Lotus Buds: To Those Who Chose To Bloom

Lilac-tinted sky in the evening.

When the sun is just about to set below the horizon marking its imprint on the murky surface of the river. Despite the sludgy water, your eyes are transfixed at the lotus upright amidst the noise posing in its elegance. That’s what a lotus is…isn’t. What amazes me is how those 15 petals of that flower encompass hope, beauty, serenity, divinity, strength and a new life altogether. What amazes me more is how these five women I will delve into in this blog are not only considered the epitome of womanhood but also inspire millions of maidens to embrace themselves a little bit more each passing day and own their story with full glory (Slay queen!).

These five women are just like lotus…right; encircling all the unjust around them yet emerging victorious in their respective realms. However, are we glorifying enforced misogynistic traditions that fail to seek the right questions and put them on the label of aberrant?

Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Mandodari, and Tara; together known as ‘the panchakanya’ are five iconic and virtuous women, revered for their exemplary character, courage, and conviction. But if try to get past the transient meshed stories, we will find something common among these panchakanya: a complex relationship with femininity (Identity crisis alert!), a recurring theme of loss, and above all resiliency.  Furthermore, we can associate the five elements of nature with our panchakanya. So, let's look at each one of them super quick!

Ahalya personifies water, and rightly so, mirroring water Ahalya was also calm but has gravitas. Created by the OG creator lord Brahma; got the love of a father and a master but her soul kept searching for a mother. And then was handed over to Sage Gautam to lead a life of penance in the forest. However, her single transgression of owning to her desires called down an awful curse (bro literally turned her into stone!) shattering her dreams, prayers and hopes into a dark abandoned forest ashram.

(i) By Raja Ravi Verma

Tara, just like the wind whom no one can catch, was made to succumb to her fate and was left alone at the festering hands of society. The monkey queen and wife of monkey king Bali of Kishkindha was known for her diplomacy; but what’s the use of intellect when autonomy is out of question? After the death of Bali, Tara was married to his younger brother Sugriva as per the archaic tradition and that conjugal allegiance was neither widow re-marriage nor polyandry, simply appropriation by Sugriva may or may not be against her will (Men from all eras didn’t know consent!). Later Sugriva uses her as a pawn to pacify an enraged Lakshmana, Tara being strategic, adaptive, and innovative manages to negotiate with Lakshmana and save Sugriva’s life.

(ii) By Raja Ravi Verma

A similar fate was in store for Mandodari for whom the sky was the limit; queen of Lanka and the consort of Asura king Ravana. Being so resourceful, and having a rich knowledge of astrology, politics, and scriptures; she was not only emotionally intelligent and visionary but also diplomatic and analytical, was unfortunately only looked down upon because of the deeds of her husband (Red flag…no no no red curtain alert!). After Ravana was killed by Lord Rama, Mandodari was remarried to his younger brother Vibhishan (umm…boundaries please). Are women really a commodity like a game of Pokémon trading cards meant to be tossed between men?

(iii) By Raja Ravi Verma

Even after wielding so much power, imagine being so helpless at the threshold of customs and traditions that you lose, or are made to lose your sanity time immemorial and exploited at the hands of supposedly shrewd men…Aaaaargh.

 (iv) Kunti, Draupadi, and the Pandavas

Kunti is one true Matriarch of the Mahabharata. She was the daughter of Shurasena, after her and the foster daughter of his cousin Kuntibhoja. She was the wife of King Pandu and lost Pandu, twice! First to Madri (King Pandu’s second wife and then his life in Madri’s arms. However, she remains the embodiment of motherhood.

Coming over to Draupadi as aptly said by her ‘she has none to call her own’. She was subjected to great tribulations, Drupada first not accepting her then using her to get revenge on Drona by allying with the Pandavas., her mother-in-law forced her into a polyandrous marriage that made society question her character. Later, Kunti and the Pandavas use her to win their kingdom three times: through marriage, in the first dice game, and by encouraging them on their path to victory. Unbeknownst to her, even Krishna uses Draupadi as a temptation for Karna, assuring him that she will come to him o. All of it culminated in the heinous vastraharana, the fire within her suffered and she was left with nothing but the burning embers of her fire.

These women are quintessentially Shakti in nature and give us a poignant reminder that ‘women's autonomy’ is a mythical concept men love to toss around regardless of the era. They embrace and portray the complexities of femininity representing both virtues and flaws. Their narratives are a strong testament that female identity transcends simplistic definitions.