Draupadi

This article's lead section does not adequately summarize key

points of its contents. Learn more

Draupadi (Sanskrit: ौपद , IAST: draupadī, lit.

Daughter of Drupada), also referred as Panchalī, is the
tragic heroine in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. She was
born from a yajna organised by King Drupada of
Panchal. She was the most beautiful woman of her time
and common wife of the Pandavas who fought their
cousins, the Kauravas in the great Kurukshetra War.
She had five sons, who were collectively addressed as the
Upapandavas.[1][2][3][4]
 Draupadi

Raja Ravi Varma's painting of

Draupadi, the dark beauty

Other names Krishnā, Yajnaseni,

Paanchali, Drupadkanya

Devanagari ौपद

Affiliation Vaikuntha Lakshmi,

Panchakanya, Avatar of
Tridevi, Devi

Texts Mahabharata
 Personal information

Born Panchala

Parents Drupada (father)

Siblings Dhristadyumna (brother)

Shikhandi (sister later
brother)
Satyajit (brother)

Spouse Yudhishthira, Bhima,

Arjuna, Nakula and
Sahadeva (Pandavas)

Children Prativindhya (from

Yudhishthira)
Shatanika (from Nakula)
Sutasoma (from Bhima)
Shrutasena (from Sahadeva)
Shrutakarma (from Arjuna)
Etymology
Like other epic characters, Draupadi is referred to by
multiple names in the Mahabharata. Her names are as
follows:

Draupadī – (Sanskrit: ौपद ) – daughter of

Drupada Maharaj.
Kṛṣṇā – (Sanskrit: कृ णा) – one who has a dark
complexion.
Panchalī – (Sanskrit: पा चाली) – one from the
land of Panchala.
Yajñasenī – (Sanskrit: या सेनी) or Yajñasenā
(या सेना) – daughter of Yajnasena, another name
of Drupada. Alternately, one born from a Yajña or
sacrificial fire. Of the two variants of the name, the
effeminate former is preferred over the more classical
latter in Puranic texts.
Drupadakanya – (Sanskrit: पदक या) – the
daughter of Drupada.
Sairandhrī – (Sanskrit: सैर ी) – an expert maid
(her assumed name during her second exile in which
she worked as Virat kingdom's queen Sudeshna's
hair-stylist.)
Parṣatī – (Sanskrit: पषती) – the granddaughter of
Pṛṣata.
Nityayuvanī – (Sanskrit: न ययुवनी) – one who
remains young forever and never becomes old.
Mālinī – (Sanskrit: मा लनी) – one who makes
garlands.
Birth

Vyasa telling the secret of the birth of Draupadi to Drupada.

According to the epic Mahābhārata, Bareilly region

(Panchala; in present - day Uttar Pradesh and nearby
regions) is said to be the birthplace of Draupadi,[5] who
was also referred to as 'Panchali'. King Drupada of
Panchala (Capital Kampilya) had been defeated by the
Pandava prince Arjuna on behalf of Drona, who
subsequently took half his kingdom. To gain revenge on
Drona, he performed a yajña called Putrakameshti
yajna to obtain a means of blessing him. Draupadi
emerged as a beautiful dark skinned young woman from
the sacrificial fire after her sibling Dhrishtadyumna.[6]
When she emerged from the fire, a heavenly voice said
that she would bring about a big change in the future of
dharma of Bharat varsha.[7]

Marriage

Arjuna wins Draupadi in her Swayamvara

The wedding of Draupadi

Drupada intended to wed his daughter to Arjuna. 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.[8] 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. 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 many other versions
describe him failing to string the bow by the "breadth of a
hair".[9][10][11]

At the end, Arjuna succeeds in 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 by defeating all attendees and
are able to retreat. When Draupadi arrives with the five
Pandavas to meet Kunti, they inform her that Arjuna
won alms, to which Kunti says, "Share the alms
equally". This motherly command leads the five brothers
to become the five husbands of Draupadi.[12]

Later Draupadi becomes mother of five sons, one son

each from the Pandava brothers. They were known as
Upapandavas. Their names were Prativindhya (from
Yudhishthira), Sutasoma (from Bheema), Shrutakarma
(from Arjuna), Satanika (from Nakula) and Shrutasena
(from Sahadeva).[13] 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.[14]

Draupadi as the Empress

With the Pandavas' survival revealed, a succession crisis
was started. Upon the news of Pandavas' death at
Varnavrat, the title of crown prince had fallen to
Duryodhana. Dhritrashtra invites the Pandavas to
Hastinapur and proposes that the kingdom be divided.
The Pandavas are assigned the wasteland
Khandavprastha, 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".[15]
Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya Yagna with
Draupadi by his side; the Pandavas gained lordship over
many regions.[16]

A lesser known fact is Draupadi's role as an Empress.

