:Draupadi

The word Draupadī (lit. 'daughter of Drupada') is a patronymic, derived from the word Drupada, which means 'pillar'.{{sfn|Monier-Williams|1872|p=441}}{{sfn|Monier-Williams|1872|p=440}} 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 (Kṛṣṇā) – 'one who has a dark complexion'. It is the birth name of Draupadi.{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2004|p=20}}{{sfn|Monier-Williams|1872|p=250}}
• Panchali (Pāñcālī) – 'one from Panchala'.{{sfn|Gandhi|1993|p=294}}{{sfn|Monier-Williams|1872|p=561}}
• Yajnaseni (Yajñasenī) – another patronymic derived from Drupada's another name Yajnasena (lit. 'he whose army is sacrificial'); or the name can also mean 'one born from a Yajña (sacrificial fire)'.{{sfn|Hiltebeitel|2011|p=490}}{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2004|p=20}}
• Sairandhri (Sairandhrī) – 'an expert maid'. This pseudonym was assumed by Draupadi during her incognito life.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=551}}
• Parshati (Parṣatī) – 'granddaughter of Prishata', or 'daughter of Prishati'. Both the names—Parshati and Prishati—are derived from Prishata, Drupada's father.{{sfn|Karve|2006|p=81}}
• Malini (Mālinī) – fragrant, one who makes garlands.{{sfn|Gandhi|1993|p=245}}
• Panchavallabha (Pancavallabhā) – 'Beloved of the five Pandavas'.{{sfn|Gandhi|1993|p=295}}
• Pandusharmila (Pāṇḍuśarmilā) – 'Daughter-in-law of Pandu'.{{sfn|Gandhi|1993|p=295}}

The story of Draupadi is told in the Indian script Mahabharata, one of the Sanskrit epics from the Indian subcontinent. The work is written in Classical Sanskrit and is a composite work of revisions, editing and interpolations over many centuries. The oldest parts in the surviving version of the text probably date to about 400 BCE.{{cite book|last=Brockington |first=J. L. |year=1998 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HR-_LK5kl18C&pg=PA26 |title=The Sanskrit Epics |publisher=Brill Academic |isbn=978-9-00410-260-6 |page=26}}

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.{{cite book|first= Robert N.|last= Minor|title= Bhagavad Gita: An Exegetical Commentary|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ru_RjwEACAAJ|year= 1982|publisher= South Asia Books|isbn= 978-0-8364-0862-1|pages= l–li|access-date= 6 March 2022|archive-date= 16 April 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230416075912/https://books.google.com/books?id=ru_RjwEACAAJ|url-status= live}} 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.{{cite book |last=McGrath |first=Kevin |year=2004 |title=The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahabharata |publisher=Brill Academic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC&pg=PA19 |pages=19–26 |isbn=978-9-00413-729-5 |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416075934/https://books.google.com/books?id=YkmXk3-1j7UC&pg=PA19 |url-status=live }}

File:Bith of Draupadi from Holy fire.jpg

Most Hindu texts state that Draupadi was not born of a woman and thus, she is often described as an ayonija (lit. 'one not born from a woman's womb').{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2004}}{{sfn|Chakrabarti|Bandyopadhyay|2017}} Her birth is narrated in the Adi Parva of the epic. Drona—the teacher of the Kuru princes—defeats Drupada with the help of his students, and takes half of Panchala. Drupada seeks vengeance but realises that none of his children and allies is capable enough to slay Drona. As a result, he decides to perform a yajna (fire-sacrifice) to obtain a powerful son. With the sages Yaja and Upyaja serving as the head priests, the yajna is conducted. After completion, the priests instruct Prishati—the wife of Drupada—to consume the sacrifice offering, but she refuses and asks them to wait till she washed herself. Unable to wait, Yaja pours the offering into the altar of the sacrifice, from which a youthful man and a woman emerge. The latter's birth is followed by a divine prophecy, {{blockquote|"This dark-complexioned girl will be the first of all women, and she will be the cause of the destruction of many Kshatriyas. This slender-waisted one will, in time, accomplish the purpose of the gods, and along with her many a danger will overtake the Kauravas."Ganguli 1889, [https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01170.htm Adi Parva: Chaitraratha Parva: Section CLXIX] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507071422/https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01170.htm |date=7 May 2021 }} }}

The youth and the maiden are named Dhrishtadyumna and Krishnaa, but the latter one is better known by the patronymic "Draupadi". They accept Drupada and Prishati as their parents and are raised in Drupada's palace.{{sfn|Karve|2006|p=81}}

Mahabharata includes an exceedingly flattering description of Draupadi as she arose from the fire, {{blockquote|"The fire-born woman was extremely beautiful. Her eyes were black and large as lotus-petals, her complexion was dark, and her locks were blue and curly. Her nails were beautifully convex and bright as burnished copper; her eyebrows were fair, and her breasts were deep. Indeed, she resembled the veritable daughter of a celestial born among men. Her body gave out fragrance like that of a blue lotus, perceivable from a distance of full two miles. Her beauty was such that she had no equal on earth. Like a celestial herself, she could be desired (in marriage) by a celestial, a Danava, or a Yaksha

(Mahabharata. Adi Parva. Chapter 169:3)".{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2004}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01170.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Chaitraratha Parva: Section CLXIX|access-date=12 June 2021|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507071422/https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01170.htm|url-status=live}}}}

File:Arjun aiming at Matsya Yantra in Grandhalaya Sarvasvamu - Vol.3, No.4 (1918) (page 54 crop).jpg

Drupada intended to wed Draupadi to Arjuna, who had previously defeated him in a battle. Upon hearing of the Pandavas' supposed death at Varnavata, he set up a Swayamvara contest for Draupadi to choose her husband from the competitive contest.{{cite book | last1 =Jones | first1 =Constance | last2 =Ryan | first2 =James D. | year =2006 | title =Encyclopedia of Hinduism | publisher =Infobase Publishing | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC | pages =136–137 | isbn =9780816075645 | access-date =27 April 2016 | archive-date =20 October 2022 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20221020070415/https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC | url-status =live }} The test was to lift and string a bow, and fire arrows to pierce the eye of a golden fish only by looking at its reflection in the water. The news of Draupadi's svayamvara spread far and wide, and numerous princes, as well as the general public including brahmanas, began proceeding towards Panchala. It so happened that the Pandavas also began their journey toward Panchala at this time along with their mother, Kunti. As they were on their way toward Panchala they were met by a large group of brahmanas on their way to Panchala, who invited Pandavas to join them.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01187.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Swayamvara Parva: Section CLXXXVI|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921183006/https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01187.htm|url-status=live}} At the Swayamvara, almost all the assorted monarchs were unable to complete the challenge. There are some variations regarding Karna's participation. Some renditions show Draupadi refusing to marry Karna on account of being a Suta, while some other versions describe him failing to string the bow by the "breadth of a hair".{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/mahabharatha015693mbp|title=THE MAHABHARATHA|last=VISHNU S. SUKTHANKAR|date=11 March 2018|publisher=BHANDARKAR ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, POONA|via=Internet Archive}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bori.ac.in/mahabharata_project.html|title=The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute : Mahabharata Project|website=bori.ac.in|access-date=3 December 2017|archive-date=20 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220032420/http://www.bori.ac.in/mahabharata_project.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/InterpolationsInTheMahabharata|title=Interpolations in the Mahabharata|last=M. A. Mehendale|date=1 January 2001|via=Internet Archive}}

