Author's note: This story was inspired by Draupadi's Swamayarma in the Epified version of the Mahabharata. I have turned the tables though and made it to where Arjuna is picking five wives to be his queens. Similiarly, Arjuna comes under a curse however it is very different than what happened to Draupadi. He is cursed for wanting five wives and is prevented from getting what he wishes. There are some added details in my story but for the most part it is just a complete inverse of the events that happened in the Mahabharata. Thanks for reading.
The time had come come for Arjuna to pick his wife, but one wife would not be suffice. Arjuna being the compartmentalist he was, he wanted a wife for each of his specific wants. The first wife that he would pick would first have to satisfy his food requests. Only a wife with the best cooking skills would be suffice for Arjuna. His second wife would need to satisfy his love needs and be able to give birth to sons fit for the taking of his throne. Not just any wife would do for making children, but one who showed great traits of courage, bravery, and intelligence. Traits of which Arjuna wanted his sons to bear. His third wife would need to be able to tend to all of his requests and be a messenger for him and his needs. Arjuna's fourth wife would have to possess qualities of athleticism as she would be his fitness and training partner. And Arjuna's fifth wife would have to possess shrink like abilities. In which, he would use to meditate and connect with himself and other spirits. Lastly, his request was
that all of his five wives must be sisters.
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| Arjuna trying to hold one of the Draupadis (Wikimedia) |
Many people thought that his request was a very tall order and it was indeed. For three years Arjuna searched for the perfect wive set until he finally found the Draupadis sisters. All of which were to his very demanding criteria.
As the day came to be wed with the five sisters, an omen appeared to Arjuna. The love goddess Sofi spoke to Arjuna and was disgusted for his greed and lust for more than one women. Sofi cursed Arjuna with being unable to speak for the rest of his life. Arjuna thought little of the handicap as he would have no trouble still accomplishing his wants and needs. As Arjuna stepped up to the alter with the five women the priest before him asked if he would take the hand of all of the five women for marriage. Arjuna tried to say "I do", but all he could do was blink. Great confusion came over the women and the priest as they were shocked at the mute response of Arjuna. Again the priest asked and Arjuna did not respond. Finally the priest gave up on the wedding ceremony and deemed the sisters free to go back to their kingdom. Arjuna then lived the rest of his life alone and unable to produce words.
Wow, interesting take on the story. I like that you put a spin on the story. Draupadi faced much adversity in the Mahabharata because she wedded five brothers. After reading the story, I thought about some cultures social norms regarding marrying multiple partners. To this day, I have not heard of many women taking on multiple husbands at one time. I also enjoyed how there was an underlying message of consequences one might face when being greedy. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI'm really a big fan of Arjuna being cursed and unable to say "I do." I thought that was a great way to end it and show the consequences of his lust. I also liked the part where you broke it down and explained what Arjuna wanted in each of his wives. I thought #3 was a little weak, and I though #5 could have been explained better. I think one category you are missing is a wife to be his best friend and party with, and a wife to listen to his problems and console him (similar to the 'shrink' wife)
ReplyDeletep.s. I think you should avoid using the word 'shrink'