"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
Govinda 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.
Edited by devashree_h - 9 years ago