{{refn|group=note|According to the critical edition of the Mahabharata from the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, this incident of insulting or denial of Karna is an interpolation since this event is not available in the entire Kumbakonam version of the Mahabharata (the southern text of the Mahabharata), Sharada and Bengali manuscripts. He failed to string the legendary bow.}}

In the end, Arjuna succeeds in the task, dressed as a Brahmin. The other attendees, including the Kauravas and Karna protest at a Brahmin winning the competition and attack Draupadi and Arjuna. Arjuna and Bhima together protect Draupadi. Returning to their mother Kunti, Arjuna playfully called Draupadi their "alms," prompting her unintended command to share her. Horrified but resolute, Kunti stood firm. Yudhishthira offered Draupadi to Arjuna, but Arjuna deferred to the eldest. By this time, Yudhishthira had observed his brothers’ shared desire for Draupadi, and recalling that the sage Vyasa had earlier informed them of Draupadi’s destiny to marry five men, he agreed to Kunti’s proposal. Drupada accepted the arrangement as dharmic, and the Pandavas wed Draupadi, after gaining permission from Drupada, who was hesitant to allow. This is one of the rare examples of polyandry in Sanskrit literature.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology |article=Arjuna |first=George M. |last=Williams |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |page=61 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7LOZfwCDpEC&pg=PA61|isbn=978-0-19533-261-2}} The brothers agreed that none should intrude if Draupadi was alone with one of the others, the penalty for doing so being 1 year to be spent in exile.{{cite encyclopedia|last=Johnson|first=W. J. |article=Arjuna |title=A Dictionary of Hinduism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19861-025-0}}

Later Draupadi becomes a mother of five sons, one son each from the Pandava brothers. They were known as Upapandavas. Their names were Prativindhya (from Yudhishthira), Sutasoma (from Bhima), Shrutakarma (from Arjuna), Satanika (from Nakula) and Shrutasena (from Sahadeva). Ashwatthama killed the Upapandavas during his surprise raid on Pandava camp on the eighteenth day of the war to avenge the death of his father Drona.{{cite book|last=Das|first=Gurucharan|year=2010|title=The Difficulty of Being Good|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=77BoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA219|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199754410|access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816074852/https://books.google.com/books?id=77BoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA219|url-status=live}}

File:Drupadi and Her attendants.jpg (the Persian translation of the Mahabharata) depicting Draupadi (centre) with her attendants, {{Circa|1617}}]]

With the Pandavas' survival revealed, a succession crisis was started. Upon the news of Pandavas' death at Varnavrat, the title of 'the crown prince' had fallen to Duryodhana. Dhritrashtra invites the Pandavas to Hastinapura and proposes that the kingdom be divided. The Pandavas are assigned the wasteland Khandavaprastha, referred to as unreclaimed desert. With the help of Krishna, Pandavas rebuilt Khandavprastha into the glorious Indraprastha. The crown jewel of the kingdom was built at the Khandava forest, where Draupadi resided in the "Palace of Illusions".{{cite book|last1=Dalal|first1=Roshen|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|page=166}} Yudhishthira performed the rajasuya yajna with Draupadi by his side; the Pandavas gained lordship over many regions.{{cite book|last1=Parmeshwarananad|first1=Swami|title=Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas|date=2001|publisher=Sarup and Sons|location=New Delhi|page=524}}

Draupadi was trained in economy and was responsible for the treasury of the Empire. Additionally, she also ran a citizen liaison. Her duties as a busy Empress are mentioned in her famous conversation with Satyabhama, Krishna's favourite wife, during their exile.{{cite web| url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03231.htm| title=Vana Parva| publisher=Sacred-texts.com| access-date=10 November 2017| archive-date=25 October 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025054753/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03231.htm| url-status=live}}{{sfn|Bhattacharya|2004}}

There is a popular myth that is believed to be the reason why Duryodhana hated Draupadi.

Duryodhana and his entourage were exploring the keep during their visit to Yudhishthira's Rajasuya yajna. While touring the grounds, an unsuspecting Duryodhana fell prey to one of the many illusions that could be seen all around the palace. When he stepped on the apparently solid part of the courtyard, there was a splash and Duryodhana found himself waist-deep in water, drenched from head to foot by the hidden pool. The myth is, Draupadi and her maids saw this from the balcony with amusement, and joked Andhasya Putra Andhaha meaning 'a blind man's son is blind'. This famous story does not feature in the original Mahabharata but is the figment of the imagination of a much later playwright.

In the original Sanskrit epic, the scene is quite different.{{cite web| url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02046.htm| title=Sabha parva| publisher=Sacred-texts.com| access-date=13 July 2015| archive-date=24 September 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133159/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02046.htm| url-status=live}} It was Bhima, Arjuna, and the twin brothers alongside their retinues who had witnessed Duryodhana's fall and laughed along with their servants. In the Sanskrit text, Draupadi is not mentioned in the scene at all, either laughing or insulting Duryodhana. Nonetheless, Duryodhana felt insulted by the behaviour of the four Pandavas, stoking his hatred of them. Later on, he went back to Hastinapura and expressed his immense agony on witnessing the riches of the Pandavas to his blind father, which was the root cause for inviting his cousins for the dice-game. His main wish was to usurp the wealth of his cousins which they had accumulated on account of the Rajasuya Yajna. Known to few, during this conversation, Duryodhan mentions how he had observed Draupadi serving food to everyone, including physically challenged citizens as the Empress. He says to his father, "And, O king, Yajnaseni, without having eaten herself, daily seeth whether everybody, including even the deformed and the dwarfs, hath eaten or not."{{cite web| url=http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02051.htm| title=Sabha parva| publisher=Sacred-texts.com| access-date=10 November 2017| archive-date=23 October 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023035538/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02051.htm| url-status=live}}

He then went on to express his wrath at having fallen into a pool of water and being laughed at mockingly, mainly by Bhima, followed by Arjun, Nakul, Sahadeva and other menials in the palace. It is here, where he fleetingly mentioned Draupadi's name, who accordingly to Duryodhan, had "joined in the laughter with other females." Whether Duryodhana was speaking an untruth or her name was a later addition into this part of the text is debatable.

Draupadi's laughter went on to be singled out and romanticized by writers for centuries as a cause for the dice-game, and the war. In Vyasa's Sanskrit epic, however, her role in the scene is trivial compared to the exaggerated treatment it has received in popular adaptations.

