Draupadi, also known as Panchali, was a goddess in the Mahabharata who indirectly helped Lord Krishna establish dharma. She was the daughter of King Drupada and the common wife of five Pandavas. She was one of the most beautiful women in the Mahabharata and one of the five virgins (Panchakanya). Although her worship is not common, she is worshipped as a goddess chiefly in the southern part of India.

Meaning of the Name Draupadi:

The word Draupadi originated from Drupada, which was her father’s name. The name Draupadi means “the daughter of Drupada”.

Other Names of Draupadi:

1. Panchali.

2. Krishna.

3. Yadnyaseni.

4. Drupadkanya.

Draupadi’s Previous Birth:

There are many different stories about the previous lives of Draupadi. In the Vyasa Mahabharata, there is a story about her last birth, which Sage Vyasa narrated to Pandavas before they met her.

1. Once upon a time, an illustrious sage had a beautiful daughter. As a consequence of her acts (in a past life), she became misfortunate. Though chaste and beautiful, she could not obtain a husband. Therefore, she began to practice ascetic penances with the object of obtaining a husband. She soon gratified Lord Shiva with her severe asceticism. He said, “Ask the boon you desire the most!”

Desirous of benefiting herself, she repeatedly said to the supreme lord, “O Lord, give me, a husband endued with every accomplishment.” Then Lord Shiva replied to her, “O blessed one, you shall have five husbands from among the Bharata princes.” Thus told, she said to Lord Shiva, “O Lord, I desire to have only one husband through thy grace.” The god then addressed her again and said these excellent words, “O girl, you said full five times, ‘Give me (a) husband.‘ You shall, therefore, in another life have five husbands!’

2. According to folklore, Panchali was a princess in her previous life and went into a forest for sports with her friends. There she saw a woman with five husbands. She found it weird and laughed at her. Therefore, the woman cursed her to have five husbands in her next birth.

3. Per another version of the Mahabharata, her name was Nalayani, and she was the wife of Sage Maudgalya. She was very devoted to him. Hence, he asked her to ask for a boon. She asked him to take five different forms and have sex with her. The sage granted her wish and did so. This sport continued for many years, but Nalayania was not satisfied and wanted more. Therefore, the sage cursed her to have five husbands in her next life.

Birth of Draupadi:

Draupadi was not born from a woman’s womb; hence, she was ayonija. Both she and her brother Dhrishtyadumna, were born from the sacrificial fire.

Background:

Although Dronacharya was a Brahmin, he possessed many divine weapons and was ardent in the art of war. He and the king Drupada were childhood friends. Therefore, he approached him hoping that his friend would help him through his poverty, but Drupada rejected to recognize him and humiliated him in front of the court. Therefore, Dronacharya pledged to avenge his insult.

After completion of the training of Pandavas and Kauravas, he asked them to defeat Drupada as his fee for training them. Although Kauravas failed to defeat Drupada, Pandavas managed to do so. After that, he took half of Drupada’s kingdom and gave him the remaining kingdom after insulting him.

Drupada wanted to avenge his defeat, but there was no one in the world who could defeat Dronacharya. Therefore, he decided to perform a yajna and give birth to a son that would kill Droncharya and avenge his defeat.

Draupadi is Born:

After an extensive search, Drupada found two Brahmins named Yaja and Upayaja who were capable of doing such a yajna. After the preparation of yajna was complete, Yaja called Drupada’s queen, Prishatha, to consume the sanctified libation, but she asked him to wait for some time because her mouth was filled with saffron and other perfumed things. Therefore, Yaja poured the libation on the fire.

First, from those flames of the fire arose a child who possessed the effulgence of fire. He was named Dhrishtyadumna. Then arose after this from the center of the sacrificial platform, a daughter, called Panchali.

After her birth, a celestial voice was heard saying, “This dark-complexioned girl 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.”

What did Draupadi Look Like?

Her eyes were black and large as lotus petals. She had a dark complexion, and her locks were blue and curly. Her nails were beautifully convex and bright as burnished copper. Her eyebrows were fair, and her bosom was deep. Indeed, she resembled the veritable daughter of a celestial born among men.

Her body gave out a fragrance like that of a blue lotus, perceivable from a distance of 2 miles. Her beauty was such that she had no equal on earth.

Draupadi Swayamvara:

King Drupada wanted to wed Draupadi to Arjuna, but he heard that all the Pandavas died in a fire. Therefore, he arranged a Swayamvara contest for Draupadi to choose the best of all warriors. In the contest, a fish was attached to a revolving wheel and this whole machinery was attached to the ceiling or hung in mid-air by some arrangement. There was a small pond exactly beneath it on the ground. The participant had to string the bow kept there and pierce the eye of the fish in a single attempt with an arrow by looking at the reflection of the fish in the pond.

