"Draupadi has five husbands - but she has none -
She had five sons - and was never a mother …
The pandavas have given Draupadi …
No joy, no sense of victory
No honour as wife
No respect as mother -
Only the status of a Queen …
But they all have gone
And I'm left with a lifeless jewel
And an empty crown …
My baffled motherhood
Wrings its hands and strives to weep".
A long poem "Kurukshetra", written by Amreeta Syam, conveys this angst of Panchali (Draupadi), born unasked for by her father, bereft of brothers and sons and her beloved sakha (friend) Krishna.
Draupadi was a heroic princess of the Hindu epic of Mahabharata. One who was firm and a woman with an unbending will. The Proud and angry heroine of the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi has remained an enigmatic woman of substance.
Draupadi was the daughter of Drupad, the king of Panchala, and the wife and queen of the five great Pandavas, renowned alike for her loveliness and her granite will. Volcanic, she reduced her enemies to the ashes. This fiery princess bent on vengeance could be compassionate and generous, too. Draupadi had developed the strength to bear the trials of life. She had resolved firmly not to harm the good people, and not to bend before the wicked. Draupadi was a woman, but she became as famous as the heroic Pandavas because of such determination. Her personality was one of lightning and thunder. This unforgettable heroine is in no way less than Bheema or Arjuna in strength and spirit, valour and virtue. Her story is a saga of suffering and disgrace but she took everything in her stride and vanquished each one of the perpetrators of her humiliation and agony. Draupadi finds her five husbands discarding her repeatedly: each takes at least one more wife; she never gets Arjuna to herself for he marries Ulupi, Chitrangada and has Subhadra as his favourite. Yudhishthira pledges her like chattel at a game of dice; and finally, they leave her to die alone on the roadside like a pauper, utterly rikta - drained in every sense.
She had five sons - and was never a mother …
The pandavas have given Draupadi …
No joy, no sense of victory
No honour as wife
No respect as mother -
Only the status of a Queen …
But they all have gone
And I'm left with a lifeless jewel
And an empty crown …
My baffled motherhood
Wrings its hands and strives to weep".
A long poem "Kurukshetra", written by Amreeta Syam, conveys this angst of Panchali (Draupadi), born unasked for by her father, bereft of brothers and sons and her beloved sakha (friend) Krishna.
Draupadi was a heroic princess of the Hindu epic of Mahabharata. One who was firm and a woman with an unbending will. The Proud and angry heroine of the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi has remained an enigmatic woman of substance.
Draupadi was the daughter of Drupad, the king of Panchala, and the wife and queen of the five great Pandavas, renowned alike for her loveliness and her granite will. Volcanic, she reduced her enemies to the ashes. This fiery princess bent on vengeance could be compassionate and generous, too. Draupadi had developed the strength to bear the trials of life. She had resolved firmly not to harm the good people, and not to bend before the wicked. Draupadi was a woman, but she became as famous as the heroic Pandavas because of such determination. Her personality was one of lightning and thunder. This unforgettable heroine is in no way less than Bheema or Arjuna in strength and spirit, valour and virtue. Her story is a saga of suffering and disgrace but she took everything in her stride and vanquished each one of the perpetrators of her humiliation and agony. Draupadi finds her five husbands discarding her repeatedly: each takes at least one more wife; she never gets Arjuna to herself for he marries Ulupi, Chitrangada and has Subhadra as his favourite. Yudhishthira pledges her like chattel at a game of dice; and finally, they leave her to die alone on the roadside like a pauper, utterly rikta - drained in every sense.
- Draupadi, meaning daughter of Drupad, was known by several other names as well. As the princess of the kingdom of Panchal she was known as Panchali.
- As the grand daughter of Prushata she was known as Parsati. [Draupadi is ayonija, not born of woman] Draupadi is born of fire and therefore, often referred to as Yagnyaseni.
- She is also called Krishnaa because she was copper skinned, fiery eyed and had long, black hair.
- She was gifted with blue-lotus fragrance wafting for a full krosha (2 miles) and hence was called Yojanagandha (she whose fragrance can be felt for miles).
