Bhima Lone Warrior, page 11
I could not see Draupadi’s face clearly because the pillars behind the sacrificial fire screened it from view. All I caught sight of was one foot, adorned with golden toe-rings. I drew a deep breath. Was there a fragrance of lotus flowers mingled with the perfume of incense? Was Draupadi perspiring?
The voices of the old men seated around us sounded cheerful – they were obviously relieved that at least one brahmin youth had come forward to compete.
Arjuna stood at the centre of the hall and lifted the bow high, holding it well away from him. I realized that he had made specific calculations about the weight of the bow the balance of which had been so cleverly jeopardized. He seemed to find it more difficult to string the bow than Karna did. Once the bow settled into his left hand and over his shoulder, well under his control and perfectly steady, I grew feverish with eagerness. An attendant ran up to him with a quiver and he took an arrow out of it. After examining its tip and base, he looked at the target, making silent calculations in his mind. Some brahmins in front of me suddenly stood up and blocked my view. By the time I scrambled up, the hall was resounding with shouts. What a nuisance, I had not been able to witness the instant of victory. Arjuna’s arrow had found the target! The audience had fallen utterly silent with amazement. Draupadi glanced at her brother and her father, then walked with them towards Arjuna, who stood waiting with a half-smile. He bent his head when she was before him and, standing on tiptoe, she garlanded him.
Everything happened very fast. I had expected that mantras would be chanted and the customary rituals performed after the contest. I remembered then that this was the first time I had seen a swayamvara ceremony.
The brahmins shattered the silence with cries of joy. Then a riot broke out. The kshatriyas crowded around Drupada, who had been dragged away to a distant spot. Voices were raised in argument. If the contest had been meant for kshatriyas, it was wrong of the brahmins to have taken part. Someone remarked loudly that the kings who had come to compete were in no way inferior to the Panchalas in wealth and military strength. Duryodhana stood before Drupada, gesturing angrily and shouting.
A group of people rushed towards Arjuna, thinking, no doubt, that it was wiser to confront the brahmins than attack Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna.
Retaining his composure, Dhrishtadyumna gave orders to the commanders of his army to prepare themselves. A roll of drums echoed at once from outside the palace.
I pushed aside the people who were in front of me and the man who had initially blocked my view fell down. I leapt over the group of singers and landed near Arjuna. I pulled down a long pole to which streamers had been tied. This was not a battle, it was a riot, and a pole was the weapon best suited to it.
‘Let those who are unwilling to accept the victor talk to me first.’ I lifted the wooden pole high as I voiced my threat. Arjuna told me later that I had shouted.
Amongst the crowd of people that rushed at me furiously, I saw a twisted face, one that I would have recognized anywhere, at any moment of time. Shakuni. I could not resist the impulse to stretch out my left hand and give him a blow. He reeled away and fell somewhere.
I said, ‘Come. Come one by one, or all together.’
Who is that? Who is he? Who? I heard many voices ask questions at the same time.
I introduced myself. ‘Another brahmin who has learnt the science of weaponry.’
The attackers halted, uncertain.
Someone asked, ‘Is it right to behave like this in a wedding hall?’ I was not sure who it was, maybe one of the kings.
Guarding Arjuna from the rear, I said, ‘Then let’s move to the courtyard of the palace.’
The rioters quietened down. An old king’s counsel proved opportune: ‘If Drupada is happy to give his daughter to a wandering brahmin, we have nothing to say.’
The protesters withdrew and I glanced at Draupadi. How wrong I was to have assumed that the poor girl would be terrified. Her veiled smile seemed to suggest that she had enjoyed watching the spreading riot; she wanted more of it!
The army was getting ready outside. Dhrishtadyumna had left the hall. I said to the troubled Drupada, ‘Do not be afraid, King. If only these people I see here are going to fight, there is no need for your army to get ready. We can handle them.’
The king looked astonished, as if he did not believe me.
I thought it unwise to linger here while threats and weapons bided their time around us. I said to Arjuna, ‘Take your bride and go. I will be with you.’
