Shakchunni is a ghostly spirit, that’s found often in Bengali culture and mythology , she stays in trees , loves fish and likes to trap men into adoring her , absolutely loves adorning Shakha Pola (bangles) and appears as a married women .
Here’s a poem to her folklore ( written by me)
Grandma told us don’t go into the depths
Of the forest not to the tree of the hanging roots
She lies there , in full brim
For all the ways that you so run into the forest
Never go close to the oldest tree
The tree of green and gold leaves
The tree of hanging like her hair
She lurks into the deep
And if you go near she might have you
And ask you to find her love
And for the love she may not find
She might make your living
Dreadful that you crave death
Grandma told us don’t go into the depths
Of the forest not to the tree of the hanging roots
She lies there , in full brim
Leave the jewelleries you find in the forest
Sometimes offer fish
Stay away from her sight unless
you Wanna be friends ,
only you decide if it’s worth it
Grandma said us don’t go into the depths
Of the forest not to the tree of the hanging roots
Co-hosting a weekly pride drawing prompt thing on Instagram but thought I’d post the work here too!
Week 2’s prompt was ‘Mortals’ and I chose to portray the one and only mythological examples of polyandry to my knowledge - Draupadi who was married to 5 Pandava brothers.
[Dense Hindu canon ramble up ahead]
Back in the day, princesses could choose their own husbands and a sort of a courtship contest would be held to win the princess’ hand and prove yourself to her. This custom was called swayamvar (swayam = self, var = husband) and all 5 Pandav brothers, princes themselves, participated in Draupadi’s Swayamvar. Arjun won the contest, and keeping royal politics in background among other things, Draupadi agreed to marry Arjun. When the five brothers returned home, and told their mother 'Look what/who we brought home’ (non-translatable wordplay), their mother said without looking, 'Split (it) between the 5 of you’. Here’s where the story and interpretation goes awry. Most modern interpretations depict Draupadi as being tortured, forced to marry 5 MEN! No eyebrows are raised when a king marries 5 women though. Krishna, a king from the same story, had 16,000 wives and several relationships outside of wedlock. Never is Krishna portrayed as tortured and oppressed.
Draupadi was fire herself — that’s not a metaphor. She was born of the fire of vengeance her father had for a childhood friend. She would not have stayed in a situation she was forced in. The Pandavas even had a set up where the other brothers wouldn’t interrupt Draupadi’s time with one of them. Each Pandava themselves also had multiple relationships with other women but Draupadi was still their queen consort (patrani).
Despite modern interpretations, misogynistic interpretations, queerphobic interpretations, I would like to believe their relationship(s) were an early example of ethical nonmonogamy and polyamory. And being the protags of the epic, it also reflects how acceptable this would have been perhaps at some point in time. We may never know for sure, but one can hope….
The evening sky glistened under the stars which seemed to be in a closer vicinity due to the forest that spread for miles and miles to go, chillness and fog taking its space in the forest, due lining up the tips of the leaves like water drops those line the petals of a freshly blooming blue lotus.
Similar sweat and exasperation lined the foreheads of the six people who were walking through that forest, them being the five sons of Pandu and Drupadatmajaa Krishnaa herself.
Bhima and Arjuna, who were eager about exploring the forest led the path for the other four, with only a long, sturdy stick in their hands to navigate across the wilderness, to prevent any kind of animals or organisms crossing their path harming them or them harming it.
Yudhishthira and Sahadeva followed the duo while Krishnaa strode behind the first son of Kunti, Nakula hopping behind her, glancing innocently at the cute rabbits that passed his way, him itching to pick one up and cuddle.
Arjuna hopped away a little front, while Bhima stood in his tracks, sensing the discomfort his brothers and wife felt, soft tears lining his eyes.
“Jyeshta…” Bhima slowly addressed which made the third Pandava to stop and rush back worriedly.
“I understand your concern, Bhima, I do. But Viraata’s city is almost thirty Yojanas away from here, but we also have to reach it by today’s sundown. Otherwise, it may cause trouble to us.” Yudhishthira expressed with concern, while Arjuna turned back to look at Krishnaa who had sweat dripping down her, fatigue lacing her lotus petal like eyes which met his, her discomfort paining Arjuna like the thorn in his heart, which he also noticed in Draupadi’s left foot, which caused her more pain.
Yudhisthira sensed Dhananjaya’s distraction, while a mischievous smile crossed his lips, which he masked away with a normal expression, turning towards Arjuna.
“Dhananjaya,” he addressed, glancing at his wife who now tightly clutched her own skirt for support, sighing a bit before continuing.
“Carry Krishnaa till the outskirts of the city, she needs some rest which we cannot afford now, but can always provide her with a little comfort which we can try for.”
“And we will lead the way, you do not worry. Simply listen to us once and trod behind us." Bhima added when he noticed a confused expression in Arjuna’s eyes, his lips parted to explain something.
"And Anuja Arjuna, Carry Krishnaa carefully, not like how you dangle Gandiva on your shoulder, alright?” Yudhishthira giggled, starting to walk ahead with Bhima and the twins, while Arjuna and Draupadi passed secretive glances at each other, the latter wanting to laugh at the amusing, confused indication on Arjuna’s face.
