Palace of Illusions

Palace of Illusions: The Feminist Mahabharata? Submitted by Harmonist staff on May 15, 2009 – 12:14 am8 Comments Chitra Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions, New York: Doubleday, 2008. Review By Bhrigupada dasa Why is historical fiction so popular? The exoticism of bygone ages is one factor, but perhaps the most important reason is that it gives us an intimate view into the thoughts and actions of famous, historical persons. It is well-known that Richard the Lionheart failed in capturing Jerusalem, but what were the underlying reasons? How did this disappointment affect the mind of the conqueror? In contrast to the historians, authors such as Walter Scott might start out with the medieval chronicles, but will inevitably use their own fantasy and experiences to flesh out the story. Nonetheless, the careful author will research the times and places of the story, so that while the book is fiction, the reader may well learn something of the culture, persons, and history of the milieu described. No doubt, this educational aspect is another reason for the genre’s popularity. When it comes to historical fiction connected to important religious persons or incidents, equally important is the opportunity such books give their authors to present their own religious agenda. InJesus, The Son of Man (1928), Khalil Gibran presents a number of first-person accounts of meetings with Jesus, from Mary the Magdalene to Barabbas. In all cases, what emerges is of course Gibran’s understanding of Jesus. Considering the limited knowledge (to put it mildly) that Western readers have of Indian culture and religiosity, it is not surprising that the amount of historical fiction connected to Hinduism written for Westerners is meager. On the other hand, works such as Mahabharata and Ramayana are still the bedtime stories of much of the Indian population and thus they can speak of them with familiarity. It is therefore with great interest one picks up Chitra Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions, a novel centered on Draupadi, the strong-willed heroine of the Mahabharata. Divakaruni’s explicit motive is to present a “feminist” view of the great epic. Persons afraid of the word feminism need not be taken aback—apart from some jabs at silly manly notions of chivalry, pride, and duty at the expense of love—what Divakaruni really does is give a woman’s perspective of the events at hand. For readers familiar with theMahabharata, this presents a dramatic change of view. The great manly heroes of the epic are no longer the perfect supermen of the popular retellings (and here, one may add, Divakaruni comes close to the great psychological depth of the original text). This perspective also means filling in some gaps. We all know what happened with the armies of men fighting at Kurukshetra, but what was the fate of all the soldiers’ widows? Divakaruni tells the story. In retelling Draupadi’s story, Divakaruni focuses on a number of themes. One is that of Draupadi’s destiny. In the novel, as a child she hears Vyasa prophesize that she will become the wife of five men, the mistress of a wonderful palace that she will eventually lose, and the cause of a universal conflagration. The chapters narrating her journey through disbelief, realization, acceptance, and understanding are poignant and captivating, though I did find the fast-moving middle part of the book rather bland. Another theme—and one that no doubt will raise many eyebrows—is Draupadi’s secret love for Karna. There is of course no basis for such a love in the epic itself. Rather, by explaining the true reasons for why the world thought that these two hated each other, Divakaruni gets an opportunity to go beyond the ordinary, masculine version of the epic. She also gets to put the spotlight on the tragic figure of Karna and show the greatness of his character. Here she is of course following a long Indian tradition. For Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the most interesting of Divakaruni’s themes will probably be that of Draupadi’s friendship with Sri Krishna. Already as a child, she hears stories about how he is an incarnation, but she puts them down as old-wives tales, for by her own experience she knows that he is just a human being – though an enigmatic one. Gradually, the truth of Krishna’s being—one that is described in terms of theMahabharata rather than the Srimad Bhagavatam—dawns on her, until her final realization at the end. As a Gaudiya reader, Draupadi’s long refusal to see Krishna as God is a sign of her sakhya bhakti that transports the reader closer to the heart of Gaudiya Vedanta, wherein the Godhead manifests in a form which facilitates intimacy with the devotees. Sri Rupa Goswami has stated that Draupadi’s relationship with Krishna is one of fraternal love akin to that of Arjuna, metropolitan friendship, as