#prishati

[friend-shaped-but]

“A king was like a gardener”, his grandfather had told him once. “He nourishes new life, all the while weeding out that which is unsuccessful or harmful. He has to have his hands in the dirt, his head in the blazing, burning sun. But the kingdom is his garden, and he has to make it the best damn garden he can,”

~ Drishtaketu, Drishtaketu. 

"जितू, सर्वात जास्त कशाचा त्रास होतो माहित आहे? आता- आता आरश्यात बघितल्यावर समोर तिचा चेहरा दिसत नाही! जी निराशा आणि तळमळ आजन्म मला अपल्या ताकदीने मृत्यूच्या जबड्यात ओढून घेण्याचा सतत प्रयत्न करत असते, तिच्याशी लढायची शक्ती आईकडूनच यायची. आणि मग ती नव्हती तरी आरश्यात पाहिल्यावर तिचा चेहरा दिसायचा, आणि एक क्षण वाटायचं कि हो, आहे ती माझ्याबरोबर! पण आता- आता तेही नाही! आता वाटतं, समुद्रात वाहून गेलेल्या, भटकणाऱ्या नावेसारखा झालो रे मी!"

 ~ Shikhandi, Wars and Weddings (trans: Jitu, do you know what bothers me the most(about all this)? That I don’t see her face in the mirror, looking back at me! The hopelessness and anguish that have haunted me across time and space, the apathy that threatens to push me straight into the jaws of death- Mother gave me the strength to fight against it all. And then- and then when she wasn’t there, at least, I could look into the mirror, see her face, and as if for a moment, feel like she was there with me. And now I don’t even have that! Now? I feel like a boat, without an oar or anchor, drifting aimlessly in the sea.”)

[theramblergal]

Some (canonical) facts about Shikhandi because I was researching him for an ask:

He is the oldest son of Drupada. Born after Drupada performed penance to Mahadeva.

He was born a girl, but raised as a son. No one but Drupada and his wife Prishati knew the truth.

He's quite good at painting and the arts.

He was tutored by Drona in archery and other weaponry.

He was married to the princess of Dasharna, the daughter of king Hiranyavarma. As a woman still.

His wife didn't know Shikhandi was a woman for some time after the marriage.

When she did find out, she reported it to her father, who was angered at the deception and decided to wage war on the Panchalas.

Tangential, but Drupada trusts Prishati a lot: he asks for her advice, something not often seen in these stories.

Shikhandi was extremely ashamed by seeing his parents so dejected and decided to kill himself, and left Panchala, wandering into a forest.

The forest he went into was of the yaksha Sthunakarna, who asked why he was so dejected, and they exchanged their sex organs for a short time as Sthunakarna promised.

Sthunakarna was cursed by Kubera to remain as a woman until Shikhandi's death for not appearing before him.

But Shikhandi was faithful to his promise: he came back to Sthunakarna, who was very pleased with him and told him that he would remain a man.

Drupada "gave Shikhandi to Drona as a student" after this, so presumably, Shikhandi was taught twice over by Drona: once as a woman, once as a man.

Shikhandi had one son, Kshatradeva, who was killed by Lakshmana Kumar, Duryodhana's son.

That's all I can find for now. Maybe I'll come back and edit this when I find something else.

[stxrrynxghts]

So, guys, I've been thinking of writing a one-shot series on some of the Mother-child relationships of MB!! It might include some...ahem, AUs, because well, some relationships have mostly tragedy in them. Or maybe I won't, because angst solos. These are the duos which will be included (just chose the ones which interest me rn, lolll.):

Queen of Kashi and Amba

Queen of Kashi and Ambika

Queen of Kashi and Ambalika

Ambika and Dhritarashtra

Gandhari and the Kauravas

Gandhari and Duhshala

Kunti and Yudhishthira

Kunti and Bhima

Kunti and Arjuna

Madri and Nakul

Madri and Sahadeva

Prishati and Dhrishtadyumna

Prishati and Droupadi

Yashoda and Krishna

Devaki and Krishna

Rohini and Subhadra

Droupadi and Prativindhya

Droupadi and Shrutakarma

Subhadra and Abhimanyu

Sudeshna and Uttaraa

Urvashi and Arjun

Ahem. Yes, this is not the complete list of all the mother-child duos, I just chose the ones which a) interest me rn, and b) I have the character idea ready in my mind.

