The Jamun Fruit

I recently read a beautiful novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakuruni, titled "The Palace of Illusions". It is a retelling of the Mahabaratham from the point of view of Draupadi. Beautifully written, one can easily see the young scared girl grow into a strong queen and become the vengeful woman responsible for the Kurukshetra War. Draupadi goes through the motions of falling in love, being unconventionally married to five men, forced to undergo a harsh lifestyle due to the Pandava's misgivings, and be jealous at the other wives these men chose to take; basically, she is portrayed as any other normal woman with insecurities and the strength to face them. It is a wonderfully written book and I would highly recommend it to anyone asking.

One subplot that really caught my eye was the love Draupadi had for Karna. The book states that when her Swayamvaram was planned, an artist showed Draupadi a portrait of Dhuryodhana, and she found herself gazing at Karna, who was also in the painting.

This "crush" grows into a more profound liking that is thwarted only because both Krishna and Draupadi's brother intervene when Karna tries to participate in the Swayamvaram challenge. To avoid a fight, Draupadi steps down and asks Karna if he knows of his lineage, knowing well that he does not. A humiliated Karna swears vengeance on her. It is because of this, according to the book, that Karna issues the order to remove Draupadi's clothes. 

During the war, when Karna visits the dying Bheeshma, it is shown that he, too, has strong feeling for Draupadi. It is just that both their egos are too big to accept and apologize to one another. Thus, from the beginning, the mingling of love versus duty shape the entire book into a beautiful story.

In all the traditional versions of the Mahabaratham that I have thus far encountered, there is no mention of this forbidden love story. However, I later found that this was a result of a Jain folklore that was worked into their version of the epic. 

The story goes as follows....

Apparently, while in exile, the Pandavas and Draupadi stumbled upon a little grove. There, a single Jamun tree stood. There was a very ripe, low hanging fruit and Draupadi plucked it without a second thought. As soon as she held it in her hands, the tree spoke, saying that the fruit she plucked was hanging there for 12 years and it was being preserved for the Rishi who had been meditating. He was going to end his tapas later that day and his first meal in those 12 years was to be that fruit. However, now that Draupadi had plucked it, the Rishi will go hungry and she would have to face the consequences. 

Hearing this, a flustered Draupadi calls out to her husbands to help fix the fruit back. They all try, but in vain.

The tree then says, "Draupadi, if you had the power of chastity then you, yourself, could put the fruit back"

Surprised, Draupadi states she is completely faithful to her five husbands, even more so, only the one she is supposed to be with for that year. The tree refuses and says that she is not being truthful. Digging deeper, Draupadi states she loves Krishna, but only as a brother and nothing more. When she tries re-attaching the fruit, it doesn't work. A frustrated Draupadi asks the tree for help and the tree responds by stating that there must be someone else. 

That is when Draupadi realizes and confesses her hidden feelings for Karna, stating that "If I had married him, I would not have been gambled away, publicly humiliated and called a whore". Thus now, with a clear conscience, Draupadi is able to attach the fruit back to the tree.

This is why it is said that Jamun fruits color your tongue purple. One must be absolutely truthful and clear of sin to avoid the discoloration. The moral of this fascinating tidbit is that when one accepts the truth, even if its a sin, they are cleared of any demerit that their actions might have caused (I guess I better start confessing that I ate those cookies... :) )

It's these kind of stories that makes me wonder how many facets to these epics there are. Reading "The Palace of Illusions", I was able to see the Mahabaratham from a completely different angle. Although tedious, I think it would be amazing if there was a way to see it from the view of the Kauravas, other Queens, Maids etc. We focus so much on the heroics of the Pandavas that sometimes we forget that there are multiple sides to a story and maybe, just maybe...

...not everything is as it seems!