{{redirect|Draupadi Vastrapaharanam | other uses|}}

File:Draupadi dragged from her chamber.jpg

This key incident is often considered to mark a definitive moment in the story of Mahabharata. It is one of the driving reasons that ultimately led to the Kurukshetra War.

Together with his maternal uncle Shakuni, Duryodhana conspired to call on the Pandavas to Hastinapura and win their kingdoms in a game of gambling. There is famous folklore that the plan's architect, Shakuni had magic dice that would never disobey his will, as they were made from the bones of Shakuni's father. This story, however, is non-existent in the Sanskrit epic. As the game proceeds, Yudhishthira loses everything at first. In the second round, Yudhishthira's brother Nakula is at stake, and Yudhishthira loses him. Yudhisthira subsequently gambles away Sahadeva, Arjuna and Bhima. Finally, Yudhishthira puts himself at stake, and loses again. For Duryodhana, the humiliation of the Pandavas was not complete. He prods Yudhishthira that he has not lost everything yet; Yudhishthira still has Draupadi with him and if he wishes he can win everything back by putting Draupadi at stake. Inebriated by the game, Yudhishthira, to the horror of everybody present, puts Draupadi up as a bet for the next round. Playing the next round, Shakuni wins. Draupadi was horrified after hearing that she was staked in the game and now is a slave for Duryodhana. Duryodhana initially sends his charioteer Pratikamin to bring Draupadi to the court. Pratikamin informs Draupadi about the incidents happened during the dice game. Draupadi questions Yudhishthira's right on her as he had lost himself first and she was still the queen. Duryodhana, angry with Draupadi's questions, commands his younger brother Dushasana to bring her into the court, forcefully if he must.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isYVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97|title=Disorienting Dharma: Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the Mahabharata|first=Emily|last=Hudson|year=2012|isbn=978-0199860784|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816071848/https://books.google.com/books?id=isYVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02066.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Shishupala-badha Parva: Section LXVI |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2013-10-20 |archive-date=7 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207200659/http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02066.htm |url-status=live }}

Dushasana drags Draupadi to the court by the hair. Seeing this, Bhima pledges to cut off Dushasana's hands, as they touched Draupadi's hair. Now in an emotional appeal to the elders present in the forum, Draupadi repeatedly questions the legality of the right of Yudhishthira to place her at stake.{{Cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Oliver F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xkdZTK4zSm4C&q=Draupadi+repeatedly+questions+the+legality+of+the+right+of+Yudhishthira+to+place+her+at+stake.&pg=PA103|title=A Virtuous Life in Business: Stories of Courage and Integrity in the Corporate World|last2=Houck|first2=John W.|date=1992|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-8476-7747-4|language=en|access-date=4 October 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816074853/https://books.google.com/books?id=xkdZTK4zSm4C&q=Draupadi+repeatedly+questions+the+legality+of+the+right+of+Yudhishthira+to+place+her+at+stake.&pg=PA103|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|last=Uppal|first=Nishant|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_V5DwAAQBAJ&q=Draupadi+repeatedly+questions+the+legality+of+the+right+of+Yudhishthira+to+place+her+at+stake.&pg=PT147|title=Duryodhanization: Are Villains Born, Made, or Made Up?|date=2018-11-29|publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited|isbn=978-93-5305-369-7|language=en|access-date=4 October 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816074854/https://books.google.com/books?id=E_V5DwAAQBAJ&q=Draupadi+repeatedly+questions+the+legality+of+the+right+of+Yudhishthira+to+place+her+at+stake.&pg=PT147|url-status=live}}

File:Draupadi disobedience in court of Kurus.jpg

In order to provoke the Pandavas further, Duryodhana bares and pats his thigh looking into Draupadi's eyes, implying that she should sit on his thigh. The enraged Bhima vows in front of the entire assembly that he would break Duryodhana's thighs, or else accept being Duryodhana's slave for seven lifetimes. At this time Vikarna, a brother of Duryodhana asks the kings assembled in the court to answer the question of Draupadi. He gives his opinion that Draupadi is not won rightfully as Yudhishthira lost himself first before staking her. Besides, no one has the right to put a woman on bet according to shastras; not a husband, father, or even the gods. Hearing these words, Karna gets angry and says that when Yudhishthira lost all his possession he also lost Draupadi, even specifically staking her.{{cite web|last1=Pattanaik|first1=Devdutt|title=The Clothes of Draupadi|url=http://devdutt.com/articles/mahabharata/the-clothes-of-draupadi.html|website=Devdutt|date=2 August 2006|access-date=20 February 2015|archive-date=20 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220130209/http://devdutt.com/articles/mahabharata/the-clothes-of-draupadi.html|url-status=live}} Karna calls Draupadi a "whore" for being the wedded wife of five men, adding that her being to the court is not a surprising act whether she is clothed or naked.{{sfn|Chakravarti|2007}} He then instructs Dushasana to remove the garments of Draupadi.{{Cite book |last=Buitenen |first=JAB van |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Mah%C4%81bh%C4%81rata_Book_of_the_assembly_hal/1qZUvwEACAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiRgrH0x4aNAxXXTmwGHX2mAwAQiqUDKAF6BAgIEAQ |title=The Mahabharata, Volume 2: Book 2: The Book of Assembly; Book 3: The Book of the Forest |date=1975 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-84649-1 |pages=146 |language=en}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isYVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA98|title=Disorienting Dharma: Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the Mahabharata|first=Emily|last=Hudson|year=2012|isbn=978-0199860784|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075355/https://books.google.com/books?id=isYVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA98|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02067.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Shishupala-badha Parva: Section LXVII |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2015-07-24 |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717205141/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02067.htm |url-status=live }} Dushasana attempts to disrobe her, but she is miraculously protected when Dushasana finds that as he continues to unwrap the layers of her sari, the amount of fabric covering her never lessens. Dushasana is eventually reduced to exhaustion, as the awed court observes that Draupadi is still chastely dressed. While this miraculous protection is often attributed to Krishna's divine intervention and many recensions include that Draupadi pleads to Krishna for aid, Franklin Edgerton's research on the Sabhaparvan Critical Edition indicates this account is likely a later interpolation. At this point, a furious Bhima vows to drink blood from Dushasana's chest, at the pain of not seeing his ancestors entering heaven. This vow unsettles the entire court.{{sfn|Mani|1975|loc=[https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/compilation/puranic-encyclopaedia/d/doc241811.html Pancali]}}

