From Kampilyanagar I came to Hastinapura, and then to Indraprastha. Since then I never visited my parental home. I got all the news about Sautramanimata, father Drupada, all the brothers and major Panchalas, in Indraprastha itself. Krishna’s full support in raising the royal city of Indraprastha was the greatest. Even my brother Dhrishtadyumna had contributed, giving him a prompt response. He would visit Indraprastha occasionally with the Panchala troops; give personal attention to the construction of the royal city, and then return to the Panchala kingdom with the news of my welfare.
After we came to Khandavavana my five husbands decided upon a code of conduct with regard to me. No one usually disregarded it. They lived with me in privacy in the same sequence that they were born. According to that after coming to Khandavavana I begot the first son from Yudhishthira. Rajmata named him Prativindhya. As he was the firstborn of the Pandavas’ third generation he was going to be the future prince. Everybody looked after him vigilantly. His neck looked tall like his father’s. He was named Prativindhya with the desire that he becomes strong like a cliff of Mount Vindhya. He was also called Yaudhishthiri. All his kakas showered this first son of mine with a lot of affection. He was going to be related to the other four Pandavas in two ways – they would be an kaka on the one hand and a stepfather on the other. Yet, as I had decided as soon as he was born, I particularly taught him to address everybody as father. As I was a wife to five husbands, I was also going to have to decide my own code of conduct accordingly. I was doing it under the guidance of Rajmata and best friend Krishna. The unprecedented facts of our lives were unknowingly bringing the three of us closer. Rajmata also considered Krishna as her best friend and treated and called him so.
My second husband was mighty Bhimsena. I was well aware that Bhimsena was the tough protective armour of the other four brothers. Bhimsena had an unmatched mighty powerful physique; exactly like friend Krishna’s brother Balarama. In fact, he was Balarama’s disciple in mace fighting and wrestling and just as open-minded as him. He would also hold the heavy mace on his shoulder, and throwing his head back, laugh loudly shaking his chest. What a vast difference there was between Yudhishthira and Bhimsena! One was like the North Pole and the other like the South Pole. Bhimsena couldn’t control three things – hunger, sleep and anger. He looked healthy and husky due to his tremendous appetite and sleep. Like the mace on his shoulder his rage was also like another weapon for him. Whenever he challenged any of his rivals while brandishing his mace in circular motions with a fierce expression on his face, his rival would already lose half his courage. Bhimsena had a ruddy fair complexion. His thick moustache perfectly suited his round face shaped like a shield. Though he was such a great mace warrior and wrestler he politely obeyed the commands of three elders –his eldest brother Yudhishthira, Rajmata Kuntidevi, and my best friend Krishna. As he was a little older in age than Krishna, Krishna would try to bow respectfully. Bhimsena wouldn’t allow him to do that. Bhimsena had expertise in handling mainly two weapons – the mace and the pestle. He wouldn’t speak much in the royal council of Indraprastha. Speaking in public was not in his nature. But on the battlefield while defiantly provoking his enemy, his words would automatically get an exceptional edge of valour.
The unmatched physical might of my valiant husband Bhimsena was a protective armour for many things. It was an armour for the valour of his four brothers, and for my attractive femininity. Besides it also protected the basic rights of the common man of Indraprastha. That is why Bhimsena was the favourite among the citizens of Indraprastha rather than the other four brothers.
It was my friend Krishna who had first addressed him as Bhimsena. Nobody else was so privileged. He did not address the others as Dharmasena, Arjunasena, Nakulasena or Sahadevasena. How perfect was the name Bhimsena given to him by Krishna! He never seemed like a single person. Whenever he came it felt as if an army of hundreds of elephants has come. The word ‘fear’ did not exist in his vocabulary. Therefore, whenever the citizens came across him, they would shout excitedly – ‘Hail valiant Bhimsena victory to him, victory ….!’
All my husbands loved me dearly. But as a woman if anybody asked me to rank them, my first rank would go to Bhimsena, then it would be Arjun. And yes, the very last rank would be surely of Yudhishthira!
