanta declares sheepishly "I was only doing this to get you validation from society, Shaku darling. See, now sky voices have acknowledged you." 😃

And then! Tantanaaa! Wife forgot everything hubby had said to her a while ago. And they lived happily ever after.

Of course, Dushmanta's transgression wasnt as big as Yudi's. But this is how, women were expected to behave I guess.

Edited by amritat - 6 years ago

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riti4u

@riti4u

Stunner

+ 7

Posted: 6 years ago

#143

@Jamy - I feel She does accepts the right of yudi to stake her. If he can stake his brothers as family then in those days wife was treated as property .. that could be put on stake too.. and most painful part is that women accepted this belief..

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 6 years ago

#144

Originally posted by: riti4u
It is not to offend anyone but at one point we say that we admire Draupadi for being blunt and saying things that mattered, raising her voice against injustice met out to her. If she stood for justice , then what about wrongs that her husbands did to her. If in that time woman had guts to stand out and call for justice then why not leave her husbands if they were the ones who dishonored her by staking her in a gamble. Its very easy justification that husbandless woman had difficult life. I believe without being husbandless she had a difficult life.. she served exiles with them for no fault of hers... .. then she faces the horror of seeing all her sons dead..and then she is blamed for cause of war as well...

The problem is Riti...we tend to expect too much from the characters of Mahabharata. And that too, through the prism of today's morals.

Recently, I read a very interesting article about Women Empowerment. Here is the link: http://amp.timeinc.net/time/5425216/ancient-egypt-women-in-power-today?utm_source=quora&utm_medium=referral

The author opines, using Egyptian Queens as a case study, that strong women in the past may not necessarily have been the kind of "feminist" we expect them to be. Yes, they stood out from other women in some respect. They were bold, vocal, etc. But despite their strength, they were still serving the Patriarchy in the long run, perhaps without even realizing it.

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 6 years ago

#145

Originally posted by: riti4u
@Jamy - I feel She does accepts the right of yudi to stake her. If he can stake his brothers as family then in those days wife was treated as property .. that could be put on stake too.. and most painful part is that women accepted this belief..

Women were like objects, and they had little rights. This is something Karna iterates during dice game. Throughout the epic, we see recurring themes of women being offered to Brahmins, soldiers, etc. And women sadly were accustomed to it.

Let me give you an example. A few centuries ago, women (barring some exceptions) had little education in our country. In Bengal, it was believed that if a woman went to school, she would become a widow early.

And sadly, women themselves accepted and propagated this myth more than men. And women themselves stopped other women from studying. This is called mental conditioning brought upon by contemporary society.

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riti4u

@riti4u

Stunner

+ 7

Posted: 6 years ago

#146

Amrita , I feel that Hinduism as a religion gives more respect to women that any other religion in the world. These Puranas are considered to be part of our religion. We worship Goddess where very few religions have that concept. We are the ones who believe that Lord Shiv is Shav without his Shakti. Still there lies paradox, we have rules and restrictions for women in our scriptures like Manusmriti.
But may be patriarchy changed the narrative to suits its ways..who knows.. May be during those yugas women were more liberated than they are even today..in ideas where these Puranas were born.

Yes you said it right we expect a lot from Mahabharat characters, I agree that not every character is pure white..and that's why I find it difficult to believe that Draupadi didn't have any grey shades 😊 . For me she was not helpless woman , but a strong woman knowing her aim.. and doing all that to achieve it.. even if it means forgiving her husbands.. She wants them to fight for her justice and thus she needed them..I would want to believe this rather than believing that she was afraid of being husbandless 😊 .. But in the end its all about perceptions.. and interpretations..so there could be other meanings to it.. 😊

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 6 years ago

#147

Riti,

Like I said earlier, we do not need to look for Inversion Theories. The unabridged epic itself has enough fodder for greyness. Ofcourse, Draupadi knew what she was doing. She was as much a politician as the men and her MIL.

What I am pointing out, however, is the norms of the time which also needs to be taken into account while analyzing the characters. Even if Draupadi did not need her husband or any justice, even then divorcing her husbands would not have been an option.

In this context, it is interesting to note that Draupadi's primary reason for following her husbands to exile is not what we generally assume it to be. The truth is, her name was very much part of the exile contract, along with the Pandavas. Modern writers tend to tag her action as either her Pativrataness or her vengefulness (to keep reminding her husbands of her insult). But the truth is neither.

These are the terms of the contract from CE:

Shakuni said, "O bull among the Bharata lineage! The old one returned all your riches and I worship him for that. But listen to me, because there is one more stake with great riches. If we are defeated by you in gambling, we will enter the great forest for twelve years. We will wear the skins of ruru deer and spend a thirteenth year in disguise, but in inhabited places. If recognized, we will return to the forest for another twelve years. But if you are defeated by us, together with Krishna, you will live in the forest for twelve years, clad in deerskin. When the thirteenth year is over, as is proper, each will obtain his own kingdom back. O Yudhishthira! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! With this stake, let us ready the dice and play another gamble with us.

Edited by amritat - 6 years ago

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Brahmaputra

@Brahmaputra

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 6 years ago

#148

oops! sorry

Edited by Brahmaputra - 6 years ago

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Brahmaputra

@Brahmaputra

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 6 years ago

#149

Yudhishthira said, "I am a king who always follows his own dharma. How can I not return when challenged? O Shakuni! I will play with you.

That cracked me up!😆

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 6 years ago

#150

Originally posted by: riti4u

But may be patriarchy changed the narrative to suits its ways..who knows.. May be during those yugas women were more liberated than they are even today..in ideas where these Puranas were born.

Agreed.

One classic example of this can be seen in the depiction of Shakuntala.

Vyasa's Shakuntala is a fantastic woman. She waits patiently for a few years for her son to grow up, and then only approaches Dushmanta. Then she practically blasts out her husband for not acknowledging her or her son.

However, when we look at Kalidasa's play on Shakuntala, his heroine is far more docile and submissive. Kalidasa's heroine is a creeper-hugging woman whose sole aim in life is to meet her man. She gets cursed by Durvasa...bcoz she is lost in her hubby's thoughts...She faints at her husband's rejection.

This perhaps shows the rise of patriarchy during the times of Kalidasa, and the changing ethos of what were expected from a heroine in the comtemporary era. Perhaps, Kalidasa's readers would have never accepted Vyasa's template.

Edited by amritat - 6 years ago

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