Kya matlab apna content khud bana rahi hu

Tell me which one y'all are most excited for!! (Also, I might make multiple stuff for one duo. Yk how I unhinged I can be.)

[nushkiespeaks]

THE MIGHTY PANCHALAS OF THE NORTH

I am honestly, HONESTLY baffled at the shitty portrayals of the Panchalas, be it in TV serials or Wattpad fictions on Mahabharat ( Yes, I am on Wattpad as a writer too ).

As someone who closely follows the authentic texts, the degradation of this mighty sect of Kshatriyas feels like a personal attack. Starting from Drupad to Dhrishtadyumn, EVERYONE is shown as GOOD FOR NOTHING. And this seriously boils up my blood to the core. Drupad and Dhrishtadyumn are mostly toyed around like clueless creatures, and the other sons of Drupad are hardly mentioned. Shikhandi has little to no job and those who mention Satyajit, oh God! They make an ABSOLUTE mockery out of him, like an incapable Prince who has no job of his own!

THEY DON'T EVEN SPARE DRUPAD'S WIFE PRISHATI EITHER!

Let me tell you, the PANCHALAS were a greatest power during the Era of Mahabharat, specially under Drupad! This entire part of north gains so much attention in Mahabharat!

And please, please! Drupad isn't some oldie or something, a misogynistic man ( like in SP Mb). He is one of the best fathers of Mahabharat! Also his ruling capabilities, his ways to analyze things will leave you shocking on how this man has been reduced to trash in fictions and serials!

Just read through the parts where Drupad was involved with the Pandavas along with Krishna, Balram etc and discussing about the war ( from BORI) and you will be baffled with the way Drupad articulates himself and keeps his point of view there. This man knows what he wants and that's how a Kshatriya should be! He is the one who supports the Pandavas till the end!

Like any father, he could've taken back Draupadi or instead go against the Pandavas for what had happened to his daughter, but no! He is the one who genuinely understood the plight of the Pandavas too! Like any family the Panchalas could've blamed the Pandavas, but did they? They never! Till the very end they stood on the side of Dharma with them! If you think Drupad to be stupid, just look at the choices of friendship and strategies he makes. This man knows very well how to make Panchal a powerful kingdom and oh man he lived up to it.

Also yes: I want to bring your attention to Drupad Drona rivalry. Yes, this is somewhere where Drupad falters, but let's also have a look at the story from Drupad's POV too-

Drupad was a child when he had gone to the ashram and he meets Drona, who is older than him; double of his age- they become fast friends and Drona also helps him in his studies. Drupad, happy enough, promises him a part of his kingdom.

Drupad thinks that Drona is his friend and will be forever loyal to him.

Also, mind you, Panchalas and Kurus were always enemies ( before DrauPan marriage) . Drupad, after a few years sees his best friend sticking with Bheeshm, and becoming the son in law of Hastinapur! ( if anyone doesn't know, Dron's wife Kripi is the adopted daughter of Shantanu.)

How will you feel seeing your friend making your enemy a close family all the while, and not even bothering to inform you about it? Mind it Drona always knew about the beef between the two kingdoms, but did he bother ever explaining to Drupad anything? Or assuring him? Even for once?

But what does Drona do? He one day lands up in front of Drupad and start asking for the part of Kingdom he promised? Suddenly he remembers Drupad?

As Drupad, why will you even trust someone who was sticking with your enemy like it was nothing? Isn't Drupad's anger here justified? Yes, he did not fulfill his promise, but will you had if your friend ever did this?

Won't you feel betrayed, left out and hurt? Someone you innocently considered your own and then they do these without bothering to tell you anything?!

