Draupadi
Draupadi, also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is one of the central characters of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata. Born from a yajna conducted by King Drupada of Panchala, she is the princess of the Panchala Kingdom and the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—in a polyandrous marriage sanctioned by divine prophecy and narratives of her previous lives. Attested as a partial incarnation of the goddess Shri, Draupadi initially serves as the queen of Indraprastha, overseeing the kingdom's finances and treasury. She is also described as a sakhi of the god Krishna.
The most notable episode featuring Draupadi takes place during the game of dice at the Kuru court. In this game, Yudhishthira, having lost Indraprastha and his freedom, wagers and loses Draupadi to his cousin Duryodhana—the leader of the Kauravas. She is forcibly dragged into the royal assembly and deemed a slave. However, she challenges the assembly, questioning the legality of being staked after her husband had already forfeited his own freedom. After she is publicly humiliated by Duryodhana and his ally Karna for being married to five men, the Kaurava prince Dushasana attempts to disrobe her, but her honour is miraculously preserved, as her garment becomes endlessly extended. The Kuru king Dhritarashtra then intervenes and grants Draupadi two boons, resulting in the release of the Pandavas from bondage.
Afterwards, Draupadi accompanies the Pandavas into their thirteen-year exile after they lose their kingdom to the Kauravas. In the final year of exile, Draupadi lives incognito, disguised as a maid to Queen Sudeshna of Matsya. When she is harassed by the Matsya general Kichaka, she successfully persuades Bhima to kill Kichaka. After the exile, when Duryodhana refuses to restore the Pandavas' kingdom, Draupadi strongly supports the call for the Kurukshetra War, recalling the humiliations and assaults she had suffered and demanding punishment for her culprits. Although the Kauravas are slain, the war also leads to the deaths of her father, brothers, and her five sons. These sons—each born to one of the Pandavas—are collectively known by the matronymic Draupadeyas. After the Pandavas' victory, she becomes the empress of the Kuru Kingdom for thirty-six years. In the epic's conclusion, Draupadi joins the Pandavas on their final journey toward heaven, during which she is the first to fall.
Draupadi is a significant figure in Hindu and Indian culture, particularly noted for her beauty, courage, devotion, intelligence, resilience and rhetorical skills. She is also extolled as one of the panchakanya, archetypes of female chastity whose names are believed to dispel sin when recited. Mediaeval classical literature introduces several new narratives centred on Draupadi, including her untied hair and the vow to wash her hair with Dushasana's blood as a symbol of revenge. In some parts of the sub-continent, a sect of Draupadi exists, where she is worshipped as a goddess. Her story has been an inspiration for various arts, performances and secondary literature.
Etymology and epithets
The word Draupadī is a patronymic, derived from the word Drupada, which means 'pillar'. Like other epic characters, she is referred to by multiple names in the Mahabharata. Some of her other names and epithets are as follows:- Krishnā – 'one who has a dark complexion'. It is the birth name of Draupadi.
- Panchali – 'one from Panchala'.
- Yajnaseni – another patronymic derived from Drupada's another name Yajnasena ; or the name can also mean 'one born from a Yajña '.
- Sairandhri – 'an expert maid'. This pseudonym was assumed by Draupadi during her incognito life.
- Parshati – 'granddaughter of Prishata', or 'daughter of Prishati'. Both the names—Parshati and Prishati—are derived from Prishata, Drupada's father.
- Malini – fragrant, one who makes garlands.
- Panchavallabha – 'Beloved of the five Pandavas'.
- Pandusharmila – 'Daughter-in-law of Pandu'.
Literary background
The Mahabharata manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the Bhagavad Gita which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions. The differences between the Northern and Southern recensions are particularly significant, with the Southern manuscripts more profuse and longer. Scholars have attempted to construct a critical edition, relying mostly on a study of the "Bombay" edition, the "Poona" edition, the "Calcutta" edition and the "south Indian" editions of the manuscripts. The most accepted version is one prepared by scholars led by Vishnu Sukthankar at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, preserved at Kyoto University, Cambridge University and various Indian universities.
