Why did Krishna let the Draupadi vastaharan sequence happen when he knew what happened everywhere?

 Good Question. There is a reason why Krishna let the Draupadi Vastraharan sequence happen. He knew what happened everywhere because He is the all-knowing, all-pervading Lord Vishnu Himself. This answer is based on the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya of SriMadhvacharya. The few reasons why Krishna allowed the Draupadi Vastraharan to happen are:

TO EXPOSE THE EVIL NATURE OF DURYODHANA AND THE KAURAVAS
From the beginning itself, Duryodhana and his brothers had been troubling the Pandavas. Their major aim was to kill Bheemasena because He was the strongest among all the Pandavas and was their backbone. So, Duryodhana thought to kill Bheemasena first, and then he would look for the other Pandava brothers. For that, Duryodhana tried a lot to kill Bheemasena by feeding him a laddoo that had halahala visha in it. Shakuni had pleased Shukracharya and had gotten some poison from him. That didn’t work on Bheemasena. Then he tried to put snakes on Bheemasena to kill him. But Bheemasena broke the fangs of the snakes and killed the owner of the snake.

He even threw Bheemasena into the Pramaanakoti, a deep place within the Ganga River. From there, Bheemasena also came out unaffected. These were some incidents that weren’t very famous at that time. He even sent and tried to kill the Pandavas in the Vaaranavata Laakshaagraha, but nothing happened. Then, people also cursed Duryodhana and all. But now, when they tried to do Draupadi Vastraharana, it was not just the vastraharana of the princess of Panchala, or the daughter of Drupada, but the queen of the whole Aryavarta or Bhaaratadesha.

Krishna let that happen because He wanted to expose the evil and deceitful nature of Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, and Shakuni. Why? So that people would know how evil they were. This was necessary because, in the future, the way in which the Kauravas, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna died should not be disputed and should be clear to the people as to why these people were killed unjustly. Actually, what Krishna did in the Mahabharata yuddha is completely correct because Adharmik people must be killed by using Adharma, and that is Dharma. If you kill Adharmis by Dharma, it is a sin. The Paingi Shruti itself says this.

TO DISTRIBUTE THE PUNYA OF THE RAAJASUYA YAGYA TO THE PAANDAVAS
Dharmaraja did the Raajasuya yagya. But the fruit of the Raajasuya yagya was such that Dharmaraja was not capable of sustaining that much punya. Therefore, to distribute it among the Pandavas, Krishna made this happen. SriMadhvacharya says that the fruit of the Raajasuya Yagya is Brahma Padavi. Also, Bheemasena is Vayu avatara. The Garuda Purana itself says:

अतो रोचननामासौ मरुदंशः प्रकीर्तितः ।
रामावतारे हनुमान्रामकार्यार्थसाधकः ॥
स एव भीमसेनस्तु जातो भूम्यां महाबलः ॥
He (the cosmic soul) is known as the amsha (portion/incarnation) of Marut (Vayu). In the Rama avatara, he became Hanuman to accomplish the divine tasks of Shri Rama. The very same entity was later born on Earth as the highly powerful Bheemasena.
[Garuda Purana]

So, here it was Bheemasena Himself who was Hanuman in His previous birth (as stated in the Garuda Purana). Yes, Hanuman is the elder brother to Bheemasena in one sense, because both are known as the sons of Vayu. But both are also incarnations of Vayudeva. Plus, there is no difference between Vayudeva and His avatars. So, Hanuma is the same as Vayudeva; Bheemasena is the same as Vayudeva. So, this Vayudeva is eligible for Brahma Padavi. For this, the Valmiki Ramayana is itself the proof. It says:

सर्वासु विद्यासु तपोविधाने प्रस्पर्धते ऽयो हि गुरुं सुराणाम् ।
सो ऽयं नवव्याकरणार्थवेत्ता ब्रह्मा भविष्यत्यपि ते प्रसादात् ॥

Indeed, in all branches of learning and in the performance of austerities, this Hanuman rivals even Brihaspati, the preceptor of the Gods. This very person, who is the knower of the deep meaning of the nine systems of grammar, will definitely become Brahma in the future by your grace.

[Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, Sarga 36, Verse 48]

Thus, it is Vayudeva who is eligible for the Brahma Padavi. The previous Brahma will attain Moksha. And Bheemasena is Vayudeva’s incarnation. Even the Vayu Purana also states that Bheemasena is Vayudeva’s avatara. So, the Raajasuya yagya’s maximum punya should reach Bheemasena and Draupadi, because Draupadi is the incarnation of Bhaarati Devi, the wife of Vayudeva. So, She will be the future Sarasvati Devi. So, therefore, for the transfer of the maximum punya to Bheemasena and Draupadi, Krishna made that happen. That’s why Dharmaraja was silent during the Draupadi Vastraharana episode, and because he was silent, the punya got transferred to the other Pandavas.

Therefore, it was Bheemasena who thoroughly criticized the Kauravas. He even criticized Dharmaraja by asking Sahadeva to bring fire to burn Dharmaraja’s hands. Arjuna stops Bheemasena and calms Him down. Bheemasena says to Arjuna, “I won’t do this literally, but I am doing this because, even though elders commit anything bad, we must not keep silent but should criticize them. I am just criticizing him, but won’t do that literally.” At this, Duryodhana says, “If you accept that everything which is going on here happened due to Dharmaraja, then I will leave all of you.” At this, Bheemasena said, “Nobody is as Dharmatma as my elder brother Dharmaraja. Plus, I am the elder brother to all of you. If you have guts, then come, fight me.”