File:The Humiliation of Draupadi.jpg

The only Kauravas who object to the disrobing of Draupadi in the court are Vikarna and Yuyutsu. Vidura openly calls Duryodhana a snake and demon after finding no support even from his own brother, Vidura is helpless. Karna further orders Dushasana to take Draupadi to the servants' quarters and derisively asks her to choose another husband who unlike Yudhishthira would not gamble her away. Just then, jackals call out as a mark of evil omen. Queen Gandhari enters the scene and counsels Dhritarashtra to undo her sons' misdeeds. Fearing the ill-omens, Dhritarashtra intervenes and grants Draupadi a boon. Draupadi asks that her husband Yudishthira be freed from bondage so her son Prativindhya would not be called a slave. In order to pacify her further, Dhritarashtra offers a second boon. Calmly, she asks for the freedom of the Pandavas along with their weapons. When Dhritarashtra asks her for her third wish, she reminds him that a Kshatriya woman can seek only two wishes, three would be a sign of greed. Dhritarashtra gives them back their wealth and grants them permission to go home.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/mahabharata_nk/mahabharata_nilakanthas_commentary#page/n403/mode/2up |title=Mahabharata with the Commentary of Nilakantha |date=June 2013 |access-date=2015-07-24}}

Amused by the sudden turn of events, Karna remarks that they "have never heard of such an act, performed by any of the women noted in this world for their beauty." He taunts the Pandavas by praising their wife, as she had rescued them "like a boat from their ocean of distress".{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02071.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Shishupala-badha Parva: Section LXVII |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2017-11-10 |archive-date=23 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023040438/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02071.htm |url-status=live }}

Having restored their pride and wealth, the Pandavas and Draupadi leave for Indraprastha, only to receive another invitation for a game of dice, in which the loser would be given an exile of 12 years followed by a year of Ajnatavasa, meaning "living in incognito". Yudhishtira yet again accepts the invitation and loses, and goes on an exile with his brothers and wife Draupadi.{{cite encyclopedia|last=Johnson|first=W. J. |article=Mahabharata |title=A Dictionary of Hinduism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|doi=10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19861-025-0}}

File:Panda_visit_Kedarnath.jpg during their exile, a scene from the Vana Parva]]

During the thirteen years of exile (Vanavasa) mandated after the dice game, Draupadi, along with the Pandavas, endured a life of hardship and privation in the forests, as detailed in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. Narrative accounts within this Parva describe several key episodes. In the Kamyakavana, Draupadi was threatened by the demon Kirmira, brother of Baka, and Bhima is described as intervening and killing him to protect her. The text also narrates Draupadi offering support and comfort to Yudhishthira during their exile. Certain passages depict Draupadi expressing her distress and, in some instances, voicing condemnation of the Devas. Further, narratives recount Draupadi's desire for the Saugandhika flowers, prompting Bhima to undertake a journey to fulfill her request. The Mahabharata describes Draupadi's abduction by the Rakshasa Jatasura while they were residing in the Badarikashrama, and the subsequent rescue by the Pandavas. Following this incident, the narrative indicates that Draupadi and the Pandavas resided at the hermitage of Arishtisena. The Vana Parva also includes passages where Draupadi imparts instructions on the duties of a wife to Satyabhama, Krishna's wife.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=551}}File:Jaydrath abduct Draupadi.jpg

A widely popular narrative, though considered by scholars to be an interpolation, recounts an incident during this period involving sage Durvasa. According to this account, after Draupadi and the Pandavas had finished their meal prepared using the Akshay Patra, Durvasa and his disciples arrived unexpectedly. Sent by Duryodhana with the intent of having the sage curse the Pandavas, they were received with hospitality. Durvasa requested food, but Draupadi found herself with no remaining provisions. Fearing the sage's potential curse, she prayed to Krishna. In response, Krishna requested the vessel from Draupadi, and upon consuming a single grain of rice remaining within, both Durvasa and his disciples experienced a sensation of having eaten a lavish meal. They departed satisfied. Notably, this incident is absent from the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bhagavatam-katha.com/mahabharata-story-durvasa-muni-svisit-to-pandavas-in-the-forest/|title=Mahabharata story: Durvasa Muni and cooking pot of Draupadi! | Bhagavatam-katha|date=23 March 2015 |access-date=6 September 2020|archive-date=1 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901023220/http://www.bhagavatam-katha.com/mahabharata-story-durvasa-muni-svisit-to-pandavas-in-the-forest/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web | url=https://lightofgodhead.com/logstaging/durvasa-muni-visits-the-pandavas// | title=Durvasa muni visits the Pandavas | access-date=6 September 2020 | archive-date=16 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116203633/https://lightofgodhead.com/logstaging/durvasa-muni-visits-the-pandavas// | url-status=live }}

While the Pandavas was in the Kamyaka forest, they often went hunting, leaving Draupadi alone. At this time Jayadratha, the son of Vriddhakshatra and the husband of Duryodhana's sister Dussala, passed through Kamyaka forest on the way to Salva Desa. Jayadratha met Draupadi and then started beseeching her to go away with him and desert her husband. Draupadi pointed out the immorality of deserting one's spouses when they were in difficulty and attempted to stall and dissuade Jayadratha by describing how the Pandavas would punish him. Failing with words, Jayadratha forced her onto his chariot. Meanwhile, the Pandavas finished their hunt and found Draupadi missing. Learning of their wife's abduction by Jayadratha they rushed to save her. On seeing the Pandavas coming after him, Jayadratha left Draupadi on the road, though ultimately the Pandavas managed to arrest him. Arjuna urged Bhima to spare Jayadratha's life for the sake of Dussala and Gandhari, much to the indignation of Draupadi. In some versions of the story, Yudhishthira asks Draupadi to pass the sentence since it was she who was attacked, and she begrudgingly counsels to spare him because of the relations they share. Before freeing him, the Pandavas shaved Jayadratha's head at five places in order to publicly humiliate him.{{Cite web|url=https://www.indianmirror.com/history/mahabharatha/abduction-of-draupadi.html|title=Stories of Mahabharatha – the Abduction of Draupadi|access-date=26 August 2020|archive-date=13 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513063722/https://www.indianmirror.com/history/mahabharatha/abduction-of-draupadi.html|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Ajnatavasa}}

File:Sairandhri, by Raja Ravi Varma.jpg depicting Draupadi, who is disguised as Sairandhri, carrying wine to Kichaka's chambers]]

On the thirteenth year of their exile, the Pandavas choose to stay in the Matsya Kingdom. Draupadi becomes the maid of Sudeshna, queen of Matsya, and serves her.