Trained in economy, she took upon the responsibility of
looking after the treasury of the Empire, and 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.[17]
Duryodhana's insult …

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 Yagna. 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
Veda Vyasa's Mahabharatha, but is the figment of
imagination of a much later playwright. It gained
immense popularity gradually through repeated
depictions in various screen and written adaptations of
the epic across the length and breadth of the country.
The most popular depictions were by B.R. Chopra's
masterpiece Mahabharata series that aired on
Doordarshan in 1988 and famous Telugu film 'Daana
Veera Soora Karna' starring Nandamuri Taraka Rama
Rao as Duryodhana, where Draupadi's laughter was
singled out for dramatic effect.

In Vyasa's Sanskrit epic, the scene is quite

different.[18] 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 behavior of the four Pandavas, stoking
his hatred of them. Later on, he went back to
Hastinapur, 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."[19]
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. [18]
Game of Dice and
Cheerharan by Dushasan

Draupadi Cheerharan

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 Hastinapur 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 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. 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.[20][21]
Draupadi and Bhima depicted by actors in yakshagana theatre.

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.
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 engraged
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 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.[22]
Karna calls Draupadi "unchaste" for being the wedded
wife of five men, adding that dragging her to court is
not surprising act whether she be attired or naked. He
orders Dushasana to remove the garments of
Draupadi.[23][24] After her husbands fail to assist her,
Draupadi prays to Krishna to protect her. Dushasana
attempts to disrobe her, but she is miraculously protected
by Krishna, and Dushasana finds that as he continues
to unwrap the layers of her sari, the amount of fabric
covering her never lessens. Dushasana is eventually
reduces to exhaustion, as the awed court observes that
Draupadi is still chastely dressed. 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.
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 Yudhistira
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
Yudisthir 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.
Dhristarashtra gives them back their wealth, and grants
them permission to go home.[25]

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".[26]

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
Agnathavas, meaning "living in incognito". Yudhishtira
yet again accepts the invitation and loses, and goes on an
exile with his brothers and wife Draupadi.[27]

Living in exile

Draupadi taken to forest by Simhika, who plans to kill her

Abduction by Jayadratha …
While the Pandavas were 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 husbands.
Draupadi pointed out the immorality of deserting one's
spouses when they were in difficulty, and attempted to
stall and dissuade Jayadradtha 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.[28]

Kichaka's death …
Draupadi in Virata's palace, by Raja Ravi Varma

On the year they had to go into exile, the Pandavas

chose to stay in the Matsya Kingdom.

One day Kichaka, and the commander of king Virata's

forces, happened to see Draupadi. He was filled with
lust by looking at her and requested her hand in
marriage. Draupadi refused him, saying that she was
already married to Gandharvas. She warned Kichaka
that her husbands were very strong and that he would not
be able to escape death at their hands. Later, he forced
his sister, the queen Sudeshna, to help him win
Draupadi. Sudeshana ordered Draupadi to fetch wine
from Kichaka's house, overriding Draupadi's protests.
When Draupadi went to get wine, Kichaka tried to
molest her. Draupadi escaped and runs into the court of
Virata. Kichaka kicked her in front of all the courtiers,
including Yudhishthira. Fearful of losing his most
powerful warrior, even Virat did not take any action.
Bhima is present, and only a look from Yudhishthira
prevents him from attacking Kichaka. Furious,
Draupadi asked about the duties of a king and dharma.
Draupadi then cursed Kichaka with death by her
husband's hand. Laughing it off, Kichaka only doubted
their whereabouts and asked those present where the
Gandharvas were. Yudhishthira then told Sairandhri 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 asked
Kichaka to leave and praised Yudhishthira's reply as he
himself could not think of anything.
Later that night, Arjuna consoled Draupadi, and with
Bhima, they hatched 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 would know about their relationship.
Kichaka accepted her condition. Draupadi asked Kichaka
to come to the dancing hall at night. Bhima (in the guise
of Draupadi), fights with Kichaka and kills him.

