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"Time cooks everything."
Yudhisthir's statement to the yaksha in Vanaparva is a harsh reminder to all of us mortals that everything in this world is perishable and surrenders to the never-ending cycle of time. Perhaps, if Krishna had answered that question, he might have amended that statement, "Time cooks everything but love." Krishna, the epitome of eternal and immortal love, the God who lived as a man during the dvaparyuga, practiced and preached love through his actions and words. Love but not attachment was his mantra of life. His human avatar was on a mission"a mission to cleanse the earth and unburden the society before the end of the yuga. Although, he could have accomplished this task single handedly, he chose two mortals"Arjuna and Draupadi"also incarnates of divine souls, to complete his mission. The three of them, often called the three Krishnas of the Mahabharata were like one soul in three different bodies. If Krishna was the God" Narayan, the Supreme Being, then Arjuna was man"the Nar, the do-er and Draupadi, the woman"the Nari, an incarnate of Sri or good fortune. Without this trio, the whole epic of Mahabharata would be incomplete.
It's not a mere coincidence that the three soul mates met for the first time at the Swayamvar where Arjuna won Draupadi's hand in marriage while Krishna orchestrated the events at the ceremony through his leela.' The Swayamvar was a turning point in their lives. While Draupadi was ultimately married off to Arjuna and his four brothers, committing herself to a life of sacrifice and surrender to preserve dharma"the ultimate mission of the avatar, Arjuna and his brothers' fortune changed forever after their marriage. As mortals in the kaliyuga, we would never know how the dynamics between Arjuna and Draupadi changed or played out after Kunti inadvertently divided the bride between the five brothers.
On the surface, Mahabharata is a tale replete with politics, treachery, jealousy, greed, lust, bravery, relationships and above all war and its aftermath. However, when one explores the layers between the basic stories, it's also a tale about love, sacrifice, divinity and surrender. While most of us in this century relate to lovers like Romeo-Juliet, Siri-Farhad and Laila-Majnu, Arjuna and Draupadi didn't follow the conventional definition of love. Their feelings for each other were not about attachment, self-centeredness and isolation from the rest of the world, rather they were all about selflessness, acceptance and deep understanding for each other. Perhaps, their relationship with Govinda sealed their spiritual bond to the highest level and that's why there was no need for Ved Vyas to include conventional romantic or intimate moments between the couple.
However, their human side does come to the fore at various instances. Draupadi's expressions of jealousy and possessiveness after his marriage with Subhadra, craving for Arjuna when he left for Indralok in Vanaparva, her glare at Govinda when he blamed Arjuna's wandering nature to his high cheek bones and Yudhisthir's final statement before her demise about her preference for Arjuna over the other brothers leave no doubts about her feelings. Arjuna, the silent one, dedicated younger brother seldom spoke in her favor but just before his battle with Karna, there is an instance where he insults Yudhisthir and vents out his deepest human feelings. That's the first time we get a glimpse into a man who despised sharing his wife with his brothers.
Not too many couples in history could've made the sacrifices Arjuna and Draupadi made to achieve the larger goal and purpose in life. One has to delve beyond polyandry, polygamy, jealousy, possessiveness and selfishness to understand their love for each other. How else would one explain Draupadi's wholehearted acceptance of Subhadra and Abhimanyu and Arjuna's faith in her?
As Govind would've said, "To love is not to possess. To desire their happiness and to endeavour for the same is also love."(SOMAAYA, BHAWANA) Arjuna and Draupadi's love story was not about possession, but about sacrifice, true happiness, compassion and acceptance.
Time doesn't cook everything. If at all, with time, we have all learnt to appreciate the love stories embedded in Mahabharata and made them immortal 5000 years later.
Time doesn't cook everything. If at all, with time, we have all learnt to appreciate the love stories embedded in Mahabharata and made them immortal 5000 years later.
This FC is for appreciating ArDi as a couple. Please do not compare them to other characters or couples.
