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

Namaste,

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

It so happened that when Arjuna was in Indra’spalace in heaven, Indra noticed Arjuna looking at Urvashi and thought hedesired 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 ather but wasn’t lusting after her. Instead, he was thinking about how she wasthe mother of the Pauravas (the Kuru dynasty). He explained this to her and said he considered her hismother. 

This enraged Urvashi. She was an ageless eternal beauty and didn’t haveto 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 ofvirility.’ 

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

Of course, it wasn’t easy for Arjuna to convinceKing Virata. He had the body of a warrior, and no matter how much he hid thescars with his dress and long hair, the king asked many questions and even hadBrihannala (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 movieNarthanasala (1936), where the great NTR played Arjuna (and Savitri wasDraupadi). The movie deals with the year of disguise and ends with the weddingof Uttara (the princess) and Abhimanyu (Arjuna’s son). 

Of course, it is aretelling with elements different from the original, but a completeentertainer! 

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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.