Age of Free Love

Excerpts from YL Prasad’s Draupadi, which has got rightwing knickers in a twist.

Excerpts from YL Prasad’s Draupadi, which has got rightwing knickers in a twist.

Excerpts from YL Prasad’s Draupadi, which has got rightwing knickers in a twist.

Excerpts from YL Prasad’s Draupadi, which has got rightwing knickers in a twist.

Kunti was thrilled to see Draupadi smiling in remembered joy. A woman finds her life’s fulfilment through her first night. Draupadi had five different kinds of first nights. Five experiences. Kunti could very well imagine how much she must have enjoyed them. Kunti asked detailed questions about Draupadi’s carnal experiences.

She could understand that Draupadi still had conflicting emotions over spending her nights with five men. “Dear mother-in-law, you had spent your nights with different men too. Haven’t you ever felt that it was wrong?” Draupadi asked of Kunti. Kunti laughed. “Who decides what is wrong and what is right, Draupadi? It wasn’t a rule in ancient times that a woman couldn’t mate with more than one man… It was Shwetaketu who brought in that restriction… but my husband himself told me of this rule, and asked me to have sex with other men…”

“Do you want me to tell you the truth, Krishna (Draupadi’s other name)?” Sri Krishna asked in a teasing tone… “I had Arjuna marry Subhadra not to separate you from him, but to reduce the distance between the two of us. My sister takes care of my Sakha Arjuna and you can pay attention to me.” Draupadi’s anger vanished and she laughed in delight. It felt as though spring had suddenly arrived and a thousand cuckoos were singing a song. Krishna was bewitched. “What a beautiful laugh,” he said.

“Krishna, what makes you think I don’t pay attention to you… a thousand Arjunas can’t make me forget the emotion, the feeling I have for you…”
“…I can come to see you on the pretext of visiting my sister Subhadra,” Krishna teased her… Draupadi was overjoyed.

—Draupadi, translated from Telugu by Usha Turaga-Revelli

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YL Prasad