(Per some stories, this arrangement was suggested by Lord Krishna because he wanted Arjuna to win the Swayamvara.)

Draupadi Insults Karna:

Many kings participated in the contest, but most of them could not even string the bow. Seeing the failures of the kings, Karna, the son of Sun God, approached the bow, wielded it, and was about to shoot the arrow when Panchali loudly said, “I will not select a Suta for my lord.” Then Karna, laughing in vexation threw aside the bow already drawn to a circle.

Arjuna wins the Contest:

When everybody failed, Arjuna, disguised as a Brahmin, approached the bow, strung it, and pierced the eye of the fish in a single attempt. The Kshatriyas present there objected to the marriage, as they did not know that the Brahmin was Arjuna. Therefore, they attacked him, but could not do much before the strength of the Pandavas. Then Draupadi requested the monarchs to stop the fight as she had been rightfully acquired by the Brahmin. Then, the warriors stopped fighting and returned to their kingdoms.

Why did Draupadi Marry Five Pandavas?

Apart from the curses and boons in her previous lives, one more incident happened when Pandavas returned to their abode along with Draupadi. They approached their mother, and those first of men represented Yajnaseni to their mother as the alms they had obtained that day. Kunti, who was there within the room and saw not her sons, replied, saying, “Enjoy you all (whatever you have obtained).” The moment after, she saw Panchali, and then she said, ‘Oh, what have I said?’ She felt sorry to say so and expressed her regret to Yudhishthira.

Pandavas were devoted to their mother and never turned down any of her orders. Yudhishthira understood the situation and told Arjuna, “O Arjuna, you have won her. Therefore, she should be your wife only. Therefore, ignite the sacred fire and marry her with due rites.”

But Arjuna declined his suggestion because his elder brothers, Yudhishthira and Bhima, were unmarried. Therefore, Pandavas sat there for some time, but they all were thinking about Draupadi only. Yudhishthira feared that this might cause a rift between them. Also, he remembered the story of Draupadi’s previous birth told by Sage Vyasa by which Draupadi was supposed to have five husbands in this birth because of a boon from Lord Shiva. Therefore, Yudhishthira pronounced that Draupadi would be their common wife.

Draupadi’s Marriage:

The whole incident was witnessed by Dhrishtyadumna. He went to his father and told him everything. Then Drupada invited Pandavas to his palace for a feast. Then, Yudhishthira told him about his wish for Draupadi to become their common wife. Although Drupada was not happy with the decision, he left the matter at their discretion.

Fortunately, Sage Vyasa arrived at that time there. He had a private conversation with Drupada and explained to him that the five Pandavas were five Indras (Vishwabhuk, Bhutadhaman, Sivi, Santi, and Tejaswin), and Draupadi was Goddess Sri. He told him about the boon of Lord Shiva also. Sage Vyasa gave him the celestial sight to see the true form of Pandavas and Draupadi. 

Drupada had no doubt afterward and agreed to wed Panchali to five Pandavas. The marriage took place on the same day on which she married Yudhishthira first and then other Pandavas.

Married Life of Panchali:

After the marriage to Draupadi, Pandavas had accepted certain rules.

1. Every brother was allowed to share the bed with Draupadi for one year. After that, he had to wait for the next four years to do so again.

2. After one year, Draupadi used to do penance for a month (or walk through fire) to purify herself.

3. Pandavas were allowed to marry other women, but they could not bring them to the same house where Panchali was living.

4. She was the queen of the empire whenever Pandavas ruled.

5. When one of the Pandavas would be in Draupadi’s chamber, any of the other four who would enter the chamber for whatever reason, had to retire into the forest for 12 years, living as a celibate.

Sons of Draupadi:

In total, Draupadi had five sons, one son from each brother. They were collectively called Upapandavas/Pandavaputras/Draupadeyas/Panchakumaras. Their names were as follows:

1. Prativindhya (from Yudhishthira).

2. Sutasoma (from Bhima).

3. Shrutakarma (from Arjuna).

4. Shatanika (from Nakula).

5. Shrutasena (from Sahadeva).

The order of their birth was: Prativindhya, Sutasoma, Shatanika, Shrutasena, and Shrutakarma. They were Atirathis and fought in the Kurukshetra War. They were great warriors like their fathers. The Upapandavas fought with Alambusha on the ninth day of the war but were defeated and rescued by Abhimanyu. On the 11th day, Shatanika was defeated by Karna’s son Vrihasena.

They died at the hands of Ashwatthama on the last night of the war, who killed them while they were asleep.

Arjuna’s Exile:

When the five Pandavas married Panchali, they established a rule that when one of them would be sitting with Draupadi, any of the other four who would see that one thus must retire into the forest for twelve years, passing his days as a celibate. One day, some robbers stole the cattle of a Brahmin, and while they were carrying away them, the Brahmin went to Pandavas and asked for help. Arjuna decided to help him, but his weapons were kept in a room where Yudhishthira was enjoying the company of Draupadi. Therefore, Arjuna was forced to enter the room and took out the weapons to help the Brahmin. This way, he broke the rule and was punished with a 12-year retirement into the forest.

