A tribute to Draupadi (द्रौपदी)

I recently read a book called "The Palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and it gave me a new perspective on the Mahabharat. This blog is inspired by the book:

Who is Draupadi?

   The first thing that comes to one’s mind is - She is a woman with five husbands. But this was not her choice as she was forced into this predicament. Then why did the society call her names?

  The second thing that strikes us is the manner in which she was disrobed in a court full of Kings, Ministers, and Sages whilst all her five husbands watched helplessly. Once again, why punish a woman in the most atrocious way possible? 

   The next thing that Draupadi is well known for is her revenge. Where she avenges to tie her hair only after she’s washed it with the blood of her enemy. And she achieves it at a huge cost: The Kurukshetra battle. Is the revenge of a mere Queen the only reason for one of the greatest battles of Indian History?

These three questions sum up The Mahabharat. And one cannot explain it all without mentioning Her: Draupadi, the synonym of power, confidence, revenge, pride, and love.

Some background on the Mahabharat:

   The Kingdom of Hastinapur, in northern India, was ruled by a blind King who had 100 sons called the Kauravas. The blind King was a trophy King, filling in for his dead brother, the father of 5 sons also called the Pandavas. Yudhisthir, the elder most of the Pandavas was the lawful heir to the throne of Hastinapur once he came off age. However, Duryodhan (the elder most son of the Kauravas), also claimed the throne because his father was the current ruling King. Draupadi was the wife of the Pandavas. 

Draupadi:

   Also known as Panchali, she’s an unusual woman because of her unusual birth. You see, she was not born from a mother’s womb. She was born but out of Fire along with her brother but only she held the prophecy to change the country's history.

   While growing up, Draupadi was never a stereotypical princess who was interested to sing, dance or marry her Prince charming. She was more interested in learning what her brother was taught: statesmanship, politics, and warcraft. She was not a conventional beauty either, for, she was as dark as the night. But she grew up believing that “Others perceive you the way you project yourself” and this helped her in becoming the most sought-after princess of her time.

    Her curiosity in the ways of the world brought her very close to Lord Krishna, the human avatar of God himself. Krishna found her self-belief and confidence appealing, and he couldn't stop admiring her restlessness and a never-ending longing to fulfill the prophecy. She was very fond of Krishna and their frequent encounters made her worldly-wise, mature. And she was ready to face the real world.

    Her life indeed changed with her marriage to Arjun (one of the Pandavas). One can call her marriage unusual too.  Because, when Arjun took her home to surprise his family, Kunti (his mother) who had no clue about his wedding, asked him to share anything that he had brought home with the rest of his brothers. Thus started her conflicting marital life getting unwanted attention and tarring her character forever.

   The frequent ups and downs in the lives of her husbands made her life a roller coaster ride. While she lived in huge palaces and enjoyed the privileges of being a Queen, she also dwelled in forests: cooking, serving, cleaning and taking care of her husbands. And when the infamous disrobing happened, she lost everything that she'd built over the years.

  Despite these puddles in her life, Draupadi drew strength in the form of revenge to destroy the people who've insulted her. Also, her husbands wanted their fair share of the Kingdom and this led to one of the most iconic battles in the history of India, The Kurukshetra. The battle can also be translated as the fight for dharma: the truth. At the end of an extremely crucifying battle, the Pandavas won and so did She! 

    Draupadi was destined to change history but it came with a heavy cost. She gained accolades for her strength but also lost her self-respect in the worst way a woman can ever imagine. Today, she remains in history as the woman who was disrobed in a full-court. But in reality, she's a Phoenix who rose from ashes.

Such was the life of a Queen who was born from Fire, made of Fire and breathed Fire!!

Learning about her has led me to several questions ...

• Draupadi's father prayed for an heir who would take revenge for him. And the Fire God presented him with a son and a daughter. Why then did the Father choose only the son for his revenge, though both his children had equal powers? Was she considered less serious because she was a girl child?

• After her marriage, she was supposed to spend one year each with a husband and had the "boon" to become a virgin for her next husband. Isn't this boon tailor-made for a patriarchal society? What about her feelings, memories and all the awkwardness that came with the whole arrangement?

• One of her husbands gambled her during the game of dice after he had already lost everything. How can a man who's already lost himself still own his wife and gamble her?

• History projects the war mostly as Draupadi's revenge. Was she solely responsible?? Wasn't it the greedy Kauravas who refused to share the Kingdom with Pandavas?? Or is it too easy to blame a woman for anything bad that happens anywhere in the world??

• Sita, a light-skinned, effeminate and doting wife of a monogamist is considered an ideal woman by society. On the contrary, Draupadi, an independent, unconventional and ambitious lady is not your "ideal woman"?