Arjuna paid obeisance to Drupada, ‘Grant me permission to leave. I had vowed to offer a sacrifice and a puja if I won. I will come back with the maiden after I perform them.’
I said to the king, ‘A chariot. Let a chariot be waiting outside.’
Where were Nakula and Sahadeva? I had not seen Yudhishtira either. I wished they had been with us to guard us on both sides and at the rear if there was an attack outside.
The chariot was ready. Arjuna got in first, then helped Draupadi up, gripping her hand. I leapt in and sat to the left of the charioteer. Four or five stray arrows flew towards us and fell near the wheels of the chariot. I grabbed the whip from the charioteer, twirled it and spurred the horses to fly through the ranks of the monarchs who had come from outside Panchala and were now preparing to muster their armies.
I asked the charioteer to stop when we came to the outskirts of the city. We alighted. Draupadi hesitated. Arjuna said, ‘Get down. Our people are here, nearby.’
He asked the charioteer to return to the palace.
We began to walk. We could see the potters’ village where we had stayed the night before in the distance. As we turned into the lane, Arjuna stopped. ‘Do not be afraid, Princess. We …’
He looked at me as if asking my permission to speak.
‘I think my father guessed right,’ said Draupadi softly.
We did not understand what she meant.
‘We … we are …’
Draupadi smiled. ‘I guessed as much. Arjuna, the son of Kunti.’ She looked at me. ‘It is not right for brahmins to pull out pillars and fight. The younger brother played his role better than his elder brother.’
I could not help laughing.
Walking between us, Draupadi said, ‘I heard my father say when they were making preparations for the contest: if the Pandavas get to know, they are sure to come. Particularly the greatest of all archers, Arjuna.’
Attempting to maintain the role of a brahmin, I asked, ‘But weren’t the Pandavas burnt to death in a forest fire in Varanavata or somewhere like that?’
‘Not even the Kauravas believe that.’
We stopped in front of the potter’s hut where we had stayed the previous night. At the door, I said, ‘Wait, let’s give Mother a surprise. This is our palace.’
In Panchala, Draupadi had smiled even at the sight of bloodshed, as she stood amidst the kings ranged to wage war. Now she looked at the potter’s hut calmly, completely unperturbed.
I knocked on the closed door and called out, ‘Mother, open the door. Don’t you want to see the alms we received today?’
Mother did not reply. I called out again.
Mother said from inside, ‘Share it, all of you.’
Draupadi suppressed a smile. Mother opened the door and Arjuna and I entered, laughing loudly. Mother’s eyes brightened as she saw Draupadi, and a smile tinged with wonder touched her lips.
‘Look at the alms we received: the daughter of King Drupada. The bride Arjuna won by his skill in archery.’
Draupadi knelt down and touched Mother’s feet in obeisance. Mother blessed her. By this time, Yudhishtira arrived with the sons of Madri.
I said in jest, ‘Look, when I told Mother about the alms we received today, do you know what she said, not aware of what I meant? That we should all share the alms!’
Nakula and Sahadeva burst out laughing. Mother and Draupadi had gone in already.
Yudhishtira said very gravely, ‘What a blunder Mother made, saying that. However lightly she said it, a mother’s command remains a command. The law of dharma ordains that it cannot be disobeyed.’
Draupadi heard this as she came back. She had been smiling at something, but a sudden cloud darkened her face.
All of us fell silent. The moments when we should have celebrated victory froze.
Yes, this should have been an instant of celebration. Not only because of the triumph in King Drupada’s capital. The Pandavas, orphaned until now, had become strong because they had acquired powerful relatives. Many people in Hastinapura would shudder when they knew that the Panchalas would back us now with their great army and their wealth. They would even wonder whether those who had survived the depths of the Ganga and the house of lac were immortal. The elders would declare that we had the blessing of the Gods. The blind king and his sons would no longer sleep in peace.
We had reached a crossroads that marked the end of our misfortunes. And then, this childish argument about the law of dharma! Saying nothing, I walked out.