He even vowed to break the thighs of Duryodhana and tear the chest of Dushasana very aptly (not as a fanatic, but I felt it was very apt). He did criticize the Kauravas. Plus, Draupadi was thoroughly devoted to Krishna and remembered Krishna throughout the Vastraharana episode. Therefore, the maximum punya was given to Bheemasena and Draupadi. Plus, the Pandavas had remained silent out of respect for Dharmaraja. The Pandavas, led by Bheemasena and Arjuna, could have destroyed the Kauravas, but Dharmaraja, with his eye-coordination, had stopped them and asked them to sit down. Because previously he had vowed that he wouldn’t scold anyone, wouldn’t abuse anyone, wouldn’t refuse anyone, and wouldn’t criticize anyone.

TO TRANSFER THE TAPAS SHAKTI OF THE KURU VRUDDHAS TO THE PANDAVAS:
The Kuruvruddhas like Bhishma, Drona, Krupa, Dhritarashtra, etc. had remained silent during the Draupadi Vastraharana. Why was it like that? Because SriMadhvacharya explains that Kali Purusha had entered all of them. Only a few people were there who were not affected by Kali Purusha. These were the Pandavas (except Dharmaraja), Draupadi, Kunti, and Vidura. Rest all were full of Kali Purusha’s Avesha. SriMadhvacharya mentions this in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. But why could Kali Purusha enter people except some people? Because all these, like Kunti, the rest of the Pandavas, Draupadi, and Vidura, had Nishthura Dharma. Nishthura Dharma means, Adharmi must be punished, and Dharma must be followed at any time. But Dharmaraja had Daakshinya Dharma, which means his heart used to melt at anyone’s plea or cry.

So, because Kunti, Vidura, etc. had perfect Kathina/ Nishthura Dharma nishtha, they were not affected by Kali Purusha baadha. So, due to this, others except these people were affected by Kali Purusha Avesha and hence remained silent. Duryodhana himself was Kali Purusha. The Mahabharata itself mentions it. So, he was now controlling the whole dyuta sabha except these few people. So, since these elders or kuruvruddhas were silent, for that reason, the tapas shakti had transferred to the Pandavas. These Kuruvruddhas were great tapasvis and knowledgeable personalities. But due to this one mistake, their punya or tapas shakti was transferred to the Pandavas.

Thus, the Pandavas had their own tapas shakti and punya, plus they had the Kuruvruddhas ’ punya with them, plus they too had the Rajasuya’s yagya’s punya (maximum to Bheemasena and Draupadi). So, that’s another reason why Krishna let the Draupadi Vastraharan episode happen. Plus, Krishna Himself protected Draupadi by giving Her Akshayavastra.

TO INCREASE THE SINS OF DURYODHANA AND KAURAVAS:
There is a rule that, until a fixed number of papas are done, they aren’t killed. So, Duryodhana was already a sinner. At birth, the Mahabharata mentions that he cried like a donkey. The other donkeys from the surroundings had gathered and were braying aloud on hearing Duryodhana’s cry. And at that time, Vidura himself tells Dhritarashtra to kill that baby because it can lead to the destruction of the whole Kuruvamsha. But Dhritarashtra wanted to be reputed as the father of 100 sons. So, he didn’t kill him at that time. From the beginning, Duryodhana was jealous and was a sinner.

Because of this act of Duryodhana, he should not just go to hell and come back, but he should receive eternal hell itself, where he stays for an unlimited period of time, experiencing eternal sorrow. So, that many sins he must incur. So, since they incurred a lot of sin by their acts, they were sent to hell. Though Duryodhana first attained heaven because he had some sukha prarabdha, he was pushed to Andha Tamas hell afterwards. Plus, by this, Krishna wanted to warn us that, ‘Now that you have seen the cruel acts of these sinners, don’t accuse me of what I did in the Mahabharata Yuddha. Because Adharmis must be killed by using Adharma and not Dharma. So, what I (Krishna) did in the Mahabharata yuddha was completely correct.’

NOTE: Thus, we must not just read the Mahabharata as a political history of the fight between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. But we should see the spiritual meaning behind it, because it is not just a normal history book, but our divine history, which is real. The Puranas are for the support the incidents that are not mentioned in the Itihasas. They help in connecting the dots if we get any confusion in the Itihasas. Therefore, I also used the Puranas. SriMadhvacharya, had read the Mahabharata granthas across India, and had identified the corrections and interpolations, and then wrote the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. Therefore, understanding the spiritual meaning behind every incident is important.

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Is Draupadi attracted towards Krishna and wanted to marry him?

Sakhya rasa – Divine friendship

Relationship between Draupadi and Krishna is termed as SakhaSakhi that had NO romance in any manner. Draupadi treated Krishna as Sakha, while Krishna treated Draupadi as Sakhi. Hence, they had Sakhya rasa – Divine friendship beyond suspicious. She never attracted towards him.

Here, I remember the scene in which their discussion called for divine friendship, to clear the cloud of wrong to right.

Draupadi was of the opinion about Kurukshetra War that caused loss of many lives both sides. This could have been prevented by Krishna; had he acted at right time and therefore she felt Krishna was wrong. Clarity given by Krishna made Draupadi to feel what was wrong was right. Here is their discussion goes:

Draupadi – Good that you have helped us at the end in the Kurukshetra War. It could have been better if you could have helped us in the beginning.

Krishna – Beginning in the sense, which beginning?

Draupadi – If you could have helped in the Dice Game, we could have prevented war, saved many lives.

Krishna – Dice game?