opposed to the still more intimate pastoral friendship of Krishna’s Vraja-lila. While I liked the way Divakaruni dealt with this theme, it also necessitates her following the version of Draupadi’s disrobing in the critical edition of the Mahabharata, rather than the more well known “Krishna comes to the rescue” of the popular vulgate. For me, who views this scene as one of the great climaxes of the whole epic, Divakaruni’s treatment of it was thus a disappointment. Thankfully, she makes up for this by how she handles several other important scenes, such as that of the Pandavas’ final journey. Of course, for many devotees, the question of mixing fiction and scriptural reality is not an easy one, hence my brief discussion of historical fiction at the onset of this review. However, a book need not be true in all respects to be of value. Divakaruni will not claim that her book supersedes the original sources in terms of historical veracity. Divakaruni is a novelist, and therefore practicing Gaudiya Vaishnavas will learn little in terms of siddhanta from her book. Its value lies rather, in my opinion, apart from being good entertainment, in the new perspectives it offers. The reader may not agree with all of Divakaruni’s conclusions—I for one feel that the Karna theme is rather far-fetched—but her conclusions do offer us new ways in which to interact with the epic and to enter into its world. I found my mind returning to the events and characters of this book many days after reading it. That fact alone suggests that there may be something to gain. Besides, who would not want to read about the life of a friend of Krishna? 7 Interesting Questions ‘The Palace Of Illusions’ Asks About The Mahabharata  Anwesha Maiti Sep 3, 2015   4.8k TOTAL SHARES The Mahabharata, till this day, remains one of the foremost epic sagas our country has produced. In fact, what India is today – the values, the traditions that unite the diverse cultures and ethnicity of our country, is largely inspired from this epic tale of valour. Be it the shenanigans of the Kauravas or the wisdom of the Krishna, this epic talks about it all and more. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s noted novel The Palace of Illusions, which is written from Draupadi’s point of view, asks some very important questions, especially about the patriarchal practices, that in some or the other way, continue to bind us till date. 1. Even a princess born out of fire couldn’t avoid the way the birth of a girl child is perceived in India, as something of a bane Image source Come to think of “the meaning of the names our father chose. Dhristadyumna, Destroyer of Enemies. Draupadi, Daughter of Drupad.” And Draupadi is left to wonder “Granted, he hadn’t been expecting me, but couldn’t my father have come up with something a little less egoistic?”   2. Draupadi was the most sought after beauty, but even she couldn’t live up to the ‘standards’ Image source Despite her personality and beauty, she herself was compelled to think of herself as “a princess afflicted with a skin so dark that people termed it blue”.   3. The utterly devastating way Indian marriages made women lose everything Image source Draupadi, born a princess and brought up in a palace amidst every luxury possible, was made to follow Arjuna (her only husband immediately after the swayamvara), to the Pandavas’ hut inside the forest, and live a life of complete drudgery. Did she choose it, or rather did she even have a say in it? Not much!  The Palace of Illusions - Book Review While I was reading ‘Mrityunjay’, I learnt about another book based on Mahabharata ‘The Palace of Illusions’ authored by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. The book revolves around Draupadi aka Panchali.. the wife of the Pandavas and has an interesting take on how she viewed Mahabharata – it has been written as if narrated in first person by Draupadi herself.  With Draupadi being one of the most powerful women in Mahabharata, there has always been a curiosity to know more about her. She is one the most controversial and enigmatic characters in Mahabharata, whose hunger for revenge, many believe, led to an unnecessary war. Knowing the little that I know about Mahabharata, I thought of her as someone who got stuck in the cross fire of hate between the Kauravas & Pandavas. Going through what she did in the Hastinapur court, she wasn’t too wrong seeking revenge either. Maybe she could have been a little more forgiving and not became one of the reasons for initiating the Great War.  