Yajnaseni

Yajnaseni

Born of the Sacred Fire

"Draupadi" was staged in the ruins of Feroze Shah Kotla,in the winters of 1994-95. A stone's?throw away from my office on New Delhi's Zafar Marg. The ensemble cast included Shabana apa, Naseer and Om. The play was loosely based upon the treatise, "Yajnaseni" written by Odia author Pratibha Ray. Now, not only do I love the Epic, I love strong, accomplished women. In this case, Ms. Ray happened to be the 4th Bharatiya Jnanpith Award winner from the State of Odisha. Her book is a stand-out for female authors having been translated into 10 languages. For me though, the added excitement was the venue-the ruins of Kotla are believed to be one of the 4 or 5 haunted spots in Delhi, and this play was being staged there in the pitch darkness of Delhi winters, with minimal lighting thereby adding to the mystery and excitement of the unknown. The Dark beyond.

Yajnaseni

The word Yajnaseni means a woman born out of fire. More popularly known as Draupadi, Panchali and Krishnaa, the main protagonist of the Hindu epic Mahabharata and the common consort of the Five Pandavas. Draupadi and her brother Dhrishtadyumna, were born from a Yajna organized by the Panchala King Dhrupad. It is said, Dhrupada asked Shiva for a son, who could avenge the dishonor that Guruvar Drona had imposed upon his once, childhood friend. But Shiva's?boon ended up giving Dhrupad two children from the same sacrificial fire. A radiant son "Dhrishtadyumna" and a daughter, a blue-lotus coloured gem-"Yajnaseni".

Swayambhu

In the Himalayan belt, the omnipotent God Shiva is known and worshipped by many names and in many forms. If he is Shiva to some, he is Vishwanath to others, and Pashupatinath to certain communities. The most popular nomenclature is Swayambhu or Swayam Bhagwan, which indirectly refers to the Plurality of God and his visibility, awareness and availability to all of humanity. Each and every individual has the God element embedded in his body, the use or misuse of the same depends upon the individual. For which he or she gets the results-thus giving strength to the Karmic theory.

Going back to the Epic, like Krishna and Sudama, Dhrupad and Drona are childhood friends studying under the same Gurukul. While Dhrupad is a Kshatriya, Drona is the son of Rishi Bharadwaj, a poor Brahmin. In intellect and wisdom Drona is miles ahead of Dhrupad. While leaving the Gurukul, Dhrupad promises Drona, half of Panchal. Ego does not permit Drona to partake in the generosity of Dhrupad, but ultimately poverty humbles the ego and the poor Brahmin goes to Dhrupad seeking a few Cows with which he could feed his son. Dhrupad ridicules Drona, but gives him a few cows because he is a Brahmin and nothing?more. The Bond of Friendship lies broken.

Often in life, we make ridiculous gestures to others. "O we are there for you. You are not alone. Never hesitate to ask for help". But when the time comes, we refuse to take calls, ignore a person in distress and leave him to his fate. Thus, underlining the divide between the Rich and the Poor, the Fortunate and the Unfortunate ones. Swayambhu underlines two things-every human has the same divine light and he must stand up for himself. Second, not only should we be careful of what we seek, we must be careful of what we promise others. A promise in words is meaningless, degrading and ultimately useless.

Dharaka, Dwarka, Demise of Krishna

Last week I wrote how Krishna sends his charioteer Dharaka to Arjun with the message, "that after 6 days Dwaraka will sink into the Sea. Arjuna should come with his Army and take under his protection the Women and Children of Dwaraka and take them back to Hastinapur". When Arjuna arrives, he finds that the Lord has already departed to Vishnu-Lok, when he tries he is unable to lift the Bow and Arrow given to him by Shiva. Remember the Divine weapons were given to him for a cause, not as playthings. Arjuna now lies stripped of all his Divine blessings and powers. Most women are killed by the marauding Vrishnis and the rest commit Sati. It is then, the Pandavas decide their reign on Earth is over and they too must make way to Vaikunth. They anoint Parikshit as the King of Hastinapur and leave for Kailash.?

Scriptures cite the existence of an invisible staircase to heaven that rises from the Kedar Dome. One after the other the 4 Pandavas and Draupadi fall prey to Death. That leaves Dharmaraj Yudhisthir as the only one who could clearly see the staircase and he begins his slow climb thereon. Alone.

A Letter to Krishna

Before her demise Draupadi starts off a letter to Keshav, looking upon her by-gone life. She cites the Swayamvar?in Kampilya, her adulation of Karna, the slight shake of the head from her Sakha, Krishna to let go of Karna and choose Arjun, the accidental polyandry, a reference to the Palace of Illusions. A retelling of the Mahabharata, as a woman in a patriarchal world and the societal restrictions from birth, to marriage, to family, war and ultimate death.

Yajnaseni plays many roles-daughter, daughter in law, wife of 5 husbands, her craving for Phalguni Arjuna, the haloed charm of Krishna and an ill-fated marriage. Through all the turmoil she finds support in Krishna, as a friend, guide and philosopher. Draupadi's life is a life of distress, grief and constant struggle,of personal loss. Yet, in Kurukshetra it is Dharma that wins. In the life of Yajnaseni, we walk through this dance of her relationships-with her friends, lovers, society-and how the three play and interact with each other.

All her life she craves for attention from Arjuna and fails, she has fleeting affection for Karna, tries to please Kunti all her life. Yet, familial responsibilities force her to sacrifice her personal happiness. Women bound by society's rules and restrictions are rendered powerless, in the end Yajnaseni is all about a life of Regrets.

The Best Quotes

"Full of anguish and anger I was thinking: was a woman merely a man's movable or immovable property? Being a woman did I not have the right even over myself, my own soul? If they had rights over this body of mine, did it mean they could do as they wished with me?" On an even more evocative note:

"Death is more generous than life. Death is more composed. Those who were enemies yesterday, today their Death drenches the heart with tender compassion.Those who were wicked, lustful, sinful till yesterday were made composed, steady and unperturbed by Death today".?

If any or all of you can imbibe the Swayambhu in your inner self this life will be worth a million lives. There need not be a Yajnaseni with a regretful life, but a happy, vibrant life. God and God particles are beyond our understanding. Let them be the guiding lights, but keep Alive the mysteries of life.