Yudhishtira called out, ‘Wait, Bhimasena. Krishna said he would come. Our elder brother, Balarama, and Krishna are both coming. Wait!’
I did not wait.
5
I stood by the deserted stone pond near the cowsheds. I could hear dogs barking in the distance and the cries of calves that had strayed from the herd.
Hearing footsteps approaching me from behind, I thought it was Sahadeva or Arjuna. But it was my elder brother. We stood for a while in silence.
Balarama had left very quickly. When I saw Krishna and Arjuna looking for liquor to celebrate, I had come away. The water of the pond was choked by weeds. A fish came up through a gap in the weeds, drank some water and sank down again. Yudhishtira walked around the pond. Then he said, looking at the cowsheds, ‘They say the king of Panchala has 20,000 cows’
I did not reply. My elder brother came nearer. ‘Arjuna is fortunate. A good match for Draupadi.’ He smiled. ‘It was not until I saw Draupadi that I realized that blue-black could be so beautiful.’
I attempted a smile.
‘Arjuna must marry Draupadi. Isn’t that the right thing to do?’
‘What a meaningless question!’
‘And yet Mother is upset because she made that foolish statement.’
I moved and sat down on a piece of the wall that had not crumbled.
He said, ‘I have heard of many wives in the epics who had more than one husband. Don’t you know about Jatila?’
I did not know. I was not as familiar with these old tales as my elder brother was.
‘Jatila was the wife of the Seven Sages, the Saptarshis. There are so many examples like her. But Draupadi is Arjuna’s by right, I am quite certain of that. Mother is troubled about what she said.’
Fully aware of my elder brother’s train of thought, I kept resolutely silent.
‘If Grandfather Krishnadvaipayana or our Uncle Vidura or someone well versed in the laws of dharma had been somewhere nearby, we could have asked them for advice.’
‘What advice?’ My voice had grown harsh. ‘Draupadi is meant for Arjuna. If you insist that she should have more than one husband, you can share her with him. But only after you make sure of his opinion, he who won this victory by his bravery and strength. As for Draupadi – we’ve never had the custom of consulting the likes and dislikes of women, have we?’
Yudhishtira latched onto that question for his next argument. ‘Who says so? The Kuru clan has always revered women.’
‘Our aunt Gandhari was bought for the blind king. Shalya sold Madri to Pandu in exchange for gold nuggets and gems, though he knew Pandu could never have children.’
‘To our father!’
‘Yes, to our father. I wonder if anyone consulted Mother Madri’s wishes.’
I tried not to lose my temper. No matter how great a scholar he was of the Vedas and sacred texts, I thought this man, who was clinging to a straw, Mother’s words, deserved only contempt.
He got up with a sigh. If he continued to argue, maybe even this blockhead of a younger brother would find the right words to retaliate. He must have realized this, so he started to walk away, saying no more.
I had no intention of letting him go that easily. ‘Wait.’ I caught up with him. ‘Leave me out of this. There’s a woman waiting for me in the forest. She carries my seed. I am content with her, even though she may not be worthy of living with those of the Kuru clan. And leave Madri’s sons out of it too, they are too young for marriage. May Jatila have companions in our era as well.’
A bitterness consumed me after he went away. And later, a relief that a burden had been lifted from my heart. Imagine, he was saying that we had to share Draupadi, a young girl in whose eyes the curiosity of childhood had not dimmed.
I walked on aimlessly. I realized I was approaching the next village when I heard the sound of blacksmiths striking metal pots from the huts around me. I went back. As I approached our potter’s hut in the darkness, I heard a sound from the bushes. A footstep, the sound of a twig snapping. So a new enemy had found us. I clearly made out a human form creeping through the darkness and moving towards the window. I followed without making any noise. If it was not an enemy, it had to be the enemy’s spy. I swept him into the circle of my arms as he crept forward, trying to insinuate himself into the hut and he turned and twisted in my grasp. My adversary was stronger than I had expected, but he was not able to shake himself free. It would have been easy to kill him, but I had to first know who he was.