The novel has been aptly titled “The Palace of Illusions” based on the illustrious palace that the Pandavas built for her. And after reading the book, I realized even more that the name was suited since this was the only place which she truly loved and felt at home in. The book has a very contemporary style of writing. While reading the first few pages I actually got a little disappointed since the writing didn’t seem to have the gravity that an epic story like Mahabharata requires. The writing seemed a little trivial as well. However as I went further, I realized that the writer wanted us to learn about Draupadi’s longings of a normal childhood & trivial childlike thoughts and then show how her circumstances gradually changed her thinking and made her the women she became. The effect of all the incidents which caused her to behave the way she did is clearly explained.   There were many things that I hadn’t given much thought of earlier or wasn’t aware of before reading this book. Like the story of her birth.. that she and her brother were born out of a hunger for revenge and to satiate their father’s ego. No wonder Draupadi had that same thing within her and had an unforgiving & revengeful nature. Morning shows the day!! Also the fact that Shikhandi was her sibling or her childhood friendship with Krishna (and thus their great bond) was something I didn’t know. The book also lets us know that when Draupadi was still a young unmarried women Rishi Vyasa had predicted her whole life and also warned her about few events which would be life changing for her. He had also advised on which of her actions she needs to control in order to avoid taking the pre-destined path. However even after knowing the result of her actions in these events, she is unable to do anything about it and her life takes the course thatVyasa predicted. Maybe the writer wanted to emphasize the point that Draupadi did what she was supposed to do and what was destined for her. It didn’t matter how she behaved, the war and the sufferings that are to be would take place. The book also has the typical ‘Saas-Bahu’ angle. :-) It was happening with the great queens of Mahabharata as well so may be a Saas and a Bahu are destined to have some or other clash ;-) Being the romantic that I am, I loved the part about the unspoken love between Draupadi and Karna. Draupadi was attracted to Karna even during herSwayamvar and might have chosen him if not for Krishna's words. In ‘Mrityunjay’ there was a reference to their mutual attraction; in this book it has been explored further with many incidents where the actions of Draupadi and Karna are explained even though their thoughts at those incidents are different from the actions they take. Each regrets many of the words used for the other. The author does try to bring a closure of sorts by writing a happy ending for them. Do read the book to find out more :-) I used to think that the Draupadi-Karna love story was a figment of both Shivaji Savant and Chitra’s active imagination but learnt after some googling that there are subtle references to it in the original version of Mahabharata as well!!!! Interesting.  The novel is a good read and the author has brought out the pains and sufferings of Draupadi really well. Her revengeful attitude as well as ego has not been polished over either. The story has been well written giving us a different insight into the life of Draupadi… she was not the cause of the epic battle; her life was impacted by the forces leading up to the war!  I would recommend it for sure. Rating: I would give it 4 out of 5. The Palace of Illusions: A Book Review Tuesday 2 July 2013, by Tariqa Tandon Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s bestselling novel, The Palace of Illusions, is an interpretation of the events of the Hindu epic Mahabharata through the lens of the woman married to the five Pandava brothers, the greatest heroes of their time – Panchali. The novel is written in first person, giving Panchali’s own thoughts on her own life. Though popularly known as Draupadi (literally meaning daughter of Drupad), she quickly reasserts herself and renames herself Panchali (meaning from the Kingdom of Panchala), rejecting the egoistic name her father gave her and refusing to believe that her identity was to be bound by the men in her life. Draupadi has been portrayed mostly negatively in Hindu society – take a trip to India and you will fail to find girls being named after her. Many believe that it was her headstrong actions that brought about the destruction of the Third Age of Man and she is known to be a kritya, one who brings doom to her clan. But Divakaruni moves away from such interpretations to provide a new outlook on Panchali. Divakaruni portrays Panchali as a powerful, strong, and independent woman, an equal to the men around her rather than subservient. She presents Panchali’s life as a series of choices made by Panchali, and not the people around her, giving her a voice in the overwhelmingly patriarchal society that was ancient India. Divakaruni’s interpretation of the epic provides a complete narrative, sometimes missing from the original epic, giving a stronger role to the women of the story, and portraying them as equals