The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni
A Retelling of the Epic Mahabharata from the Perspective of Draupadi
The Palace of Illusions is the latest novel by Chitra Divakaruni, the author of best selling works like The Mistress of Spices and Queen of Dreams. The novel has been published by Picador.
The Retelling of an Epic
The story of the Mahabharata has been told numerous times and as Draupadi says in the novel “…it changed with each retelling.”
The Mahabharata has been presented as an epic, as novels, as films, as television series and as theatre performances. Sometimes it has been told in its entirety and at others in selected parts. The basic fabric has been imposed in contemporary contexts as a feud between business families and even political parties. It has been retold in every Indian language and several foreign ones.
The Palace of Illusions is not the first time it is being told from Draupadi’s perspective and it will not be the last.
Draupadi
Draupadi, as the wife of the five Pandava brothers who were cheated out of their kingdom, plays a central role in the epic. Also central to the epic is the humiliation she had to undergo, which became the driving force of her revenge. But Draupadi was also a daughter, a sister, a daughter-in-law and above all a woman alive to the situations in which she finds herself. It is these facets of the woman that Divakaruni is essentially concerned with.
Divakaruni presents Draupadi as a woman whose life was burdened with prophecies. When she emerged from the sacrificial fire it was said that she would change the course of history. She spent her childhood wondering how a woman who was secluded from the world of politics and governance could change the course of history.
The sage Vyasa explained to her that she would do so by causing the most terrible war in history in which not only would her enemies perish, not only would a million women become widows but also her brother would die. Then she wanted no part of the prophecy because she loved her brother above all else.
Her father had asked for a son who would kill his enemy. He was given a daughter as well and one that he did not need and did not want. And if she got any attention at all in her formative years it was because her brother stood by her side.
The Palace of Illusions
After Draupadi’s marriage to the five Pandava brothers, the kingdom of Hastinapura was divided between her husbands and their cousin Duryodhan. Her husbands had the Palace of Illusions built for her in their capital city of Indraprastha.
The palace was perfectly named. Its walls had unseen doors, and what appeared as doors were solid wall. Also what looked like pools of water was flooring and pools of water looked like flooring. When Duryodhan visited the palace he got trapped in the illusions and made a fool of himself. It was then that Draupadi let out a stream of contemptuous laughter. Rankled by this laughter Duryodhan plotted the crooked game of dice which eventually led to the Mahabharata war. Thus, Draupadi fulfilled the prophecy made at her birth.
Power is an Illusion
Hinduism is not only about devotion and worship. In fact it is primarily about recognizing one's own insignificance. It is about coming to terms with individual helplessness in the face of the collective actions taken by others, to which society has given the name “destiny.”
Draupadi caused a war but one in which she lost a father, two brothers and five sons. And later she died “alone and abandoned at the end.” Her status, her power and her strength were, in the end, illusions.
In addition to writing novels like Palace of Illusions, Divakaruni teaches Creative Writing at the University of Houston.
Latest Articles