Draupadi – You could have helped during the Dice game that led to this war

Krishna –Who invited for Dice game?

Draupadi – Duryodhana only invited

Krishna – Whom he invited?

Draupadi – He invited Yudhishthira (Dharma)

Krishna – Who are all played

Draupadi – Shakuni and Dharma

Krishna – When Duryodhana invited for the game, inviter has to play. how come Shakuni played?

Draupadi – You are right! While taking position, Duryodhana said my uncle Shakuni will play for me.

Krishna – When Duryodhana said about Shakuni, your husband Dharma must have told in my place, my cousin Krishna would play. Then I could have played won the game. But Dharma didn’t call me, when Shakuni came in. Confidence Duryodhana had on Shakuni, Dharma didn’t have on me – Evil had confidence on another evil but Good didn’t have confidence on another good.

Draupadi realise now what she felt wrong was NOT right after the clarity given by Krishna.

How did Krishna save Draupadi from being humiliated in public?

 During the game of dice, the Pandavas lost the game and Yudhishtir staked his wife Draupadi. Dushyasan on the orders of his elder brother Duryodhan, dragged Draupadi who was then menstruating and clad in a single cloth into the assembly full of Kauravas and the Kuru elders and began to disrobe her. Draupadi initially relied on the wise elders of the assembly, and her 5 strong husbands for help. But they all disappointed her by their silence and inability to stop the heinous act.

Being in this pitiful condition, she cried to Lord Krishna for help; Her prayers moved Lord Krishna’s heart and he thwarted Dushyasana’s attempt to undress her by providing her an endless supply of sarees which covered her continuously, thus preserving her dignity.

A true friend and brother who rushed to his sister-friend’s aid in the hour of need!

This kind gentleman’s act of saving a woman from public humiliation has stolen many women’s hearts!

Jai Shree Krishna!

How did Draupadi's role as a strong, independent woman shape the events of the Mahabharata?

 THE PURE CHARACTER OF YAAGYASENI DRAUPADI…

Draupadi was a very strong-willed woman. If you see, in any part of the Mahabharata, She never became weak. She had strong willpower and was a great devotee of Krishna. This devotion towards Krishna saved Her from a lot of incidents. Not only was She a strong-willed woman, but She was very sharp and intelligent. During Pandava Vanavasa, Krishna, along with Satyabhama, visited the Pandavas. There, Satyabhama and Draupadi had a conversation, wherein Draupadi Herself narrated how She used to know each one in all of Indraprastha.

The Pandavas had thousands of servants and maids. In that too, whose name is what, what is their designated work, who has taken a holiday, and for what reason, everything was known to Draupadi, without the help of anyone. She didn’t require an Excel sheet of all the servants and maids. All the Excel Sheet was in Her mind itself. That sharp, alert, and intelligent was Draupadi.

There is a misconception in the Mahabharata that, in Draupadi Svayamvara, Draupadi rejects Karna, saying that he is a Sootaputra. This is a later addition and is not authentic, because Draupadi’s brother Dhrishtadyumna himself declares that people from any caste can take part in the Svayamvara. If this is the case, then it is very illogical for Draupadi to tease Karna like this.

Another misconception about Draupadi is that, when Duryodhana, after the Raajasuya Yagya, came to Indraprastha Sabha, where Yudhishthira, Bheemasena, Arjuna, Krishna, Nakula and Sahadeva, Draupadi, and Krishna’s 16,108 queens were there. Duryodhana, due to a misconception, assuming the water design on the floor as solid floor, slipped and fell into the water. Draupadi laughs at Duryodhana, saying, “Andhe ka putra Andha.” Note that Draupadi NEVER said this thing. In reality, as Duryodhana slipped and fell into the water, Krishna, with His eye coordination, asked Bheemasena, Draupadi, and His 16,108 queens to laugh at Duryodhana. Thus, not just Draupadi, but Bheemasena, Draupadi, Krishna, and the other 16,108 queens of Krishna laughed at Duryodhana’s fall. The major plan behind this was that Krishna wanted Duryodhana to grow more hatred towards the Pandavas.

If intelligence is one strength of Draupadi, then another, and the main strength of Draupadi, was Her true and unwavering devotion towards Krishna. In the Dyuta Sabha, first Dharmaraja puts Draupadi on the stake, loses Her and then puts himself on the stake. He loses himself too in that game, and Duryodhana asks Pratikami (Duryodhana’s charioteer) to bring Draupadi. Pratikami came to Draupadi and told Her the whole incident. Draupadi didn’t cry. She asked, “Who gave Dharmaraja the right to put me on the stake?” At this, Pratikami came to Duryodhana and asked the same question. Duryodhana asks Pratikami to tell Draupadi to come here and ask the question. The second time too She doesn’t come.

This time Duryodhana sends Dushasana to bring Draupadi, dragging Her by Her hair. Dushasana comes to take Draupadi. He speaks very vulgarly to Draupadi. That’s why Lord Vedavyasa, in the Mahabharata, calls him ‘Paapinaam Chakravarti’. He chases Draupadi, even falls on Her, and then drags Her by Her hair. Draupadi was Rajasvala at that time (She was menstruating at that time). Plus, She was wearing one piece of cloth on Her body. In that case, this sinner, Dushasana, was dragging Her by Her hair and coming down into the Dyuta Sabha. He teased Draupadi, “Where is your Krishna? Call Him…call Him…let’s see how your Krishna helps you!” and laughed aloud.