One day Kichaka, Sudeshna's brother and the commander of king Virata's forces, happens to see Draupadi. He is filled with lust by looking at her and requests her hand in marriage. Draupadi refuses him, saying that she is already married to Gandharvas. Seeing his persistence, she warns Kichaka that her husbands are very strong and that he will not be able to escape death at their hands. Later, he convinces his sister, the queen Sudeshna, to help him win Draupadi. Sudeshna orders Draupadi to fetch wine from Kichaka's house, overriding Draupadi's protests. When Draupadi goes to get wine, Kichaka tries to molest her.{{Sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}

Draupadi escapes and runs into the court of Virata. Kichaka kicks her in front of all the courtiers, including Yudhishthira. Fearful of losing his most powerful warrior, even Virat does not take any action. Bhima is present, and only a look from Yudhishthira prevents him from attacking Kichaka. Furious, Draupadi asks about the duties of a king and dharma. She then curses Kichaka with death by her husband's hand. Laughing it off, Kichaka only doubts their whereabouts and asks those present where the Gandharvas are. Yudhishthira addresses Draupadi as Sairandhri and orders her to go to the temple, as Kichaka would not do anything to her there (in some versions, he recommends she seeks refuge with the queen). With this, the king asks Kichaka to leave and praises Yudhishthira's reply as he himself could not think of anything.File:Draupadi humiliated RRV.jpg

Later that night, Bhima consoles Draupadi, and they hatch a plan to kill Kichaka. Draupadi meets with Kichaka, pretending to actually love him and agreeing to marry him on the condition that none of his friends or brothers will know about their relationship. Kichaka accepts her condition. Draupadi asks Kichaka to come to the dancing hall at night. Bhima (in the guise of Draupadi), fights with Kichaka and kills him.{{Sfn|Chakravarti|2007}}

Draupadi calls the members of Kichaka's family and shows them the mutilated body of Kichaka. The murder is attributed to her Gandharva husbands. This angers Kichaka's brothers and they decide to burn her along with Kichaka's body to take revenge. After getting permission from Virata, Draupadi is forcefully tied to Kichaka's pyre. Upon her pleading, Bhima runs for her help and kills the brothers of Kichaka, thus saving her from being burnt alive.{{Cite book|last=Kulkarni|first=Shripad Dattatraya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQJkAAAAMAAJ&q=kichaka+burnt|title=The Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata|date=1992|publisher=Shri Bhagavan Vedavyasa Itihasa Samsodhana Mandira (Bheeshma)|isbn=978-81-900113-6-5|language=en|access-date=3 May 2021|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075356/https://books.google.com/books?id=yQJkAAAAMAAJ&q=kichaka+burnt|url-status=live}}

File:Bheemsen washing tresses of Draupadi with the blood of Dushasan, Mahabharat; Kalighat Painting.jpg

Following the completion of the thirteen-year exile and incognito period, the Pandavas sought the return of their rightful share of the kingdom. However, the Kauravas refused, escalating tensions and leading to the Kurukshetra War. Krishna, acting as a peace emissary, attempted to negotiate with Dhritarashtra, seeking to secure the Pandavas' share. Prior to his departure, Draupadi privately expressed her desire for war to Krishna. The peace mission failed, and the war commenced, resulting in significant casualties on both sides. Notably, following the death of Abhimanyu, Subhadra's grief was profound, and Draupadi, in attempting to console her, fainted.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=551}}

A popular myth, often depicted in well-known adaptations of Mahabharata, depicts Draupadi washing her hair with her brother-in-law Dushasana's blood, as a mark of her vengeance against the molestation she had suffered at the dice-game. Though an extremely powerful and symbolic theme, this incident does not appear in Vyasa's Sanskrit Mahabharata.

Alf Hiltebeitel in his acclaimed research work, "The Cult of Draupadi" explores the source of this myth as he travels through the rural areas of India. He discovers that the first literary mention of the blood-washing theme appeared in "Venisamhara"{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.486171|title=The Venisamhara of Bhatta Narayana|first=Bombay|last=Portessor of Sanskrit Elphinstone College|date=11 March 2018|via=Internet Archive}} or "Braiding The Hair (of Draupadi)", a Sanskrit play written in the Pallava period by eminent playwright Bhatta Narayana. Since then, this powerful theme of vengeance had been used in most retellings and adaptations on Mahabharat, thus mistakenly attributing the authorship to Veda Vyasa.

Ashwathama, in order to avenge his father's as well as other Kuru warriors' deceitful killing by the Pandavas, attacks their camp at night with Kripacharya and Kritavarma. Ashwathama killed Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, Upapandavas, and the remaining Pandava and Panchala army.K M Ganguly(1883–1896). [http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10009.htm The Mahabharatha Book 10: Sauptika Parva section 9] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925234035/http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10009.htm |date=25 September 2015 }} Ashwatthama killing Dhrishtadyumna, October 2003, Retrieved 2015-04-17 In the morning, Yudhishthira hears the news and asks Nakula to bring Draupadi from Matsya Kingdom.K M Ganguly(1883–1896). [http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10010.htm.htm The Mahabharatha Book 10: Sauptika Parva section 10]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Yudhishthira crying over the death of Upapandavas, October 2003, Retrieved 2015-04-17 Draupadi vows that if the Pandavas do not kill Ashwatthama, she would fast to death.{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10011.htm |title=The Mahabharata, Book 10: Sauptika Parva: Section 11 |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |access-date=2015-07-24 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924134004/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10011.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08088.htm | title=Asvathama and Kripa are born immortals and unslayable by any kind of weapons | access-date=28 June 2015 | archive-date=11 May 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511122420/http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08088.htm | url-status=live }} The Pandavas find Ashwatthama at Vyasa's hut. Arjuna and Ashwatthama end up firing the Brahmashirsha astra at each other. Vyasa intervenes and asks the two warriors to withdraw the destructive weapon. Not endowed with the knowledge to do so, Ashwatthama instead redirects the weapon to Uttara's womb, but Krishna protects the Pandavas' only heir with his Sudarshana Chakra. Krishna curses him for this act. Ashwatthama is caught by the Pandavas and his jewel is taken away. Draupadi gives the jewel to Yudhishthira and forgives the killer of her children. Due to the power of meditation, her wrath is subdued and she speaks of Ashwathama, son of their preceptor Drona, {{blockquote|"I desired to only pay off our debt for the injury we have sustained. The preceptor's son is worthy of my reverence as the preceptor himself. Let the king bind this gem on his head, O Bharata!"K M Ganguly(1883–1896). [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10016.htm The Mahabharatha Book 10: Sauptika Parva section 16] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008083150/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10016.htm |date=8 October 2017 }} Draupadi forgiving Ashwathama, October 2003, Retrieved 2017-11-10}}

File:Death of Draupadi - Illustrations from the Barddhaman edition of Mahabharata.jpg

Following the Kurukshetra War, the Pandavas assumed control of Hastinapura, and Draupadi is described as being among those who encouraged Yudhishthira to assume the role of ruler. Yudhishthira subsequently performed an Ashvamedha Yajna, during which Draupadi presented gifts to her co-wives Chitrangada and Ulupi. After the Ashvamedha, Draupadi resided in Hastinapura, providing service to both Kunti and Gandhari. When Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti decided to depart for the forest, Draupadi expressed her wish to accompany them and offer assistance, but her offer was declined. During the Pandavas' reign in Hastinapura, visiting rishis and siddhas reportedly recognized Draupadi as an embodiment of the goddess Sri-Lakshmi.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=551}}

Draupadi and Yudhishthira ruled for 36 years. When her husbands retired from the world and went on their journey towards the Himalayas and heaven, she accompanied them and was the first to fall dead on the journey. When Bhima asked Yudhishthira why Draupadi had fallen, Yudhishthira replied,

{{Blockquote|"O best of men, though we were all equal unto her she had a great partiality for Dhananjaya. She obtains the fruit of that conduct today, O best of men."{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m17/m17002.htm|title=The Mahabharata, Book 17: Mahaprasthanika Parva: Section 2|access-date=3 June 2018|archive-date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225113513/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m17/m17002.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isYVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA207|title=Disorienting Dharma: Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the Mahabharata|first=Emily|last=Hudson|year=2012|isbn=978-0199860784|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=14 September 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075358/https://books.google.com/books?id=isYVDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA207|url-status=live}}}}

In Svargarohanika Parva, Yudhisthira goes to heaven and sees Draupadi seated as Goddess Sri-Lakshmi.{{cite web |title=Svargarohanika parva |url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m18/m18004.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910174427/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m18/m18004.htm |archive-date=10 September 2015 |access-date=13 July 2015 |publisher=Sacred-texts.com}}

Image:2716 PandavaDraupadifk.jpg.jpg. The central figure is Yudhishthira; the two to his left are Bhima and Arjuna . Nakula and Sahadeva, the twins, are to his right. Deogarh, Dasavatar temple.]]

