Insight on The Palace of Illusions

On one fine September evening, amongst mild breeze blowing all over with the coolness of lush green palm trees, I was sitting on a hammock at my terrace and sipping Darjeeling tea. I was wondering what if the great warrior and tragic hero in the whole wide world Karna (son of Surya) had participated in the swayamvar which the king of Kampilya, Drupad had organized for her daughter Draupadi (also called Panchali). In the swayamvar, Arjun won disguised as a brahmin. Karna was prohibited to participate because he was a Suta. If you think critically about the situation mentioned before, if Karna would have participated in the swayamvar, he would have won. Then technically Mahabharat would not have happened because Panchali's worldly triumphs would not be paired with her spiritual feelings: her pride and her need for vengeance.

Also, this thought didn't come randomly to me, it was after I read the International bestseller The 'Palace of Illusions' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

This book gives a woman's take on the timeless tale that is the Mahabharata. It is deeply a human story about a woman born into a man's world. Unlike most books that view Draupadi as a Kritya, a female demon which requires the sacrifice of its clan, The Palace of Illusions views Draupadi as a human, possessing admirable qualities like integrity, practicality, and inner strength, who can love with passion, show courage in the face of danger and is a loyal friend. The books also make the reader wonder at the fairness of the societal rules that force her to hide her love for Karna and accept the role as the wife of five husbands and fulfilling all responsibilities duly. This book is not an epic but is a rendering of Panchali's soul. One does find itself going back to the original epic to compare instances and notes. Reading this novel readers will know what an alternate version of Mahabharat would appear as.

My favorite line from the book is " Expectations are like hidden rocks in your path- all they do is trip you up."