The greatest and largest classic ever written the Mahabharath underneath all its glory and grandeur primarily is a story of psychological warfare. Vyasaa deals brilliantly with the human mind in its darkest and deepest crevices. In a story that bears the stamp of irony no one else except its heroine, Draupadi showcases best the spirit of Mahabharath.
Born of the sacrificial altar Draupadi or yajnaseni as she was known it is said was born on this earth to quell the arrogance of wicked men and re-establish dharma. Born like the dark cloud pregnant with waters that bends the rays of the sun to radiate light, joy and danger Draupadi too was born. As this dark hued damsel of incomparable beauty emerged from the flames it is said that the gods in heaven, the apsaras, the three worlds and even the rishis stared momentarily, dumbstruck at her beauty. Indeed it is very sad that this very beauty of hers proved to be the root cause of the Great War that claimed millions of lives.
In retrospection,one could say she had everything and curiously nothing. She married Arjuna only to be cruelly wed by four other men. The possible wound that this could inflict upon a woman is beyond measure. Draupadi’s anger at this injustice and at Arjuna for failing to protect her, and arjuna’s frustration at Draupadi when she accepted the proposal is sparingly made known to us. The love story between these two is very subtly dealt with. Indeed one cannot blame Draupadi for loving only Arjuna the most, a fact that she herself accepts. Maybe she found consolance in the fact that she had wed the five greatest heroes, and pride in that fact that she was Krishna’s dearest friend and the empress of bharathavarsha. But once again fate betrayed her .in the treacherous game of dice Dharma raja not only lost himself but also Panchali. How could he pledge his wife? Couldn’t he have pledged any other queen that he or his brothers may have married? Were the questions that draupadi raised in that august assembly.they have never been satisfactorily answered since then.
Her black cascades of hair that had been purified by the holy waters of rajasuya, when dragged by dushasana the poet describes , looked like a storm crossing the sea and a black serpent that coiled over the kuru vamsa.its more apt to say that it looked like a snake coiling around mother earth herself.
What endears draupadi to me is that she chose to brave grievious tribulations in a humanely manner.she screamed,vented her anger ,wanted revenge and finally refused to wash dushassan’s blood off her hair.she was a daughter of this smelly earth more than anything else.thats why the idea of draupadi transcends generations and stands timeless till today.she was a woman of this earth and hence of today so unlike sita who chose to bear her sufferings with an tolerance and quiet that can hardly be imagined let alone seen today.
The story of draupadi is also a lesson of courage, determination, faith, hope and victory and the loss that comes with it all. And if you are a believer in God she stands as the epitome of unshakeable faith .Many a heroine may have been scripted in many a story but none can equal this great Draupadi!
