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atsundarsingh's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really liked reframing a classic story from a not-main-not-outsider perspective. Also love me a feminist retelling. I think the themes of the story resonate, and the "heroes" drove me crazy! Would read more in translation by this author. The ending was really intense.
nainatai's review against another edition
2.0
For a book I'd been waiting to read for nearly four years, I was super disappointed. The writing was not that great and was generally an assault on my feminist sensibilities (it might be unfair to put that all on the author considering all the things Draupadi had to bear through her life, yet, I feel she was a much stronger woman than has been portrayed in this version. The Foreword and Afterword do talk about how history has been unfair in remembering her, but the writing does not reflect this sentiment through the book). Overall, would love to see someone give Draupadi a stronger voice without making it all about her being married to 5 husbands. Onto the next Mahabharat till then..
veenasoujanya's review
5.0
For me Yajnaseni was a different approach towards the story of Draupadi. Unlike "Palace of Illusions", I felt the author tried her level best to portray the character of Draupadi more as a struggling wife rather than a queen.Half way through the novel I felt as though I was reading the tale of a wife deprived of the love of her favorite husband and her pride to accept life as it comes. May be it is my own interpretation but for me Yajnaseni was more the story of an unhappy wife and her other worldly relationship with her 'sakha'.But I have to accept, the book isn't less in any way in comparison to Palace Of Illusions. It had its own interesting quotient and readability.
_arch_'s review
2.0
I had to sit this book down for a week to make myself write a review.
I am beyond disappointed with what this book had to offer. The character of Draupadi that has been passed on through history is such a multifaceted character with so much individuality, resistance and perseverance. However Pratibha Ray’s portrayal of Draupadi has shaped her into a damsel in distress which is not what you expect from a retelling especially from the point of view of Draupadi herself.
Draupadi, throughout the novel praises Krishna or Arjuna. She either talks about dharma which at a point just turns too annoying. The Pandavas in this book are absolutely infuriating and such toxic figures and Draupadi is seen justifying their incredibly patriarchal and problematic opinions and decisions. There is not an ounce of rebellion in her character which was truly disappointing.
I am beyond disappointed with what this book had to offer. The character of Draupadi that has been passed on through history is such a multifaceted character with so much individuality, resistance and perseverance. However Pratibha Ray’s portrayal of Draupadi has shaped her into a damsel in distress which is not what you expect from a retelling especially from the point of view of Draupadi herself.
Draupadi, throughout the novel praises Krishna or Arjuna. She either talks about dharma which at a point just turns too annoying. The Pandavas in this book are absolutely infuriating and such toxic figures and Draupadi is seen justifying their incredibly patriarchal and problematic opinions and decisions. There is not an ounce of rebellion in her character which was truly disappointing.
soniaturcotte's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
readwithshashank's review
3.0
I picked this book based on a discussion in a book group I've been part of for a while.
Draupadi is a character who fits in the category of the one you can love or hate but can't ignore. The book is her side of the story. It covers everything from her birth (from the Yajna), liking for Krishna (leading to her name Krishnaa), her Swayamwar, the episode of her having to accept five husbands, all her sufferings and challenges, her how she stands tall amidst it all.
I have read Rajagopalachari's Mahabharata and watched a couple of versions on the screen, but she's never been THE main character in them.
It's an interesting perspective to read her strong and weak points and how she reacted to all that life threw at her. She is portrayed as the embodiment of sacrifice and how she's generally got the rough end of the stick most times.
I'd have rated it a 3.5, but there are parts where it gets a tad verbose and needs the effort to read through, so I will settle in at 3.0.
It is a worthy read for anyone who wants to understand Yajnaseni, one of the five most virtuous women in Hindu mythology.
Draupadi is a character who fits in the category of the one you can love or hate but can't ignore. The book is her side of the story. It covers everything from her birth (from the Yajna), liking for Krishna (leading to her name Krishnaa), her Swayamwar, the episode of her having to accept five husbands, all her sufferings and challenges, her how she stands tall amidst it all.
I have read Rajagopalachari's Mahabharata and watched a couple of versions on the screen, but she's never been THE main character in them.
