No defenceless woman she is, let her rise in you!
She is a dark-skinned, long-haired beauty of her time. She was the daughter of Panchal king Drupad and was born of a yagya (fire sacrifice) he performed to avenge his defeat on Dronacharya. Dronacharya had won half of his kingdom with the help of five Pandavas. It is said that Draupadi emerged out of the fire followed by her brother Dhrishtadyumna. There was a divine diction then which said Draupadi would bring down the Kuru dynasty. She was won during a Swayamvara contest by Arjuna. But, when he, along with his four brothers, came back home and told that they had won a trophy in a contest, their mother Kunti asked them to divide the trophy among themselves. This is how Draupadi became wife of five Pandava brothers. Duryodhan and his brother Dushasan humiliated her in the Kaurava court after Yudhishthir lost her in the gamble. None came to her help then. She called on Krishna who saved her from humiliation by making her saree infinitely long.
Real import: This is history. Draupadi in Sanskrit means Dru to melt and pad means to move up and execute. What melted and where? The settled Sanskaar’s (Drupad’s ) power of revenge became the fire and from that was born Draupadi followed by her brother Dhrishtadyumna (brave revenger and cruel attacker, who had beheaded Dronacharya). Where did this all happen? This happened in the half kingdom of Paanchaal— Panch alayani iti shareeram, means the home of five elements that is the body. Therefore, Draupadi represents the relative power to assert truth. In the yogic parlance, it is the Kundalini Shakti, which melts and rises up to execute Her purpose. That is why Draupadi was also called Krishnaa, the sister of Krishna. The power is the consort of the five elements. During their training, Dronacharya (the memory) used the five elements (the Pandavas) to take revenge from an arrogant Drupad (Sanskaraas are always established and hence Drupad get arrogance as a qualifier). Later, Draupadi was wedded to the five and with their help brought down the Kuru dynasty and established the rule of righteousness.
Why Duryodhan and Dushasan humiliated her in the court? Lust and greed are two agents which subject your power to humiliation and make satyagraha (enforcement of truth) your goal. So, out of this humiliation rises the individual power which expands in glory and unites with Krishna. This even has been symbolically detailed by Krishna protecting Draupadi by extending her saree infinitely. The saree is called vastram in Sanskrit. The root word is vas, which means to “live in”. What is the abode of power? It is the infinite. That is the reason why Krishna is shown revealing to the world that Draupadi has infinite vastram and can’t really be left nirvastra—without her abode. This is the place and time where an individual power gets a universal dimension and an epic Mahabharat battle results. Now onwards, the sky, the air, the fire, the water and the earth elements arrange around Draupadi like constellations to execute what she willed-"I will wash my hair in the blood of Duryodhan.” Power disintegrates lust and withdraws her energy from it.
Example: Advocate Karamchand Gandhi was humiliated on a train by the British and was thrown out on the platform. The humiliation made Draupadi rise in him. He became Mahatma Gandhi and one of the causes of forcing the British out of India. Bhagat Singh too was subjected to humiliation in the jail. Draupadi rose in him and he catalysed the freedom movement through his courtroom speeches. The case of Subhash Chandra Bose is no different. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan was humiliated by a radio programmer for having a bad voice. Draupadi rose in him and today he is known for his voice. Even in chapter 4 of the Gita, Krishna says, “I project forth whenever righteousness is overpowered and humiliated by unrighteousness.”
Takeaway: Never curse humiliating surroundings as they are just a cause to help rise a Draupadi in you. It is the right knock from Krishna to make you powerful. So, welcome it.
Next: Who is Vidura?
Vivek Sharma
