Draupadi's Confessions: OS
This is again a fictional piece written by me. Another attempt at what if'
"Whom did Draupadi love most?" This question has bugged people for centuries and going by the number of posts on the forum, seems like this shall always remain one of the many unsolved mysteries of the Mahabharat.
What if Draupadi had written a confession before she died?
Or
After seeing our plight, what if Draupadi gave us a response from heaven?
Earthlings have spent a lot of time writing, analyzing and pondering over this question- out of all my husbands, whom did I love the most? On our last journey together, even Yudhishtra tried to answer this unspoken mystery of my heart. When I was taking my last few gasps of breath on the mountain, wish Shri Ved Vyas jee had asked me this question and not left it to a man to make a statement on my behalf.
Let me ask you all a question. Out of all your five senses, which one do you love the most? I'm sure it'd be hard to pick just one. The five Pandav brothers were my five precious senses. Just like a body's existence is meaningless or incomplete without its senses, my life was incomplete without my five husbands.
I learnt to appreciate the strength and essence of my five senses when we spent 13 years in exile.
Yudhishtra was the pair of eyes that guided me through all the trials and tribulations of my life. He helped me see what I was unable to see. Yes, it's true that our visions were not always similar. If I sought revenge, he sought peace, penance and harmony. If I couldn't waver from my quest for justice, he couldn't dither from his path of righteousness. Our ideologies clashed but if it were not for his patience, virtuousness and planning, justice would've never prevailed.
Bheem, by contrast always said what I wanted to hear. When my heart was scorched by humiliation at the hands of the Kauravs, his words were balm to my ears. The roar, pain and aggression in his words helped me endure my existence during the painful 13 years of exile. He was a man of action and I knew every word he said in my support would always come true. His words were like medicine for my bruised soul.
They say that the sense of smell has a direct connection with the heart. That's why the fragrance of flowers, scents, nectar and a lover calms the heart like no other sensation in this world can. Arjun was that all pervasive fragrance in my life. Even when he wasn't around, I never felt his absence. I just had to shut my eyes, inhale a deep breath and I knew Dhananjay was nearby. Perhaps, he felt the same way about me. Why else, he could always sense what I felt or what I thought? Even if I were blinded by revenge or unwilling to hear the rationales of the mind, his aroma was always there to revive my misguided soul.
The twins were the sense of touch and taste that helped me stay connected with the real world. Their eternal youth and zest for life provided me the strength and courage to face any adversity. While I spent years away from my children, Nakul and Sahdev filled that void in my life. They wouldn't hesitate to respect, revere or humor me when I was exhausted or upset. Perhaps, I'd have forgotten how to smile if it were not for them.
My five husbands completed me like no one else could. They guided, loved, protected, caressed and pampered me. Yes, they made mistakes but who was I to punish or forgive them? A body and its senses are inseparable. When the senses are enslaved by weakness, corruption, treachery or deceit, how could the body function without them? If it were not for Krishna, my body along with its five senses would have vanquished in the Kuru sabha that ill-fated day. I learnt an important lesson that day: my body and its senses were inseparable and any effort to enslave even one of us meant that all would cease to function and exist the way destiny intended us to survive.
Even though, that was the most heart-wrenching day of my life, the bond that I shared with all my five senses became stronger and invincible- an everlasting bond that helped us complete the mission of the almighty in our world.
Henceforth, I'd urge all the earthlings of Kaliyug to stop separating my body from my five senses and it's my humble request to stop forcing me to acknowledge a never existent sixth sense (Karna as implied by some) with my life.
-Yours Truly,
Yagnaseni
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