[ Draupadi alone enjoys the unique relationship of sakhi (female-friend) with her sakha (male-friend) Krishna. She was a true virgin, and has a mind of her very own. ]
Draupadi was extremely beautiful, intelligent and virtuous woman, with her body smelling like a fresh bloom lotus. There are few women in Hindu mythology who were aggressive and who spoke their mind in a world of men. Draupadi was one of them. She is considered by many as the first feminist of Indian mythology. At the time of her birth, a celestial voice had proclaimed: "This unparalleled beauty has taken birth to uproot the Kauravas and establish the rule of religion". The circumstances leading to her birth began to take shape while her father was yet young.
Here are some interesting facts about Draupadi
1. According to many folk tales, Draupadi was secretly in love with Karna. She admits to Krishna that she had a soft corner for him. Folklore states that Krishna had sent the perfect husband for her (Karna) – one who would love and protect her all her life and be faithful to her. But she rejected him because of his apparent low birth. So she ended up marrying a man who shared her with his brothers and failed to protect her when she needed him the most.
2. Of all the Pandavas, Bheema loved Draupadi the most and it was Bhima who protected her every single time.
During Draupadi’s Swayamvar, Pandavas were disguised as sages. Arjuna wins the competition and Krishna, intelligently signals Yudhistir to leave with Nakul and Sahadeva. This was done to prevent being identified, since all the kings were furious over the brahmin who won Draupadi’s hand. Bheema stayed for Arjuna’s defence.
Duryodhana and other kings were very angry –
“This princess is from a royal family. Either she marries a King, or we will throw her to fire.”
Dhristhadhuymna, Draupadi’s brother jumps in to protect her with his sword but he is alone.
Arjuna says
“She is now my responsibility, I will protect her.”
But since this was a close combat and Arjuna was not skilled for close combat, he was helpless with his bow and arrows. Bheema comes to the rescue of Draupadi and Arjuna. He breaks a pillar of the Rajmahal and uses that Pillar to ward off all the Kings. Bheema’s presence ensured Draupadi and Arjuna is safe.
We all know what happened in the infamous dice game. Dussasana tried to disrobe her without success. Bheema walks up to the center of the courtroom and makes a vow
“I, pavan putra Bheema, husband of Panchali pledge that unless I drink the blood of Dushasana and break Duryodhana’s thigh, I will not show my face to my ancestors”
Jayadratha, Duryodhana’s brother in law, tried to abduct Draupadi in the forest and she was rescued by Bheema. Bheema almost killed Jayadratha but Draupadi said that he is the husband of Dussala, Duryodhana’s sister and hence your sister too. Don’t kill him.
In the kingdom of Virat, Ballav (Bheema in disguise) kills Kichak when he tries to molest Sairandhri (Draupadi in disguise).
Bheema took a vow that he would slay all the 100 Kauravas. In the 14th day of the battle, he drinks blood from Dussasana’s chest, carries the blood and runs to Draupadi. He sprays that blood on her hair and fulfills his pledge. Only after this, Draupadi ties her hair after 15 long years.
Draupadi was the first to fall when Pandavas were on their final journey to heaven. Soon after Draupadi, Arjuna, Bheema, Nakula and Sahadeva followed. It is said that Bheema crawled up to Draupadi and accompanied her while she was breathing her last.Bheema had said –
” O my queen, what can I do for you?”
Draupadi had replied –
“O my beloved husband Pavan Putra Bheema, you are the only one who have given me all that a woman longs for. But I have been ignorant on you. I have been blind for Partha (Arjun) but you have protected me every single time and repaid me for the humiliation I had received. In our next birth, be the eldest.”
She weeps and dies in the arms of Bheema.
In the horse dance of Tanjore and some other folk dances in South India, the riders of dummy horses represent Bhima and Draupadi.
bheema-draupadi-dance
3. Draupadi’s effect on men is a recurring theme in Mahabharata. Besides, Duryodhana, Dussasana, Jayadratha, Kichak, there are other men who lusted after her. What is Mahabharata trying to tell us? Don’t be besotted by your looks, for they are likely to go against you.
4. Draupadi’s vessel was like Lakshmi’s “akshaya patra” (similar to the Greek cornucopia), always full of food. Across India, the term “Draupadi’s vessel” means a kitchen that is overflowing with the best of foods. Such a kitchen is the mark of a good homemaker (she is sometimes referred to as “Annapurna”). Mahabharata shows us the value of a good homemaker and that women should not be objectified for “LUST” alone.
5. Draupadi did not attend the infamous dice game where the Pandavas gambled away their kingdom and all their earthly possessions to the Kauravas, and this was the only time in the epic when the Pandavas took decisions alone – without their mother (Kunti), wife (Draupadi) or a friend (Krishna).