in society. Though Divakaruni gives women an equal status in society, showing them to be more than just daughters, mothers and wives of great heroes of the epic Mahabharata, the injustices borne by the female protagonists constantly remind the reader that no matter how much women assert their roles in society, if men believe that they are superior to women, equality will not prevail. Parallels from Panchali’s story can be made to events from contemporary Indian society that show us that though it has been almost three thousand years since the events of the Mahabharata unfolded, society has not come much further in terms of the way women are treated. Take Panchali’s fate after her husband loses her to his opponent in a game of dice. Her husband, after wagering (and losing) everything he owned, his brothers, and himself, wagers his wife, Panchali. After he loses her too, his opponent tries to harass her by removing her sari. Though her prayers are answered and the sari becomes infinitely long, no one present in the court attempts to save her from this act of sexual harassment. Laxmi Oraon was, however, not as lucky as Panchali. In 2007, Oraon, a tribal woman, was rallying for better tribal rights in the north-east Indian state of Assam, when she was stripped naked and beaten by a violent mob, as others looked on at the incident as if it were a spectacle. Numerous other cases of eve-teasing are proof that many women are still subjected to the same public sexual harassment that Panchali suffered. Though Panchali was never raped, she received more than enough of her share of unwanted advances by men, a phenomenon that seems to be prevalent even in today’s society. While reading the novel, it was easy to relate to such events in Panchali’s life, and while she was courageous enough to fight off her offenders, nowadays such instances are so common that most women’s instincts are to ignore such advances. Though numerous years and generations separate contemporary life from Panchali’s, her life’s events are surprisingly similar to the many trials and tribulations faced by today’s women. Though the focus is on Panchali’s life, Divakaruni is careful to include the stories of the other strong female characters, not just as Panchali’s rivals, but also as strong role-models (for Panchali and others alike). Divakaruni portrays, at length, the story of Kunti, Panchali’s mother-in-law, who devoted her life to the upbringing of her own sons and the sons of her husband’s second wife, making sure to treat them all equally, and grooming them to become kings. She also mentions the story of Gandhari, the wife of the blind king Dhritarashtra, who blindfolds herself at her marriage, choosing to live as an equal to her husband, surrendering her power as a queen and mother. What makes Divakaruni’ novel compelling and above other interpretations is that she portrays the stories of all these women as conscious choices made by them, not as roles handed to them by society or by the men in their lives. These women chose the lives that they lived, and did not simply walk into them. To give the women of ancient India such power and freedom is phenomenal. The original epic was about gods, demi-gods, kings, princes, warriors, and other noble men. But Divakaruni’s interpretation provides a humanistic touch to the epic, making it more realistic, more relatable, and more personal. Most who read this novel will know the events of the original epic beforehand. But those who have not read the original will be disappointed that it is not the version written by Divakaruni. 4. The power of a man over his wife in the Indian society Image source When Yudhishthir lost even himself at the game of dices with the Kauravas, he pawned his (and his 4 brothers’) wife Draupadi, who was dragged by her hair to the court, only to be publicly humiliated. And only she had the courage to ask how a man, who had lost everything, even himself, can still be the master of a woman and pawn her.   5. Draupadi was forced to marry 5 men – An act of utter cruelty glorified through the ages Image source The sage Vyasa sealed Draupadi’s fate saying she’ll have 5 husbands, and that she did, after a politically manipulated swayamvara, without anyone even bothering to enquire if that was the fate she had wanted!   