Death of Kichaka
Kurukshetra War
During the war, Draupadi stays at Ekachakra with other
women. On the 16th day, Bhima kills Dushasana,
drinking his blood and fulfilling his oath.

There is a popular myth often depicted in well-known

adaptations on Mahabharata. It says that, Draupadi
washed 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" [29] 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.

Ashwatthama …

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.[13] In the morning, Yudhishthira
hears the news and asks Nakula to bring Draupadi from
Matsya Kingdom.[30] Draupadi vows that if the
Pandavas do not kill Ashwatthama, she would fast to
death.[31][32] 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 protected 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.[31] 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 lets go off Ashwathama, son of their preceptor
Drona saying, "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!"[33]

Death and to heaven

Draupadi falls as the Pandavas proceed.

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 on the
journey. When Bhima asked Yudhishthira why
Draupadi had fallen, Yudhishthira replied,

"O best of men, though we were all equal unto her she
had great partiality for Dhananjaya. She obtains the
fruit of that conduct today, O best of men."[34][35]

Polyandry
Polyandry, was not regarded without censure by the
society spoken of in the epic. The Vedic texts have not
discriminated between polyandry and polygamy but
usually, the women of royal families were allowed to
indulge in polyandry for expansion of progeny, although
polygamy was more common among men of higher social
ranks. 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).[36]

There are many women of high born classes or royal class

like Princess Mādhavi who had 4 husbands, the only
daughter of King Yayati. Polyandry was but common 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.[37]

Draupadi as a goddess and

deity
In Sanskrit Mahābhārata, Draupadi is described as the
incarnation of different goddesses.[38]In Sambhava
section of Adi Parva, she is said to be partial
incarnation of Goddess Shachi (or Sachi).[39] However,
in Vaivahika section of Adi Parva[40] Vyasa describes
her as the celestial Sri. In Svargarohanika Parva,
Yudhisthira goes to heaven and sees Draupadi seated as
Goddess Sri (Or Sree).[41]

In living traditions, however, Draupadi is seen more

often as an incarnation of Adi Shakti and Goddess Kali.
The Draupadi Amman sect (or Draupadi devotional sect)
is a tradition that binds together a community of people
in worshipping Draupadi Amman as a village goddess
with unique rituals and mythologies. The sect believes
that Draupadi is the incarnation of goddess Kali. Fire
walking or Thimithi is a popular ritual enacted at
Draupadi Amman temples.[42] At the ancient religious
festival of Bengaluru Pete named Bangalore Karaga,
Draupadi is worshipped as an incarnation of Adishakti
and Parvati in the nine-day event.[43]

Reclining Draupadi's head – near Auroville.

Draupati Amman idol in Udappu, Sri Lanka

There are over 400 temples dedicated to Draupadi in the

Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and other countries like Sri Lanka,
Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Réunion, South
Africa.[42] In these regions, Draupadi is worshipped
mainly by people of the Vanniyar caste and
Mutaliyars.[44][45]

There are a few processions and festivals which are

conducted for about 3 weeks a year. The most famous
festival is in the village Durgasamudram, Tirupati of
Chittoor district.[46]

In other traditions
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 Svetambara 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 as woman who later became a Jain nun.
After her death, she was reborn as Draupadi and was
married to five pandavas.[47]

In popular culture
According to a folklore, Draupadi introduced popular
Indian snack Pani Puri.[48]
Television & Films …

