Dear Diary,
My Swayamvara is coming up
soon. I can hardly wait! It seems like
yesterday that I was just a little girl dreaming of this day. I
hear
there are so many guys coming for their chance to win my hand in
marriage. The whole process isn't complete until I award the
winner
with my garland of flowers though. They cannot win the contest
unless they can string a bow and shoot five arrows at a target.
My father and brother have set this whole thing up for me. So, I
can't leave them out. My father, Drupada, has his wish in
mind for my husband. However, the man he wants is no longer
alive. He once defeated my father. That is why he wants
this man to be my husband. So he will have a great warrior on his
side. He really appreciates that he is such a great
warrior. Too bad he's dead. Well, I have a few more plans
to
make, so
I'll write more about my upcoming Swayamvara tomorrow.
Until later,
Draupadi
Dear Diary,
I'm still so excited about the
Swayamvara! Most of the plans are
complete. Now, I just have to wait for the day to get here!
The only
thing that has me worried is Karna. Geez, he is the last person I
want
to win. I'll just go crazy if he wins. He is such a great
warrior, possibly the strongest ever. However, he is a
charioteer. I cannot be married to a charioteer. He is
really my only
concern,
but hopefully it will all turn out alright. The Swayamvara is a
contest after all. With any luck, Karna will not be able to
string the bow and win the contest. Too bad I can't predict the
future. Well, I'm off to go
check
out my dress. The next time I write my Swayamvara will have
already
happened. Wish me luck!
Until later,
Draupadi
Dear Diary,
Today is the day of my
Swayamvara and I'm so excited! I've decided to make two entries
today. I'm adding this one now and I'll add another one after the
Swayamvara is over. I've already gotten dressed. I'm really
looking forward to
everyone seeing me. Okay, I'm being requested down where everyone
is
gathering. I'll fill in the details of the Swayamvara later on
today!
Until later,
Draupadi
Dear Diary,
So, the Swayamvara is
definitely over now. I went down to the area where everyone was
gathered. All of the guys looked just as
nervous
as I did. I'm so glad that they were nervous. It made me feel a
million times better about being nervous! I was hoping I
would not
be a disappointment to them. Guess who was the first person I
spotted? Yep, Karna. He approached the stage to string the
bow and I cringed the whole time. I whispered to a friend that I
would never accept him. It
turns out Karna heard me say it. He said he didn't want me
either. That was such a
blessing, I would never marry a charioteer anyway!
After numerous tries at winning my hand in marriage, it seemed like no
one would be able to do it. The contest was running out of
kings. So, my father stood up and offered the contest to anyone
in the crowd that day. Then, a really attractive guy stood
up and
took his turn. He was a brahmin priest, but that didn't matter to
me. He only needed approval by winning the contest. All of
a sudden, this guy
actually won! He picked up the bow with such ease. He
strung it like it was nothing. Then he simply shot the arrows and
hit the target with such perfection. It completely turned my day
into a magical
one!! Someone was actually able to win the contest! Arjuna
is the name of the brahmin priest. Though there has been some
opposition
to him winning me, I could really care less. I know the contest
was designed for kings. However, he proved himself by being able
to use the bow. After he won the
contest, I went
over to give him the garland of flowers promised to the winner.
Now,
the servants are packing me up to move with him. It turns out
that Arjuna has four brothers. Apparently he also lives with
them. So, I guess I'll be meeting all of them later. I hope
there
isn't
too much trouble caused by him winning the contest. I guess
we'll
have to see...
Until later,
Draupadi
Author's
Note:
In my third story,
Draupadi's Day, I basically retold the story of Draupadi's
Swayamvara. I added
details about what she was thinking as the event was being planned and
while it was occurring. I also added
a few extra details to her thoughts about the two men that I saw as the
most important in the Narayan version of the story. This story
has been quite different from my first two stories. In my first
story, Surpanakha is in love with Rama, but he is not have feelings for
her. In my second story, Sita falls for Rama when she sees him
outside of her palace. In this story, Draupadi knows her
marriage is going to be arranged. She really has no choice in who
she's going to marry. It's sort of like Sita's situation,
however, Sita's in love with the man who wins her hand in
marriage. Draupadi only knows that she does not want Karna to win
because he is a charioteer. Draupadi's contest is won by
Arjuna. He was actually in disguise as a brahmin priest.
However, he is not really a brahmin priest. He is in fact the man
that her father, Draupada, wanted her to marry in the first
place. Arjuna's family was supposed to be dead. That is why
they were disguised at the Swayamvara. Arjuna has four brothers
as well. The crazy thing is that Draupadi ends up marrying all
five of the brothers later in the Mahabharata. Draupadi's
Swayamvara is just the beginning of her relationship with the brothers.
Bibliography Information:
Narayan, R.K.
(1978) The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the
Indian Epic.
Buck, William. (1973) Mahabharata.
Image
Information: Garland of Flowers. Source: Photobucket.