But if anyone asked me the same question as the Maharani of Indraprastha, my answer would be ‘First rank is Yudhishthira’ for sure. Why am I saying this in spite of his playing the shameless game of gambling? It is because after becoming the Maharani of Indraprastha I also changed drastically, that too, due to Krishna. I could never forget his advice about handling the responsibility of a Maharani. He was always a creator, and never a destroyer. Once he considered somebody as his own, that person would transform inside out in his company.
Bhimsena who could not be controlled by others would quietly listen to my friend Krishna. This is one of the main reasons why Bhimsena became my favourite.
There are many incidents in our life in the Kamyakavana which let me experience Bhimsena’s invaluable love for me. A husband would fulfil any wish of his wife when he has a puissant kingdom at his disposal and many male and female attendants to obey his commands. I had experienced that many a times with the Pandavas. There was nothing extraordinary about it. But to fulfil her wishes while living in a forest certainly needs the deepest feeling of love. Once while travelling in the Kamyakavana along with all the brothers, I reached the shores of a lake full of water. Beautiful red ochre lotuses had blossomed at the centre of that lake. Oh, how marvellous they looked on the background of the blue water! The moment I saw them I shouted, ‘Such beautiful lotuses!’ Hearing my words, the eldest Pandava Yudhishthira said, “Your abundant hair with a blue tinge, almost reaching your heels, look more beautiful than those flowers. Those flowers will look very beautiful in your hair. Once we reach our cottage we will send a forest dweller to fetch these flowers!”
I listened to him and looked at master archer Dhananjaya. My glance directly meant, ‘What are you going to do Arjuna?’ He gave me the expected answer, “I don’t have my Gandiva bow with me right now. Or else I would have shown you the magic of my archery, which could even pierce the fish-eye, right here. Shyamale, those lotus flowers in the centre of the lake, would have been lying at your feet the moment I grabbed my Gandiva bow in my hands.”
Nakula-Sahadeva also gave similar responses. I don’t even remember today what they said. In the end, I looked at Bhimsena. He did not say anything in response at all. He surmised my question with his eyes, and tucking his white dhoti he said, “Wait a moment. Let me go and get your favorite lotuses!” He leaped into the lake while all his brothers were watching him. Briskly moving his fair muscular arms through the waters, he reached the beautiful, red ochre lotuses and swam around them once. He spotted the best half blossomed and fully blossomed lotuses, and plucked them quickly. Holding the bunch under one arm and using the other to swim he came back. He removed the bunch of lotuses from under his arm, dropped it in front of all four brothers, and throwing his head back with his chest puffed, laughing loudly he said, “Arjuna, adorn her hair with them!” I could never forget the fair, muscular Bhimsena drenched in water, laughing innocently.
A woman comes to know the true nature of her husband in privacy during lovemaking, and I had five husbands. Each one had a different attitude in our privacy. I am saying all this because I want to unravel my entire life. That is why I have to speak about this without any reservation. To tell you the truth, after my first husband Yudhishthira’s turn when it was Bhimsena’s turn to spend time with me in privacy, I was quite scared on the first night. But that night itself I found out that my mighty husband Bhimsena who thunders like clouds and roars loudly with rage also possesses a sensitive, tender heart like the petals of a lotus. He was never rough with me in privacy. That is why as a woman I found him the most ideal husband. Yes – even more so than Arjuna who had won me in the Swayamwar!
I bore Bhimsena a son. Krishna hims
elf named him – Sutasoma. He was healthy like his father, and quite naughty too.
After Bhimsena it was the turn of Arjuna – my third-in-line husband, master archer Dhananjaya, valiant Partha. He had shot the very first arrow unerringly in the target and won me in the Swayamwar. The one thing I could never approve of him was the silence that he maintained, unfitting a valiant warrior, when a decision was made that I should be shared by all. Afterwards, in our privacy many a times he justified his actions saying that he complied with the command of his mother and the wish of his elder brother. But I was never convinced by that. I had no objection at all for respecting both of them as elders. Nobody could object to that. But at that moment itself I had realized that he might surrender his Gandiva bow at a crucial moment and throw it on the ground.