In Bhagwati Prasad Mishra's Hindi film Draupadi

(1931), Draupadi was portrayed by Ermeline.[49]
In Chandrakanta Gor's Hindi film Veer Bhimsen
(1964) Draupadi was portrayed by Sumitra Devi.[50]
In Babubhai Mistry's Mahabharat (1965) Draupadi
was portrayed by Padmini.[51]
In Babubhai Mistry's Gujrati film Sampoorn
Mahabharat (1983), Draupadi was portrayed by
Snehalata.[52]
In B. R. Chopra's Mahabharat (1988) and
Mahabharat Katha (1997) Draupadi was portrayed by
Roopa Ganguly.[53][54]
In Peter Brook's The Mahabharata (1989) Draupadi
was portrayed by Mallika Sarabhai.
In G. V. Iyer's Sanskrit film Bhagvad Gita (1993),
Draupadi was portrayed by Neena Gupta.
In Ramanand Sagar's Hindi TV series Shri Krishna
(1993), Draupadi was portrayed by Phalguni Parikh.
In the Bengali TV series Draupadi (1999) broadcast
on DD Bangla, Draupadi was portrayed by Roopa
Ganguly.[54]
In the Hindi TV series Draupadi (2001), Mrinal
Kulkarni was portrayed Draupadi.
In the TV series, Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat
Ki (2008). Draupadi was portrayed by Anita
Hassanandani.
In Prakash Jha's Hindi Film Raajneeti (2010),
Katrina Kaif's character was loosely inspired by
Draupadi.[55]
In Dharmesh Tiwari's Mahabharat Aur Barbareek
(2013) Draupadi was portrayed by Roopa
Ganguly.[56]
Pooja Sharma portrayed Draupadi in Star Plus's
successful series, Mahabharat (2013). Her
performance was greatly appreciated by fans.
Vidya Balan has also voiced the character in the
Hindi animation film Mahabharat (2013).[57]
In Dharmakshetra (2014), Draupadi was portrayed by
Kashmira Irani.
In Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan (2015),
Draupadi was portrayed by Riyanka Chanda.
 In the Hindi TV series Suryaputra Karn (2015)
Draupadi was portrayed by Pankhuri Awasthy.
In the Hindi TV series Karn Sangini (2018)
broadcast on Star Plus, Draupadi was portrayed by
Madirakshi Mundle.
In the Kannada film Kurukshetra (2019), Draupadi
was portrayed by Sneha.[58]
In the Hindi TV series Radhakrishn (2018)
broadcast on Star Bharat, Draupadi is portrayed by
Ishita Ganguly.

In literature
The fiery heroine of Mahabharata has been the topic of
research and debate for centuries. There are various plays
and novels about her.
Yajnaseni by Pratibha Ray – This novel, originally
written in Oriya was the recipient of Jnanpith
Award.[59] 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, Divakaruni brings up the emotions of
Draupadi, re-imagining the whole epic from her
perspective.
Droupadi by Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, is a
Sahitya Akademi Award winning Telugu novel which
narrates Mahabharata from Droupadi's perspective.
The Cult of Draupadi[60] 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 create a
great respect for the women in the society. Her
sacrifice and her inner power defeats the evil
activities performed on women
Nathabati Anathbat by Shaoli Mitra – This is a stage
play[61] depicting the agony of Draupadi as a woman
who "has five husbands, and yet none to protect her."
Dropodi[62] by Mahasweta Devi in Bengali – A
contemporary tale of oppression with Draupadi as the
lead character.
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
'Dhritarasthra' and 'Lady Drewpad' in the novel.
Tharoor likens Draupadi to the tenets of
'Democracy'. As mentioned in Ved 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.
See also
Agnivansha
Draupati Amman
Yajnaseni, a novel by Pratibha Ray
Yajnaseni, a play by Suman Pokhrel

