DRAUPADI - 73

   

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty's 

DRAUPADI - 73

 

After her Puja Sudeshna sent for Sairindri

with a broad smile she took her inside

Sairindri, you are lucky, Kichaka is pleased

to bestow his favours on you, go make him

happy, all your bad days will end - Madam!

Are you the same queen Sudeshna,

the Mistress of the Matsya palace, the Mother

to your numerous subjects? How could you

utter such things betraying your own

womanly self? You want to sacrifice me

in the fire of your brother's lust? A sister

playing  procuress for her brother is a

new low in nature's fall. Do you think

I am so helpless, fortune's doormat,

any cynical muscle man can have me for dinner?

I am not a mere body, an alluring frame

to warm beds - I am a spirit which moves

this beauteous flesh to articulate energy.

None can touch me, none can eye me with

vile intention, I will rise like apocalypse

to drown creation in the Dark Sea -

Sairindri Sairindri - pardon me my impudence

my fear and insecurity has subdued my

feminine grace to such nether folly -

Sudeshna sobbed violently, with folded

hands she said - Sairindri you know

Matsya is  Kichaka's gift to us, to deny him

means death for us, I know not what to do

save me Sairindri tell me how to overcome

this unseemly crisis to escape Kichaka's wrath.

 

Draupadi hid her tears, and walked fast

to tell Yudhistira to do something but Kanka

heard everything with a bowed head and said

Go to Bhima, I cannot speak a word

to anyone and if I do, our secrets

will jeopardise our anonymity which

we cannot afford, go to him - Draupadi

went to the royal kitchen and told Bhim

everything including Sudeshna's fears.

Bhima's eyes turned red in anger

his fists tightened but Draupadi calmed

him to think for a while: Bhima

asked Draupadi to obey and go after

the fourth day moon is seen in the sky,

he would be there, he promised

to avenge her insult suitably.

Tell Arjuna to play the pakhauj

in fast beats the whole night.

 

Brihannala looked hurt and sad

Kichaka's star will be down tonight

take heart my love your protection

is our mission, tonight will end evil

and all  vile ducts will be sealed finally.

 

Draupadi went to Sudeshna's room

to find her morose dull and sick

Sairindri! She came forward to meet

Draupadi stopped her raising her hand;

I will go Queen prepare me for sacrifice.

If the sacrificial fires engulf Matsya

don't blame me for the chilling heat.

She sat blind sinking into a chair

Sudeshna too slumped on the bed sobbing.

 

The fateful sun set on time

stars appeared as winking omen.

Sudeshna played Sairindri

made her up as Draupadi

whom she never saw, Sairindri

was ready in scarlet radiance

to kill all passions of the world

with one fatal glance, Sudeshna

put on her all her diamonds,

rubies, sapphires, pearls - Sairindri

pardon me, from this moment on

the woman in me is dead, let not

any other woman betray her own

let not woman yield to lust,

I may burn in hell for sending

you to Kichaka in helpless

surrender to the greed of power.

But Sairindri -- I know Majesty

you do it for fear of Kichaka

but tell me honest Madam

am I only a body a sexpot

when I can create smiles all around

throw bounties of joy and sweetness

with my words, deeds and love!

All my life my lame hands

caught only straws of untruth

when my hands could shape truth

love and beauty potter like

with life's amorphous clay!

Be guilt free Mistress you'll

see and hear the harvest of truth

before the new sun lights up

your world with kind eyes.

 

Sudeshna gave her a basket

of sweets, a bottle of wine and

kissed Sairindri's forehead

wishing her divine protection.

 

The moon arose

a bleary line of cold light

in the dark ominous sky.

Vallav turned Vallavi

and sat on the appointed bed

in Sairindri's guise

long veiled in fineries,

Brihannala's pakhauj

rang out in fatal beats

reverberating Virat's kingdom

the night's wings flapped

as though trapped in its own cage

time stood on its toes

the throbbing timbre rose

like the screams of the hunted.

Kichaka staggered his  entry

the night thundered cloudless

Arjuna's fingers bled

agents of good and evil roared

as the pakhauj cracked

bone and flesh rolled

silence killed the air stiff.

 

Time was released, night moved

Draupadi from behind the arras

saw the ball of flesh the carcass.

She ran to blood sweating Bhima

tearkissed him in love's  gleam.

Left the mansion as Arjuna stopped

the waking birds sang evil's dirge.