After the Swayamwar many a times I wondered what if Srikrishna was in Arjuna’s place at the time when the decision of my sharing was made. What would he have done? He has also shown respect to elders throughout his life. Would he have remained silent? Certainly not. At that very instant he would have spoken out clearly and pointed out his elder brother’s faults. He would have also kept his mother’s promise and fulfilled her wishes. That is why I have always found Arjuna’s silence at that time unforgivable. I had already surmised that he was unreliable. Only Krishna had the power of admonishing him at such times with stern words.
In our very first meeting it was he who had convinced me to accept my five husbands – that too, willingly. As a woman, I never felt any hesitation while talking to Krishna about my husbands. That was also a corroboration of my friendship with him.
All my relatives thought that Arjuna was my favourite husband. The citizens of Indraprastha also believed the same. And every time I saw Partha along with Purushottama Vaasudeva I also felt the same. Both of them were blue complexioned, almost equal in height. They looked like a figure and its shadow, reflections of each other. And the most important reason above all this was that my best friend Krishna had considered only Arjuna among all the Pandavas as his Sakha – confidant. None of the other Pandavas were fortunate enough in that respect.
The last two Pandavas were Nakula-Sahadeva. They were more like friends to me than husbands. I myself had to take the initiative to change their bashful nature during our privacy. There was one thing very special about them that nobody had felt, and it was that both of them had observed and felt exactly the same things about the three elder Pandavas that I had noticed and felt about them. Just as they were younger in age to their brothers, so also, they were younger to me. But I never let them feel it. Just like Rajmata Kuntidevi never let them feel that they were her stepsons I also followed it particularly.
I bore five sons, one each year from my five husbands. The son I bore Arjuna was named Shrutakirti. This name was also given by Srikrishna. He came from Dwaraka specifically for that purpose. The meaning of his name was ‘the one whose renown is heard by all’. The sons of Nakula and Sahadeva were named as Shatanika and Shrutsena. Shatanika was just as exquisitely handsome as his father Nakula. His actual name was Shatanhika as he used to perform a hundredaanhikas -religious rituals daily. To make it convenient to pronounce his name was shortened as Shatanika.
Only I know how I managed to bring up all these five sons of the Pandavas’ third generation. I taught all my five sons to address all Pandavas as ‘Taata’. If they would have called my other husbands except their own father as ‘kaka’ due to anybody’s instruction even by mistake, it would have created major problems for all of them in future. The boys were also virtuous and mature. Also, I had the company of the experienced rajmata. As per my wish all my sons were known as the Pandava sons.
The Pandavas, Kurus or the Yadavas – all shared a major custom - polygamy. They justified it as ‘a necessity for the Kshatriyas’. Almost all of them had more than one wife. The only exception was Uddhavadeva. That is why he was respected by all. Because of this custom of polygamy, the first wife of each warrior had to desperately manage things on various fronts. Rukminivahini was my ideal in this respect. Whenever we met she always gave me tips on how to tie the valiant men in the bonds of love. In a way, I was fortunate that no one was as envious of my friendship with Rukminivahini as of Arjuna’s friendship with Krishna. But there was a vast difference between my friendship with Rukminivahini and my friendship with Krishna. As the Pandava Maharani I considered Rukminidevi as my ideal. But Krishna? I had considered him my Sakha as he was my ideal for the whole life.
I frequently had to face the polygamous relations of my five husbands. Yudhishthira later got married to a lady named Pauravi. Both of them had a son named Devaka.
Bhimsena already had a forest dweller wife named Hidimba even before our marriage. She had a son named Ghatotkacha. He was the firstborn in the third generation of the Pandavas. Hidimba never came to live in Indraprastha or Hastinapura. She lived at her maternal home in the forest beyond river Ganga. I came to know about all this after the Swayamwar ceremony. Again, Krishna’s guidance came to my assistance to digest that fact. In his first meeting at Indraprastha he affectionately asked me, “Krishney, are you happy in the company of your five husbands? Any discords with anyone?” I discussed the topic of Hidimba saying, “If Ghatotkacha appears tomorrow in front of all saying I am the first Pandava of the third generation. What then?” He smiled playfully as usual and said, “Shyamale, don’t worry at all. In fact, it will be Ghatotkacha who will save all the Pandavas from any trouble. After all he is the firstborn son of Bhimsena. And, you see, my beloved wife Jambavati is also like Hidimba!” I was left nonplussed. It was his specialty that no one could tell what reference he will put forth and when. Amongst all the valiant men around me he was a genius. I also liked to pick an argument with him. At such times, he would finally say, “Panchali, you are indeed brilliant, even more than my beloved wife Rukmini. That is why I love you as a friend. Do me a favour. Never share this opinion of mine with her.”