Draupadi was so weakened by that physically that She continuously kept saying, “O Dushasana, please leave me…it’s painful.” But Dushasana teased Her and brought Her to the Dyuta Sabha. But the most astonishing part was that nobody spoke. Only Vidura spoke, that ‘This is Adharma.’ But nobody responded. Karna over here calls Draupadi a Veshya and asks the Pandavas to remove their clothes, since they had lost everything. Karna further even tells Draupadi to remove Her clothes. Plus, all the four wicked people - Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, and Shakuni are laughing aloud like, ‘AHAHAHAHA’. On hearing Karna, this sinner Shakuni also supported him. Duryodhana even shows his thigh and asks Draupadi to come and sit on his left thigh. He even forgot the basic manners of how to treat his sister-in-law, and that too the queen of the whole Aryavarta.

After this, Dushasana does the Vastraharan of Draupadi. Generally, in TV serials, we do see that during Vastraharan, Draupadi rotates as Dushasana pulls Her saree. Actually, this is not true. Because Draupadi was wearing only one piece of cloth. But what really happened is that Draupadi, from the beginning, was remembering Krishna. She prayed to Krishna, ‘O Krishna! O resident of Dwarka! O beloved of the Gopis! Please save me, who is trapped in the dense forest of the Kauravas!” At this, Krishna gave Akshaya Vastra to Draupadi. How did this happen? When Dushasana pulled Her saree, another saree was immediately there on Her body. As he pulled that too, immediately another saree was there on Her body. Like this, without letting Her honor be destroyed, Krishna protected Draupadi’s honor.

Dushasana pulled an endless heap of sarees, what felt like lakhs of garments, and still couldn't remove Her clothes, and thus Draupadi’s honor was saved. Why am I saying this so vividly? Because you can notice how dangerous this situation was, but can you imagine how courageous and devoted Draupadi was? She was one of the top-tier devotees of Krishna. She had so much tapas shakti that She could burn the entire Kauravas, Karna, and Shakuni, just with one glance, due to Her Paativratya, but She didn’t do so. Even after the Vastraharana and Bheemasena made a pratigya to break Duryodhana’s thigh, Karna and Shakuni insisted that Dushasana take Draupadi to Duryodhana’s room.

That was the time when Bheemasena woke up and went towards Duryodhana. Vidura described this to Dhritarashtra, who was busy asking, “Kim Jitam? Kim Jitam?” (Who won? Who won?). Then Dhritarashtra realized that once Bheemasena woke up, none of the Kauravas would be alive. And then, Dhritarashtra stopped the Dyuta Krida and asked the Pandavas to return to Indraprastha. In that state, too, Draupadi was fearless at last and cursed them to be killed by the Pandavas. Because these sinful Kauravas won everything by cheating, Krishna, too, in the Mahabharata war, didn’t let any of them die happily. From the day Dushasana touched Draupadi’s hair, the Kauravas’ death count had begun.

So, you can imagine how patient, yet sharp and courageous Draupadi was. Even after all this, She bowed down to Bhishma Pitamaha, Dronacharya, Krupacharya, and Dhritarashtra. When Dhritarashtra asked Draupadi to ask for boons, Draupadi didn’t ask anything for Herself, but asked for the freedom of the Pandavas and to return everything that they lost in the gambling. This shows Her humility, devotion towards Her elders, and Her selflessness. After that, the Pandavas and Draupadi, who was unharmed by the Kauravas due to the grace and compassion of Krishna, returned to Indraprastha. She was the knower of Stree-Dharma. She is a great Pativrataa. That’s why She is remembered as the second in the list of the Pativrataa strees, and is remembered in the morning.

I have also seen some questions on Quora asking, ‘Was Draupadi an unchaste woman?’ So, for those who think Draupadi is unchaste, let me say one thing: ‘If you consider Draupadi as unchaste, then nobody’s mind is as unchaste as your own.’ Therefore, think before you say that. Read the Mahabharata. Because not only was She a Pativrataa, but She was also the queen of the whole Bhaarata. Draupadi Devi had the Panchapatitva within Her. This means there were 5 devis within Her, namely, Shyamala (wife of Yama), Bharati (the wife of Mukhyaprana Vayudeva), Umadevi (wife of Shiva), Shachi (wife of Indra), Usha (wife of Ashvini devatas). So, mainly, Draupadi is the incarnation of Bharati Devi (the wife of Mukhyaprana Vayudeva). Due to the curse of Brahma, the rest of the devis had to come into Draupadi.

So, when Draupadi was with Dharmaraja, Shyamala was active in Draupadi, and the rest were inactive. When She was with Bheemasena, Bharati Devi was active, and the rest were inactive. When with Arjuna, Shachi was active within Her. When She was with Nakula-Sahadeva, Ushadevi was active within Her. She had the presence of Umadevi within Her. When King Drupada got to know that Draupadi was going to marry 5 Pandavas, he hesitated initially, but then Lord Vedavyasa gave him divine sight and showed Him Pandavas' devata svaroopa and their wives, and told the Panchapatitva concept to Drupada, and clarified that this won’t bring any harm to Her Paativratya. This Panchapatitva is also stated in the Garuda Purana and other Puranas too.

Thus, in a nutshell, I would like to say that Draupadi was a very strong and supportive character in the Mahabharata, and is like a backbone for the Pandavas. During the Akshaya Paatra incident too, Krishnaa’s devotion to Krishna was unwavering. Even after all this, Her devotion towards Her husbands, and mainly Her devotion towards Krishna, never wavered. This makes Her a top-tier devotee and a great personality.

Hope this helps!
Jai SriRam!
SriKrishnarpanamastu!

