Pandavapriya Draupadi

Draupadi's Disrobing.

Dusshasan reached Draupadi's chamber and then shouted "Oh Draupadi! Come in Kurusabha, this is order of Duryodhan." "Why did you dare to come here Dusshasan?" Draupadi asked and said further "I'm in my season, I cant come now infront of those many men. Go to Yudhisthir and tell him that I want to talk to him and I will not come." Listening to Panchali, Dusshasan was angry and forcefully after holding her hair started dragging to that assembly of men. "Leave me, leave me Dusshasan!" she cried angrily but he was not going to hear her plea. He brought her to that Kurusabha and threw her upon the ground. Her lotus eyes were moistened with tears as she saw that her husbands were helplessly staring towards her and Dusshasan. "Yagnaseni! You are my slave!" that vile Duryodhan said to her. "You keep quiet Oh Duryodhan, my husbands will show you your place one day. You have won with foul means and not with your intellect." Duryodhan was angry upon listening to these insulting words from Draupadi. She further saw towards Yudhisthir and asked him "Why were you staking me? How can you do this to your wife Oh Yudhisthir?" Yudhisthir with remorse said "Forgive me Draupadi, according to rules I can't save you from these men as they have won you lawfully. This was my stupidity of staking my beloved wife. Due to me, you are humiliated today and I'm regretting this."

"Oh Yudhisthir! Do you think this is Dharma? Why do you not protect me, your Ardhangini? Didn't you say that you will protect forever your beloved? Oh Bheema! Didn't you say you would forever be my saviour? Do you not remember those moments when you rescued me even from insects? Then why do you not protect me from these vultures who want me stripped of my clothes? Oh Arjun! For me, you are special as you won me in my swayamwar. You said I'm your first love, then why do you keep staring towards me and not do any thing? Are your brother's instructions more important to you than your Draupadi? I was born from fire, the child of Yagnasena. My father, King Drupada pleasantly allowed all five of you to marry me only because of Mata Kunti's words and no one had even asked my view. I kept quiet only to give respect to your mother. Which woman would marry five husbands? I was loyal to you Oh Nakul and Sahadev! Then why do you both not fulfill your duty towards me and protect me from Dusshassan?

The royal hall was silent. Draupadi's questions thundered in the atmosphere and pierced her husbands like shafts. Her husbands were on their knees and now, due to her questions, their heads were hung in remorse. Draupadi was trembling in anger and fierceness. She further asked the royal assembly, "Are you all statues that you can't save a women's self respect? Are you so feeble-minded? Why is Mahamantri Vidur quiet? Why is King Dhritarastra quiet? Why is Bhishma Pitamah not instructing the Kauravas that they must mend their ways and not trouble a woman? That vile Dusshasan dragged me to this royal assembly due to the order of Duryodhan. I am in my season. Yet, without showing concern, he had the courage to pull my hair and throw me in the royal assembly. Oh King Dhritarastra! You are blinded with love for your sons or I'd say this is ignorance. As a king, why do you not act truthfully and according to dharma? My husbands are not rescuing me only because they have decided to abide to the rules of the Dyut game. Then why can't you abide to the rules of Dharma?"

Dhritarashtra trembled on hearing these words from Draupadi. That old and blind king had tried to explain Duryodhan not to do this sin, but his son did not listen. Dhritarashtra said "Oh Duryodhan, stop this now. Why are you not listening to me? Draupadi is the Kul Vadhu of Hastinapur and her respect is our respect. You are not stripping her respect, you are stripping our respect."

Duryodhan glanced wickedly towards Draupadi. "Its beneficial if you keep quiet Pitashri! Draupadi is lawfully my slave! Did her own husband Yudhisthir not stake her? Did her own husbands care for her when she was shouting? Why must I keep quiet? I won with her husband Yudhisthir in the Dyut game and therefore, according to rule, whatever he put on stake is mine." Dusshasan grinned in a evil way as he was free to torment Draupadi now.