It's an interesting perspective to read her strong and weak points and how she reacted to all that life threw at her. She is portrayed as the embodiment of sacrifice and how she's generally got the rough end of the stick most times.
I'd have rated it a 3.5, but there are parts where it gets a tad verbose and needs the effort to read through, so I will settle in at 3.0.
It is a worthy read for anyone who wants to understand Yajnaseni, one of the five most virtuous women in Hindu mythology.
tbr_the_unconquered's review
3.0
The closest match that Draupadi of the Mahabharata has in the history of literature is perhaps Helen of Troy. The similarity between them however ends with the fact that they were both harbingers of extremely destructive wars that transformed history. Helen in comparison had a cake walk of a life when compared with Panchali is my observation. Let us look at reasons why : Married off at a young age according to the stipulations of a code of ethics she scarcely understood, never had a voice in determining who her life partner should be, by a single word was she forced to accept polygamy, this one act continued to be the wound that the entire world (even in posterity) loved to sprinkle salt on, suffered the greatest insult ever to a woman's integrity, watched all her sons slain in the great war at Kurukshetra and finally in the journey to the netherworld all her husbands left her when she fell by the wayside bereft and orphaned...aren't these enough trials for a woman or let alone for a human being ? Draupadi is a blazing character from the epic and this is the epic through her eyes.
The name Yajnaseni symbolizes she who was born of the yajna (the sacrificial fire) which in another way is to say that she was not the biological daughter of her royal parents.After a show of strength which doubles up as the courting period, she is married off to a man she has heard of but never known of. In an age when words and promises were sacrosanct, one word by her mother-in-law ends up making her the wife of not one but five men : the Pandavas. While all the five men are different, their attitude towards her initially is more like that of a domestic animal and not rising beyond that. Draupadi while bound in her love for Arjun, sacrifices everything to keep the unity of the Pandava family intact. She tries many a time to break free of these chains of oppression but fails in every way. While the Ramayana is hailed as an epic of righteousness, Mahabharata is more humane in its machinations. It is mostly a history of oppression of women by men and the sly but ruthless moves by women which ends up tumbling empires ! Through insults, tribulations, joys, sorrows and laughter she carries her family through and sails forth into her life until the dice game with the Kauravas arrive.
I do not know nor comprehend if Krishna saved the dignity of Panchali on that day in the royal court of Hastinapur. All that I do know is that this is the grossest injustice a woman can be subjected to. The fact that learned,wise, chivalrous men gave silent nods of assent to Draupadi's violation at the hands of Duryodhan and his brothers makes this act all the more heinous. Since this entire story is written by a woman and told from a woman's point of view, the helplessness and the rawness of this one scene is unmatched throughout the entire tale. The best parts of Pratibha Ray's skills as a storyteller comes when she describes Draupadi's relation with her husbands.Her angst at the righteous and impeccable Yudhistir which is equal parts admiration and revulsion, the love laced with fear and respect for the titanic Bhim, sensual, poetic love for Arjun and motherly affection for Nakul and Sahdev are all captured very well here.
Inevitably, the Kurukshetra war arrives and danse macabre begins. The fabled war scenes are all muted in the tale for women never had a place in the battlefield here. There is however the heart wrenching pain at the death of sons, friends and blood relations. I have time and over been made to believe by the Mahabharata that war wins only corpses and nothing beyond it. Unknowingly Arjun slays his eldest brother Karna who knew he would be killed but being true to the word to his dearest friend, went down that day with satisfaction.All sons of the Pandavas are slain in their sleep and none save a grandson remain to carry forth their legacy. The incarnation of the divine, Krishna himself watches his entire clan kill off each other and later succumbs to the arrow of a hunter. Yudhistir becomes the king-emperor of a field of corpses ! How fickle is life ! Renouncing worldly pleasures, the five men and their wife travel through the Himalayas to reach the world of the divine. For all her attachment to life, Draupadi falls along the way and without a second glance the man walk away. Putting down the bundle of all her troubles at the feet of her life long friend Krishna, she departs from this world of sorrows.