What does Krishna say about Draupadi?

 Bhagwan Sri Krishna had called Draupadi a pure lady, a lady deserving praise and a lady of fare fame, when Sanjaya had come to visit the Pandavas after their exile and Agyatwas was over to give Dhritarashtra’s message to them.

These time-honoured rules of law, O Sanjaya, thou must propound to the Kurus, in the midst of the assembled kings,--I mean those dull-headed fools who have been assembled together by Dhritarashtra's son, and who are already under the clutches of death. Look once more at that vilest of all their acts,--the conduct of the Kurus in the council-hall. That those Kurus, at whose head stood Bhishma did not interfere when the beloved wife of the sons of Pandu, daughter of Drupada, of fare fame, pure life, and conduct worthy of praise, was seized, while weeping, by that slave of

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lust. The Kurus all, including young and old, were present there. If they had then prevented that indignity offered to her, then I should have been pleased with Dhritarashtra's behaviour. It would have been for the final good of his sons also. Dussasana forcibly took Krishna into the midst of the public hall wherein were seated her fathers-in-law. Carried there, expecting sympathy, she found none to take her part, except Vidura. The kings uttered not a word of protest, solely because they were a set of imbeciles. Vidura alone spoke words of opposition, from a sense of duty,--words conceived in righteousness addressed to that man (Duryodhana) of little sense.

Source : KMG Mahabharata Udyoga Parva Section XXIX

Bhagwan Sri Krishna while scolding Duryodhana for his Adharma had called Draupadi a lady possessed of excellent behaviour.

It was thou who hadst devised with thy wicked counsellors, that terrible source of calamity in the form of the gambling match, without consulting with persons of righteous behaviour. Who else is there, capable of insulting a brother's wife in the

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way thou didst or of dragging her into the assembly and addressing her in language thou hadst used towards Draupadi? Of noble parentage, and endued with excellent behaviour, and dearer to them than their very lives, the queen-consort of Pandu's sons was treated even thus by thee. All the Kauravas know what words were addressed in their assembly by Dussasana unto those chastisers of foes,--the sons of Kunti,--when they were about to set out for the woods. Who is there capable of behaving so wretchedly towards his own honest kinsmen, that are ever engaged in the practice of virtue, that are untainted by avarice, and that are always correct in their behaviour? Language such as becomes only those that are heartless and despicable, was frequently repeated by Karna and Dussasana and also by thee. Thou hadst taken great pains to burn to death, at Varanavata, the sons of Pandu with their mother, while they were children, although that effort of thine was not crowned with success.

Source : KMG Mahabharata Udyoga Parva Bhagwat-yana Parva Section CXXVIII

While reminding Karna of his adharma, Bhagwan Sri Krishna had called Draupadi, as a lady whose tread is as dignified as an elephant.

. Thyself and Suyodhana and Duhshasana and Shakuni, the son of Subala, had caused Draupadi, clad in a single piece of raiment, to be brought into the midst of the assembly. On that occasion, O Karna, this virtue of thine did not manifest itself. When at the assembly Shakuni, an adept in dice, vanquished Kunti's son Yudhishthira who was unacquainted with it, whither had this virtue of thine gone? When the Kuru king (Duryodhana), acting under thy counsels, treated Bhimasena in that way with the aid of snakes and poisoned food, whither had this virtue of thine then gone? When the period of exile into the woods was over as also the thirteenth year, thou didst not make over to the Pandavas their kingdom. Whither had this virtue of thine then gone? Thou didst set fire to the house of lac at Varanavata for burning to death the sleeping Pandavas. Whither then, O son of Radha, had this virtue of thine gone? Thou laughedest at Krishna while she stood in the midst of the assembly, scantily dressed because in her season and obedient to Duhshasana's will, whither, then, O Karna, had this virtue of thine gone? When from the apartment reserved for the females innocent Krishna was dragged, thou didst not interfere. Whither, O son of Radha, had this virtue of thine gone? Thyself addressing the princess Draupadi, that lady whose tread is as dignified as that of the elephant, in these words, viz., 'The Pandavas, O Krishna, are lost. They have sunk into eternal hell. Do thou choose another husband!' thou lookedest on the scene with delight. Whither then, O Karna, had this virtue of thine gone? Covetous of kingdom and relying on the ruler of the Gandharvas, thou summonedest the Pandavas (to a match of dice). Whither then had this virtue of thine gone? When many mighty car-warriors, encompassing the boy Abhimanyu in battle, slew him, whither had this virtue of thine then gone? If this virtue that thou now invokest was nowhere on those occasions, what is the use then of parching thy palate now, by uttering that word? Thou art now for the practice of virtue, O Suta, but thou shalt not escape with life. Like Nala who was defeated by Pushkara with the aid of dice but who regained his kingdom by prowess, the Pandavas, who are free from cupidity, will recover their kingdom by the prowess of their arms, aided with all their friends. Having slain in battle their powerful foes, they, with the Somakas, will recover their kingdom. The Dhartarashtras will meet with destruction at the hands of those lions among men (viz., the sons of Pandu), that are always protected by virtue!'

Source : KMG Mahabharata Karna Parva Section 89

Bhagwan Sri Krishna had even taken an oath that the ones who had humiliated Draupadi ( Duryodhana, Karna , Shakuni , Dussassana) , the earth would drink their blood. He had taken this oath twice.

(i) When Bhagwan Sri Krishna , Vrishnis, Panchalas etc had come to meet the Pandavas and Draupadi in exile.