Biography
Birth
Draupadi is not born of a woman and thus, she is often described as an ayonija. Her birth is narrated in the Adi Parva of the epic. Drona—the teacher of the Kuru princes—defeats his former friend Drupada with the help of his student Arjuna and seizes half of Panchala. Seeking vengeance, Drupada realises that none of his sons or allies is capable of slaying Drona. As a result, he decides to perform a yajna to obtain a powerful son. He approaches the sage Upayaja, who initially refuses to conduct the rite, as it departs from the auspicious śrauta tradition and draws instead on non-śrauta practices. The ritual partakes of the nature of abhichara —a death-dealing form of sacrifice—which Upayaja disapproves of. However, Drupada eventually wins over his elder brother, Yaja. With the sages Yaja and Upayaja serving as the chief priests, the yajna is conducted. After its completion, the priests instruct Prishati—Drupada's queen—to consume the sacrificial offering in order to conceive, but she refuses and asks them to wait until she has bathed and put on perfume. Unable to wait, Yaja pours the offering into the altar of the sacrifice. From the flames first emerges a youthful man, prophesied to slay Drona and fulfil Drupada's vengeance. Following him, Draupadi—as a fully grown youthful maiden—arises from the vedi, who, unlike her brother, is not born to fulfil Drupada's task, but that of the gods. The Mahabharata includes an exceedingly flattering description of Draupadi as she arises from the altar,Draupadi's birth, too, is accompanied by a divine prophecy, which declares that she would be foremost among all women and would become the cause of the destruction of many Kshatriyas. The twins are named Dhrishtadyumna and Krishnaa, respectively, by the chief priests, and Prishati proclaims that they should be considered her children. The twins accept both Drupada and Prishati as their parents, and Krishnaa is bestowed with the patronymic Draupadi.
Education
Draupadi is raised in Drupada's palace, where she receives a formal education, as detailed in the Vana Parva. Drupada employs learned brāhmaṇas for the instruction of his sons, and Draupadi participates in these lessons, becoming an expert in political science. She is specifically referred to as a paṇḍitā, a term denoting scholarly or intellectual calibre, reflecting her aristocratic upbringing. Draupadi herself alludes to the wisdom she absorbed in her father Drupada's court, indicating that her education was both deliberate and substantial. This intellectual foundation not only elevated her status within the household but also endowed her with considerable rhetorical skill. Yudhiṣṭhira explicitly praises Draupadi's oratorical ability, recognising her as an adept speaker capable of stirring emotion through vivid recollections, reinforcing arguments with authoritative references to itihāsa and purāṇa, and demonstrating logical acumen through independently reasoned conclusions on dharma. Such rhetorical strength made her a compelling figure in moments of counsel and crisis.''Svayamvara''
The Adi Parva narrates that Drupada intends to wed Draupadi to Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers who had previously defeated him in battle, earning Drupada's admiration. Upon hearing of the Pandavas' supposed death at Varnavata, he arranges a svayamvara contest for Draupadi to choose her husband through a competitive trial. Drupada, believing that the Pandavas are alive and hoping to attract Arjuna, has a powerful bow specially crafted for the contest. The contest is to lift and string a great bow and shoot an arrow to pierce the eye of a golden fish—relying only on its reflection in the water below. The news of Draupadi's svayamvara spreads far and wide. Numerous kings and princes, along with large numbers of commoners and brahmanas, begin making their way to Panchala. Around the same time, the Pandavas, accompanied by their mother Kunti, also set out for Panchala. On their way, they encounter a large group of brahmanas heading to the svayamvara, who invite them to join the journey.At the svayamvara contest, Dhrishtadyumna performs the fire ritual and announces the terms of the challenge. He then presents the assembled barons to Draupadi. It is stated that all the barons, as well as all the Pandavas, seated among the Brahmins, become infatuated with Draupadi the moment they see her. Nearly all the assembled monarchs fail to complete the challenge. There are variations concerning Karna’s participation: in some Northern Recensions, Draupadi exercises her autonomy and refuses to marry Karna on the grounds that he is a suta, which seeds a hatred for her in Karna that later manifests during the dice game; in most others, including the Critical Edition, Draupadi raises no such objection—Karna simply attempts the trial but fails to string the bow by the breadth of a hair. In the end, Arjuna successfully performs the task, shooting five arrows to strike the target. Draupadi garlands him, marking him as her chosen husband. As Arjuna leads her away, the assembled kings react with indignation, feeling insulted that a Brahmin has won the contest. They rise in opposition, but Bhima and Arjuna confront them and the barons eventually disperse.