And they failed miserably.
The noblest of men (Yudhistira), the intelligent (Sahadeva), the powerful (Bheema), the skilled (Arjuna) and the handsome (Nakula) all fell flat on their face. It is because they ignored their wife.
6. Draupadi’s insensitive comments about Duryodhana’s parents is presented as one of the reason why she was humiliated later in her life. This event is narrated as a warning to people not to make fun of disabilities (especially elders).
7. In Tamil tradition, Draupadi is considered a Goddess and one “Muttal Ravuttan” is her loyal guard and gatekeeper. He is said to be a king whose daughter married Yudhistira. It was well known that Draupadi would not let any of the other wives of the Pandavas stay in the palace. Muttal actually offered to become Draupadi’s servant for all eternity just to ensure that his daughter would be an exception to Draupadi’s rule.
In other narratives, Draupadi allows only Subhadra to enter the palace as she was the sister of Krishna. Krishna was the “sakha” (best friend) of Draupadi who protected her modesty when she was being disrobed in the courtroom by the Kaurava prince Dushasana
8. Draupadi bore the five Pandavas five sons.
Prativindhya (son of Yudhistira), Satsuma (son of Bhima), Shrutakirti (son of Arjuna), Satanika (son of Nakula), Shrutasena (son of Sahadeva).
All of her sons died in the hands of Aswathamma, who also happens to have killed her twin brother (Dhrishtadyumna).
9. Only two Kauravas protested in support of Draupadi while she was being disrobed in the court room. Vikarna and Yuyutsu. Yuyutsu was the most learned Kaurav and secretly admired the Pandavas and Draupadi. He later changed sides and joined the Pandava army.
10. Draupadi is depicted as rather helpless in Mahabharata. However, she has been shown to be reborn as different heroines in her later births such as Vira Shakti (Tamil folklore), Bela and Alha.
11. Draupadi was the first to fall from the Himalayas when Pandavas were on their final pedestrian journey to heaven. When Bheema asked Yudhistira why she fell, he replied
“Though she was supposed to love all of us equally, she favored Partha (Arjuna).”
12. Draupadi in her previous birth was Indrasena, the wife of Saint Moudgalya. Due to leprosy, her husband died early and in order to satisfy her desires she prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion. When Shiva appeared and asked what she wants, she got bewildered and asked five times for a husband. Lord Shiva blessed her with five husbands in the next birth. In a different version, the story is slightly different. Her wish was to marry a man with personalities such as justice, strength, great archery skills and devotion, handsome and tolerant. Lord Shiva misinterpreted her wish and granted her wish as she will marry five men with each personality.
13. King Jayadratha was married to Dushala, the only sister of the Kauravas. One day Jayadratha saw Draupadi in the forest and fell in love with her. He proposed her for marriage but Draupadi refused. He later forcefully took Draupadi with him towards his kingdom. When Pandavas did not find her, Yudhishthir ordered Bheem and Arjun to find her. When they came to know about her kidnapping, they overpowered Jayadratha and wanted to kill him. But Draupadi told them not to kill him as he was the husband of their cousin. So, they made him their slave and shaved his hair.
14. According to Narad Purana and Vayu Purana, Draupadi is the composite avatar of Goddess Shyamala (wife of Dharma), Bharati (wife of Vayu), Shachi (wife of Indra), Usha (wife of Ashwins) and Parvati (wife of Shiva). In earlier avatars, she did assume important avatars. The first time was as Vedavati who cursed Raavan. She then came in place of Sita’s avatar, to be the cause of Raavan’s death, while agni hid the real Sita. Her third incarnation was partial either Damayanti or her daughter Nalayani. She married sage mudgala. The fifth avatar was Draupadi herself.
15. Draupadi was extremely fond of playing with the bow and arrow.
1. According to many folk tales, Draupadi was secretly in love with Karna. She admits to Krishna that she had a soft corner for him. Folklore states that Krishna had sent the perfect husband for her (Karna) – one who would love and protect her all her life and be faithful to her. But she rejected him because of his apparent low birth. So she ended up marrying a man who shared her with his brothers and failed to protect her when she needed him the most.
