The Forest of Enchantments

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Wasn’t she, after all, good and meek and long-suffering, bearing her misfortunes with silent stoicism the way the perfect Indian woman was supposed to?

‘For you haven’t understood a woman’s life, the heartbreak at the core of her joys, her unexpected alliances and desires, her negotiations where, in the hope of keeping one treasure safe, she must give up another.’

This was my first lesson on the nature of love: that in a moment it could fulfil the cravings of a lifetime, like a light that someone might shine into a cavern that has been dark for a million years.

‘There’s more to learn. Because a trained mind is your strongest ally—and an untrained one your worst enemy.’

‘Ram is the greatest of the great, the saviour of the good, the destroyer of demons. You’ve been connected to him since before the ages of man. Out of love for him you’ve taken on this human body and agreed to be the cause for the final battle of Treta Yug between the forces of light and darkness.’

‘Remain true to yourself—and to your heart. Be courageous and remember, even the blackest night must end in dawn.’

‘What do you mean, I’m trapped in my body?’ ‘Anything that makes us forget our true selves is a trap, princess—even something we love or define as beautiful.

was in love, and love is wild and optimistic, especially in the beginning.

watched him carefully. I wanted to understand everything possible about this man. Right conduct was clearly important to him, as was his word—more important than anything. Again, the question came to me: what of his wife? Would he ever consider her to be as important as his dharma? What would his dharma say about the importance of loving his wife?

you want to stand up against wrongdoing, if you want to bring about change, do it in a way that doesn’t bruise a man’s pride. You’ll have a better chance of success.

‘Pull yourselves together. Surely I’ve brought you up better than this? We come into the world alone, and we leave it alone. And in between, too, if it is destined, we’ll be alone. Draw

your inner strength. Remember, you can be your own worst enemy—or your best friend. It’s up to you. And also this: what you can’t change, you must endure.’

‘Some people are born unlucky, possessing so much externally, yet destitute within.

‘When I vowed to marry only one woman, I did it as much for her as for you. To tell her that I felt her pain and would never make another woman suffer as she did.

Above all, enjoy the moment and have no expectations.

This incident taught me that the more love we distribute, the more it grows, coming back to us from unexpected sources. And its corollary: when we demand love, believing it to be our right, it shrivels, leaving only resentment behind.

He’d told me early on that self-control was the mark of a good ruler. Also that it was safer when people around you—rivals and even friends—didn’t know exactly what you thought or felt.

Such was love’s magic—the giver gained more than the receiver.

Later I’d wonder, was that my first mistake with Surpanakha? Could I have defused the situation if I’d intervened before things escalated? Do we women trust too much when we love? Do we expect our men to solve every problem that comes up?

Perhaps that was why I had to endure pain—because true transformation can only happen in the crucible of suffering.

All impurities fall away from gold only when it’s heated to melting.

How ironic that the joyous times we’d like to hold on to are the most fleeting, while the saddest

Forgiveness is more difficult when love is involved.

He didn’t understand the complexity of the female existence.

The laws of karma were complicated, and ultimately, one never escaped them.

Suspicion is a terrible disease, a canker that can totally destroy a relationship.

He can’t change his nature—no more than a leopard can change its spots.

Endure, they seemed to say. Endure as we do. Endure your challenges.