(Ulupi and Arjuna chilling on a cliff)
I am stuck in these stupid woods all by myself.
You may be asking yourself why. Why are you in these woods
alone, Arjuna? How did you end up here?
Well, when you’re married to a woman with five husbands,
things can get tricky. We had rules regarding living arrangements and… I may
have broken the rules. Who cares though?! I caught the robbers. I broke the
rules for a good cause!
No one else saw it that way, though. So, I am in exile for
twelve years. Can you believe that? TWELVE. Ridiculous.
Yudhishthira did not want me to go. Actually, he pleaded
that I stay. I couldn’t though. How was I supposed to stay somewhere and be
miserable because everyone was mad at me? So, I left.
Here I am now, in these woods all by myself.
I don’t mind it. I really don’t. The green, dense forests
are very beautiful and have given me many stories to tell. I have seen many
wonderful places and met many wonderful people. I have visited more holy places
than you could ever imagine. I went to Haridwar, a place where the Ganges River
flows into the plains, and that is where I met her.
Who is she? Ulupi. She is the daughter of Vasuki, the king
of the nagas. She was beautiful. Long, flowing silky hair and smooth soft
skin…she was perfection. I fell in love instantly.
Somehow, I managed to get her to love me back. It was
probably because of my handsome face or charming personality. Or maybe it’s
because of my strength and ability to fight.
Let’s be honest, as long as she loved me, I really couldn’t
give a damn why.
She led me to her father’s palace and we stayed there for a
while. It was blissful and I was happy. Hell, we even got married and had a kid
together. Iravat is his name. He is our adorable, chubby little boy. It was
like living in a dream. Life was perfect.
Until she found out I was married. Oops.
You see, Ulupi has a bit of a jealous streak. She doesn't
like to share. She was not happy that I was and still am married. I tried to
tell her how I only loved her and that the other marriage meant nothing to me. If
you couldn't guess… I did not win that argument. In fact, I don't think I even got to speak for more than five minutes during that argument and it lasted for days. Many many days. Stressful, right?
So long story short, she kicked me out. She even packed my bags for me. Hell, she even broke the news to Iravat before she even told me! I learned from him that I was getting kicked out. Do you know how crazy it is to eat breakfast with your kid and he says "Mom said you're leaving forever today!"? I do.
How am I always finding myself getting exiled when I try to do things right? So stupid. I left and haven’t heard from her since. I don't know what to do really. I suppose I will travel and hope that one day she will take me back. Until then though…
How am I always finding myself getting exiled when I try to do things right? So stupid. I left and haven’t heard from her since. I don't know what to do really. I suppose I will travel and hope that one day she will take me back. Until then though…
I am stuck in these stupid woods all by myself, again.
Author's Note: I decided to write about Arjuna and Ulupi. It's a pretty simple story about how Arjuna is exiled because of breaking rules regarding living arrangements and is exiled. During his exile he meets Ulupi, they fall in love, get married and have a kid. I decided to make it a bit more complex. When writing I pictured it like Ferris Bueller's Day Off or House of Cards, where the main character breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience. To me, this is a moment like that for Arjuna. I think breaking the fourth wall makes it a bit fun to read and allows it to seem more modern and relatable.
Originally, Arjuna just kind of moves along from story to story in his exile. I decided to make it where Ulupi kicks him out for not mentioning his previous marriage. I figured I would switch it up a bit to create a reason as to why he was wandering the forests alone, again.
I chose an image of Ulupi because the story, in a way, revolves around her. I wanted readers to know what she looked like.
Bibliography:
Source. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
So Laura suggested your story about Arjuna and Ulupi because I also have a story about Ulupi in my project. I really liked your take on their story because I have not heard one like it. First off, I like that you made Arjuna break the fourth wall. The personality you made for him was perfect from the way he prides himself to the thoughts he has about his family life.
ReplyDeleteThe story I've read about Ulupi was from an Amar Chitra comic book, and in that version Ulupi actually marries someone else after he leaves Ulupi who has just given birth to their son. I like how you described Ulupi as a jealous wife because I can imagine any of Arjuna's wives having trouble sharing him.
I'll attach a link at the bottom of this for the cover of the comic book I read just in case you're interested. It's a quick read and there are a lot of images you could possibly use for your story. Hope this helps!
https://www.google.com/search?q=ulupi&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjR5Yvl8trLAhXIKCYKHbu6CZMQ_AUICSgD&biw=1366&bih=667#imgdii=Tca5sl0HJLyMzM%3A%3BTca5sl0HJLyMzM%3A%3BQ64mDWJZks2UNM%3A&imgrc=Tca5sl0HJLyMzM%3A
I really like the tone of Arjuna, you put a lot of depth and modernization to Arjuna. You can tell by the tone that he is not only fed up, but human. I like that and I also likedthe fact that you depicted him going off and doing his own thing. I was a huge fan of Arjuna, and I always felt he deserved Draupadi for himself (after all he is the one that was able to shoot the arrow). It was rather selfish of his brothers to step in and claim Draupadi for themselves. So, I really appreciate you giving him what was missing (at least for me) in the original story. Even though I find your story a little sad, not only for Ulupi but for Arjuna (he just can’t catch a break. Great picture by the way, and caption :P
ReplyDeleteChristina,
ReplyDeleteI’m so glad you wrote a story about this specific couple. They did not get a lot of story time in the actual epic. At one point, I even forgot that Arjuna married someone else. I absolutely love it when people write stories in a way that allows the character to be more conversational as opposed to a formal way of storytelling. It helps me as a reader feel like Arjuna is an old friend telling me of his troubles. I love the picture you chose too because it really captures the couples’ sweet relationship (before the truth was revealed of course). I also love your use of humor throughout it. The part where Arjuna basically states that he ‘forgot’ to tell her about his OTHER wife…Oops is right. I also can’t stop laughing at the part where his own son had to break it to him that he was leaving! Very entertaining story. I loved it!
Hello there Christina!
ReplyDeleteI again find myself reading your portfolio. Congratulations on the nomination for favorite portfolio! Very nice story idea. I haven’t read any stories about Arjuna and Ulupi. I love breaking the fourth wall. I haven’t done it in my writing but have you seen deadpool? “Fourth wall break inside of a fourth wall break? That’s like…16 walls!”
I liked getting to know your Arjuna through the fourth wall dialogue. It made him seem a lot more personable than I had imagined him in my head. It is a little weird but I will get over it. I love the explanation you gave in terms of Ulupi. It is hilarious you had her kick him out.
I really like your picture. Next time you could maybe make it a tad smaller and put it in the middle. It really helps break up the story. Regardless good read!
Great Job!