After all these long descriptions , it is a matter of discomfort for me to say that this book's translation to English is a wonderful opportunity lost. The dialog is at times so sappy that I had to remind myself that it is not a soap opera ! It is an age old urban legend among many writers that the characters of epics need to speak language dipped in melodrama and dyed in flowery prose. My love for this epic and its characters made me turning pages but yes the dialog is an irritant here. Secondly, the books suffers from blind devotion to Krishna. While he remains the principle puppeteer of all the acts in the tale, here the author has painted him as an all knowing, supreme being with supernatural capabilities. Krishna is more closer to Odysseus in his brilliant strategy, oratory and diplomatic skills but here he becomes a god beyond anyone's comprehension. A good section of people subscribe to this view but it ever since I have read into the lines of the epic, this view has never sat too well with me.
It is a tale of being a woman in an exceedingly male chauvinistic society and of the inevitable fall of empires.
Just before I sat down to key in this review, on the news came up a title of an estranged father and mother selling off their 17 year old daughter to prostitution ! Draupadi was perhaps the symbol of such atrocities against women in the ages to come and men like Dushasan now don other more subtler garbs and walk free among us.
The name Yajnaseni symbolizes she who was born of the yajna (the sacrificial fire) which in another way is to say that she was not the biological daughter of her royal parents.After a show of strength which doubles up as the courting period, she is married off to a man she has heard of but never known of. In an age when words and promises were sacrosanct, one word by her mother-in-law ends up making her the wife of not one but five men : the Pandavas. While all the five men are different, their attitude towards her initially is more like that of a domestic animal and not rising beyond that. Draupadi while bound in her love for Arjun, sacrifices everything to keep the unity of the Pandava family intact. She tries many a time to break free of these chains of oppression but fails in every way. While the Ramayana is hailed as an epic of righteousness, Mahabharata is more humane in its machinations. It is mostly a history of oppression of women by men and the sly but ruthless moves by women which ends up tumbling empires ! Through insults, tribulations, joys, sorrows and laughter she carries her family through and sails forth into her life until the dice game with the Kauravas arrive.
I do not know nor comprehend if Krishna saved the dignity of Panchali on that day in the royal court of Hastinapur. All that I do know is that this is the grossest injustice a woman can be subjected to. The fact that learned,wise, chivalrous men gave silent nods of assent to Draupadi's violation at the hands of Duryodhan and his brothers makes this act all the more heinous. Since this entire story is written by a woman and told from a woman's point of view, the helplessness and the rawness of this one scene is unmatched throughout the entire tale. The best parts of Pratibha Ray's skills as a storyteller comes when she describes Draupadi's relation with her husbands.Her angst at the righteous and impeccable Yudhistir which is equal parts admiration and revulsion, the love laced with fear and respect for the titanic Bhim, sensual, poetic love for Arjun and motherly affection for Nakul and Sahdev are all captured very well here.
Inevitably, the Kurukshetra war arrives and danse macabre begins. The fabled war scenes are all muted in the tale for women never had a place in the battlefield here. There is however the heart wrenching pain at the death of sons, friends and blood relations. I have time and over been made to believe by the Mahabharata that war wins only corpses and nothing beyond it. Unknowingly Arjun slays his eldest brother Karna who knew he would be killed but being true to the word to his dearest friend, went down that day with satisfaction.All sons of the Pandavas are slain in their sleep and none save a grandson remain to carry forth their legacy. The incarnation of the divine, Krishna himself watches his entire clan kill off each other and later succumbs to the arrow of a hunter. Yudhistir becomes the king-emperor of a field of corpses ! How fickle is life ! Renouncing worldly pleasures, the five men and their wife travel through the Himalayas to reach the world of the divine. For all her attachment to life, Draupadi falls along the way and without a second glance the man walk away. Putting down the bundle of all her troubles at the feet of her life long friend Krishna, she departs from this world of sorrows.