2. Of all the Pandavas, Bheema loved Draupadi the most and it was Bhima who protected her every single time.
During Draupadi’s Swayamvar, Pandavas were disguised as sages. Arjuna wins the competition and Krishna, intelligently signals Yudhistir to leave with Nakul and Sahadeva. This was done to prevent being identified, since all the kings were furious over the brahmin who won Draupadi’s hand. Bheema stayed for Arjuna’s defence.
Duryodhana and other kings were very angry –
“This princess is from a royal family. Either she marries a King, or we will throw her to fire.”
Dhristhadhuymna, Draupadi’s brother jumps in to protect her with his sword but he is alone.
Arjuna says
“She is now my responsibility, I will protect her.”
But since this was a close combat and Arjuna was not skilled for close combat, he was helpless with his bow and arrows. Bheema comes to the rescue of Draupadi and Arjuna. He breaks a pillar of the Rajmahal and uses that Pillar to ward off all the Kings. Bheema’s presence ensured Draupadi and Arjuna is safe.
We all know what happened in the infamous dice game. Dussasana tried to disrobe her without success. Bheema walks up to the center of the courtroom and makes a vow
“I, pavan putra Bheema, husband of Panchali pledge that unless I drink the blood of Dushasana and break Duryodhana’s thigh, I will not show my face to my ancestors”
Jayadratha, Duryodhana’s brother in law, tried to abduct Draupadi in the forest and she was rescued by Bheema. Bheema almost killed Jayadratha but Draupadi said that he is the husband of Dussala, Duryodhana’s sister and hence your sister too. Don’t kill him.
In the kingdom of Virat, Ballav (Bheema in disguise) kills Kichak when he tries to molest Sairandhri (Draupadi in disguise).
Bheema took a vow that he would slay all the 100 Kauravas. In the 14th day of the battle, he drinks blood from Dussasana’s chest, carries the blood and runs to Draupadi. He sprays that blood on her hair and fulfills his pledge. Only after this, Draupadi ties her hair after 15 long years.
Draupadi was the first to fall when Pandavas were on their final journey to heaven. Soon after Draupadi, Arjuna, Bheema, Nakula and Sahadeva followed. It is said that Bheema crawled up to Draupadi and accompanied her while she was breathing her last.Bheema had said –
” O my queen, what can I do for you?”
Draupadi had replied –
“O my beloved husband Pavan Putra Bheema, you are the only one who have given me all that a woman longs for. But I have been ignorant on you. I have been blind for Partha (Arjun) but you have protected me every single time and repaid me for the humiliation I had received. In our next birth, be the eldest.”
She weeps and dies in the arms of Bheema.
In the horse dance of Tanjore and some other folk dances in South India, the riders of dummy horses represent Bhima and Draupadi.
bheema-draupadi-dance
3. Draupadi’s effect on men is a recurring theme in Mahabharata. Besides, Duryodhana, Dussasana, Jayadratha, Kichak, there are other men who lusted after her. What is Mahabharata trying to tell us? Don’t be besotted by your looks, for they are likely to go against you.
4. Draupadi’s vessel was like Lakshmi’s “akshaya patra” (similar to the Greek cornucopia), always full of food. Across India, the term “Draupadi’s vessel” means a kitchen that is overflowing with the best of foods. Such a kitchen is the mark of a good homemaker (she is sometimes referred to as “Annapurna”). Mahabharata shows us the value of a good homemaker and that women should not be objectified for “LUST” alone.
5. Draupadi did not attend the infamous dice game where the Pandavas gambled away their kingdom and all their earthly possessions to the Kauravas, and this was the only time in the epic when the Pandavas took decisions alone – without their mother (Kunti), wife (Draupadi) or a friend (Krishna).
And they failed miserably.
The noblest of men (Yudhistira), the intelligent (Sahadeva), the powerful (Bheema), the skilled (Arjuna) and the handsome (Nakula) all fell flat on their face. It is because they ignored their wife.
6. Draupadi’s insensitive comments about Duryodhana’s parents is presented as one of the reason why she was humiliated later in her life. This event is narrated as a warning to people not to make fun of disabilities (especially elders).
7. In Tamil tradition, Draupadi is considered a Goddess and one “Muttal Ravuttan” is her loyal guard and gatekeeper. He is said to be a king whose daughter married Yudhistira. It was well known that Draupadi would not let any of the other wives of the Pandavas stay in the palace. Muttal actually offered to become Draupadi’s servant for all eternity just to ensure that his daughter would be an exception to Draupadi’s rule.
