Veerappa Moily is an established poet-novelist, whose Shree Ramayana Mahanveshanam won the prestigious ‘Moortidevi’ Award in 2009 . Whereas Mahanveshanam is a new interpretation of the Ramayana from an omniscient point of view, Sirimudi Parikrama is a re-telling of the Mahabharata from Draupadi’s point of view. The entire epic is narrated in first person, as an extended monologue of Draupadi. The work, spread over five ‘books’ and 36 sections, runs into, roughly, 12,000 lines; and the work as a whole is centred on Draupadi and her indomitable creative/ destructive will.
Since the epic is centred upon Draupadi, we can first consider her characterisation itself. The title of the work is a variation of the famous line in the re-telling of the Mahabharata by Pampa, the 10-century Kannada poet. In one context, Bhima addresses Draupadi and poses a rhetorical question: “ samanyame pEl bhavath kasha pasha prapancham ”. It roughly translates to: “It’s no ordinary matter that your flowing tresses is now a noose for the Kauravas.” The title of Moily’s epic echoes the same motif: ‘ sirimudi parikrama’ roughly means ‘the course of the auspicious hair-bun.’ Both expressions refer to Draupadi’s oath in the court of Duryodhana; she vows to tie her hair only after it is smeared with the Dushasana’s blood. Commenting on the mode of narration, Moily says in his Preface: “The overall consciousness that has shaped the work is one of protest – protest, which transcends the shy and helpless qualities natural for a woman and exposes the cruelty and exploitation of the woman by the man.” Draupadi, in this epic, is both a loyal wife and a rebel, both a protector and destroyer.
Draupadi, as Moily pictures her, has pure love for Krishna from the very beginning. But, Krishna himself convinces her that, in order to fulfil the need of the age, she has to marry Arjuna. However, even after her marriage with Arjuna, she continues to have a special place in her heart for Krishna, and their relationship later becomes an emotional bond of immortal love. On his part, Krishna acts throughout as the ‘friend-philosopher-guide’ of Draupadi. While she is growing up and regrets the colour of her skin, Krishna convinces her that ‘ black is not a colour but a symbol of the vast universe,’ and gives her self-confidence. Most importantly, it is Krishna who keeps alive the spark of vengeance in Draupadi during her stay in the forest. The characterization of Karna and his bonding with Draupadi is one of the major features of this work. After her marriage, Draupadi comes to know from Kunti that Karna is also her son and develops a soft corner for him and he reciprocates that feeling. Once, when Draupadi gets caught in the swirling Ganga-waters, it is Karna who saves her; in return, when once Karna is bitten by a poisonous snake, Draupadi sucks out the poison from his wound and saves him. When, just before the war, Draupadi meets him along with Kunti, Karna tells her:
“If I happen to be born as your brother in my next life,/ I will repay you all that I am indebted to you.”
However, Draupadi is also the ‘Force of Destruction.’ But for her adamantine will, the decisive Kurukshetra war may not have taken place. When, in the open court, Dushasana attempts to disrobe her she thunders:
“The subjects of this kingdom are the blind sons of a blind man!
But others? Are all blind? Are all deaf?
………………….
Beware! I am the one who will burn and destroy everything.”
Such a characterisation of Draupadi, clearly, owes much to the many versions of the Mahabharata in the oral tradition, such as Bhil Bharath, which pictures her as another form of Durga, the goddess of destruction. Similarly, in the Kannada versions of oral Bharatas, Draupadi is pictured as another form of ‘ Adi Shakti’ and such depiction is also related to the Karaga festival of the Draupadi-cult. Also, the characterization of Karna as one who respects Draupadi and comes to her aid when required is similar to such depiction in Bhil Bharath and Kannada oral narratives.
Along with new interpretations of some major characters like Draupadi and Karna, Moily creates a few new characters. When Draupadi follows Arjuna to his capital, Krishna sends two women to go with her, Nitambini and Maya. Both function as confidantes of Draupadi and assist her to lead a happy life with five husbands.Another major character newly created by Moily is Kimmira, who initially hates the Pandavas owing to the injustice done to Ekalavya by Arjuna, but later becomes a strong ally of the Pandavas.
Moily explores the complexities of ‘womanhood’ through Draupadi and other women characters like Satyavati, Gandhari, Kunti, and Subhadra.
In short, it is a great poetic tribute to womanhood.