‘Who are you? Whose spy?’
‘I’m not a spy. Nor an enemy.’
I had a feeling I knew the face, even in the darkness.
I let him go and he said, ‘I am the crown prince, Dhrishtadyumna. Which is the hut where the brahmins who came to Panchala live?’
I smiled. ‘One of those brahmins stands in front of you. Welcome.’
The Prince recognized me. ‘Father sent me to find out who you are.’
‘There are five of us. We were called the Pandavas in our better days.’
‘We heard many rumours. Father grew uneasy and I offered to play the spy.’
‘I am Bhimasena. The archer who won Draupadi in the contest is Arjuna. My elder brother, Yudhishtira, and Madri’s sons, Nakula and Sahadeva, are with us.’
‘Just as we guessed. What a relief! We heard that it was a brahmin who killed Vetrakiya’s henchman as well. They say he put an end to the ritual of human sacrifice.’
I smiled. ‘Yes, it was a brahmin.’
‘And the one who killed Hidimba, who was roaming the eastern forests, shattering the abodes of the sages …?’
‘A wayfarer, before he played the role of a brahmin.’
Laughing, Dhristadyumna saluted, then embraced me. ‘Tell us what we must do. We know how biased Dhritarashtra is. I am with you in whatever you do.’
‘We will need you. We will certainly come to you, asking for help. Very soon.’
He gripped my hand. ‘You are welcome. Always.’
I tried to persuade him to come in and meet the others, see his sister.
‘Not now. Let the wedding be over. Let me go and tell my father the news.’
I entered the hut after he left. Draupadi was sleeping peacefully at Mother’s feet. I sat down in front of the food that had been set apart for me. Mother got up and raised the wick in a small earthen lamp.
‘We must have a grand wedding.’
I grunted.
Today, at dusk, I had performed a sacrificial ritual and given gifts to a brahmin, then sent the same brahmin to Vidura.
Mother told me about Krishna’s and Balarama’s visit. The construction of the palace in Dwaraka was not complete, but the Yadavas had moved there. Mother gave me a bit of news: Balarama had stayed in Hastinapura quite some time to teach Duryodhana how to wage war with the mace.
‘The priests and scholars say that it is in no way sinful for a woman to have many husbands.’
What was Mother trying to tell me? Had Yudhishtira prevailed upon her to speak to me again about Draupadi’s wedding?
I reminded her gently that we had to establish Yudhishtira’s right to the throne of Hastinapura with the support of our Panchala relatives; that we could not afford to displease Drupada in any way. ‘That is what we need most, that’s the problem the Pandavas have to deal with now – a more serious one than this matter of polyandry.’
‘Yes, that’s right. Only if all five of you stand together without any discord amongst you will the Pandavas be a strong force. And for that to happen, we must follow this custom of having many husbands, which you speak of so contemptuously. It is good if the scriptures support it, but even if they do not …’
‘But …’ I fumbled for words. I, who had been so garrulous with Yudhishtira, found it difficult to speak.
‘All the eyes that looked at Draupadi had passion in them, even Sahadeva’s, though he is still a child. I saw it. Only I could see, being a woman.’
I sat with my head bowed, looking at my food and feigning indifference, as if what she said did not apply to me.
Had Mother seen the flames of desire in my eyes as well? Somehow, I could not bring myself to challenge her.
I sighed. Was a tender beauty wafting towards me on the night air that was delicately tinged with cold? And the fragrance of lotus flowers?
Mother kept talking in a very soft voice. The force of the Pandavas lay in the five of us standing united. We would be stronger then than five great armies equipped with chariots, elephants, horses and foot soldiers. ‘I want my sons to rule a vast kingdom.’
‘We will. Even without all this, we will stand united and win.’
Mother smiled. Time could bring about so many changes in human beings. She did not want Nakula and Sahadeva to ever be distanced from us because they were Madri’s sons. She wanted no differences of opinion between Yudhishtira and me. She had considered all this when she decided that Draupadi would be wife to all five of us.