Polyandry was not regarded without censure by the society spoken of in the epic.{{fact|date=January 2025}}{{quotation needed|date=January 2025}} Her marriage to five men was controversial for political reasons as that was an advantage for Prince Duryodhana to get the throne of Bharat Varsha. However, when questioned by Kunti to give an example of polyandry, Yudhishthira cites Gautam-clan Jatila (married to seven Saptarishi) and Hiranyaksha's sister Pracheti (married to ten brothers).{{cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Vaivahika Parva: Section CLXLVIII|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01199.htm|access-date=2013-10-20|publisher=Sacred-texts.com|archive-date=19 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419174401/http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01199.htm|url-status=live}}

There are many women of high born classes or royal class like Princess Mādhavi who had four husbands, the only daughter of King Yayati. Polyandry was in the royal class but under the strict guidance of the Vedic sages exactly like polygamous marriages of ancient Indian kings were under strict supervision and guidance of the Vedic laws and Vedic sages.{{cite book|author=Sarva Daman Singh|title=Polyandry in Ancient India|date=1 January 1988|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-8120804876}}{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Sarva Daman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=limC6vCMYnMC&q=india+and+polyandry|title=Polyandry in Ancient India|date=1988|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ.|isbn=978-81-208-0487-6|language=en|access-date=24 December 2020|archive-date=16 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075357/https://books.google.com/books?id=limC6vCMYnMC&q=india+and+polyandry|url-status=live}}

In the Critical Edition (CE) of the Mahabharata, Draupadi is attested as an incarnation of Shri, the goddess of prosperity and sovereignty, born from a sacrificial altar to embody divine favor and legitimacy for the Pandavas. This identification, deemed authentic in the Critical Edition, underscores her exceptional status among female characters, as noted in scholarship. Her connection to Shri, amplified in the Panchendra-Upakhyana, is doubly unique, as incarnations typically feature in the main narrative rather than sub-stories (upakhyanas).{{Cite book |last=Brodbeck |first=Simon |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Gender_and_Narrative_in_the_Mahabharata/56fr2p5f7l0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=gender+and+narrative+in+the+mahabharata&printsec=frontcover |title=Gender and Narrative in the Mahabharata |last2=Black |first2=Brian |date=2007-08-09 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-11995-0 |language=en}} Conversely, one section in the Northern Recension attributes Shri to Rukmini, Krishna’s principal wife, aligning her with Shri-Lakshmi's role as Vishnu’s consort and reflecting later Puranic traditions, while identifying Draupadi as Shachi, Indra’s wife, likely due to her marriage to Arjuna, Indra’s partial incarnation. Scholarship highlights the controversy, clarifying that Draupadi’s link to Shri is original, and efforts to connect her with Shachi—and Rukmini with Shri—are interpolations. Critics argue that this shift reflects a post-epic tendency to simplify Draupadi's identity into a conventional divine pairing, thus diminishing her broader significance as Shri in the restoration of dharma.{{Cite book |last=Hiltebeitel |first=Alf |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Ritual_of_Battle/9BvsDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=krishna+in+the+mahabharata&printsec=frontcover |title=The Ritual of Battle: Krsna in the Mahabharata |date=2017-01-01 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-4034-8 |language=en}}

File:Draupati Amman idol in Udappu.jpg|Draupadi Amman idol in Udappu, Sri Lanka

File:Reclining Draupadi, wife of the 5 Pandavs. Near Auroville2.jpg|Reclining Draupadi's head – near Auroville

The Draupadi Amman sect, a regional Hindu tradition primarily observed by the Palli or Vanniyar Kulakshatriya communities, venerates Draupadi as a village goddess with unique rituals and mythologies.{{cite book |last=Hiltebeitel |first=Alf |author-link=Alf Hiltebeitel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VncomfRVVhoC&pg=PA221 |title=The Cult of Draupadī: Mythologies: From Gingee to Kurukserta |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1991 |isbn=978-81-208-1000-6 |page=221 |access-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075859/https://books.google.com/books?id=VncomfRVVhoC&pg=PA221 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Madhusudhan |first1=N.R. |date=2012 |title=Ancient tradition comes alive |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/article382309.ece?service=print |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030041121/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/article382309.ece?service=print |archive-date=30 October 2014 |access-date=10 October 2014 |publisher=New Indian Express}}{{cite book |last=Hiltebeitel |first=Alf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=diPh4qYtjPUC&q=mutaliyar |title=The Cult of Draupadi, Volume 2 |publisher=University of Chicago |year=1998 |isbn=9780226340470 |page=23,107 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502165106/https://books.google.com/books?id=diPh4qYtjPUC&q=mutaliyar |archive-date=2 May 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VncomfRVVhoC&q=Mutaliyars |title=The Cult of Draupadi. Mythologies from Gingee to kurukserta, Volume 1 |publisher=University of Chicago |year=2008 |isbn=9788120810006 |editor=Alf hiltebeitel |pages=32 |access-date=27 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075938/https://books.google.com/books?id=VncomfRVVhoC&q=Mutaliyars |archive-date=16 August 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GZwD7EqLcAUC&q=Draupadi |title=Rural Society in Southeast India |publisher=Cambridge |year=2008 |isbn=9780521040198 |editor=Kathleen Gough |pages=360 |access-date=27 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075900/https://books.google.com/books?id=GZwD7EqLcAUC&q=Draupadi |archive-date=16 August 2023 |url-status=live}} This devotion is widespread, with over 400 temples dedicated to Draupadi in South Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, as well as in countries with a large Tamil population like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Réunion, and South Africa.{{cite news |last1=Madhusudhan |first1=N.R. |date=2012 |title=Ancient tradition comes alive |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/article382309.ece?service=print |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030041121/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/article382309.ece?service=print |archive-date=30 October 2014 |access-date=10 October 2014 |publisher=The New Indian Express}} Notably, fire walking or Thimithi is a prominent ritual performed at these temples.{{cite book |last=Hiltebeitel |first=Alf |author-link=Alf Hiltebeitel |title=The Cult of Draupadi Mythologies:From Gingee To Kuruksetra |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1991 |isbn=978-81-208-1000-6 |volume=1}} Additionally, Draupadi is worshipped as an incarnation of Adishakti and Parvati during the Bengaluru Pete's Bangalore Karaga festival, a nine-day event.{{cite web |date=18 April 2011 |title=City to feel Karaga fervour tonight |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/154465/city-feel-karaga-fervour-tonight.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302103941/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/154465/city-feel-karaga-fervour-tonight.html |archive-date=2 March 2018 |access-date=1 March 2018 |website=Deccan Herald}}
- {{cite web |title=Adishakti Draupadi's Karaga Shakthiotsava |url=http://www.karaga.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603201013/http://karaga.com/ |archive-date=3 June 2013 |access-date=2018-01-18}} Communities including the Pillais, Vanniyars, Mudaliyars, Konars, Gounders of Tamil Nadu, and the Tigala community of Karnataka also consider Draupadi Amman as their household deity (kuladevi). These communities hold annual festivals and processions, with some lasting up to three weeks, such as the one in Durgasamudram, Tirupati. The Sri Dharmarayaswamy-Draupadi temple in Thigarapete, Bengaluru, is another significant site of worship.{{cite web |date=26 February 2011 |title=Drowpathi Sametha Dharmaraja Swamy Temple |url=http://tirupati.desibantu.com/drowpathi-sametha-dharmaraja-swamy-temple |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325030555/http://tirupati.desibantu.com/drowpathi-sametha-dharmaraja-swamy-temple |archive-date=25 March 2014 |access-date=13 June 2013 |work=Desibantu}}