After all these long descriptions , it is a matter of discomfort for me to say that this book's translation to English is a wonderful opportunity lost. The dialog is at times so sappy that I had to remind myself that it is not a soap opera ! It is an age old urban legend among many writers that the characters of epics need to speak language dipped in melodrama and dyed in flowery prose. My love for this epic and its characters made me turning pages but yes the dialog is an irritant here. Secondly, the books suffers from blind devotion to Krishna. While he remains the principle puppeteer of all the acts in the tale, here the author has painted him as an all knowing, supreme being with supernatural capabilities. Krishna is more closer to Odysseus in his brilliant strategy, oratory and diplomatic skills but here he becomes a god beyond anyone's comprehension. A good section of people subscribe to this view but it ever since I have read into the lines of the epic, this view has never sat too well with me.
It is a tale of being a woman in an exceedingly male chauvinistic society and of the inevitable fall of empires.
Just before I sat down to key in this review, on the news came up a title of an estranged father and mother selling off their 17 year old daughter to prostitution ! Draupadi was perhaps the symbol of such atrocities against women in the ages to come and men like Dushasan now don other more subtler garbs and walk free among us.
pratyush's review
1.0
***Read for the Women's Writing course***
As my friend Liberosis said:
“It is my dharma not to discuss the book, only to accept the book. Nothing is bigger or truer than dharma. Only thing which matters is dharma and everything else works around the Dharma.”
And in the end I didn't get why all the fuss about Dharma. Doesn't make any sense to me, let it be the whole book. I get that the injustice of women was prevailed during the mythical time as well and I agreed upon it. But the repetition of the same thing, same situation is quite frustrating to read.
Every character feels absurd and hypocrite lol. The amount of absurdity I faced, it's just beyond my expectations. One thing I liked that, Karna is the only one who is true to his character. I really liked how clearly, and to the point he was described. Other than that I didn't like anyone nor agreed to any of the views at all.
Is it the end of my misery or the beginning? ☠️
As my friend Liberosis said:
“It is my dharma not to discuss the book, only to accept the book. Nothing is bigger or truer than dharma. Only thing which matters is dharma and everything else works around the Dharma.”
And in the end I didn't get why all the fuss about Dharma. Doesn't make any sense to me, let it be the whole book. I get that the injustice of women was prevailed during the mythical time as well and I agreed upon it. But the repetition of the same thing, same situation is quite frustrating to read.
Every character feels absurd and hypocrite lol. The amount of absurdity I faced, it's just beyond my expectations. One thing I liked that, Karna is the only one who is true to his character. I really liked how clearly, and to the point he was described. Other than that I didn't like anyone nor agreed to any of the views at all.
Is it the end of my misery or the beginning? ☠️
readwithshashank's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book based on a discussion in a book group I've been part of for a while.
Draupadi is a character who fits in the category of the one you can love or hate but can't ignore. The book is her side of the story. It covers everything from her birth (from the Yajna), liking for Krishna (leading to her name Krishnaa), her Swayamwar, the episode of her having to accept five husbands, all her sufferings and challenges, her how she stands tall amidst it all.
I have read Rajagopalachari's Mahabharata and watched a couple of versions on the screen, but she's never been THE main character in them.
It's an interesting perspective to read her strong and weak points and how she reacted to all that life threw at her. She is portrayed as the embodiment of sacrifice and how she's generally got the rough end of the stick most times.
I'd have rated it a 3.5, but there are parts where it gets a tad verbose and needs the effort to read through, so I will settle in at 3.0.
It is a worthy read for anyone who wants to understand Yajnaseni, one of the five most virtuous women in Hindu mythology.
Draupadi is a character who fits in the category of the one you can love or hate but can't ignore. The book is her side of the story. It covers everything from her birth (from the Yajna), liking for Krishna (leading to her name Krishnaa), her Swayamwar, the episode of her having to accept five husbands, all her sufferings and challenges, her how she stands tall amidst it all.
I have read Rajagopalachari's Mahabharata and watched a couple of versions on the screen, but she's never been THE main character in them.
It's an interesting perspective to read her strong and weak points and how she reacted to all that life threw at her. She is portrayed as the embodiment of sacrifice and how she's generally got the rough end of the stick most times.
I'd have rated it a 3.5, but there are parts where it gets a tad verbose and needs the effort to read through, so I will settle in at 3.0.
It is a worthy read for anyone who wants to understand Yajnaseni, one of the five most virtuous women in Hindu mythology.