And reproaching the sons of Dhritarashtra, they said, 'What should we do?' And those bulls of the Kshatriya race, with Vasudeva at their head, sat themselves down round Yudhishthira the just. And respectfully saluting that foremost of the Kurus, Kesava mournfully said, 'The earth shall drink the blood of Duryodhana and Karna, of Dussasana and the wicked Sakuni! Slaying these in battle and defeating their followers along with their royal allies, will we all install Yudhishthira the just on the throne! The wicked deserve to be slain! Verily, this is eternal morality.'

Source : KMG Mahabharata Vana Parva Arjuna Bhigamana Parva Section XII

(ii) When Draupadi had told about all her sufferings to Bhagwan Sri Krishna during Dyuta in Udyoga Parva, he had again assured Draupadi that the earth would drink their blood.

The mountains of Himavat might shift their site, the Earth herself might spilt into a hundred fragments, the firmament itself with its myriads of stars might fall down, still my words can never be futile. Stop thy tears, I swear to thee, O Krishna, soon wilt thou see thy husbands, with their enemies slain, and with prosperity crowning them.'"

Source : KMG Mahabharata Udyoga Parva Section LXXXII

I am taking a break from writing answers. I already have written many answers without taking a break. Hence I am taking some time off from writing answers. Most probably I will start writing from May or June or maybe when I feel like writing again.

JAI SHRI KRISHNA.

What are some lesser known facts about Draupadi?

 

1. Draupadi was the daughter of Hutasana (the god of fire) and the adopted daughter of Drupada.
2. Draupadi was an incarnation of goddess Mahakali and her wrath burnt the entire Kaurava clan to ashes.
3. Draupadi was a single incarnation of four goddesses, namely, Shyamala (wife of Dharma), Bharati (wife of Vayu), Sachi (wife of Indra) and Usha (wife of Ashwinis).
4. Draupadi was an incarnation of goddess Shri who was the wife of five celestial Indras of five celestial realms. These five celestial Indras took birth in dwapar yuga as the five Pandavas, namely, Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Draupadi reunited with them in dwapar yuga.
5. Lord Shiva blessed Draupadi with the boon of five husbands each having the five supreme qualities of justice, strength, valour, handsomeness and tolerance individually.
6. Her actual name in Mahabharata was Yajnaseni, because she was born from the fire of the yajna (sacrifice) which Drupada performed to obtain a son who would be able to defeat his enemy Drona. Her brother Dhristadyumna emerged from the fire, followed by Yajnaseni herself. Dhristadyumna became the son of Drupada and Yajnaseni became the daughter of Drupada.
7. Draupadi was extremely fond of playing with the bow and arrow. No wonder after her marriage with the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna became her favourite husband, and there was always a hidden warrior within Draupadi.
8. Draupadi had a bowl which would always be filled with food. This bowl helped the Pandava brothers to survive during their period of exile. Goddess Lakshmi presented Draupadi this bowl before the start of the exile.
9. Duhshasana, the second Kaurava brother, tried to disrobe Draupadi in front of the whole Kuru assembly, after the Pandavas had lost everything to Kauravas in a game of dice. Duhshasana dragged Draupadi by her hair and forcibly brought her in front of the Kuru assembly. Enraged, she took a vow that she won't tie her hair until she washed it with Duhshasana's blood. During the Kurukshetra war, Bhima killed Duhshasana and brought his blood to Draupadi. The daughter of Drupada bathed her hair with the blood and tied her hair once again like before.
10. Draupadi represented these qualities. Even in the hardest of circumstances, she always stood with a raised head, with her honour held high. Draupadi was a patron of knowledge. As the empress of Indraprastha she played a crucial role in governance of her kingdom along with the five Pandava brothers.
11. Draupadi is one of the five virgins. She is one of the five Panchakanyas, a group of five iconic heroines who owns virginity and has the ability to regain it. The five Panchakanyas are Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Sita and Mandodari.
12. Draupadi is the universal icon of feminism. She was the iconic heroine of dwapar yuga who took birth for the establishment of dharma. Along with deity pair Nara-Narayana (Arjuna and Lord Krishna respectively), she played a pivotal role for this purpose.

Image courtesy: Perplexity AI

How was the relation of Draupadi and Rukmini? Are they friends?

 In the Mahabharata, there is no interaction between Rukmini and Draupadi. Infact Rukmini is mostly only either referenced or mentioned in flashback stories in the Mahabharata.

As per Mahabharata Draupadi was close with Satyabhama. Satyabhama visited Draupadi in the forest and both are mentioned as old friends. When Draupadi disguised as Sairandhri, she introduced herself as Satyabhama's former maid and later Satyabhama also visited Draupadi in Upaplavya during the peace negotiations.

Satyabhama does mention that Rukmini looks after Draupadi's sons in Dwaraka

Your sons are skilled in use of weapons. They are living happily with Abhimanyu in Dvaravati, a place they love. Like you, Subhadra loves them with all her soul. Without any conflict, she is affectionate towards them and has no worries on their account. Pradyumna’s mother (Rukmini) loves them with all her soul. Keshava instructs them, with Bhanu” and the others.

• 224, Draupadi-Satyabhama Samvada, Mahabharata.

Srimad Bhagavatam has two direct interaction between Rukmini and Draupadi

When Krishna visited Indraprastha along with his wives, Draupadi welcomed and worshipped them.

Instructed by her mother-in-law Kunti, Draupadi duly worshipped the queens of Krsna such as Rukmini, Satyabhama, Bhadra, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitra inda. Saibya, and the pious Nagnajiti and other women-guests, with garments, wreaths of flowers, ornaments, etc. King Dharmaraja made comfortable arrangement of lodging for Sri Krsna and that of his queens, members of the army, followers and counsellors providing everyday with new objects of enjoyment.