Also what's with showing Dhrishtadyumn so angry and hot headed 24x7? If anyone doesn't know, Vaishampaayan considers him like one of the Pandavas, at par the Pandavas almost! He for God's sake IS THE INCARNATION OF AGNI HIMSELF! Stop showing him so petty everywhere! You know, when he comes out of the fire, he roars like a lion that the entire Panchal almost trembles at it? You show this guy powerless, good for nothing? He was one of the favorite confidates of Bheem and Saatyaki ( if anyone didn't know) and one of the most crucial one in handling the army of Pandavas during war! He's the one who looks after the Upapandvas and cares for them!

I seriously don't understand the need to pull them down just to glorify the others!

The Panchalas were one of the most powerful forces to exist, get that fact drilled in your head guys!

[rheaitis]

on the naming of names

unpopular (?) opinion, but I love that we know characters as prominent as Gandhari only by her call-name. Like, yes, the princess, no not that one, the one from Gandhar. And that this gives us insight into the naming-pattern for royal brides... but probably just in Hastinapur? We know the name of the Queen of Matsya, and Sudeshna doesn’t sound like it’s derived from a place-name. We know Chitrangada, but as we see her only in her natal home the comparison doesn’t hold. We know the names of the Yadava princesses who marry in, and even Rukmini (the one actively associated with a different kingdom) keeps her name though she might also be referred to as Vidarbhi. Then also Devaki, Rohini, Bhadra. (Devaki is obviously named after her father, but that is a different tradition that seems to not really be gendered.)

Oh, and then Pritha/Kunti, who is my favourite in this regard, because we have both her names! Pritha, obviously, is her name in her natal home, no not that one the other one, which is fairly in keeping with the fact that we know the names of her siblings and none of them seem to be for their father/land iirc. Then we have Kunti, which (we are told) is for her adoptive father Kuntibhoj. Except. Kuntibhoj rules the kingdom of Kunti, and Bhoj is a synonym for king, so Kuntibhoj is, uh... prooobably not his given name? ijs

Also, c’mon, Kunti fits the Hastinapuri scheme to a t: Gandhari, Kunti, Madri. The princess from [insert place-name here] or even the woman from [insert kingdom here]. Toponyms, effectively, which I would argue you wouldn’t name your kid--however royal--while they’re in the natal family, because then it’s not a distinguishing factor. Supporting evidence: Dhritarashtra calls his mother by her toponym, even though the text obviously gives us her name.

Also, of course one of Draupadi’s innumerable names is Panchali. The princess, no not that one, the one from Panchal. It is also (to me) interesting that Drupad’s queen is called Prishati, not from her own kingdom or as a patronym (afaik) but from the name of Drupad’s father Prishata, but that’s more likely to be in the patronym tradition than not. But it does point to this toponymic tradition being restricted to Hastinapur, because Kuru-Panchal are the most closely related and if even the latter don’t adopt it that seems a very narrow tradition. Anyone have data on the Bahlika queens, I can only find the male line of descent?

[friend-shaped-but]

“We do not seek the throne because of the power it gives us, Vindhya,” he tells his younger brother, whose position as crown prince is on dangerously shaky ground. “We seek it because we care. You have to care.” He takes Vindhya’s shaking hand in his. “Push past the apathy, and look toward the future,” 

~ Drishtaketu, Drishtaketu

[friend-shaped-but]

Artist shikhandi headcanons

Drupad finds out through messengers/spies that Prishati liked art. He slipped her art supplies.

Shikhandi picked up art after Prishata's death to deal with his visions getting stronger

Charcoal paintings. That's it that's number 3.

Satyajit joins him

That's how the boys get closer to Prishati.

Shikhandi tries to get yudhamanyu and uttamaujas into painting, they never get into it

It's his token non-violence activity, with drish's being swimming, shalaka's being mallakhamb and shikhandi's being art.

His wedding gift to draupadi is a painting of lotuses/fire/smth that connects the two of them

His wedding gift to drish is pretty much the same.

He paints a lot of his dreams/visions to try and make sense of them. Has an ancient version of a string board to connect them all together.

sometimes he has to step back from a piece of art because it hits too close.

Him and sahadev geek out over herbs which can make pigments

When he was about 14, he made a scarily accurate portrait of young bheeshma. It gets used as target practice when him and shalaka are preparing for the war.

