E for A Year as Eunuch: The Story of Brihannala - Mahabharata Mashup

Namaste,

Yes, I know we aren’t supposed to use the term anymore. I have to make an exception this once to suit the day’s alphabet. We saw a mention of the celestial apsara Urvashi cursing Arjuna for rejecting her (in Chitrasena's post). 

It so happened that when Arjuna was in Indra’s palace in heaven, Indra noticed Arjuna looking at Urvashi and thought he desired her. He sent Chitrasena (the Gandharva) to Urvashi to arrange a meeting. When Chitrasena spoke about Arjuna, Urvashi was impressed. She willingly went to Arjuna's house that evening. 

However, there was a twist. It turned out that Arjuna indeed looked at her but wasn’t lusting after her. Instead, he was thinking about how she was the mother of the Pauravas (the Kuru dynasty). He explained this to her and said he considered her his mother. 

This enraged Urvashi. She was an ageless eternal beauty and didn’t have to abide by the human laws. When Arjuna was firm, she cursed him that he would ‘have to live among women, without respect, as a dancer and be deprived of virility.’ 

Later, Indra assured Arjuna that he could use the curse to his advantage during the last year of exile when the Pandavas had to live in disguise for a full year without being identified. Thus, Arjuna became Brihannala, a transwoman dance teacher who taught music and dance to King Virata’s daughter in Matsya kingdom. Learning these skills from Chitrasena made him a proficient teacher. 

Of course, it wasn’t easy for Arjuna to convince King Virata. He had the body of a warrior, and no matter how much he hid the scars with his dress and long hair, the king asked many questions and even had Brihannala (Arjuna) tested before offering the job. Brihannala is referred to as she and he, depending on the context. 

Virata Parva is the fourth Parva in Mahabharata and has a fast-paced narration with drama, anguish, and death. 

Now, I have to share this video. It is from the movie Narthanasala (1936), where the great NTR played Arjuna (and Savitri was Draupadi). The movie deals with the year of disguise and ends with the wedding of Uttara (the princess) and Abhimanyu (Arjuna’s son). 

Of course, it is a retelling with elements different from the original, but a complete entertainer! 

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z.

The AI images are made on Bing.

This was one of the toughest prompts to create an image. AI just wouldn't understand what I wanted, and I had to word the prompt to avoid triggering the block.