• Chapter 71, 10th Skandha, Srimad Bhagavatam.

On another occasion, we have Rukmini narrating her marriage story to Draupadi.

Rukmini replied “Like a lion taking away its share (prey) from the herds of goats and sheep, the Lord carried me away, placing his foot on the heads (lit. covering with the dust of his feet the heads) of invincible warrior princes (like Jarasandha, allies of Shishupala) who determined to make me over (in marriage) to Shishupala, stood (ready to fight) raising up their bows (and arms). May those feet of Lord Krsna, the abode of Sri (goddess of beauty and wealth), be available to me for worship, forever.”

• Chapter 83, 10th Skandha, Srimad Bhagavatam.

Why Draupadi did not defend herself from dushasan who came to drag her?

 This is a valid question that if Draupadi could defend herself from the mighty Kichak, throwing him down and running to the assembly (in protection of her husbands and the king), then why could she not defend herself from Dusshasan, who was less powerful than Kichak? This is how Draupadi dealt with Kichak in Matsya –

‘Having said this, the suta’s son grasped her by the right hand. Having been thus seized, she threw Kichaka down on the floor. She rushed to the assembly hall where King Yudhishthira was seated and sought protection.

(BORI CE, Chapter 611)

If Dusshasan had tried to drag her to the assembly, she could have pushed him too and ran to the assembly expecting safety. But she didn't need to do that, as she was already in the assembly!

Those who have read BORI CE would know that Draupadi was mentioned to reach the assembly herself after Yudhishthir sent his messenger to summon her. But, those who have read the non-critical versions of Mahabharat (Gita press, KMG) would not be aware of this, and the TV shows have also depicted Dusshasan doing so, firmly nailing this act in public perception, as intended by the interpolators.

Let me clarify that I do not invent any theory, but only interpret and state what is mentioned in the text. This is what BORI mentions –

On hearing of Duryodhana’s intentions, Yudhishthira sent a trusted messenger to Droupadi. Panchali was going through her menses then. She was weeping and clad in a single garment tied below the navel, she went to the sabha and stood before her father-in-law.

(BORI CE, Chapter 285)

This is mistranslated by Gita Press and KMG as ‘Yudhishthir asked Draupadi to come to the assembly and stand before her father-in-law’, hiding the incident!

I haven't read BORI fully (will have to read it now), and my analysis are mostly based on KMG and Gita Press (I realised too late that Gita Press version is full of interpolations from southern recensions). I used to think that how come Dusshasan was the only evil one amongst the Kauravs (I have covered Suyodhan in detail in a separate answer), whereas all other Ājmidhs were noble and virtuous. And the idea of dragging a woman (even if slave) from her palace (room) to the gamble assembly, pulling her by the hair, seems too cruel physically! And the king, queen, elders (including Bhishma) and her five husbands watch all this silently! And Draupadi keeps lamenting and speaking while being dragged by her hair, her sari (only garment) almost falling off!

But this was not the case! It was just another interpolation (like the interpolation of slapping/showing thigh by Suyodhan, getting cursed by Bheem). And, it is not just me who is saying that, but BORI scholars feel the same!

An example of an interpolation revealed due to contradiction in two conseutive stanzas occurs in the Sabhaparvan. After the game of dice, Duryodhana sent his messenger to Draupadi to take her to the dash of the Kauravas to do menial work. When Draupadi refused and instead raised the question about her status as a dasi, Duryodhana asked the same messenger to go to her again this time to bring her to the sabha to get the answer to her question. The messenger accordingly went to her and told her Duryodhana’s message. Draupadi apparently was in no mood to act according to Duryodhana’s wish. Now instead of hearing about a clear refusal by Draupadi and the messenger’s return to the sabha without her, what we actually hear in a couple of stanzas is that Yudhisthira having come to know what Duryodhana desired, sent a messenger, acceptable to Draupadi, and she, without hesitation, came to the assembly and stood before her father-in-law. And in spite of the fact that Draupadi was then already present in the assembly, to our surprise, we are informed once again that Duryodhana asked his messenger to go to Draupadi to get her to the sabha. There is thus a contadiction between two passages. If the one has place in the text, the other should not. And yet the editor has admitted both the passages of contradictory reports in the constituted text since they occur uniformly in all the versions of the epic.

(Annals BORI, 82: 2001)

The interpolation of vow/curse to break Duryodhan's thigh is mentioned next, with three pages of arguments (the first few lines are posted below) –

One example of such interpolation is related to the famous incident of the vow of Bhima to break the thigh of Duryodhana in the great war (2. 63. 14) and the curse of the sage Maitreya to the same effect (3. 11. 34). They, no doubt, occur in all the versions, but their spurious nature is revealed by the fact that in the entire account of the great war, no one, not even Bhima and Duryodhana, at any stage shows any awareness of either the vow or the curse!

I have already mentioned about this interpolation in my answer on Suyodhan. Similar to this vow, Arjun's vow to kill Karn was an interpolation, as none of Arjun, Bheem and Yudhishthir displayed any awareness of this vow ever, with Bheem wanting to kill Karn on several instances!

