MAARKANDEYA presents MAHAABHAARATHAM

( The D 's in this name are pronounced like 'th' in 'brother'.)

Droupadi was the daughter of Drupada and the consort of the Paandavas. She was born from the altar of the sacrificial fire. Her real name was Krishna . The very peculiar and strange thing about her was that she was the wife of all the five Paandavas. Polyandry was uncommon those days in the elite class, but her case was a special one. Approval was given by Vyaasa and Kunthi for that, quoting the boon granted by Shiva to her in her previous birth. In the previous birth - Naalaayani was her name then - She was the wife of a sage Moudgalya , who was a leper . Yet, she served him faithfully. Her husband was pleased and granted her a boon to sport with her in five different forms simultaneously to compensate the loss of her pleasures during the days of his ilness. He reached his final abode prior to her . Left with unfulfilled desires, she meditated upon lord Shiva who appeared and allowed her to ask for what she wanted. She was excited and said five times that she needded a husband. The lord ordained that she would have five husbands in the next birth . When she apprehended world's disdain , Shiva convinced her that it was destined to be so . Also, once Shiva cursed Indra to take human birth . Indra was to channel his human birth through Yama, Vaayu, Asvis and himself as well . That was also a cause for her polyandry . She was born full-grown and young . We might doubt such things . However, mythology itself is like that .

The Paanchaala king Drupada - also known as Yagnasena or Somaka - was Drona's school fellow at Agnivesha's school of archery . Then he offered Drona to share his wealth in future when he himself would become king . But when approached, he disparaged Drona and insulted him for his poverty. Drona took that to his heart and after a few years, got him captive by his disciple Arjuna to get even with him . Drupada too wanted to settle his score and propitiated gods with sacrificial rituals to beget a son to kill Drona and a daughter to become Arjuna's wife . The son so born from the sacrificial fire's platform was Dhrishtadyumna and the daughter was Krishna. The name comes from her bluish body shade. She was better known as Droupadi or Yaajnaseni both meaning 'Drupada's daughter' and 'Yagnasena's daughter' respectively.

When Drupada was making efforts for Droupadi's marriage, he learnt that the Paandavas were burnt alive in the house of lac . Incredulous of such an end to them, he suspected their concealment and announced his daughter's marriage with that archer who could hit the target of a small fish held revolving high in the air by looking at its reflection in the liquid placed right below it . The Paandavas attended the competetion in the guise of Braahmanas . Arjuna was vicorious . They took Droupadi to their mother and proclaimed that they brought a good alms . Thinking that it was something to eat or enjoy , she told them to share it among themselves equally . When the things were clear, they all fell in dilemma as to what to do . Sage Vyaasa convinced them and Drupada that Droupadi be given in marriage to all five Paandavas .

Marriage with her in fact made the Paandavas stronger and brought the Kouravas round. They were offered their half of the kingdom and they started their own rule from Indraprastha. There the Paandavas got a magic hall from Maya in which Duryodhana got puzzled and was laughed at by Droupadi . That lead to his grudge against his cousins. He defeated them in a dice game . She was then ignominously insulted by the Kouravas to the level of almost being disrobed when Krishna himself saved her pride. This incidence made her anger kept alive untill she saw the end of the Kouravas.

She faced many pitiable difficulties that a woman , that too a queen of powerful king , could seldom expect to face . She was staked in the dice game by Yudhishthira after losing himself and his brothers . She questioned his right in doing so. Not even the best learned could discard her question. The Kouravas dragged her to the court hall . Being dragged in to the open court hall by a brother-in-law was the worst shame to a princess . Added to that, their attempt to stand her bare in the court was beyond imagination . She prayed to Krishna who mysticaly foiled the attempt by giving her an unending flow of cloth to substitute the pulled off ones . Duryodhana made indecent gestures to her while Karna mockingly suggested to her to look for a competent husband as substitute to the enslaved Paandavas. It was these incising insults that goaded Bheema to vow to kill all the Kouravas , to break Duryodhana's thighs and to rip open the chest of Duhshshaasana to drink his blood . That was not the end of her troubles . She was kidnapped by the cousin of the Paandavas Saindhava in the forest but was soon got released by Bheema and Arjuna . During their 13 th yera of exile, the incognito year, she named herself Maalini and worked as a syrandhri in the palace of Viraata's queen Sudeshna in the city of Viraata . The queen's cousin Keechaka eyed on her and forced for courting with him. Her firm rejection brought her serious threats and worst insults from the lustful Keechaka . When sent to Keechaka's house by the helpless Sudeshna , Keechaka tried to molest her there. She managed an escape but she was followed into the court and was dragged and kicked there right before the king himself. She bravely blamed the king for his lenience to his erring relative. Her wrath then poured out a diatribe against her husbands who remained silent spectators to her plight . She later consulted with Bheema and devised a plan by which she enticed Keechaka into a lonely dancing hall on a dark night where bheema killed him. Her patience , tolerance and wisdom shown in not disturbing their exile were worth praise.

When yudhishthira was trying to make truce with the Kouravas, it was Droupadi who firmly stood against . Even Kunthi honoured Droupadi's views. On any count, she was as fearless as powerful and remained the scintilating driving force behind Bheema and Arjuna .

In the war too, her relatives played the prime role . His father one of the seven generals and her brother was the chief of generals . Many of her paternal uncles and cousins fell in the war. She had five sons, one each from the five Paandavas who were called Upa (junior) - Paandavas. all they were killed by Asvaththaama on the 18 th day's night of the war .

In the end, she followed her husbands in the renounciation walk and fell dead midway first of all .

Droupadi's vindictiveness, tolerance , courage and strength were uncommon among women of any age . When her husbands went on exile , she too prefered to stay with them and all the while she was rekindling their spirits. She was the driving spirit behind them . She even derided Yudhishthira at times for his blind obedience to the elders , meaningless adherence to the dharma and limitless tolerance . Yudhishthira could only try to convince her but seldom had he a worthy answer to her allegations. But, she respected her husbands to the best level. She never yielded to any external lurings . Such a faithful wife was a rare case. That earned her a place in the list of honoured women of India .

Courage, strength , perseverence , mental stamina and tact of adroit handling of things were the qualities to be adopted from her. The way she could win the love of all her five husbands and the way she managed the royal household in every detail , as she herself explained to Krishna's wife Sathya on one occasion , should be guidelines for some of the wives these days too.

No doubt, she remains an outstanding character ever.

"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."