Dhritarashtra could not say any thing more. Duryodhan had managed to quieten him with his sly tricks. But Gangaputra Bhishmah was not going to keep quiet this time. "Stop, evil Duryodhan. Do you know what you are up to? How can you do this to the Kul vadhu of Hastinapur? Even gods will curse you Duryodhan." That Duryodhan, laughing wickedly said "Do not instruct me Oh Pitamah! Had you not forcefully brought the three princesses of Kashi against their wishes?" Bhishmah was stunned and quiet after this question. He could not say any thing further to help Draupadi. Vidur had previously tried to say something against Duryodhan, but due to rules of Dharma, he was quietened. Guru Dronacharya, one who was teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas, said "Do not do this sin Duryodhan. I'm telling you for your own well-being Oh evil one. Draupadi is herself the Goddess of heaven. You are committing your supreme crime and you will destroy Hastinapura's prosperity and fame." Duryodhan did not seem to hear any one that day. He was bent to destroy Pandavas and the respect of their wife Draupadi.

With no one to help her in the assembly, Draupadi defended herself and said "Oh evil Duryodhan, you called my husband Yudhisthir for the Dyut game because he is not very nice for the dice game and you won with him with help of your uncle Shakuni. This was your plan evil one. You deprived Yudhisthir of all his senses. Then you asked him to play the game so that in intoxication, he would not take correct decisions. That is why he put on stake his kingdom, brothers and even his queen! You have cheated in this game. Then how did you win me fairly?" Her question thundered in the assembly and in the minds of her husbands.

Her husband Vrikodara(Bheema) could not see Draupadi's plight. He angrily said to Yudhisthir "Why did you dare to stake her Jyestha? She doesn't deserve this. She has supported us and has been forever loyal to us. How could you not remember that while staking her in the whole assembly? I'm not sad because you lost your kingdom or prosperity but I'm sad because you lost our wife to those evil Kauravas. I feel like burning your hands Jyestha. Sahadev! Get some fire."

Yudhisthir was feeling remorseful and sad. He regretted his mistake of staking his queen and his brothers. How could he do that to his own wife and brothers? But his brother Arjun said "Do not say this Bheema. Jyeshtha is our elder brother and he only acted as per rules of Dharma. Kauravas are to be punished for this." Arjun's words did calm down Bheema.

"Enough is enough", Duryodhan shouted as he was tired of these talks of Pandavas.

As Duryodhan was uttering bad words for Draupadi, his younger brother Vikarna who was third among the hundred Kauravas said "Do not do this sin Oh brother Duryodhan, as one day not only you, but our whole Kaurava race will be wiped out if Draupadi's question is not answered. What kind of game is this in which women lose their self respect? And after staking himself first that Yudhisthir lost himself to you. How can he stake his dear queen? He does not have any authority upon his queen when he has himself lost to you. Therefore, Queen Draupadi is not your slave."

The elderly men felt pleased with his sentence of Vikarna as he had said the truth infront of Duryodhan. Duryodhan was about to say something to Vikarna but the son of Radha could not tolerate this sentence. Getting up from his seat that Karna angrily said "You are not mature, Oh Vikarna! Yudhisthir has lost his kingdom and all his possessions. Draupadi, as his wife, is definitely his possession and therefore, she is the slave of Duryodhan. She also has five husbands well, that means she is unchaste. Which woman has five husbands? As slaves, these Pandavas do not deserve to have their upper garment upon themselves and their wife also does not deserve to stay in clothes." The whole assembly was shocked with these words from Radha's son.

Those Pandavas, remorsefully had taken off their upper garments. Duryodhan and Karna laughed wickedly. "Why are you waiting Draupadi? You also take off your garment", Karna said to her. Draupadi was shocked with these words from Radha's son. "You will pay for this you wretch!" she gave one warning to him. "Now how will you save your self Draupadi?" Duryodhan laughed upon her plight. "Oh Dusshasan! Take off her garment!"he gave his order to Dusshasan. Evil Dusshasan held her garment and started pulling that off her body thus, loosening her garments. She cried helplessly as no one was helping her. Her self respect was most important to her and Dusshasan was stripping her self respect infront of several men who wistfully watched her. Her husbands hung their heads remorsefully. With no one to help that Draupadi finally thought of her only saviour Sri Krishna.

She was praying to him "Oh Krishna! You are saviour of those who pray to you, you are supreme among men. Oh Shyamsundara, you are beloved husband of your maharanis, beloved of all those who have seen your transcendental qualities. Oh Krishna! Only you can save me from this vile man Dusshasan. Help me Govinda! Help your sakhi! Oh Kanha! Help me."