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And by a prudent flight and cunning save A life which valour could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain, But who can get another life again? Archilochus

Friday, July 31, 2015

Draupadi in Maya's Palace

Draupadi

Draupadi (Sanskrit: द्रौपदी, draupadī, Sanskrit pronunciation: [d̪rəʊpəd̪i]) is described as the Tritagonist in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. According to the epic, she is the "fire born" daughter of Drupada, King of Panchala and also became the common wife of the five Pandavas. She was the most beautiful woman of her time.

Draupadi had five sons; one by each of the Pandavas: Prativindhya from Yudhishthira, Sutasoma from Bheema, Srutakarma from Arjuna, Satanika from Nakula, and Srutasena from Sahadeva.

Draupadi is considered as one of the Panch-Kanyas or Five Virgins.

King Drupada of Panchala had been defeated by the Pandava prince Arjuna on behalf of Drona, who subsequently took half his kingdom. To gain revenge on Drona, he performed a fire-sacrifice (yajña) to obtain a means of besting him. Draupadi emerged as a beautiful dark-skinned young woman together after her sibling Dhrishtadyumna from the sacrificial fire. When she emerged from the fire, a heavenly voice said that she would bring about the destruction of the Kuru line.

Draupadi is described in the Mahabharata as being extraordinarily beautiful, one of the most beautiful women of her time. "Of eyes like lotus-petals and of faultless features endued with youth and intelligence, she is extremely beautiful. And the slender-waisted Draupadi of every feature perfectly faultless, and whose body emitteth a fragrance like unto that of the blue lotus for two full miles around who's existence could take away people's breath, she was the most beautiful woman ever born.".

Maya

Maya or Māyā (Sanskrit māyā) literally means "illusion" and "magic". However, the term has multiple meanings depending on the context. In earlier older language, it literally implies extraordinary power and wisdom, in later Vedic texts and modern literature dedicated to Indian traditions, Māyā connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem". In Indian philosophies, Māyā is also a spiritual concept connoting "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and the "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality".

In Buddhism, Maya was the name of Gautama Buddha's mother. Maya is also the name of a manifestation of Lakshmi, the goddess of "wealth, prosperity and love", in Hinduism. For these reasons, it is a popular name for girls

6 comments:

FreeThinke said...

How does this recondite lore relate to present-day American culture and America's social problems?

Or are you deliberately focussing on material so abstruse in order to ESCAPE the depressing, degenerate condition of present day American-Western Civilization?

Joe Conservative said...

I think that the story depicts the American condition. Like Draupadi, we've fallen asleep in Maya's (Illusion's/Ideology's) palace. Of I wanted to ESCAPE this depressing and degenerate condition, I'd need to WAKE UP and understand how my dreams "fill out" and make "consistent" my perception of "reality".

Joe Conservative said...

In other posts (here, here, here) I've alluded to the "changing" American dream... as the reasons for our diverging ideology.

Until we once again all dream as one, our country will continue to fall to the most "imaginary" faction.

Joe Conservative said...

:p

Joe Conservative said...

old dreamers...

Joe Conservative said...

[Verse 1]
If she’d fallen in love, first blood, you didn’t notice
It’s not love, it’s a close call
You poor thing you’ve got
To stop calling it love
You’ve got to be ignorin'
The first girl
She’s so clever
She said

[Chorus]
She could be the love of your life
Just for one night

[Verse 2]
She wants you, and love don’t come into the equation
What she loves, is sex in parked cars and the Photo Booth at Cha Cha
She’s not a hologram, got damn, you can’t ignore it
She’s such fun
She says “don’t run”, she says

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
You’re cornered, and she just needs revolution
That’s cute, but she’s no pearl of Gisborne