#abcde meme

[avani008]

Sivagami, ABCDE redux meme (feel free to send me some asks too!)

Two answers! (Because @ratnananda asked for Sivagami, as well as many other awesome prompts as well, which should follow)

A) A wish they would make on the Monkey’s Paw, and the consequences

 Sivagami wishes, resentful and indignant, that the Princess of Kuntala had never come to Mahishmati, had never met Baahu or Bhalla, had never been born at all--and, with the snap of a malicious god’s fingers, it is so.

At first Sivagami rests easy, confident that without Devasena’s malicious influence, her family will not fall apart this time. But to her horror, it begins anew; Bhalla’s smiles grow more forced, and Baahu, even without his wife’s example, grows more and more bent on breaking tradition when it clashes with the greater dharma. What’s worse, Bhalla’s anger, now that it cannot be directed at Devasena, manifests itself more directly at his mother; and Baahu, though he tries to conceal it, always appears somehow lonely and unsatisfied, even his kind heart growing cold and empty. It ends with Bhalla raising his army in rebellion, and Baahu ordering his brother’s execution, despite Sivagami’s protests.

That is your curse, says the voice of the god, it will always end such, with one of your son’s blood on his brother’s hands. Choose which it shall be.

Her voice breaks in a sob; she cannot answer in words. But the next morning, when she wakes, the Princess of Kuntala is back at her husband’s side, and Sivagami knows what Mahishmati’s fate will be.

B) Two things the history books get wrong about them

1) One of the most vicious debates held by historians of early modern Mahishmati, is the origin of the invocation of “Sivagami” in the traditional oath made by the monarch. There are some who claim this is nothing more than another name for the goddess of the kingdom; but certainly no other evidence points to any particular goddess-worship in the region otherwise. The only historical precedent appears to be the shadowy reign of the regent Sivagami, between the rule of Kings Vikramadeva and Bhallaladeva; but this is contested by poor documentation of her lineage and the fact that the change to the oath was not made during the reign of her son Bhallaladeva. Certainly if it originated from her efforts in service to the throne, a true-born son would be the first to adopt such a valorization of his mother.

2) Another historical controversy centers around the identity of female skeleton 38SD, found on the riverbank. There are some who suggest this was part of a ritual burial, due to the rich jewels and fibers of silk with which she was discovered, despite poor historical evidence that this was a rite favored by early Mahishmatians; and others who, pointing to the signs of trauma to the back, favor the theory that this was instead human sacrifice, despite this being more associated with the Kalakeya tribe, found elsewhere in the country. Regardless, since her discovery, skeleton 38SD has excited popular interest; and her burial on the Baahubali estate, thanks to the efforts on the part of that family to treat the nameless skeleton with decency and respect, was televised and watched by millions…..

[avani008]

ABCDE Meme: Amarendra

C) 3 kisses that were significant to them

1. The first time Kattappa allows him to touch a proper blade, instead of the wooden staves with which they practice, he promptly slices his finger open. He is young enough that such a thing might still reduce him to tears, without any shame associated with it; but instead, his heart glows with satisfaction and relief. You are not inhuman, that kiss of the sword promises, you can be injured as can any other man.

2. Mother hardly ever kisses either him or Bhalla, apparently fearing that such a thing would demonstrate too much partiality. But then again, Mother, when she blesses Bhalla, never lets her hand linger on his hair in the closest thing to a caress--Baahubali ought to not be so proud of this, to be secretly self-satisfied at this sign of her favor--and what’s more, after the Kalakeya battle ended, Mother makes an exception to her rule and kisses his forehead.

It might only have been a solemn salute to her successor, were it not for the fact that she whispers: “I am so proud of you, my son.”

3. Baahubali has kissed before, and been kissed, but never like this: never as it is with Devasena. He feels her laughter against his lips, as she takes delight either in her victory or in him; she is welcome to both. He must have been hers since the universe came into existence, and who is he to argue with the laws of creation? Everything in his life prior to this moment was but the prelude (and how had he survived such a long wait?), and nothing in his life will ever be the same again. He would not have it any other way.

[avani008]

ABCDE Meme: Mama Baahu

Based on “The Princess Who Never Smiled”

There is a princess who never laughs.

They say one day, she will be forced to--that a fool will show himself before her, so outrageous in idiocy that she will be helpless; they say she shall marry the man who first brings her to delight. But it is not so: she marries in Mahishmati, just as dour as ever, and puts all her attention towards securing the throne for her husband. Charm she has aplenty, despite her moroseness, and cleverness, too, and it is no great trouble to see him enthroned, but a very great tragedy to see him dead.