Mayasabha:

When Pandavas reached Hastinapur after the marriage with Panchali, the elders decided to divide the kingdom and give some part of it to Pandavas. Pandavas, with the help of Lord Krishna, built a very beautiful city named Indraprastha there. Pandavas defeated most of the kings in the Aryavarta and arranged for Rajasuya Yajna to proclaim Yudhishthira Chakravarti Samrat. For the yajna, they invited many kings and Duryodhana also.

In Pandava’s palace, Mayasura had designed a water pool that looked like a floor. Thinking it was a floor, Duryodhana stepped into it and fell into the water. Seeing this, Draupadi could not control herself and laughed at him. Per some stories, she said, “A blind man’s son is also blind”. Duryodhana got very angry with her and decided to take revenge for his insult.

Draupadi Vastraharan:

Duryodhana was jealous of Pandavas’ prosperity and wanted to rob their kingdom, but he knew that he would not be able to defeat them in a war. Therefore, Shakuni advised him to arrange for the game of dice called Dyuta (a gambling sport). He assured him that he would win the game.

Yudhishthira lost all his wealth and kingdom in the game. Then, he lost himself and his brothers and became a slave of Kauravas. Finally, he lost Draupadi also. Therefore, Draupadi became an ordinary Dasi of Kauravas. As Duryodhana wanted to avenge his insult, he told his brother, Dushasana to bring Draupadi to court. Draupadi denied coming to the court as she was wearing a single cloth because she was menstruating. But Dushasana dragged her to the court by pulling her by her hair. Karna called her a prostitute because she had married five husbands. Kauravas insulted her by calling her a Dasi. Despite her being his sister-in-law, Duryodhana asked her to sit on his thigh.

His wickedness reached its height when he ordered Dushasana to disrobe her in front of the whole court. King Dhritarashtra also did not try to stop it. Panchali asked for help from Bhishma, Dronacharya, and other people present in the court, but no one came forward to help her except Vikarna. Despite being a Kaurava, Vikarana was good at heart and strongly opposed this notion, but he could not do anything before his elder brothers and Karna.

Helpless Draupadi then prayed to Lord Krishna to save her, who was not present there. When Dushasana started to disrobe her, the clothes that she was wearing seemed endless. He went on pulling the clothes, but more clothes appeared covering her. In the end, Dushasana was exhausted but could not disrobe Panchali. It is believed that this miracle was caused by Lord Krishna.

After this, the courtiers booed Kauravas, and Dhritarashtra intervened. As compensation, he gave back to Pandavas whatever they had lost in the gamble, but this did not pacify Bhima’s anger, and he pledged to kill all Kauravas. He also pledged to kill Dushasana by opening his chest and Duryodhana by busting his thigh.

When Pandavas left for Indraprastha, Kauravas devised another plan, as they could not let Pandavas go so easily. They requested Dhritarashtra to call Pandavas back. When they came, Kauravas challenged them again for one more game of dice. Yudhishthira accepted the challenge and lost again. At that time, they had to retire into a forest for 12 years and live in disguise for a year. If Kauravas recognized them during the disguise, then they again had to retire for 12 years into a forest. If they would complete their exile successfully, they would get back their kingdom.

Pandavas’ Exile:

Pandavas left Indraprastha and started living in a forest.

Draupadi’s Abduction:

One day when Pandavas were out in the forest, Jayadratha, the husband of Kauravas’ sister Dushala, came to the hermitage where Pandavas were living and abducted Draupadi by force. When Pandavas found out, they defeated him and his army. Bhima wanted to kill him but settled on insulting him by shaving his head with an arrow.

Akshaya Patra:

Many kings and sages visited Pandavas in the forest to show their support to them. Draupadi found it difficult to manage things, as Pandavas were destitute during the exile. Therefore, Yudhishthira prayed to the Sun god, who gave him a plate named Akshaya Patra. This vessel provided an inexhaustible supply of food for the day until Draupadi had finished eating for the day.

(Per some stories, Lord Krishna gave Akshaya Patra to Draupadi, but Vyasa Mahabharata mentions Lord Surya.)

One day, when Panchali had finished eating for the day, Sage Durvasa and his disciples arrived at their hermitage. Sage Durvasa was notorious for his quick-tempered nature. If Draupadi had not provided food to them, he would have certainly cursed her and her husbands. Therefore, while they were having a bath, Draupadi prayed to Lord Krishna, who immediately appeared before her, but instead of listening to her problem, he asked for food. Draupadi told him that there was no food available. He asked her to bring the Akshaya Patra to him. Vasudeva found a grain of rice on it. He ate it and burped. He told her that his hunger was satiated. Surprisingly, the hunger of Sage Durvasa and his disciples was also satiated, and they left for their destination.