“No need to pass glances at me secretively.” Draupadi rolled her eyes, blinking at him indicating him to lift her up.
“And do I have to invite you specially to carry me? Can’t you sense my discomfort? I am not anything like that Dhananjaya of mine who finds happiness in hopping away into the forest carefree.” Draupadi chuckled at herself in the end, shaking her head tinnily which made Arjuna lose himself in her lotus like face, which he was jerked off when his wife Pat-smacked his arm.
Arjuna silently picked her up, wrapping his right arm around her waist while her left wrapped her feet, their faces coming closer in the quickness at which he worked, while she bashfully adjusted her tree-bark robes properly, trying to avoid his eyes, after which she put her arms round his neck, trying to act distracted by a dewy leaf that hung down above her forehead.
“Her highness, could you bless me with your eyes on me? So that we can proceed walking? And you wouldn’t get scratched by that twig hanging right beside the leaf you find so interesting?” Arjuna pouted like a child, which made Draupadi shake her head and blush hard at the same time.
“Oh yes, Natha?” Krishnaa rolled her eyes, looking back into Arjuna’s eyes which made him turn red as well; but his further action left the both of them blushing, when he booped his nose against hers, also rubbing it across her soft cheeks.
“Stop, what are you doing Arjuna?” Draupadi hid her face behind her palms, while he started to walk slowly, grinning at her who adjusted herself in his arms.
Suddenly Draupadi felt herself go low towards the ground, and she almost screamed when she looked down, Arjuna kneeling on to the floor, still hugging Draupadi close towards him, slowly catching up her left foot carefully, trying not to pain her due to his actions.
“Stay calm, Krishnae." Arjuna whispered as he slowly pulled out the thorns in her foot, holding it into the air, stopping the blood flow with his palms while Draupadi grit her teeth in pain, wincing; which made Arjuna hug her closer towards himself.
"You are so weird, Arjuna.” Draupadi deadpanned as he rose back up on to his feet, shaking his head as to throw back the hair that fell to his face when he bent down.
“And why do you think so, the queen of my poor heart?” Arjuna giggled as he walked a tiny bit faster, trying to catch up with his brothers.
“Because you are so weird! Slow down, Jishnu. You aren’t having a running race with the other four! Who runs like this with his wife in his hold?” Arjuna bit his tongue as he slowed down, giggling awkwardly when he realised what he was doing.
“But you can’t call me weird before I do anything weird. Why do I call me weird otherwise?”
“Because you do things without informing before. How would I expect you to relieve me of the pain that thorn gave?”
“Krishnaa, Krishnaa. Even if I ran away into the forest, I noticed your pain long before. Years of practice also gave me practice to be attentive to the smallest of sounds, as low frequency sounds to higher ones. Hence, I noticed. But I couldn’t tell you while all of us are walking together as I also had to check for protecting the others too. But now I had an opportunity to remove it myself, and I used it.”
“Aha, that’s the story, Svami?” Draupadi giggled as she tried to recreate Arjuna’s way of explaining which made both of them burst into fits of laughter, enjoying the solitude they found in each other’s arms.
“You know, Krishnaa? You amuse me all the time. I still don’t get you, how you go from mocking me to teasing me to making me feel Happy like the glide of an arrow, shifting from one mood to another. Maybe that’s the Draupadi I fell in love with. Full of Love, aspirations, righteousness, intelligence and moreover the embodiment of joy in my life.”
“Oh yes, contrasting you like anything. You fine me amusing but I find you similar to a Markatam. Very chanchalam you are. Dramatic, annoyingly cute, immersed in archery all the time, if I can say so, you make me fall madly in love with you.” Krishnaa burst into laughter clutching her stomach while an amused, questioning arch in the brow formed on Arjuna’s face while a thought of ’Am I actually that amusing?‘ crossed his mind.
“I don’t even understand you at some times, Krishnae!” Arjuna exclaimed, slowing down as he was lost in his own flow of thoughts when Draupadi’s shy voice reached his ears, for which she rose up in his arms, trying to whisper it in his ears.
“Natha..I had a thought. But thinking about itself makes me shy.” She teasingly whispered while hiding her face in his chest, continuing when she noticed the uncontrolled curiosity on one of her husband’s face.
“Do you also think that we look like the cloud carrying a lightning, when I’m in your arms? You being the cloud and me being your streak of lightning?”
He was overcome by surprise at her thought, his eyes looking keenly into hers, while he reflexively bent down closer to her lotus-like face, escaping the vines that were hanging from the top, coincidentally at the right moment.
Draupadi softly looked into his eyes as she held his cheeks in her tender palms, while Arjuna rested his forehead on hers with gentleness, while she reciprocated with a long, soft kiss on his forehead, their actions itself speaking million words of emotions that they felt.
Their banter continued on and on until they reached the outskirts of the palace, heart-filling conversations, rejuvenating physical actions and pure love filling their hearts with joy and hope for the future, before they changed their identities, which would stir their souls, both in a spectrum of different situations and solemness.
