Draupadi

 

 

Drupadi was an amazing character !  Her personality was so fabulous, it was impossible to describe her as anything short of a goddess on earth. 

Drupadi had a fiery temper to match her origins from a fiery yagna.  Incredibly beautiful, absolutely self confident, brave like a lioness, honest in all her dealings, fearlessly outspoken, Drupadi had a very strong sense of justice and never wavered from her goal.

 

Born of Draupad’s desire for revenge, Yagnaseni Draupadi was fated to help her brother Dhristadhyman kill Drona and bring death and destruction to millions of kshatriyas.  Beautiful and alluring, Draupadi attracted many people to her like a flame attracts moths.  Though married to the Pandavas, she was sought after by Kauravas, desired by Jayadratha, lusted after by Kichak and constantly insulted by Karna.   

 

As a princess, Draupadi was haughty and proud of her linage.  It was this pride that made her reject Karna as a contestant during her svayamvar.  Karna never forgot the insult and repaid it countless times during his life time.  The most hurtful occasion was when he incited Duryodhan to call Draupadi his “slave”, strip her and even ask her to sit on his naked thigh in full view of all Kurus !  Karna’s barbed insults left their mark on Draupadi and she never forgave him for that.

 

As a daughter-in-law, Draupadi got on very well with Kunti.  From their first meeting in the potter’s hut, Kunti won over Draupadi by her simplicity, firm yet fair control over her small family.  Kunti’s inadvertent order to share Draupadi between her husbands was a tough ordinance for Draupadi to bear.  But, even Draupadi could see this was an honest mistake by Kunti.

 

As a wife, Panchali was no more manipulative than any other woman when it comes to getting what she wanted from her hubands.  Indeed, the fact that she was able to keep all her husbands happy is a testament that she was a wonderful wife.
1) She knew Yudhithir was bound by duty and was unflinching in his observance of protocols.  She knew her post as the empress was secured through her marriage to the eldest Pandava.  Though Draupadi was dragged into the kuru court due to Yudhisthir’s addiction to gambling, the first person Draupadi freed was Yudhisthir.
2) Bhima she knew loved her so much, that he could never see her unhappy.  She knew that of all the brothers, his love for her was whole hearted.  Bhima had other wives, like most powerful men at the time, but of all his wives, Draupadi was his favourite.  He would fulfil her slightest wish with relish.  This was especially true while they were exiled for 12 +1 years.  Bhima felt aggrieved by her insult in the Kuru court and could not forgive himself for not having had the freedom to fight for her when she needed it the most.  She had rescued them from the brink of an abyss of Yudhisthir’s making and yet, his gambling brother had thrown it away again at the throw of a dice.  As a result, he felt he should do anything Draupadi wanted, just to relive the gloom of this tiresome exile.  He felt that as a princess and an empress, she deserved better.
3) According to Yudhisthir, Arjun was her “favourite husband” - though there is no evidence to back this up.  Yudhisthir felt that as Arjun had won her hand in marriage, this was bound to be the case.  She may be been wedded to the five brothers thanks to her mother-in-law’s word, but, Arjun was the person she loved first.  Fact is, though Arjun loved Draupadi very much, he had a wondering eye and had other wives to occupy his attension.
4) Nakul and Sahadev were sweet to her.  They loved her very much and Draupadi mothered them with her affection.

 

Yudhisthir’s charge that she loved Arjun more is baseless.  Here are the reasons why -
1)
If she had loved Arjun more, would she not have asked Arjun to be freed first when she had the chance to rescue the Pandavas from Yudhisthir’s gambling folly ?  Instead, she asked for Yudhisthir to be freed first. 
2)
During her trials and tribulations in Upalavya, when Drupadi was kicked and bruised by Kichak, the first person she appealed to for justice was Yudhisthir.  If she had loved Arjun more, would she not have turned to him ?  Indeed, had she turned to Bhima, she may have had a better chance of getting instant justice ! 
3)
After the Upalavya battle, just before Arjun entered the court, Virat threw his dice at Yudhisthir, making his nose bleed.  Instantly, Drupadi came forward to offer a bowl of cold water to staunch his blood flow.  If Drupadi had loved Arjun more, would she not have gone to greet and congratulate Arjun rather than help Yudhisthir ? 

 

Yudhisthir always felt that Drupadi loved Arjun more – despite evidence to the contrary.  By not verbalising it, he kept it as a smouldering complaint in his own heart.  Yudhisthir vented his frustration when it was too late for Drupadi to answer his charge. 

 

Drupadi married the Pandavas for their strength and unity.  At her svayamvar, her only condition was, she will marry a brave and capable archer.  The reason she refused to let Karna take the challenge was because he intended to “gift” her to Duryodhan.  Drupadi wasn’t about to be objectified and given away as a magnanimous gesture of a vassal to his liege lord.  She was happy to marry a brave pauper rather than a soft prince.  The same Drupadi who refused jewel bedecked Karna, was happy to let poverty riddled Arjun, half naked, covered in ash, take up the challenge because he was taking part as an individual – not someone’s servant. 

 

After Yudhisthir's defeat at the dice, when Karna advised her to chose a Kaurav prince as her new Lord, he was mocking her for having rejected him and Duryodhan at her svayamvar.  People who choose to stand with you in your dire-most circumstance, are hardly going to abandon you at other times.  Drupadi refused to abandon her husbands and indeed, for the second time she was the one who rescued them from a hopeless situation.  After her marriage and after the gambling match, it was Drupadi who helped Pandavas regain their lost rights.

 

Of all the wives of Pandavas, Drupadi was the only one who chose to share their 13 year exile with them.  All the others went back to their father’s kingdoms, taking their sons with them.  Drupadi sent her sons to her father’s kingdom and followed her five husbands into the jungle for 13 years of hardship.  This alone merits her the title of “maha-sati”.

 

Drupadi worked hard to please her husbands and her mother-in-law.  She also worked hard as an empress and made sure the palace ran like clockwork.  Even during their exile in the jungle, where she had fewer maids and servants to contend with, Drupadi was in charge of feeding several hundred brahmins per day.  Taking her duty very seriously, she made sure everyone – including the servants – were fed first before taking her meal.  Such attention to detail and leadership charmed all those who met her.

 

Despite all this, Draupadi suffered more than most. 

 

Draupadi had to tread carefully between many boundaries.  Boundaries set by moral, ethical, family, religious and personal will.  It was a tough job and only Draupadi could do what she did.  Panchali had a tough life and a tough end.  She was frustrated with the cards dealt to her by life.  Though she tried to “live with it”, she was human enough to call spade a spade and lash out at injusticies piled on her by society.


Panchali was born to avenge the partition of Panchal by Drona. 
Draupadi was born to annihilate the Kurus. 
Yagyaseni was born out of the fire to burn down the top heavy pyramid of Kshatriya society. 

 

All this – and more – was predicted at her birth. 
How could she avoid her destiny ? 
Like all of us, she was an instrument in the hands of Maha-Kala – Time – destroyer of all.

 

 

 

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