Chitrangana : The Revolutionary Manipuri Princess in Mahabharata
Our lives are filled with interesting characters. They have virtues. They have vices. They can sometimes be inspirational, while at the same time ironical.
Beyond viewing them through the narrow lenses of heroes and villains, good or evil, characters in themselves are unique and come in different shades.
Unlike our popular imagination characters don’t perfectly fit in the “good” or “bad” category. Sometimes they can be idealistic, while at different scenarios, they can turn selfish and pragmatic.
Each character is a rainbow in themselves. There is the great, the good, the bad and the ugly all within the same heart and mind.
Mahabharata, is one such epic that is full of interesting characters. If we look religion beyond way of life and identity and more towards wellbeing and wisdom, even characters can turn lively and fascinating!
Apart from being the fountainhead of Bhagwat Geeta, Mahabharata is an epic that celebrates roles. The role of a King, the role of a teacher, the role of a friend, the role of a son, the role of an advisor, and much more.
As a kid, I enjoyed B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharata series. Fortunately, I got to revisit them again, and this is when I thought of doing some character sketches.
As a disclaimer, these character sketches are done out of my own personal passion viewed through my lenses. I, do not hereby claim any sort of legitimacy from scriptural point of view. The character sketch is largely based on as portrayed in the series.
Chitrangana: The Revolutionary Manipuri Princess of Mahabharata
Chitrangana is another important character of Mahabharata. Draupadi is someone, whom we hear a lot about, but equally prominent and inspiring is another Princess Chitrangana.
She too was a Princess. She was also Arjun’s wife. But her identity is much larger and way beyond.
1. The Revolutionary Princess
The series portrays Manipur as a kingdom where the king is in such a scenario that in every generation, he has only one child: either a prince or princess. As a result, even if it’s a princess, it is vital that she stays in the Kingdom and her child becomes the heir.
In such a situation, the King prefers a prince rather than a princess and tries to groom his daughter Chitrangana in such a way that she has manly attributes of warfare.
Chitrangana, a devoted daughter understands this and in the interests of her nation and love for her father, trains in such a way that she is no less than any prince.
In BR Chopra’s Mahabharata, apart from Shrikandi, most females are portrayed beyond the battlefield as wives, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers.
But, Chitrangana is one rare female protagonist who breaks this social norms and trains to become a valiant archer.
Like the saying goes on “You become what you think”, it can be seen in the series, how Chitrangana gets past the feminity by orienting her mind toward believing that she was a warrior, a prince as required by the nation’s need.
In an era where warfare was reserved for men, she breaks the “self-imposed limits” by training her mind and body to become what was needed and what she desired.
Conversely, after her encounter with Arjun, when she is comfortable to embrace her feminity, she is also able to convince her father that she, even without hiding her identity is capable of leading her nation.
2. Virtuous Feminist
This time there is no “Saas”, but the “Bahu” Chitrangana becomes victim of a conspiracy or “Saajis” by Chandak. As a result, Arjun is tricked to believe that between him and Chitrangana, there is a “Baharwala”.
When Arjun confronts Chitrangana regarding this, she pleads innocent, but at the same time takes a firm stand that she will not go through another “AngiPariksha” like Goddess Seeta to prove her purity.
The series depicts she stating that “If she does that, in every age, men will be suspicious of their wives and wives will have to unnecessarily go through the “AngiPariksha” to furnish evidence of their purity and loyalty.”
Chitrangana chooses to become a virtuous feminist in this regard. She chooses to stand up for herself and all women, while at the same time adhering to her roles as a mother, daughter and princess of Manipur.
3. Valiant Mother
When Arjun confronts Chitrangana to furnish evidence of her purity and innocence and even questions the legitimacy of their son, Chitrangana states “Her son will answer.”
A new chapter of Chitrangana’s motherhood begins here and in due course of time she trains her son Babhrubahan to a ferocious warrior, who one day even goes on to defeat Arjun.
Apart from being an obedient daughter, a virtuous feminist and skilled warrior, Chitrangana was also a valiant mother, who made sure that she trained her son.
Chitrangana is a character in the series, who becomes victim to injustice and is bounded by compulsions. Neither she had guidance from Shree Krishna nor she had the support of other powerful character. However, she transforms her weaknesses into strengths and breaks the “self-imposed” limits to become the “Warrior Princess of Manipur.”