When he falls in love, his art changes. It becomes softer, somehow. Satyajit is the first to notice this change and sends spies out to find the woman shikhandi was painting. He teases the hell out of shikhandi when he learns that his brother is in love.

He tries to get the upapandavas into art, but only shrutakarma takes to it. Shatanik and Kshatradev have a good-ish theoretical knowledge of art but don't draw themselves.

[REDACTED]

no seriously, you'll have to wait until I write this chapter in the panchal fic. I'm not giving spoilers.

When shikhandi was young Drupad often had to harden his heart and put lots of restrictions on him, so when he's grown up Drupad just lets him have whatever he wants. So Shikhandi ends up with an overcompensation gift of a BEAUTIFUL art studio on the top floor of the renovated east wing. It's airy, spacious, and he loves the place so much.

[theramblergal]

Shikhandi headcanons, pretty please? No pressure, ik you're busy with the pandava-panchali event and all that but if you get time can you please share your headcanons about him?

Ooh yes, I've many headcanons about him:

He grew up very isolated because of the whole "born a girl, but raised a boy" thing. He wasn't allowed to go outside the palace complex when he was younger, because of Drupada's paranoia of the truth getting out.

To cope with being so isolated, he spent a lot of time painting and exploring other forms of art. Drupada was uncomfortable with him doing such a "feminine" thing, but Prishati often argued with him to let Shikhandi do what he wanted.

Most of his artworks were abstract; he used red and black very often. They were all very unsettling to look at, because Shikhandi painted to get all of his unspoken rage out, both from his treatment as a child and his previous life.

He has a rocky relationship with both his parents, though he trusts Prishati a bit more than Drupada.

When he was younger, he would fall into black moods where he would speak to no one; if anyone tried to speak to him, he would snap at them viciously. When he was told the story of his previous life, he understood the rage that constantly bubbled under his skin: the source of those black moods.

He would wear binders all the time—mostly silken cloth wrappings, from his early childhood, as his father ordered.

Constantly wearing binders for prolonged periods of time (read: multiple hours a day, for many years, with little break) reduced his lung capacity, limiting his ability to take deep breaths and allowing him to get fatigued more easily. This also affected his combat performance, even in his male body.

He was around 9 when Satyajita was born, and he took an active role in raising his younger siblings (previous experience raising Ambika and Ambalika came to play here).

When he was a teenager, he went through a very rough time dealing with his periods, adding to his dysphoria (have I used that right? please correct me if this is wrong!): they were irregular due to his high stress circumstances, and he took herbal concoctions designed to stop his flow, though it didn't always succeed. When he did end up having his periods, which were painful, he would completely isolate himself for that duration, not allowing even Prishati to help him.

His wife found out that Shikhandi was female on the night they were supposed to consummate their marriage (a few months after their wedding).

Even after his transformation, he still retained a somewhat softer jawline.

He always wears his hair quite short (shorter than most men in that time would), and one time his wife cut her own hair away to accompany him.

He and his wife (I haven't decided on a name T-T) have a tumultuous relationship: she accepts him fully but they argue often over even the pettiest things and she frequently accuses him of not trusting him.

He's extremely protective over Drau, right from when she was born, being the only daughter of the royal family.

He tries to be a better father to Kshatradeva than Drupada was to him, though he doesn't always succeed.

When Bhishma fell, he didn't feel very satisfied.

His chronic shortness of breath slowed him enough to kill him in the night when he was fighting with Ashvatthama.

I'm not satisfied with this—I still have so many headcanons for him but let's stick with these for now.

[friend-shaped-but]

Modern AU: Meet the Parshatas

Have lots of generational wealth. They've got a beautiful mansion filled with old art including but not limited to stone and wooden sculptures, a vintage brass kitchen, antique wooden furniture, and paintings on every wall.

Family Properties

The main house(mansion) where the family actually lives(After Shikhandi moves away for Reasons, Prishati dies, and Draupadi marries, it's the twins, Drishtadyumna, Jitu, and Drupad in there.)