In Mahayana Buddhism, Kṛṣṇā Draupadī is presented in the Mahāvastu and the Lalitavistara as one among eight goddesses who reside in the western cardinal direction.{{cite web |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-mahavastu/d/doc242633.html |title=The Mahavastu (great story) |author=J. J. Jones |date=17 March 2019 |publisher=Luzac |access-date=7 April 2022 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816075940/https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/the-mahavastu/d/doc242633.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://read.84000.co/translation/toh95.html |title=The Play in Full |publisher=84000.co |access-date=7 April 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301173219/https://read.84000.co/translation/toh95.html |url-status=live }}

In Digambara Jain scriptures like Harivamsa Purana, polyandry of Draupadi has been rejected and it is suggested that she was married only to Arjuna. Hemachandra, a Śvetāmbara Jain monk, accepts the polyandry in his work Triṣaṣṭi and further suggests that Draupadi was Nagasri in one of her previous lives and had poisoned a Jain monk. Therefore, she had to suffer in hell and animal incarnations for several lives before being born a woman who later became a Jain nun. After her death, she was reborn as Draupadi and was married to five Pandavas.{{sfn|Doniger|1993|p=241}}

File:Yakshagana bhima.JPG theatre]]

• According to a folklore, Draupadi introduced the popular Indian snack Pani Puri.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/the-tangy-story-of-golgappa-indias-favorite-street-food/etphotostory/75831223.cms|title=The Tangy Story of Golgappa-India's Favorite Street Food|newspaper=The Times of India|date=2021-07-17|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=24 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424055928/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/the-tangy-story-of-golgappa-indias-favorite-street-food/etphotostory/75831223.cms|url-status=live}}

Karaga is a folk festival of Karnataka which originated as a ritual in Southern India dedicated to Draupadi as known in these parts as Droupadamma. The ritual is performed on a full moon day.

The story of Draupadi is one of the central topics of Yakshagana, a traditional dance-play practised in Karnataka and Terukkuttu, a Tamil street theatre form practised in Tamil Nadu state of India and Tamil-speaking regions of Sri Lanka.{{cite book

| last = Sarachchandra

| first = Ediriweera R.

| title = The Folk Drama of Ceylon

| publisher = Department of Cultural Affairs, Ceylon

| location = Colombo

| oclc = 63859810

| pages = 116

| year = 1966

}}{{cite book

| last = Varadpande

| first = Manohar Laxman

| title = History of Indian Theatre

| publisher = Abhinav Publications

| orig-year = 1987

| year = 1990

| isbn = 978-81-7017-278-9

| oclc = 18270064

| pages = 39–44

}}{{cite book

| last = Srinivas

| first = Smriti

| title = Landscapes of Urban Memory

| publisher = Orient Longman

| orig-year = 2001

| year = 2004

| isbn = 81-250-2254-6

| oclc = 46353272

| pages = 23

}}

The fiery heroine of Mahabharata has been the topic of research and debate for centuries. There are various plays and novels based on her.

• Yajnaseni by Pratibha Ray – This novel, originally written in Odia was the recipient of Jnanpith Award.{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/odia-writer-pratibha-ray-named-for-jnanpith-award/1/239724.html|title=Odia writer Pratibha Ray named for Jnanpith Award|date=27 December 2012|website=India Today|access-date=3 December 2017|archive-date=27 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227200642/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/odia-writer-pratibha-ray-named-for-jnanpith-award/1/239724.html|url-status=live}} It was also translated in various languages like English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, etc.
• The Palace of Illusions: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Deviating much from the Sanskrit text,{{cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2018/dec/03/an-alternate-interpretation-of-an-ever-relevant-indian-epic-1906536.html|title=The Palace of Illusions: An alternate interpretation of an ever-relevant Indian epic|newspaper=The New Indian Express|date=2018-12-03|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303165108/https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2018/dec/03/an-alternate-interpretation-of-an-ever-relevant-indian-epic-1906536.html|url-status=live}} Divakaruni brings up the emotions of Draupadi, re-imagining the whole epic from her perspective.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/27/palace-illusions-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni|title=The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2009-09-26|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303170151/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/27/palace-illusions-chitra-banerjee-divakaruni|url-status=live}}
• Draupadi by Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, is a Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Telugu novel that narrates Mahabharata from Draupadi's perspective.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/looking-into-the-heart-of-an-enigmatic-woman/cid/1441570|title=Looking into the heart of an enigmatic woman|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=India|date=2015-06-26|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303171549/https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/looking-into-the-heart-of-an-enigmatic-woman/cid/1441570|url-status=live}}
• The Cult of Draupadi{{cite book|url=http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo3626877.html|title=The Cult of Draupadi, Volume 1|publisher=University of Chicago Press|access-date=3 December 2017|archive-date=4 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204062819/http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo3626877.html|url-status=live}} by Alf Hiltebeitel – This trilogy is an exhaustive, scholarly account of the various folk traditions surrounding Draupadi in South India. Hiltebeitel travels through various parts of India, tracing and recording the lesser-known customs and tribes in Gingi Cult and much more, who extensively worship Draupadi as their deity – a status which has been attained by few Mahabharat characters. There are over 31 plays and ballads that are conducted in over 400 temples, that are dedicated to Draupadi Amman. The story of Draupadi creates great respect for women in society. Her sacrifice and her inner power defeats the evil activities performed on women
• Nathabati Anathbat by Shaoli Mitra – This is a stage play{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEMipNhKC54| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/wEMipNhKC54| archive-date=2021-11-07 | url-status=live|title=Nathabati Anathbat in Hindi – Shaoli Mitra|last=Abhimonyu Deb|date=31 August 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} depicting the agony of Draupadi as a woman who "has five husbands, and yet none to protect her."
• Dopdi by Mahasweta Devi in Bengali – A contemporary tale of oppression with Draupadi as the lead character.{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/explained-the-context-and-import-of-mahasweta-devis-draupadi/article36131705.ece|title=The context and import of Mahasweta Devi's 'Draupadi'|newspaper=The Hindu|date=2021-08-27|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020010213/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/explained-the-context-and-import-of-mahasweta-devis-draupadi/article36131705.ece|url-status=live}}
• The Great Indian Novel by Dr. Shashi Tharoor – Written as a fictional work that is analogous to the events featured in the Mahabharata in order to describe contemporary Indian Politics, Dr.Tharoor has described the character of 'Draupadi' as 'Di Mokrasi', who is an illegitimate daughter of 'Dhritarashtra' and 'Lady Drewpad' in the novel. Tharoor likens Draupadi to the tenets of 'Democracy'. As mentioned in Veda Vyasa's epic, he ascribes her to be the wife to all five 'Pandyas', who are themselves an abbreviation of different facets of Indian politics.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29548043|title=Why Shashi Tharoor's Great Indian Novel still appeals|publisher=BBC News|date=2014-10-16|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303175635/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29548043|url-status=live}}

