Posted:
This is in response to Simone's quote from Picasso:
Picasso was right when he said -
"There are only two types of women, goddesses and doormats"
A friend of mine did her PhD research on female archetypes and created her own list of them in transpersonal psychology terms- like mother divine, princess, queen, earth mother etc. For myself, I would like to create a list for Choti Bahu based on women found in Indian texts both historical and literary (including epics like Ramayana and Mahabharatha).
Devi: Mother Divine. She is Mahishasura Mardhini. She can do what no MAN can get done. According to the Devi Mahatmyam the gods plead to Brahma to find a solution to the problems created by Mahishasur on planet Earth. As he can be destroyed by no MAN, the solution lies in a Woman. Hence the concentrated essence of all Gods are put together to create Devi. She is more powerful than the western Amazon archetype- closer to Mother Goddess. She can be Kali (scary and fearsome) and Chandi and Durga (beautiful and compassionate) and Bala (young and childlike) all at the same time.
CB: No Devi character in CB.
Sita: Princess and Beloved of her husband. The original character in Valmiki is watered down in the Tulasidas version, post islamic invasion (clingier and weepier). Valmiki's Sita is a very self-sufficient, intelligent, know-my-own-mind kinda girl (She fights physically with Ravana when he snatches her from Chitrakoot- no Lakshman Rekha in Valmiki- keeps her head and throws down her jewelry as clue to her whereabouts). She loves her husband and demands the same from him. It is not surprising that Rama decides to have just ONE wife (though the kshatriya custom allowed him multiple wives)😊. She would have had it no other way! Soorpanakha stood no chance! In return she would uphold her part of the marriage by being there for her husband every part of the way- and be totally feminine in the process. She has no problems getting her husband to do the macho thing of fighting for her etc. Totally comfortable being a woman through a through- no bra burning feminist stunts for our Sita, purely feminine.
Misunderstood for her willingness to take the "virginity test" or Agni pariksha- on the contrary, that very act defines her power of being self sufficient. "Want to burn me? Guess what? I cannot be burnt, but hey you will lose me and miss me buddy, as I am beyond doubt!"
CB: Some glimpses of this archetype in Radhika. Lacks clarity in character development. Totally feminine that attracts the likes of Dev and Keshav to fall for her and earning her own champs like her father, Vivek and Birju. Even Purab has a grudging respect for her.
Draupadi: Fiery woman. She is born of the fire! Quick to temper. Could handle and manage 5 husbands. Equivalent to the Queen archetype in the West. Dignified and even her enemies cannot but "fall" for her (Duryodhana and Karna wanted her as much did the Pandava brothers). She knows her allure value as does she her intelligence and beauty. Even Lord Krishna claims her as his dear friend and sis.
CB: Few streaks of her in Vishakha. But lacks her royal dignity- too pedestrian with illusions of grandeur. Draupadi will never titillate, she would allure men to their death. Dadima is more the queen. She keeps her dignity at all times and all bow down to her in the end.
Savitri: Ultimate wife looking after her husband's welfare. She is a princess in her own right but gives it all up for her husband (an ousted prince). Trades with the god of death himself to get her husband back. live. Wily, actually asking those boons of a hundred sons!!😃
CB: Radhika does the vrat (vows and fasts) and ashes a la Savitri but lacks her wit. Allusions to this archetype in the Vat Savitri vrat. The other bahu- Arjun's wife, is yet another dim witted Savitri.
Radha: Love personified. She exists in folklore but finds no mention in classical literature. Popular myth connects her with the "keeper of Krishna's flute". She is the trustee of pure love and devotion. Her name Ra-Dha inverted is Dha-Ra meaning spring. One who gets us to return to our source- the divine within.
CB: Elementally, Radhika's character and name comes from this archetype. However, our Rads is fraught with doubt and tries to play the game of love in the materialistic world of mitya, little realizing that love is but an experience and brings only joy to all as it has a way of pouring forth and rising people's spirits, not making them miserable. rads minus doubt will be this archetype. Dev, on the other hand portrays this archetype better!😆 Every other character actually greet each other with radhe radhe!! unfortunately, without knowing the essence of pure love.
Meera: Devotee-wife. She is a historical character. She was a minor princess and married to a Rana, vassal king. Self-certified as a "deevani"- crazy in love with her Giridhar and belives to be wed to her divine Beloved rather than a mortal human. She is emboldened by her divine love that she walks out of her palace and chooses to live her life of a nomad singing the praises of her lord and letting Him provide for her. it is said that the erstwhile emperor of India, Akbar himself came incognito to meet her and here her sing.
CB: Radhika actually compares herself to this character when talking to her mother, saying she will be a Meera being devoted to her "Krishna"= DEV from afar- Dah! If future track in the storyline supports Rads leaving the confines of the Prohit House, maybe she will discover the true Meera in her- who stood in bliss while swinging the jhoola during phool bangla.She needs to open her mouth and start singing- the aarti from the earlier episodes and stop lying. Maybe that will be the "making" of our Radhika. Vaishai is a Meera in her own way. She can certainly relate with that and she was totally devoted to her husband.
Manthra: Original Sakuni, the trouble maker. She sows seeds of distrust and disharmony in the minds of people- she gets the credit for moving the story of Rama forward, single handedly.
CB: All kudos to Mrinalini. Hopefully her seeds to foment trouble will help move the script of CB forward...