Draupadi as Sairandhri:

When the twelve years of the exile were over, Pandavas had to spend a year in disguise so that Kauravas would not recognize them. Therefore, they all went to the Virata Kingdom. Draupadi started serving the queen of Virata Kingdom by becoming a servant named Sairandhri.

Keechaka Vadha:

But because of her beauty, Keechaka, the queen’s brother, became her fan and wanted her to sleep with him. Draupadi told him that she was married, but he did not pay heed to it. Therefore, Panchali explained the situation to Bhima, who was working as a cook in the palace.

Bhima devised a plan to get rid of him. He told Draupadi to call Keechaka in a room, and he would take care of the rest. When Keechaka arrived in the room, Bhima fought with him and killed him.

Kauravas were Alerted:

Keechaka was one of the renowned warriors at that time. Therefore, when Kauravas heard about his murder, they guessed that Pandavas must be hiding in the Virata Kingdom. Therefore, they attacked the Virata Kingdom because they knew that Pandavas would come out to defend the kingdom.

Arjuna, who was working as a dance master, attacked and defeated Kauravas’ army. Although Kauravas recognized him, by that time, the one-year of Agyatvas was over; hence, they could not do anything.

The Mahabharata War:

Even after completing the exile, Kauravas denied giving Pandavas their kingdom back. Lord Krishna intervened and asked for five villages only instead of the kingdom to avoid the conflict, but Duryodhana did not agree. It resulted in the start of the Mahabharata War.

In the war, Bhima killed all the 100 Kauravas, including Dushasana and Duryodhana, and took revenge for Draupadi’s insult. Draupadi’s five sons also fought in the war and were alive until the war was finished. But Ashwatthama killed them all while they were asleep. He also killed Draupadi’s brother, Dhrishtadyumna, and other soldiers.

Death of Draupadi:

After the war was over, Draupadi became the queen of Hastinapur and ruled the kingdom for 36 years. After the death of Lord Krishna, Sage Vyasa advised Pandavas to retire and renounce their kingdom, as the purpose of their life was fulfilled. Therefore, Yudhishthira crowned Parikshita as the king of Hastinapur, and they left for Mount Meru. Draupadi had also accompanied them. When they crossed the Himalayas, Draupadi fell to the ground and died. She was the first to die among them.

Why did Draupadi Die the First?

When Bhima asked Yudhishthira why Panchali died the first, Yudhishthira replied that she had great partiality for Arjuna, so she obtained the fruit of that conduct that day.

From Yudhishthira’s statement, it seemed that Draupadi loved Arjuna the most among the five brothers. Although it sounds wrong, if we think from Draupadi’s perspective we would find that it was not completely wrong because Arjuna had won her in the Swayamwara. Therefore, she had chosen him to be her husband, and loved her the most. He was the first love of her life. Also, he was the greatest archer and the dearest to Lord Krishna. The other husbands she had married mainly to do her duty and not for love. Therefore, it was natural that she loved Arjuna the most.

Worship of Draupadi: Draupadi Amman sect:

The worship of Draupadi is not common among most Hindus. The main reason behind this is her marriage to five men. Not only in Hindu society but also all over the world, a woman marrying more than one man is looked down upon. I have heard many Hindus cracking dirty jokes about her marriage with five men even though the marriage was done at the advice of Sage Vyasa, who was one of the greatest sages of all time.

So, a woman who needs to be worshipped has actually become a subject of a joke in modern Hindu society. Fortunately, not all Hindus are the same, and she is worshipped in the Southern part of India. In fact, there is a cult by her name. Draupadi Amman cult is a regional Hindu sect in which people of some Hindu communities worship Draupadi as a village goddess. There are many temples in Southern Indian villages dedicated to her.

Did Draupadi Love Karna?

According to the Vyasa Mahabharata, Draupadi did not love Karna. On the contrary, she might have hated him because of the following reasons:

1. He insulted her by calling her a prostitute in court.

2. He was the biggest enemy of Arjuna, who was the dearest to her.

3. He played a significant role in killing Abhimanyu.

Therefore, I do not think Draupadi loved Karna.

Was Draupadi a Goddess?

In the Sambhava section of Adi Parva, Panchali is described as an incarnation of Shachi and in the Vaivahika section as Goddess Sri.

It was Draupadi because of whom Bhima pledged to kill Kauravas and did so. Before the attempt of Draupadi Vastraharan, Pandavas did not think about killing Kauravas because they considered them their brothers, even though Duryodhana had tried to kill them. Therefore, indirectly Draupadi was responsible for the killing of Kauravas and helped Lord Krishna establish dharma.

Therefore, she was definitely an incarnation of a goddess.