Ram Manohar Lohia proposed that Draupadi, the intelligent, sharp-witted, courageous, and fiercely independent heroine of the Mahabharata, represented the ideal of Indian womanhood, standing in contrast to the docile and obedient portrayal of Sati-Savitri. He used this cultural symbol to advocate gender justice.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-25 |title=Yogendra Yadav Writes: The Ram Manohar Lohia we need |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/yogendra-yadav-writes-the-ram-manohar-lohia-we-need-9904265/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

• Agnivansha
• Draupati Amman
• Yajnaseni, a novel by Pratibha Ray
• Yajnaseni, a play by Suman Pokhrel
• Historicity of the Mahabharata

{{Reflist}}

{{Notelist}}

{{reflist|group=note}}

• {{Cite journal|last=Bhattacharya|first=Pratip|date=2004|title=She Who Must Be Obeyed, Draupadi: The ill fated one|url=http://www.manushi-india.org/pdfs_issues/PDF%20144/Panchkanya%2019-30.pdf|volume=Panchakanya 19–30|journal=Manushi}}
• Eminent women in the Mahabharata by Vanamala Bhawalkar.
• {{cite book |title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: a Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature |url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/548/mode/1up | publisher = Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |year = 1975| isbn = 978-0-8426-0822-0 |first = Vettam|last = Mani}}
• {{Cite book|last=Chakravarti|first=Bishnupada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivQ6CwAAQBAJ&q=Keechak&pg=PT105|title=Penguin Companion to the Mahabharata|date=2007-11-13|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-93-5214-170-8|language=en}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Chakrabarti|first1=Arindam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HuffCgAAQBAJ&q=ayonija+dhrstadyumna&pg=PT67|title=Mahabharata Now: Narration, Aesthetics, Ethics|last2=Bandyopadhyay|first2=Sibaji|date=2017-09-19|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-34213-7|language=en}}
• The Critical Edition of Mahabharat(1966) published by Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
• Mahabharata (1999) by Krishna Dharma
• Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, English translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
• {{citation |editor-last=Doniger |editor-first=Wendy |editor-link=Wendy Doniger |title=Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kZFzHCuiFAC |year=1993 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=0-7914-1381-0 }}
• {{cite book|last1=Hiltebeitel|first1=Alf|author-link1=Alf Hiltebeitel|title=Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits|date=1999|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=0226340554|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMFdosx0PokC|access-date=28 September 2015}}
• {{Cite book|last=Gandhi|first=Maneka|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkW6hs1OjyEC&q=Draupadi|title=The Penguin Book of Hindu Names|date=1993|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-012841-3|language=en}}
• {{Cite book|last=Karve|first=Irawati|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJz4ZWsRcsAC&q=Draupadi|title=Yuganta: The End of an Epoch|year=2006|publisher=Orient Longman|isbn=978-81-250-1424-9|language=en}}
• {{Cite book|last=Monier-Williams|first=Sir Monier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FzRDAQAAMAAJ&q=Draupadi+patronymic&pg=PA442|title=A Sanskṛit-English Dictionary Etymologically and Philologically Arranged: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Anglo-Saxon, and Other Cognate Indo-European Languages|date=1872|publisher=Clarendon Press|language=en}}
• {{cite book|editor=Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak|author = Mahasweta Devi|author-link = Mahasweta Devi|chapter = Draupadi |title=In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics|date=6 December 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-07081-6|page=251|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S6QsvDyroWkC}}
• {{cite book|author=Wendy Doniger|author-link=Wendy Doniger|title=On Hinduism|date=March 2014|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-936007-9|page=533|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iM_QAgAAQBAJ&q=Draupadi}}
• {{cite book|author=Devdutt Pattanaik|author-link=Devdutt Pattanaik|title=The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine|date=1 September 2000|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co|isbn=978-1-59477-537-6|page=98|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVsoDwAAQBAJ&q=Draupadi}}
• {{Cite book|last=Das|first=Gurcharan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=77BoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA219|title=The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma|date=2010-10-04|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-978147-8|language=en}}
• {{Cite book|last=Hiltebeitel|first=Alf|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U4NF8pYxdvIC&q=yaj%C3%B1asen%C4%AB&pg=PA490|title=Dharma: Its Early History in Law, Religion, and Narrative|date=2011-08-17|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-539423-8|language=en}}

{{Sister project links|commonscat=|n=no|s=no|b=no|voy=no|v=no}}

• [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/index.htm Sacred-texts.com]
• [http://www.karava.org/religious The Kaurava race of Sri Lanka and the worship of Draupadi]
• [http://www.karaga.com/ Karaga Worship is all about Goddess Draupadi]
• {{cite book|last=Hiltebeitel|first=Alf |authorlink=Alf Hiltebeitel |title=The Cult Of Draupadi Mythologies:From Gingee To Kuruksetra|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1991|volume=1|isbn=978-81-208-1000-6}}
• Pattanaik, Devadutt (2009). 7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art. Westland, Mumbai. {{ISBN|978-81-89975-67-8}}.
• Draupadi Amman Shrine/ Temple - KONDAL, Mayiladuthurai, TN.

{{Mahābhārata}}

{{HinduMythology}}{{Authority control}}

Category:Characters in the Mahabharata

Category:Tamil deities

Category:People related to Krishna

Category:Princesses in Hindu mythology

Category:Queens in Hindu mythology