After having shed her human form and entering the world of souls, Ahilya was relaxing in Swarg Lok. It was a place without the manifestation of time and space.
“Look! What I got for us, Dadi.”
Draupadi walked in holding a tray with two glasses of refreshing drinks. She looked at Ahilya with admiring eyes.
“You are the masterpiece of Lord Brahma. Your beauty is flawless. Your facial features and body, well-shaped and sculpted, so apt to your name, Ahilya. You are certainly the most beautiful woman Earth ever had,” she complimented her grandmother.
Cupping Durapadi’s chin in her palms, Ahilya praised her,
“And the tej of your face still makes you the most radiant one. The perfect symbol of fire.”
Hugging Ahilya, Draupadi continued, in a reflective mood,
“You know Dadi, though we were born in different yugs, related as cousin grandmother and grandchild, somewhere our journeys were filled with similar challenges. Our destinies subjected us to the same atrocities by society.”
“And what makes you say that, Draupadi?” Ahilya sounded intrigued.
“Your character was tainted with infidelity. Your short encounter with Lord Indra led to severe punishment of several years by Maharishi Gautama. He accused you of vanity. You were turned into a stone. You had to practise rigorous penance for purification. You were looked down upon for years. Everyone turned away their eyes from you as if you were invisible. Why didn’t your creator, Lord Brahma, come to your rescue even once? If not that, at least he could have come to hear your heart. To share his part of the fault- of marrying away his most beautiful creation, an innocent girl, to an old ascetic. To acknowledge his failure, to see that this mismatch could lead to such incidents in the future. Even he was at fault for being thoughtless. It was only Ram who could see you as a human. Humans who could falter and be flawed. Only when his feet touched you and when he accepted your hospitality did everyone begin to acknowledge you. Only after he saw you, did you become visible again. Isn’t this a bit too harsh treatment from our loved ones?”
Draupadi continued as Ahilya listened silently,
“Similarly, I was married to the Pandavas, became the wife of 5 husbands. A choice I didn’t even make. I was character assassinated various times, by numerous people. Everyone called me names, either aloud or in hushes. They looked down at me. Saw me as an angry fireball. Despite being a wife of 5 yodhas, a daughter in law of magnanimous Kingdom of Hastinapur, before powerful ancestors, I was humiliated, my dignity was raped publicly. And like in your case, who came to my rescue? Krishna! It was Govind, who dared to stand against all. Only he came forward and wrapped a bandage around me. Only he saw me beyond what everyone could and accepted me as a Sakhi (friend). Just like Ram, he saw the human in me. Isn’t it strange Dadi that our loved ones, nearest and dearest ones can’t see us the way strangers can?”
Heaving a sad sigh, Ahilya replied,
“Yes, it’s strange. But it’s also a reinforcement of God’s presence. In whatever humanly form.”
Mata Lakshmi, who was overhearing the conversation outside, walked in. Taking a sip from Ahilya’s glass, she joined in the talk,
“Shri Ram came and rescued Ahilya, for he had to show the world that forgiving is a Godly act.”
Then taking her gaze over to Draupadi, Lakshmi continued,
“Lord Krishna never judged you for being a wife of five husbands and accepted you as a Sakhi. Because in the new Yug, he had to set the norm of gender equality. If men could indulge in polygamy, so could a woman, if needed. He also had to introduce a new relationship. Of that of a friendship between a male and female.”
Mata Lakshmi’s words, sealed the conversation well. Happily, gulping down the thoughts and drinks, Lakshmi, Ahilya and Draupadi giggled and posed for a selfie together.
