Now that I think about it, I probably just picked up the Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni because I was getting it for free – but free or not – it was definitely worth my time! It provides a very interesting insight into the mind of Draupadi – the wife of the five Pandavas in Mahabharata. It startes out with a young Draupadi, or Panchaali (as she prefers to be called!) and her fascination with the story of her birth (from fire!), her unconditional love for her brother, Dhrishtadyumna and her eternal love for Krishna.
For the first time, one is let into the mind of the woman who has often been called the reason for the long overdue Great War between the Kauravas and the Pandavas – and one is amazed by what one sees inside! Her fascination and admiration for Krishna and their relationship is truly flawlessly potrayed. Inspite of her declaring her love for Krishna several times in the novel, not once can it be mistaken for romance.
“The Palace of Illusions” is what she prefers to call her palace at Indraprastha – for the palace is not just grand, but also magical (having been made by an Asura, Maya). She expresses her deep love for her palace and the fact that she is the mistress of it, as compared to Hastinapur which seemed to restrict her.
Her attraction to Karna is flawless as well – and surprisingly fits in quite well in the story. It also serves as an answer to quite a lot of questions that were left unanswered in the Mahabharata. It is controversial, true – for the last thing one can imagine is Drapaudi being attracted to Karna in such a romantic and sensual way, and her comparing what her life as Karna’s wife could have been had she not dismissed him on Krishna’s insistence and what it was as the wife of the five Pandavas.
Her love for Krishna can be related to, to a large extent. Her affection for him is a topic which has been touched upon several times in the book but leaves it upto the reader’s imagination as to whether their love was physical, sensual, or emotional. Krishna,too, names her Krishnaa and as his usual charming self, drops hints and advises in ways disguised yet understood.
Most amazingly, Draupadi expresses her grief over not having been a good mother to her children – as she was too busy in filling the minds of her husbands with vengeance. It is sad that she does not get the chance, as all of her sons die in the Kurukshetra War.
Draupadi complains several times of Yudhishtar and how his inability to do wrong or speak false and his righteousness irritated her. It is Yudhishtar who she probably likes the least among all her husbands, but over the years and especially on the time when she lay on her death bed she truly understood that Yudhisthar had loved her all along but it was not in his nature to lie, to do what was not right.
Bheem is someone Draupadi really admires for she realizes that it is he who truly loves her the most. He, who fulfills all of her whims and wants and cannot bear to see her suffer. He – who even puts their disguise in danger when he kills Keesak – the brother-in-law of King Virat when he attempts to rape Draupadi, who he thinks is his sister’s hair dresser. Yes, Draupadi uses him because she knows that he would do as she would ask, and that is enough to prove his true love towards her. Even, when Draupadi falls, it is he who attempts to save her – in spite of knowing that turning back is not allowed – but is stopped by Yudhishter.
For Draupadi, Arjun was always the hero. He was the one who had won her over, and as a newly wed bride – she craves for his attention, his love. She feels that it is he who truly deserves her, and her feelings are not misplaced. She is envious when she sees Arjun and Subadra madly in love, and is angry at Krishna for allowing Subadra to take her place, to receive that love and affection that she had vied for from Arjun.
Nakul and Sahdeva – though not much has been mentioned in detail about their relationship with Draupadi, but she often comments how she thinks they are passionate and good looking. She admires Nakul’s good looks and Sahdeva’s passion for knowledge.
Draupadi’s relationship with Kunti is one of the fictional and perhaps most interesting part of the novel. Kunti is jealous and afraid that Draupadi might replace her in the lives of her sons. She dislikes Draupadi for probably this reason, for it hurts her and scares her that another woman might replace her importance in the life of her sons who she has brought up among such turmoil. She has been a widow for years, and to bring up her sons and fight for their positions as the future kings of Hastinapur, she has been turned into a lady with a stone heart.
A beautiful book, which easily takes you back hundreds of years – right in the time of the Pandavas and the Kauravas with comfortable ease – this one is worth a read! It does not disappoint, and instead leaves you wanting for more 🙂
First Experience at Real Life Fiction by a Teen 