Coming back to the question, this is the sequence of events on the day as per BORI (which removes the incidents not mentioned consistently across all manuscripts) –

• Yudhishthir lost all property, all five brothers and finally Draupadi, ‘blinded by dice’.
• Suyodhan sent Pratikami (after Vidur refused and reprimanded) to summon Draupadi to the assembly ‘to mop the floor’
• Pratikami was returned by Draupadi, telling to question Yudhishthir what right he had to stake her after losing himself?
• Nobody answered to the question raised by Draupadi, and Suyodhan sent Pratikami back to ask Draupadi to come to the assembly and ask Yudhishthir herself.
• Pratikami delivered the message to Draupadi in a sorry state. Draupadi seemed to have left things on destiny then saying –

“The one who determines everything has destined thus. Both the young and the old are touched thus. It has been said that dharma is supreme in the worlds. If it is sustained, peace will be brought.”

(BORI CE, Chapter 285)

• Yudhishthir too sent a trusted messenger to Draupadi meanwhile to ask her to present in the assembly. Draupadi would not disobey the emperor.
• Draupadi then went to assembly weeping and stood before Dhritrashtra, in her menses, clad only in a single garment (saree without blouse).
• Suyodhan then asked Pratikami to bring her in front of them (Dhritrashtra was not playing and would be seated in a separate section from the gambling table), so that they can talk to her.

“Looking at the faces of the assembly, King Duryodhana delightedly told the suta, “O Pratikamin! Bring her here. Let her be in front of us, so that the Kouravas can speak to her.”

• Pratikami got afraid, and said how could he say that to her. He was reluctant to obey Suyodhan any further.
• Suyodhan then asked Dusshasan to get Draupadi himself. Dusshasan then pulled/dragged Draupadi to the middle, her half-garment (pallu) becoming loose, making Draupadi burn with shame (this was not done intentionally by him). Draupadi was standing and not lying on the floor. Dusshasan might have grabbed her hair while pulling.
• An interpolation was inserted here in the text (in the parent manuscript itself, hence appearing in all manuscripts) mentioning Dusshasan entering the room of Draupadi, suggesting that he dragged Draupadi by her hair all the way from her room to the assembly, abusing her on the way –

• Draupadi then warned Dusshasan, ashamed and taunted all Kurus in the assembly, directly questioned Bhishma-Drona and threw angry glances on her husbands. Bhishma answered and a debate began. Rest events have been stated by me before.

Thus, Dusshasan could have only pulled a standing Draupadi, grabbing her hair, from the assembly section to the gambling table, though the interpolation depicted an exaggerated scenario of him pulling her with her hair all the way from her palace. If the latter was the case, Bheem would have stood up to vow against him right upon seeing this, and not wait till he attempted to disrobe later.

BORI scholars have only commented that there are ‘two versions’ of how Draupadi reached the assembly (reporting herself after Yudhishthir sent his messenger, and being dragged by her hair cruelly by Dusshasan) and one of them has to be an interpolation. They did not recognise the possible scenario of Pratikami being asked to bring her to the gambling section the third time. I can say with certainty that the Dusshasan version was the interpolated one, based on the following arguments –

• Why would Draupadi bear such an inhuman behaviour from Dusshasan? If she could throw down Kichak and run to Virat's assembly for safety, she could have thrown down Dusshasan and run to Dhritrashtra’s assembly in presence of her husbands. Kichak was much mightier than Dusshasan.
• The whole idea of a woman being dragged through the corridors by her hair seems gross and unlikely to happen. Bheem (and even Vidur and elders) would certainly get angry upon Dusshasan seeing this, but Bheem only got angry on Yudhishthir (saying to burn his hands for staking Draupadi), that too after the dragging and Bhishma-Draupadi dialogue was over. It is clear that Draupadi was not hurt or molested till this point (only her ‘pallu’ was slipping accidentally; grabbing hair is an insult, but might not be construed as physical violence).
• Yudhishthir had sent his messenger for a purpose - to make Draupadi report to the assembly without any further objections or questions. Draupadi would never disobey Yudhishthir and refuse to come even after his message. In the interpolated version, the Y’thir’s messenger has no role and rather appears as an interpolation!
• In all cross-references about Dusshasan's misdeeds later in Mahabharat, he was never mentioned to ‘drag her to assembly by hair’. He was only mentioned to mouth bad words for Draupadi and touch/grab hair of the ‘ekvastra’ and ‘rajaswala’ Draupadi.

We have been reading and watching (on TV) a heavily interpolated version of Mahabharat that vilifies the Dhartrashtras and glorifies the Pandavs, particularly the landmark events such as the Great Gamble and War Killings. Krishna always cited the Great Gamble to establish the ‘adharm’ of Kauravs in his arguments, but if we remove the following interpolations of the Gamble, then things would not remain so black and white –

• Yudhishthir being forced to gamble (he was an addict of gamble, and played voluntarily)
• Yudhishthir being forced to stake everything, including Draupadi (he continued to play as his own decision, and staked Draupadi eagerly, describing her beauty in great details)
• Dusshasan dragging Draupadi by her hair to the casino (she came herself, in a single cloth, and was only pulled to stand in front of them)
• Duryodhan showing his thigh suggestively to Draupadi (clear interpolation; Suyodhan was rather trying to free Draupadi by asking her husbands to declare her stake by Yudhishthir invalid, again and again)
• Krishna saving Draupadi from disrobement (already rejected by BORI)

If so many interpolations were done in a single event, one can imagine what would have been done to the 18-day war!

To conclude, Draupadi did not save herself from being dragged by Dusshasan because she was already in the assembly, and expected no excesses to be done to her in the presence of her husbands and elders. Dusshasan dragging her by hair to the assembly was a cruel interpolation, probably inserted to compensate for the interpolation of Draupadi's modesty being saved by magical layers of clothes.

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