#mandodari

[sambhavami]

Women in Mahabharata - Mandodari (Ramopakhyana)

She is noted as Ravana's wife by Ravana himself, mentioned first when Ravana tries to convince Seeta to marry him by offering her the same respect in his household as Mandodari.

She, according to most versions, goes on to rule Lanka with Vibheeshana after Ravana's death, but this version does not mention her outside of the initial mention as Ravana's wife.

[blackknight-100]

Really love the way some serials leave a quiet space for Dhanyamalini, one of Ravana's younger wives and Atikay's mother. Was watching the Anand Sagar 2008 Ramayan that aired on NDTV imagine (Shrimad Ramayan giving me old Ramayan nostalgia), and just look. Look at that grief, that sorrow. She is no one in the grand scale of things, but she is ruined forever. Her husband was evil, her son supported him and she paid the price. The horror of war, repeated over and over in her empty motherhood, bone-chilling in its dreariness. Unless the author/writer/director finds it imperative, she will never be reconciled with Vibhishana, will never speak up for Sita again, will never speak well of Rama. She will live with this hollow, wretched rot inside her, and she will curse Lakshmana till her dying breath, even though he had very little fault. She will weep and she will rail against Ravana and Sita, and she will hear her husband bid her to shut up and be gone, and she will leave, and it will not matter anyway; yet she still begs for Mandodari's son, even though Mandodari is a rival queen, and dearer to Ravana than she will ever be, for there is hope even in the darkest of nights and the last lesson in this epic is always about love.

[midnightfreedom]

"The huge universe was ridiculously enclosed within this tiny truth. The smaller fish would be swallowed by the largest ones, leaving behind bubbles in the memory of the deceased, which would eventually burst."

~ Koral Dasgupta

Mandodari

[herawell]

यही रात अंतिम यही रात भारी

yahi raat antim, yahi raat bhari

'tis the last night, a night so heavy

For anon, who asked for “Yahi Raat Antim Yahi Raat Bhari”, the song that plays on the eve of the last day of the war in 1987 Ramayana!

[hindumyththoughts]

For @hindumythologyevent day 7 - creator's choice

Tagging the mods: @1nsaankahanhai-bkr , @soniaoutloud , @allegoriesinmediasres

Mandodari and Sita

From the moment Sita had stepped onto the soil of Lanka, Mandodari's heart had been sinking... lower and lower. She understood the divinity of the exceedingly admirable lady from the first time she beheld her. Her fierce countenance, her eyes containing the intensity of a thousand suns in the face of certain peril, such an effect they had on everyone that no one dared look her in her eyes. Not even Lankesh himself, no matter how much he denies it. She half believed that if someone ever had the audacity to commit such an act, the blazing eyes of that Devi would scorch the person at that very moment.

She tried to make her sufferings more forgivable, for if Lanka was to survive this calamity, it could be possible through Sita's benevolence only. If she possessed the burning intensity of the suns, she also held the warmth of it's rays, nurturing in its nature. So in her remorse of letting this heinous injustice happen to such a kind soul, Mandodari tried to alleviate her pains. She sent the smoothest of fabrics, the sweetest of perfumes, the most lustrous of jewellery for the Devi, but the offerings remained untouched, her efforts honored but overlooked nonetheless. She just sat calmly under the shade of that favoured tree, just like an ascetic, waiting for her moksha, Immovable, Untouched by even time.

If only the circumstances were different, in another world, in another time, she would have been grateful to be acquainted with her. She admired Sita and she respected her in return. But the invisible distance between them,of their positions, was greater than the ocean that lied between her and her Ram. For another life, she wishes that in Sita, she would find a companion, an ally. For another time, this wish will wait.

[avani008]

Anything about Akshayakumara, Mandodari's other son and Indrajit's younger brother who was killed by Hanuman in the gardens of Lanka.

Meghnad might be her husband’s, down to the all-too-rare smile, but Akshaya is hers. About that Mandodari was always very clear. Perhaps it might have been better, had he been a girl and so truly under her care--but she could not bring herself to mind, not since that first moment she saw his wide eyes flutter open, that little mouth shake with laughter. She keeps him with her in the nursery longer than any of her husband’s other wives do their own children, and tosses her head to any criticisms. Mandodari will not suffer him to be instructed in any of the arts of war, besides the most rudimentary self-defense; instead she teaches him to swim, and to carry lost tadpoles back to safety in his cupped hands, and to appreciate every note of the frogs’ nighttime serenades. 

(It is not enough to save him, in the end.)

[sambhavami]

Women in Mahabharata - The Masterlist IV

This list will be as chronological as I can make it, and will be periodically updated with the new posts as I get through my list.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

Lapita

Valandhara

Vijaya

Karenumati

Bhanumati

Padmavati (Karna)

Parvati

Sushobhana

Mrigayanti

Paravasu's Wife

Grihasta Lady

Kaushalya

Sumitra

Kaikeyi

Seeta

Urmila

Mandavi

Shrutakeerti

Pushpotkata

Raaka

Malini

Shoorpanakha

Manthara

Tara

Trijata

Mandodari

Prabhavati

Kumbhinasi

Shruvavati

Ashvasena's Mother

Bhanumati (Angira)

Raaga

Archishmata

Havishmati

Mahishmati

Kuhu

Satyaa

Bharati

Veera

Gomati

Swapraja

Vrihadbhasa

Nisharohini

Rohini (Agni)

Mudita

Priya

Sindhu

Asikni

Vitasta

Shon

Devika

Shatakumbha

Sarayu

Gandaki

Charmanvati

Mahi

Medhya

Medhatithi

Tamravati

Kaushiki

Tamasa

Narmada

Godavari

Vena

Upavena

Bheema

Vadava

Suprayoga

Kaveri

Murmmura

Tungavena

Krishnavena

Kapila

Kaaki

Halima

Malini

Vrinhika

Aarya

Palala

Vaimitra

Abhijit

Garudi

Pootanagraha

Sheetapootana

Karanjanilaya

Lohitayoni

Minjika

Vriddhika

Ekanamsha

Kumari

Shrutasena

Sudeshna

Suratha

Roopachandrasena

Shashirekha

Charumati

[herawell]

Ooh are you doing the four headcanons meme? Can I please have Mandodari and Indrajeet?

Mandodari

Headcanon A:  realistic

She keeps an army of frogs in the ponds of her personal gardens, and their croaking is dear to her.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Mandodari favors silver jewelry, even though it clashes with Lanka's golden architecture.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

She never said Ravana's name, since a wife does not wish to shorten her husband's life, and she addresses Vibhishana directly every day.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Indrajit is a momma's boy, even if ultimately he fights for his father.

Indrajit

Headcanon A:  realistic

He initially despises the art of sorcery, preferring to win a fight on his own merits, but he slowly learns the value of illusions.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Indrajit is an excellent warrior but very distracted when it comes to his family, and his little brothers take advantage of it mercilessly.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

He thinks of himself as Indrajit, rather than Meghnad, since he feels he must live up to the glory of having defeated the gods.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

He weds Sulochana only, and is faithful to her alone (in contrast to his father).