The Nakula-Sahadeva syndrome

Nakula and Sahadeva would not have had an easy life. Imagine...being born in a family of over-achievers where they have no special identity of their own. To be always compared with an Arjuna or a Bheema or a Yudhishthira and living under their shadow an entire life- how frustrating it would have been! Nakula and Sahadeva are your proverbial also-rans. They are those nameless and voiceless extras who stay in the background in every song-n-dance Bollywood sequence...while the hero hogs the limelight! A little, like the 12th man in Cricket who carries drinks and the towel onto the field so that the Master Blaster batsman can cool himself and wipe his sweat off! It is a life of ignominy where you never get your place in the sun!

If we think about Arjuna, we can easily reel out accomplishments by the dozen. He was a master archer who could pierce a revolving target by glancing at the water below; he was Drona's favourite student and Krishna too doted on him. Besides archery, he was skilled in dance and music. When it came to women, his conquests were many- Draupadi, Uloopi, Chitrangada and Subhadra to name a few!
Think about Bheema and we imagine a hunk- all muscle and who had the appetite of a wolf. We recall his mind-blowing escapades with Bakasura, Jarasandha and Keechaka.
Yudhishthira- and an idealist comes to mind...a Gandhian figure of sorts...who walked his way to heaven riding on his spotless character.
Now, let us think of Nakula and Sahadeva. What do we know about them? The mind is a complete blank. No single incident can we recall about them! We do not know what their skills were, how they looked or whom they married...apart from of course Draupadi who was anyway bequeathed to all the brothers. They appear to have spent an entire life...staying in the background without making any monumental contribution...while the likes of Arjuna painted the town red. Mythological dramas and screenplays make it worse. The superstar hero obviously bags Arjuna's role, and all we have is a nondescript actor who doubles up as the twins.

Over-achieving siblings are a nuisance. Achievements come easy for them- as if they are born with a mole in a special part of the anatomy! However, they make life uncomfortable for the rest of us. Sometimes, we wish they were born in the neighbour's house and would not collide with us so much! Left to ourselves, we would have been a star; it is just that the over-achieving sibling is like the sun...in whose glare, the stars are not visible to anyone! They have taken over the entire showcase...stacked it up with all their trophies and shields and cups. No, we are not jealous of their success. The problem is with those folks who come home and size up the Nakulas and Sahadevas with the same yardstick as Arjuna! The judgmental society is to blame; trying to paint us all with the same brush, and in the process, making us feel small and sheepish.

Nakula and Sahadeva did not suffer from any complex. We do not know any day when they sulked because their lives were ordinary. The irony is...it was Arjuna, the over-achiever, who required psychiatric treatment from Lord Krishna. At least the twins had each other for company to pour their heart out. We feel more for Shatrughna, that lonesome character in the Ramayana. Compared to his illustrious brothers, his was a very quiet life, bereft of significant achievement. Still, he shared the space...heroically with all of them.

These great epics have a lot to teach. It is with intent that they included these characters; silent characters who charm us through their sheer simplicity and ordinariness. The Mahabharata was also called "Jaya"- victory. The victory was not just for the good against the evil. It was also a victory for those silent sentinels, those nameless Nakulas and Sahadevas who provided their shoulders as a prop, so that the likes of Arjuna would appear even taller!

It is nice to be successful. However, it is more important to be nice. There is a place for everyone under the sun. Life is as much for the noisy river, which hurtles its way to the ocean, as for the pebble in the riverbed; the pebble which simply "is" and allows the river to wash itself over! An also-ran is not a pushover; he runs an honest race; it is just that he did not win. That is fine.
As they say, the squirrel and the mountain had a quarrel. The squirrel said, "Talents differ; all is well and wisely put. If I cannot carry forests on my back, neither can you crack a nut!"
I stand at the mountaintop and proclaim wholeheartedly, "I am Nakula and I am proud of it!" The mountains resound with the echo...and agree with me!