6. To pay for the Indian obsession with virginity, Draupadi had to bear the excruciating pain of having her hymen break, every year of her life Image source Vyasa, the sage, gives her a “boon” to make up for her fate of being a “communal drinking cup” (read having 5 husbands at a time). The boon was that each time Draupadi goes to live with one of her husbands, her virginity will be restored. And it was only Draupadi herself who wonders if this so called boon is for her benefit or for her husbands – sums up the Indian obsession with a woman’s virginity, does it not?   7. Kurukshetra war, generally perceived as a war between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong,’ was nothing but devastation after all Image source As Duryodhana asked Yudhishthira at the end of the war, “I’m going to heaven to enjoy all its pleasures with my friends. You’ll rule a kingdom peopled with widows and orphans and wake each morning to the grief of loss. Who’s the real winner, then, and who the loser?”, the very war was nothing but an act of nationwide wreckage. Epics after all, are based on devastations, be it, of living beings or of morality. P.S. Do tell us about your thoughts on the novel in the comments. CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI ANCORA IMPARO HOME ABOUT BOOKS SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS MEDIA BLOG CONTACT THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS (2008) Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to the time of the Indian epic The Mahabharat—a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Through her narrator Panchaali, the wife of the legendary five Pandavas brothers, Divakaruni gives us a rare feminist interpretation of an epic story.  The novel traces Panchaali’s life, beginning with her magical birth in fire as the daughter of a king before following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at the brothers’ sides through years of exile and a terrible civil war. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her stratagems to take over control of her household from her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husband’s most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female voice in a world of warriors, gods, and ever-manipulating hands of fate. BUY FROM AN INDEPENDENTBOOKSELLER BUY FROM AMAZON BUY FROM BARNES ANDNOBLE READ AN EXCERPT READ AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR GET THE READER'S GUIDE Praise for The Palace of Illusions: “An intimate, feminine portrait that is both contemporary and timeless; an ambitious project effectively executed.” (Kirkus)  “A lyrical tale imbued with the scent of ancient incense yet . . . rooted in modern day relevancy.” (Book Page) “A rich tale of passion and love, power and weakness, honor and humiliation. Whether or not readers are familiar with the Mahabharat epic, they will enjoy this entertaining, insightful and suspenseful story.” (Library Journal, starred review) “The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is as sprawling and bright a gem as the Hope Diamond – a mythic tale brimming with warriors, magic and trachery (and its brother, deceit)…. Who better to attempt the feat of transforming a centuries-old cultural icon into a personal, modern story than Divakaruni, a professor of English at the University of Houston and author of numerous award-winning works, including the luscious novel The Mistress of Spices and the bestselling Sister of my Heart.  Divakaruni’s sentences dazzle; the images she creates are masterful….”  (Los Angeles Times) “Panchaali’s narrative provides a radient entrée into an ancient mythology virtually unknown to the Western world. Divakaruni’s impulse to flesh out the women of the Mahabharat results in a charming and remarkable book.” (The Houston Chronicle) “Your truly epic narrative myth calls for bitter experience descending, avalanche-like, down dynasties, incorporating dramatic turning points of ineradicable impact; curses; looming fates; tricky and meddlesome gods; feuds; sages, sorcerers and wars. These elements and many more are found in abundance in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s new novel, The Palace of Illusions, which ambitiously encapsulates the Indian epic “Mahabharat” within a 360-page novel.” (San Francisco Chronicle) “The Palace of Illusions…is as grand and tragic as the epic poems by Homer. The story is complex, as political relationships grow and develop, and friends and enemies are created, leading to battles and wars that will eventually destroy them all…I was captivated by the tragic storyline and the fate into which Panchaali was born. This admirable attempt to recreate the epic Mahabharat from the viewpoint of a strong woman is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s best work yet.” (Bookreporter.com) “Vivid and inventive. . . . rich, action-filled. . . complex.” (Publisher’s Weekly) “For more than 20 years now, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has been telling stories of Indian women from her home in California. Her women are desperate, wonderful, complicated, lyrical, memorable, even magical…. Chitra’s women experience love, loss and longing through tangled marriages, bitter divorces, childbirth, abortion, abuse, violence, racism, poverty and riches. Now, in a daring novel out this month, Divakaruni returns to a fantastic world, inhabited by kings, queens, villains and sorcerers.” (Vogue India) The Palace of Illusions – a review Published December 24, 2008 books 3 Comments  Ancient epic poetry is ripe material for modern day writers.  