Her baby son is born, fatherless and soon motherless, and the princess realizes at last that there is no fool here but she.

[avani008]

ABCDE Meme: Bhallaladeva

D: Four things they fear

1. That someday the dog Kattappa’s loyalty will turn. He does not fear him--even the mighty Kattappa is no match for Bhalla’s might--but his mind grows weary at the thought of one more murder.

2. That he will never be free of his brother, never free of Baahu’s laugh, Baahu’s legacy, Baahu’s lifeless eyes that Bhalla didn’t have the heart to close, despite his other desecrations; for to do so would be to acknowledge that Baahu (his brother) was dead and gone.

3. That someday he will look into the mirror, and see his father staring back.

4. That they will remember him, despite all the effort he puts into creating his legacy, as nothing more than a murderer, the bitter son of a besotted cripple and a belligerent crone, and (worst of all) Baahu’s beloved, betraying brother.  

[avani008]

ABCDE Meme: Mama Deva

E) Five sentences from the fairy tale fusion that fits them best:

(blame @forestpenguin for getting Kuntala and the Swan Princess associated in my mind.)

By day the young Queen of Kuntala is beautiful, wise, and remote, devoted to the demands of her people. By night, however, she escapes to the riverbank, where she can be herself: a woman barely grown to adulthood with responsibilities far beyond her years. Dignity is forgotten at last, and only delight exists in its place. Sometimes she dances, her white drape fluttering behind her like the rustle of wings; sometimes she only dips her feet in the water, despite how much her mother and her nurse would scold to see it.

So a young visiting prince from a neighboring kingdom finds her; so he thinks of her, utterly enchanted, until the day she consents to wed him.

[avani008]

ABCDE Meme: Vikramadeva

Some contest that he must never have lived at all; others that he must have been the first born, for why else would his brother be so overlooked? Some claim his name was not even Vikramadeva after all, but Veerendra instead; and others think this was only a posthumous nickname earned by his valiant son….

[avani008]

ABCDE Meme: Devasena

E) Five sentences from the fairy tale fusion I think suits them best:

Devasena has hardly opened the door of the decrepit palace when a roar comes from the landing. “Why was your brother fool enough to send you? Was not my warning enough?”

She squares her shoulders; Jayasena had spoken of what he had found during his desperate flight for aid--a monster who promised safety for Kuntala, at a terrible price--but she had not expected to have to defend her presence here.

“Kuntalans,” she explains, voice icy, “are in the habit of keeping their promises.”

“Very well,” comes the rumble from upstairs, “but I should have thought that he would have sacrificed himself rather than see you come to any grief.”

The beast does not have to know how much Jayasena railed and protested when she declared her intention to go; or that the only reason he had allowed her to leave was because she had dosed him and Sumitra with a herb to induce sleep before her departure. 

“I should have thought you would be happier to see me,” she snaps. “My brother said you told him what you wanted most in the world was a maiden to come and live with you.”

“He asked a question, and I answered honestly,” is the response, and in it she thinks she can hear genuine remorse--surprising, from the creature she had been led to expect. “I tried to make amends, once I realized what I had done, but now I am helpless. You are trapped here, just as I am.”

Devasena flinches from the words, but she finds herself curious nonetheless. She would have had no interest in knowing a captor who kept her here against her will, but a fellow prisoner….? Well, two can escape where one might not, and hope, once kindled in her breast, does not die easily. But before she puts so much faith into a stranger:

“Come into the light,” she commands, “so I can see you.”

[avani008]

Hey! For the ABCDE Meme (Redux) could I ask for something about Satyabhama please? Thank you! X

B) Two things the history books got wrong about them 

1/ While she is just as prone as any other to jealousy and insecurity, Satyabhama is not half so petty as everyone supposes: for goodness’s sake, would a woman who saw her husband’s fellow wives as rivals recommend him to marry 16,000 more? Because that is what everyone forgets of her, in the tale of her heroism against Narakasura–after she defeated the demon, she overcame a far greater enemy: her own mistrust.

   2/ And when it comes to Rukmini specifically: Satyabhama was the daughter of Dwarka’s treasurer. She knows more than most to respect financial acumen, and genuinely admires Rukmini’s shrewdness and strength. It is only that Rukmini sometimes seems unknowable, in the same way Krishna does: they have their subtle smiles, the two of them, their secret jokes, and Satyabhama suspects their souls have never been strangers to each other.