Book Review: BRIDE OF THE FOREST by Madhavi Mahadevan

-Geetika Saini

About The Book

Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Language: English
Paperback: 327 pages
Price: INR 499/-

Review

‘A chaste woman does not create her own independent existence. She follows her stridharma. She accepts that she is born a daughter, reborn as a wife, and reborn again as a mother. Does that mean she accepts that she must die thrice and yet never be reborn to herself?’

Can we know for certain if our lives are determined by free will or that we are prisoners of fate, enmeshed in the net of destiny’s play?

Regardless of the answer, the amount of importance attributed to Fate in myths and legends is unparalleled and the story of Yayati’s daughter is one such episode in the ancient book of prognostications. Though mentioned in the great epic — Mahabharata, the story of Madhavi, aka ‘Drishadvati’ dates back to the Pre-Vedic period. While the likes of Draupadi, Arjuna, Karna, Kunti, etc., are household names in a majority of Hindu homes in India, Drishadvati’s name has faded into oblivion, and in her book, that is exactly what the author Madhavi Mahadevan has attempted to rectify.

Titled ‘Bride of the Forest: The untold story of Yayati’s daughter’, this book provides agency to the character of Drishadvati by giving her the much-needed centre stage to narrate her story to protect herself from getting adrift in other characters’ tales. Before reading this book, I had only fleetingly heard of the infamous King Yayati, the son of Nahusha of the Lunar Dynasty; however, Mahadevan duly introduced me to his character by bringing forth the context of his infamy.

Ostracized as a forest dweller, an inconsequential daughter to king Yayati — Drishadvati is a minor girl who journeys on to become a headstrong woman, paramount in the salvation of multiple men, including her father. Prophesied to mother 4 chakravartin samrats, she is a lone wolf in the world of predatory beings who would go to any extent to establish their so-called Dharma. Throughout her life, she is continually bartered by men for her womb in exchange for a slew of exotic Shyamkarni horses. This mytho-fiction book chronicles the story of her survival and her resilience as she struggles to carve her own destiny in a patrilineal society dictated by ambitious men who will do anything in pursuit of their aspirations. As the story progresses, we watch the wilfully defiant girl, i.e., Drishadvati blossom into a beautiful, mature woman of a different countenance altogether. She is brave and independent, fierce yet gentle, the one who belongs to none, the bride of the forest.

The author’s language is simple and easy to understand, but fervid with emotions. Her stirring words and refined writing style arouse interest and arrest the reader right from the first page onwards, the poignant narration of the harrowing treatment that Drishadvati is subjected to every time she is bartered is revolting. To think of it, for any woman to undergo that sort of inspection, to be eyed for her body, to become the object of the lascivious male gaze, the menacing thoughts, the lustful talks is disturbing to the core. The womb-on-rent arrangement is not just abhorrent but also demeaning, she becomes a puppet in the hands of society. Her predicament — the abuse, the oppression, the violation, the grief is heart-rending. The author’s words are etched in my mind and I just cannot shake off the repugnance — it is the brilliance of her work. Mahadevan has done a phenomenal job with her impassioned storytelling.

Although centered around Drishadvati, this book is a lot more than just her biography. Through her story, we get a glimpse of the world that was, the society that saw women as objects of worldly pleasure, the one that reduced them to animals — reared to bear heirs for fulfilling men’s obligations and extending their legacy on the face of the earth.
It is also a story of two other women plagued by jealousy for each other, the incessant animosity between the Devas and the Asuras, and the eternal male quest for Dharma and deliverance. Hence, it is not surprising that in this process the book becomes loaded with characters at every stage. Nonetheless, it never feels overwhelming for the reader as all the individuals in the book are unique, three-dimensional characters with depth and personality. The author has done a commendable job with her extensive research to provide background stories to almost all the characters in the book and those stories have been knitted together in a spectacular framework to add to the sapience of the main plot.

Mahadevan’s wonderful rendition is definitely not something to be missed, and I highly recommend this book to all lovers of mythological fiction. It is a book that everyone should read at least once, if not many times, I know that I will keep coming back to it time and again.