The Guest House: A Chettinad style old house, bought from a man Who gave up Indian citizenship and moved to France after WW1. Has two floors, with about 3-4 rooms on each floor and thus is used as a guest house. Managed by Nitya(Yes, that OC exists here as well. Yes, she is shalakas friend) 

The Museum: Started by Drupad, managed and looked after by Shikhandi. Shikhandi started the handlooms wing, an entire wing dedicated to different handicrafts from all over India. He personally leads tours there if he ever visits. (Low-key tempted to place this in paithan/yeola) 

Then there's a new building they get for the Foundation(read: Shikhandis trans shelter). 

Shikhandi, in this AU moves in with Shalaka because I find it cute, Draupadi moved into Bheems house after marriage and Shashikala moved into the family house after marrying drish. 

Characters: 

Drupad: Dilf. Resident dilf. Prishata used to own a cash crop business but lost a lot of it and now they only got cotton. He refuses to sell the art. All the people in his life sucked until Prishati and she also died younger than she does in canon. He raises the twins mostly alone, and imo does a good job of it. When the kids are travelling, however, and it's just Drupad, he hates how quiet it is in there. So he has longass phone calls with Bheem and Draupadi.

Shikhandi: (note: I'll be using he/him pronouns for pre trans shikhand as well for now.)

Childhood: rocky relationship with Drupad but he really is Prishat's darling. Drupad didn't have any good role models so he's also a bit. sexist imo. excellent artist, and later (Italy arc) gets into oil painting as well. more on that later. But the one positive thing he gets from Drupad is the art appreciation. 

Education: In the og panchal fic, even if Prishata is a bad person and father, he's a good grandfather. In the modern AU, he's just a piece of shit. Shikhandi vows to salvage the business. So, even if he doesn't really want to, he basically forces himself through a business degree, and that + prishati's death sometime around when she he's 18+ the beginnings of identity (read: gender) crisis means he doesn’t really score well in college. Jitu also goes the business degree route but he actually wants it and likes the work. (Later, he will be getting some sort of arts degree (TBD) from Europe & work there for a few yrs).

Business arc: He works hard to bring the business that Prishata ruined back to normal. He takes it in a new direction & Jitu makes it successful Renovates the museum (see pt. 1-3) and adds the handicrafts/fabrics/handlooms wing. Emotional labour XTREME Loves handloom cotton sarees (complicated relationship with sarees, iykyk). Is also raising normie twins during that + handling drupad's grief. It's bad.

 Italy: Decides to go away When he's fairly confident that Jity. ← Drish can take care of the business, he decides that he can take a break. However, he mistakenly thinks that break means just change but equal amount of work and decides to get an art degree. For abt 3-4 years, he goes to Europe (Italy) and works as a museum curator. However, the burnout bites him back in the ass and everything he has been pushing aside comes to the forefront and he can't sleep, appetite decreases, rage issues increase, etc. etc. jykyk. It all comes to a head when he accidentally calls Drupad in the middle of the night, drunk off his ass, crying. Since he wasn't there for Drupad's improvement arc and doesn't Know about it, he doesn’t think anything will happen. But drupad listens. He listens!! Then he comes to Italy, and they have a proper talk heart to heart and then come back together. good comes out. Yanno all those memes of confused but got to the spirit parents on pinterest? THAT IS LITERALLY HIM. 

Transition: not much to say about this. Drupad & the normie twins just throw money at the doctors and the govt office wale then finally, Shikhandi gets told to "Actually relax, not go headlong into smth new” 

Nepal arc: Shikhandi goes to Nepal, imagine like. One of Those Hippies, backpacks and bikes in uttarakhand and nepal, visits shiva temples, maybe takes drawing classes for kids, just has a chill time. This arc is so cute istg. 

Self discovery: Shikhandi is conflicted about what to do abt his & prishati’s saree collection. Some he donates, some he gives to Kunti & Draupadi, some he stitches things. from sor uses as dhotis. His best ones lie unused in a cupboard in the family house.(you’ll know what he does with them later) Then he has the idea of starting charity & stiff, Offering both services & shelter to trans ppl and youth. (Nakul sahadev entry here) develops a new (mediocre) fashion sense. Truly the Most Average Guy ever. Think elliot page, and make it 10X more boring. Looks wise he's still hot though. 

