Unparalleled Revenge in Indian Epics

Part III: Draupadi – a victim of adharma in tradition

Ray Saheb Pandey

Attempt to disrobe the princess Panchali, the queen of Indraprasth was thwarted by the divine intervention of the Kuru court in the presence of the king Dhritrashtra, the triumvirate of elders and perpetrators of adharna. None except Vidura, the prime minister of Hastinapur in the council of Dhritrashtra and Pandu, spoke about the adharna that was committed. Vidura rose impatiently and declared in a poignant yet stern voice, “O! Duryodhana even now it is not too late. You have no realization of the hazard you are letting yourself in. Only the fool thinks he is in paradise when he hangs over a ledge with a noose round his neck. You will be punished for the crime you are committing today. The most terrible nemesis awaits you. Succumb while there is still time. Restore everything you have won with Shakuni’s deceit. The jackal never challenges the lion. You must never think of Draupadi as being your slave. You treat this dice game as a cruel joke and forget it was ever played.”

What Vidura spoke is loud and explicit. This is dharma, irrespective of the result of a dice game. 

To a pointed question of Draupadi to the court, “Who was lost first on the wager in the dice game? Was it Yudhisthir or me?” None of the Pandavas spoke. Bheeshma, however, uttered about the right of the husband over wife and cited the subtleness of dharma. In the words of Bheeshma, “It is a finer point of dharma. On one hand, when a man has lost himself already he may no longer wager anyone else. On the other, a man has right over his wife, whether he is free or not. It is hard to say if you are free or a slave.”

 Draupadi, was naturally not convinced and refused to accept that she was a dasi (a female slave). The question arose whether wife, son or daughter of a slave was also a slave? No one in the court was sure. If no one was sure, was it naturally justified for the elders to see that a woman’s chastity was openly plundered?   Even assuming Draupadi was not a free woman or became a dasi, was she not entitled to her will? Was it a part of the tradition to treat the woman of a slave to be a slave and be subjected to all kinds of humiliation?

When the king Dhritrashtra, held by the firm terror of evil omens and the pledges of Bheema, Arjuna Sahdeva and Nakula said, “Panchali, my foolish son has done an unforgivable thing today. To atone for it, I grant you any boon you want. Just ask and it shall be yours.” Draupadi asked for two boons only to restore freedom of her husbands and refused to take any more boons citing traditions for Kshatriya queens even if Dhritrashtra was inclined to grant more. She said, “My lord, it is greed that destroys dharma. I will ask for just two boons. It already means more than the world to me, that my husbands are free men again.” It clearly shows from the atonement of Dhritrashtra that his son did adharma yet he chose to keep silent.

When Drupad, king of Panchal was not inclined to give her daughter to all the five of Pandavas in marriage, a glaring example was cited by Yudhisthir to quell the doubts of king Drupad. He said Muni Jatila’s daughter had seven husbands and there had been many more and none of them were sinners.

Draupadi’s anger was so intense that she always kept her long hairs disheveled as a testimony of her insult and to let Pandavas never forget of the fateful Kuru Sabha. She constantly coaxed Yudhisthira in the forest to take revenge for the insult and humiliation meted out to them. Only Lord Krishna could console her and gave assurances thus:

दुर्योधनश्च कर्णस्य शकुनेश्च दुरात्मनः |

           दुशासनाचतुर्थानाम भूमि पश्यसि   || (वनपर्व)

 (the earth is thirsty and only the blood of Duryodhana, Karna, Dussasana and the wicked Shakuni will quench her thirst)

Dharma is “यत्र नार्यस्तु पुज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवताः” Dharma is most visible. Even a person impaired with sight could feel it. A dumb person could speak for it. A deaf could listen to it. How could the elders not feel it? 

The situation of women, whether Dwaper or Kalyug is no different. Be it queen Draupadi of Mahabharata or a tribal Draupadi (Dopadi) of Ashapoorna Devi in today’s time.