There are hundreds of interspersed stories and myths, fantastic and yet familiar enough to be credible.  But more than that it is the fact that epics are woven, to use a favourite metaphor, from a gauze-like fabric and as a result there are hundreds of tiny gaps surrounding the bare ‘facts’ of the story.  And these gaps are perhaps all the more apparent, and tempting, to a modern writer and his audience.  Why did Aeneas kill Turnus?  How did the Trojans fail to see through the Greeks’ wooden horse ploy?  Why did Yudhisthira gamble everything away?  Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions succumbs to this temptation with an adaptation of the Mahabharata from Draupadi’s perspective.  Like Margaret Atwood (who wrote The Penelopiad), and others before her, Divakaruni attempts to skew the normally androcentric focus of epics in favour of the female characters, of whom Draupadi – or Panchaali as she prefers to be known – is understandably the chief point of interest.  Given the lack of attention the epic pays to these characters, Divakaruni has more scope to colour the narrative and to play on the emotional or psychological reasons behind a character’s actions.  Thus Draupadi’s transformation from headstrong eager princess to embittered vengeance-seeking queen is quite reasonably put down to her public shaming and the loss of her one home, the title’s ‘Palace of Illusions’.  It is Draupadi’s ongoing and inexplicable fascination with Karna that provokes her to urge Yudhisthira to accept Duryodhana’s invitation to Hastinapura to play dice – a decision which we are led to believe he would not otherwise have made.  But Divakaruni’s novel does not seek to explain actions and events by simply attributing a single motive to a single character.  She is well aware of the complexity of a story in which pupils fight teachers, cousins fight cousins and brothers, unwittingly, fight brother.  She expertly draws her reader along this tangled web of grievances, loyalty, honour, vows and emotion.  “The chariot of vengeance, which requires no horses or wheels” rolls on.  So Drupad’s initial shaming of his friend Drona leads finally to the night slaughter of Dhristyadyumna by Ashvattama.  By fleshing out her characters and judiciously deciding when and where to introduce or drop the thread of each person’s story, she helps us navigate our way through what is always going to be a hugely long and complex narrative.  With Draupadi as a first person narrator, though, Divakaruni must contrive at least some of the omniscience and omnipresence of the epic narrator.  Background stories such as that of Drona and Drupad’s friendship and enmity are introduced by various means – in this case as a story told repeatedly to Dhristiadyumna to whet his appetite for the vengeance for which he has been born. Draupadi’s dreams give her other similarly one-sided or limited knowledge – for instance she sees Karna and Kunti meet but cannot grasp the purport of their conversation.  She does not have the Homeric muses to inspire her with sight beyond her immediate experience, but Vyasa gives her the ability to see the most important events of the war as it unfolds – a gift he has also given to Sanjay, Dhritarashtra’s charioteer and narrator of the Mahabharata. Vyasa appears at several junctures in his role as the writer of the story, reminding Draupadi, and us, that this is of course a story which he has already written.  Krishna, as the god of the Bhagavad Gita, too often tries to help Draupadi realise the ephemerality of the events she is witnessing and enacting.  But despite the sound Gita advice he dispenses, Draupadi, as she herself admits, is enslaved by desire and hatred and cannot or will not distance herself.  Nor do we as readers want to take Krishna’s maxims to heart, and the Gita episodes fall slightly flat in the face of our eagerness to learn what happens in the war.  Much more successful is Krishna’s full-bodied presence as a god in the mould of the personal bhakti divinity for Draupadi.  Her gradual awareness of his more than human nature and her baffling love for him, his omnipresence and his fleeting divine appearances enact a relationship similar to that of followers of Jesus or Buddha with their gods.  The Palace of Illusions in spotlighting the oft-maligned Pandavas’ shared wife offers a fresh and very readable perspective on an epic that can never suffer from a surfeit of related literature. Venetia Ansell The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was published in 2008 by Doubleday.  Divakaruni is the bestselling author of several novels as well as volumes of poetry.  She currently lives in Houston, Texas, where she teaches on the Creative Writing programme at the University of Houston.