In other narratives, Draupadi allows only Subhadra to enter the palace as she was the sister of Krishna. Krishna was the “sakha” (best friend) of Draupadi who protected her modesty when she was being disrobed in the courtroom by the Kaurava prince Dushasana
8. Draupadi bore the five Pandavas five sons.
Prativindhya (son of Yudhistira), Satsuma (son of Bhima), Shrutakirti (son of Arjuna), Satanika (son of Nakula), Shrutasena (son of Sahadeva).
All of her sons died in the hands of Aswathamma, who also happens to have killed her twin brother (Dhrishtadyumna).
9. Only two Kauravas protested in support of Draupadi while she was being disrobed in the court room. Vikarna and Yuyutsu. Yuyutsu was the most learned Kaurav and secretly admired the Pandavas and Draupadi. He later changed sides and joined the Pandava army.
10. Draupadi is depicted as rather helpless in Mahabharata. However, she has been shown to be reborn as different heroines in her later births such as Vira Shakti (Tamil folklore), Bela and Alha.
11. Draupadi was the first to fall from the Himalayas when Pandavas were on their final pedestrian journey to heaven. When Bheema asked Yudhistira why she fell, he replied
“Though she was supposed to love all of us equally, she favored Partha (Arjuna).”
12. Draupadi in her previous birth was Indrasena, the wife of Saint Moudgalya. Due to leprosy, her husband died early and in order to satisfy her desires she prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion. When Shiva appeared and asked what she wants, she got bewildered and asked five times for a husband. Lord Shiva blessed her with five husbands in the next birth. In a different version, the story is slightly different. Her wish was to marry a man with personalities such as justice, strength, great archery skills and devotion, handsome and tolerant. Lord Shiva misinterpreted her wish and granted her wish as she will marry five men with each personality.
13. King Jayadratha was married to Dushala, the only sister of the Kauravas. One day Jayadratha saw Draupadi in the forest and fell in love with her. He proposed her for marriage but Draupadi refused. He later forcefully took Draupadi with him towards his kingdom. When Pandavas did not find her, Yudhishthir ordered Bheem and Arjun to find her. When they came to know about her kidnapping, they overpowered Jayadratha and wanted to kill him. But Draupadi told them not to kill him as he was the husband of their cousin. So, they made him their slave and shaved his hair.
14. According to Narad Purana and Vayu Purana, Draupadi is the composite avatar of Goddess Shyamala (wife of Dharma), Bharati (wife of Vayu), Shachi (wife of Indra), Usha (wife of Ashwins) and Parvati (wife of Shiva). In earlier avatars, she did assume important avatars. The first time was as Vedavati who cursed Raavan. She then came in place of Sita’s avatar, to be the cause of Raavan’s death, while agni hid the real Sita. Her third incarnation was partial either Damayanti or her daughter Nalayani. She married sage mudgala. The fifth avatar was Draupadi herself.
15. Draupadi was extremely fond of playing with the bow and arrow.
Sources:
http://www.lonelyphilosopher.com/draupadi-interesting-facts/
https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/20-shocking-facts-about-draupadi-s-life
https://www.dollsofindia.com/library/draupadi/
https://detechter.com/8-mind-boggling-facts-about-draupadi-you-havent-heard-before/
https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/wittyfeed+india-epaper-witty/10+fascinating+facts+about+draupadi+we+bet+you+didn+t+know-newsid-71943509
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/high-five-for-draupadi/articleshow/5651694.cms
https://detechter.com/8-mind-boggling-facts-about-draupadi-you-havent-heard-before/
https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/20-shocking-facts-about-draupadi-s-life
https://www.dollsofindia.com/library/draupadi/
https://detechter.com/8-mind-boggling-facts-about-draupadi-you-havent-heard-before/
https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/wittyfeed+india-epaper-witty/10+fascinating+facts+about+draupadi+we+bet+you+didn+t+know-newsid-71943509
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/high-five-for-draupadi/articleshow/5651694.cms
https://detechter.com/8-mind-boggling-facts-about-draupadi-you-havent-heard-before/
Wow. Very informative and detailed. Pretty interesting. Good job Annie. Keep it up. 👍🏼👊
ReplyDeleteWow. Very informative and detailed. Pretty interesting. Good job Annie. Keep it up. 👍🏼👊
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Neha.. means a lot :)
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