Picasso was right when he said -
"There are only two types of women, goddesses and doormats"
A friend of mine did her PhD research on female archetypes and created her own list of them in transpersonal psychology terms- like mother divine, princess, queen, earth mother etc. For myself, I would like to create a list for Choti Bahu based on women found in Indian texts both historical and literary (including epics like Ramayana and Mahabharatha).
Devi: Mother Divine. She is Mahishasura Mardhini. She can do what no MAN can get done. According to the Devi Mahatmyam the gods plead to Brahma to find a solution to the problems created by Mahishasur on planet Earth. As he can be destroyed by no MAN, the solution lies in a Woman. Hence the concentrated essence of all Gods are put together to create Devi. She is more powerful than the western Amazon archetype- closer to Mother Goddess. She can be Kali (scary and fearsome) and Chandi and Durga (beautiful and compassionate) and Bala (young and childlike) all at the same time.
CB: No Devi character in CB.
Sita: Princess and Beloved of her husband. The original character in Valmiki is watered down in the Tulasidas version, post islamic invasion (clingier and weepier). Valmiki's Sita is a very self-sufficient, intelligent, know-my-own-mind kinda girl (She fights physically with Ravana when he snatches her from Chitrakoot- no Lakshman Rekha in Valmiki- keeps her head and throws down her jewelry as clue to her whereabouts). She loves her husband and demands the same from him. It is not surprising that Rama decides to have just ONE wife (though the kshatriya custom allowed him multiple wives)😊. She would have had it no other way! Soorpanakha stood no chance! In return she would uphold her part of the marriage by being there for her husband every part of the way- and be totally feminine in the process. She has no problems getting her husband to do the macho thing of fighting for her etc. Totally comfortable being a woman through a through- no bra burning feminist stunts for our Sita, purely feminine.
Misunderstood for her willingness to take the "virginity test" or Agni pariksha- on the contrary, that very act defines her power of being self sufficient. "Want to burn me? Guess what? I cannot be burnt, but hey you will lose me and miss me buddy, as I am beyond doubt!"
CB: Some glimpses of this archetype in Radhika. Lacks clarity in character development. Totally feminine that attracts the likes of Dev and Keshav to fall for her and earning her own champs like her father, Vivek and Birju. Even Purab has a grudging respect for her.
Draupadi: Fiery woman. She is born of the fire! Quick to temper. Could handle and manage 5 husbands. Equivalent to the Queen archetype in the West. Dignified and even her enemies cannot but "fall" for her (Duryodhana and Karna wanted her as much did the Pandava brothers). She knows her allure value as does she her intelligence and beauty. Even Lord Krishna claims her as his dear friend and sis.
CB: Few streaks of her in Vishakha. But lacks her royal dignity- too pedestrian with illusions of grandeur. Draupadi will never titillate, she would allure men to their death. Dadima is more the queen. She keeps her dignity at all times and all bow down to her in the end.
Savitri: Ultimate wife looking after her husband's welfare. She is a princess in her own right but gives it all up for her husband (an ousted prince). Trades with the god of death himself to get her husband back. live. Wily, actually asking those boons of a hundred sons!!😃
CB: Radhika does the vrat (vows and fasts) and ashes a la Savitri but lacks her wit. Allusions to this archetype in the Vat Savitri vrat. The other bahu- Arjun's wife, is yet another dim witted Savitri.
Radha: Love personified. She exists in folklore but finds no mention in classical literature. Popular myth connects her with the "keeper of Krishna's flute". She is the trustee of pure love and devotion. Her name Ra-Dha inverted is Dha-Ra meaning spring. One who gets us to return to our source- the divine within.
CB: Elementally, Radhika's character and name comes from this archetype. However, our Rads is fraught with doubt and tries to play the game of love in the materialistic world of mitya, little realizing that love is but an experience and brings only joy to all as it has a way of pouring forth and rising people's spirits, not making them miserable. rads minus doubt will be this archetype. Dev, on the other hand portrays this archetype better!😆 Every other character actually greet each other with radhe radhe!! unfortunately, without knowing the essence of pure love.
Meera: Devotee-wife. She is a historical character. She was a minor princess and married to a Rana, vassal king. Self-certified as a "deevani"- crazy in love with her Giridhar and belives to be wed to her divine Beloved rather than a mortal human. She is emboldened by her divine love that she walks out of her palace and chooses to live her life of a nomad singing the praises of her lord and letting Him provide for her. it is said that the erstwhile emperor of India, Akbar himself came incognito to meet her and here her sing.
CB: Radhika actually compares herself to this character when talking to her mother, saying she will be a Meera being devoted to her "Krishna"= DEV from afar- Dah! If future track in the storyline supports Rads leaving the confines of the Prohit House, maybe she will discover the true Meera in her- who stood in bliss while swinging the jhoola during phool bangla.She needs to open her mouth and start singing- the aarti from the earlier episodes and stop lying. Maybe that will be the "making" of our Radhika. Vaishai is a Meera in her own way. She can certainly relate with that and she was totally devoted to her husband.
Manthra: Original Sakuni, the trouble maker. She sows seeds of distrust and disharmony in the minds of people- she gets the credit for moving the story of Rama forward, single handedly.
CB: All kudos to Mrinalini. Hopefully her seeds to foment trouble will help move the script of CB forward...
CID
