A Feminist Reimagining of the Mahabharata Through Draupadi's Eye

We have all read or heard about some stories from the epic of Mahabharata in one way or the other. But The Palace of Illusions provides its readers with a new perspective to one of the greatest epics in the world, which was originally written thousands of years ago. The author of this mythological fiction is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an Indian-American writer and poet born in 1956. She published this book in 2008, and it’s considered to be her masterpiece.

Through this book, we get to see the events of Mahabharata from a female perspective. As the author mentions in her note, she really liked listening to the fascinating tales of Mahabharata since her childhood, but was unsatisfied by the portrayals of women. Hence, she retells the story from a woman’s perspective, the woman being none other than Draupadi, the queen of Hastinapur. After all, no one else could have better suited this role than her. It’s an attempt to give a feminist interpretation of the epic, where Draupadi is presented in a way similar to a modern independent woman, who questions the roles assigned to men and women at that time in society, and how differently they are treated. Where her father having multiple wives and spending time with a different wife each week was not considered anything out of the ordinary, her having five husbands was seen as an incredulous, unprecedented event in history.

This book is divided into 43 chapters. The first few chapters talk mainly about Draupadi’s life as the princess of Kampilya, and the events leading up to her marriage. The author manages to portray her as a grey character, with her mind having complex thoughts, and her feeling emotions like jealousy and insecurity as she was ‘the Girl Who Wasn’t Invited’. The chapters talk about her relationship dynamics with her father, her brother, her nanny, Krishna, the Pandavas, and Kunti. The next few chapters talk about the events that happened after she came to Hastinapur, how the Palace of Illusions was created in Indraprastha, and how the Pandavas and Draupadi were sent to exile for thirteen years. After that, a major part of the book is all about the war, which is followed by the aftermath and finally, their heavenly abode. The aftermath part is the most interesting part of the book. It is very detailed and well-written. Another interesting thing about the book is that the first and last chapters are both called Fire.

Apart from Draupadi, we get to see the impact all the other major female characters have on the story. Kunti, Gandhari, Subhadra and Uttara are all very well-written as characters. It can be said that compared to the original epic, which was story-centric, this novel is very character-centric.

Divakaruni has written about the mythical aspects of Mahabharata in such a way that they start to sound more real and logical, but still have a touch of mysticism. They are described in a way that they seem humanly possible. Although, Krishna’s divinity is still retained in a very good manner. He is God, but also a friend to Draupadi who guides her whenever she calls for Him in her mind.

There is only one thing about this book which can be considered pretty questionable. And that is, the Karna-Draupadi dynamic. It was unnecessary and raises a question mark on Draupadi’s character for no reason. Even though it’s fiction, the story would still have been an amazing read without this trope. It can be quite unsettling to read for those who have read the original, as it appears throughout the novel.

To sum it up, Divakaruni has succeeded in rewriting the epic in such a way that it appeals to the modern reader. Rather than simply making it an account of Draupadi’s personal life, she shows her reactions and takes on the different events that happened in the Mahabharata. Thus, we get an understanding of the major events of the epic from a feminist point of view. Most people consider Draupadi to be the cause of destruction of her own clan. But the author explains how many people and events indirectly lead up to the war which caused the destruction of many clans. In this way, she also gives a new perspective to the identity of Draupadi.