Romance arc: Little bit away from the shelter is a martial arts studio where shalaka and Nitya teach Indian martial arts. Then one day, just as shalaka is locking up the studio, she sees a commotion where shikhandis shelter is being attacked by goons. Bursts in, saves the day, and shikhandi is like. "I wanna thank you, come to dinner?" Shalaka says yes. and they fall in love on that dinner date, have a whirlwind romance, 4 live happily ever after (Insert moving in, IKEA shenanigans, beach date, etc.).

Satyajit: Satyajit is about 2 and half years younger than Shikhandi and corrects everyone who tries to say he's 3 years younger. As one does. Gets a business degree and helps Shikhandi to bring his ideas into reality. He is taking care of the business while Shikhandi is in Italy and loves the job. Keeps the job. In the og he is doing a thankless job. Here he is appreciated because I say so. Comes to pick up Shikhandi and drupad at the airport when they come back from Italy. Second place Winner of the best hugs award(first is bheem). Him and Shikhandi were really close as kids but drifted apart slowly. Really tall to contrast short king Shikhandi. Personality is mostly similar to the main Panchal fic. Shashi plotline is also similar to the og fic. 

Dhrishtadyumna: 5 yrs younger than Shikhandi, born normally. Economics major, English minor, masters in Journalism. Currently writing a book on ancient Indian sports with Shalaka and Bheem, and working on exposing Dronas coaching academy. 

Draupadi: Economics major, sociology minor, masters in Economics and goes on to become a professor. Idk how she meets Bheem and marries him but she does. Kuntis fave(and only) DIL.

Yudhamanyu: 9 years younger than Shikhandi. Accidents, actually. NALSAR Hyderabad alumnus. Calm, level-headed lawyer. Childhood angst where Prishati died when they were quite young and so they were raised by Shikhandi mostly. WARNING: NEVER PUT HIM AND SHALAKA IN THE SAME ROOM TOGETHER. YOU WILL REGRET IT. 

Uttamaujas: NLU gujarat alumnus. Top of his class. In a steady relationship with vikrant. They are high school sweethearts. #3 for best hugs award. Short-tempered. Professional in court but no bets outside. Baby of the family. Has a younger twins group chat with Draupadi and(After he is found) Sahadev. Has a good resting bitch face. Can turn into resting uwu face at any moment. 

Shalaka and Nitya: Shalaka was sent to a posh boarding school(think those castleass schools in like dehradun founded by the British. But like in kerala.) at a frightfully young age(think 5 years old). Met Nitya there, became friends with her. Familial pressure was a bitch so she cut ties with hiranyavarman and went off to learn martial arts. Is like. 5 years older than Shikhandi. (In og fic she's younger). Briefly dated Nitya but they were both not happy and stayed friends. Runs a studio where she teaches martial arts. Like 4-5 batches per day. NO SELF LOATHING ARC🥳🥳 lubs Some Guy Shikhandi. Rolls her eyes at his antics but knows he FOUGHT to be this happy and light hearted and cutie pie so she also genuinely respects him and the work he does

The kids. You know the one. Yes jay and divya are the only panchal kids that exist. Same age as sutasoma in this for Plot Reasons. Shatanik also exists but more on him LATER.

[friend-shaped-but]

help me, I don't know where to even BEGIN with introducing the panchal fam ensemble cast of

*checks notes*

the ladies(Prishati, Draupadi, Shalaka(shikhandi's wife), Shashikala(Dhrishtadyumna's wife), and 2 wildcards)

Drupad's sons(Shikhandi, Jitu, Dhrishtadyumna, Yudhamanyu, Uttamaujas, Kumara, Panchalya, Suratha)

The next gen(Upapandavas, Drishtaketu, Divyaketu, Kshatranjaya, Kshatradev)

PLEASE help me come up with a format for systematically introducing them all!! pls pls pls this is such a huge cast and they exist as a chart/family tree in my mind and I can't put that image in my mind onto tumblr UGH