Bhimsena’s third wife was Baladharaa. She was the daughter of the king of Kashi. Her son’s name was Sharvatrata. Bhimsena’s fourth wife was Kali. She was the daughter of Krishna’s aatya Shrutashrava and her husband Damaghosha. She was the sister of Shishupala, Krishna’s aate bandhu, who detested him throughout his life. Krishna himself took the initiative to arrange this marriage.
Bhimsena addressed me as ‘Subhage’ in privacy. I also liked it.
My third husband Arjuna! Once he broke the code of conduct that we all had agreed upon. Therefore, he went on a pilgrimage for one year. Before returning to Indraprastha he married three times! The first marriage was with Uloopi – the Naga daughter. She was the daughter of a Naga named Kauravya who lived on the banks of river Ganga. In her childhood, she was married to the son of a Naga named Airavata. But as that son died Uloopi had become a child widow. This third husband of mine got married to her on the banks of Ganga in a ‘Gandharva’ Swayamwar. Later she gave birth to a son, who was named Iravana by the Naagas. Uloopi lived at her parental home of Kauravya Naga.
This husband of mine further travelled to Manipura during the pilgrimage, and got married to Chitrangada, the daughter of King Chitravahana of Manipura. Her son was named Babhruvahana by the citizens of Manipura. Chitrangada had come to Indraprastha along with her son at the time of our Rajasuya yajna.
Arjuna was my favourite too as he was dearly loved by Krishna. The three of us had our own triangle of emotional bond that was incomprehensible to all others. Arjuna transformed it into a square bond – by abducting Subhadra! Subhadra was his fourth wife. I treated all my co-wives with affection. I especially treated Subhadra with more affection. It was because she was Krishna’s sister. As my co-wife, I accepted her as a sister, just like Krishna. She also embraced me calling me tai in our first meeting, and whispered in my ears, “Krishnadada has advised me that it is Draupadi’s friendship that will help you sustain among the Pandavas.” I understood the underlying message. It was not just Krishna’s advice to his sister, but also an indirect command to me
. And how could Draupadi disobey Krishna’s command? My dear sister Subhadra also bore a son. Krishna named him Abhimanyu. I also liked the name. I nicknamed Abhimanyu as ‘Abhi’ like I had nicknamed Arjuna’s and my son ‘Kirti’. He became the apple of everybody’s eyes, not just because he was Krishna’s bhacha but with his own behaviour, looks and valour. My love for Subhadra as Krishna’s sister increased further as ‘Abhi’s’ mother. Notably, all other Pandavas besides Arjuna also pampered Abhi genuinely. He was indeed so lovable that everybody felt attracted to him. I had quite noted a subtle difference in Arjuna’s feelings about Abhi. Arjuna would unknowingly favour him a little bit more among all the sons of Pandavas. Was it for the sake of Abhi or for the sake of Krishna? I couldn’t understand it no matter how hard I tried. Arjuna addressed me as ‘Surekhaa...Shyama’ in solitude. There was a tinge of darkness in the complexion of the three of us –Krishna, Arjuna, and I.
My fourth husband Nakula was exquisitely handsome. I had never seen Madana who was supposed to be the most handsome man that ever existed, and had no desire to see him also. But everybody called Nakula Madana incarnate. All Yadavas also called Pradyumna, the first son of Krishna the same. Only Uddhavadeva’s complexion was very close to the complexion of these two. If Nakula, Pradyumna and Uddhavadeva stood chatting together a person looking at them from a distance could not figure out who was who. Nakula was an expert in tunnels and horses. After Shishupala’s execution his daughter Karenumati was married to Nakula. Krishna had taken the initiative in forming all these diplomatic alliances. Karenumati was the daughter of the Pandavas’ mavas bandhu – meaning their bhachi. But as per Krishna’s instruction she became the wife of Nakula. She had a son named Niramitra.
Nakula called me ‘Yajnaseni’ in private.
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 56