References

Citations …

1. Mahasweta Devi (6 December 2012). "Draupadi".

In Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (ed.). In Other
Worlds: Essays In Cultural Politics. Routledge.
p. 251. ISBN 978-1-135-07081-6.
2. Alf Hiltebeitel (1 January 1991). The cult of
Draupadī: Mythologies : from Gingee to
Kurukserta. Motilal Banarsidass. p. ii.
ISBN 978-81-208-1000-6.
3. - Wendy Doniger (March 2014). On Hinduism.
Oxford University Press. p. 533. ISBN 978-0-
19-936007-9.
4. - Devdutt Pattanaik (1 September 2000). The
Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal
Feminine. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 98.
ISBN 978-1-59477-537-6.
5. Experts, Arihant (22 July 2019). Know Your
State Uttar Pradesh . Arihant Publications
India limited. ISBN 978-93-131-9643-3.
6. Jones, Constance (2007). Encyclopedia of
Hinduism. New York: Infobase Publishing.
p. 136. ISBN 0-8160-5458-4.
7. Ganguli, Kisari Mohan. "Section CLXXXVI:
Swayamvara Parva" . The Mahabharata of
Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa: English
Translation. Munshirm Manoharlal Pub Pvt
Ltd. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
8. Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006).
Encyclopedia of Hinduism . Infobase
Publishing. pp. 136–137.
9. VISHNU S. SUKTHANKAR (11 March
2018). "THE MAHABHARATHA" .
BHANDARKAR ORIENTAL RESEARCH
INSTITUTE, POONA – via Internet Archive.
10. "The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute :
Mahabharata Project" . www.bori.ac.in.
11. M. A. Mehendale (1 January 2001).
"Interpolations in the Mahabharata" – via
Internet Archive.
12. Johnson, W. J. (2009). "Arjuna". A Dictionary
of Hinduism. Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001 .
ISBN 978-0-19861-025-0.
13. K M Ganguly(1883–1896). The Mahabharatha
Book 10: Sauptika Parva section 9 Ashwatthama
killing Dhrishtadyumna, October 2003, Retrieved
2015-04-17
14. Das, Gurucharan (2010). "The Difficulty of
Being Good" . Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0199754410.
15. Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An
Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 166.
16. Parmeshwarananad, Swami (2001). Encylopaedic
Dictionary of Puranas. New Delhi: Sarup and
Sons. p. 524.
17. "Vana Parva" . Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved
10 November 2017.
18. "Sabha parva" . Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved
13 July 2015.
19. "Sabha parva" . Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved
10 November 2017.
20. Hudson, Emily (2012). "Disorienting Dharma:
Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the
Mahabharata" . Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0199860784.
21. "The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva:
Shishupala-badha Parva: Section LXVI" .
Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
22. Pattanaik, Devdutt. "The Clothes of
Draupadi" . Devdutt. Retrieved 20 February
2015.
23. Hudson, Emily (2012). "Disorienting Dharma:
Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the
Mahabharata" . Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0199860784.
24. "The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva:
Shishupala-badha Parva: Section LXVII" .
Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
25. "Mahabharata with the Commentary of
Nilakantha" . Archive.org. Retrieved 24 July
2015.
26. "The Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva:
Shishupala-badha Parva: Section LXVII" .
Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
27. Johnson, W. J. (2009). "Mahabharata". A
Dictionary of Hinduism. Oxford University
Press.
doi:10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001 .
ISBN 978-0-19861-025-0.
28. https://www.indianmirror.com/history/mahabhara
tha/abduction-of-draupadi.html
29. Portessor of Sanskrit Elphinstone College,
Bombay (11 March 2018). "The Venisamhara of
Bhatta Narayana" – via Internet Archive.
30. K M Ganguly(1883–1896). The Mahabharatha
Book 10: Sauptika Parva section 10
Yudhishthira crying over the death of
Upapandavas, October 2003, Retrieved 2015-04-
17
31. "The Mahabharata, Book 10: Sauptika Parva:
Section 11" . Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved
24 July 2015.
32. "Asvathama and Kripa are born immortals and
unslayable by any kind of weapons" . Retrieved
28 June 2015.
33. K M Ganguly(1883–1896). The Mahabharatha
Book 10: Sauptika Parva section 16 Draupadi
forgiving Ashwathama, October 2003, Retrieved
2017-11-10
34. http://www.sacred-
texts.com/hin/m17/m17002.htm
35. Hudson, Emily (2012). "Disorienting Dharma:
Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the
Mahabharata" . Oxford University Press.
ISBN 978-0199860784.
36. "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Vaivahika
Parva: Section CLXLVIII" . Sacred-
texts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
37. Sarva Daman Singh (1 January 1988). Polyandry
in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass.
ISBN 978-8120804876.
38. Bowker, John (2000). "Draupadi". The Concise
Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford
University Press.
doi:10.1093/acref/9780192800947.001.0001 .
ISBN 978-0-19172-722-1.
39. "Adi parva" . Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved
13 July 2015.
40. "Adi parva" . Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved
13 July 2015.
41. "Svargarohanika parva" . Sacred-texts.com.
Retrieved 13 July 2015.
42. Hiltebeitel, Alf (1991). The Cult of Draupadi
Mythologies:From Gingee To Kuruksetra. 1.
Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1000-6.
43. "City to feel Karaga fervour tonight" . Deccan
Herald.
- "Adishakti Draupadi's Karaga Shakthiotsava" .
Retrieved 18 January 2018.
44. Madhusudhan, N.R. (2012). "Ancient tradition
comes alive" . New Indian Express.
45. Hiltebeitel, Alf (1998). The Cult of Draupadi,
Volume 2 . University of Chicago. p. 23,107.
46. "Drowpathi Sametha Dharmaraja Swamy
Temple" . Desibantu. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
47. Doniger 1993, p. 241.
48. World, Republic (23 December 2019). "Pani
Puri & its connection to Five Pandavas & their
wife Draupadi, know its history" . Republic
World. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
49. "Draupadi (1931)" . Filmaffinity. Retrieved
3 April 2020.
50. "Veer Bhimsen (1964)" . www.youtube.com.
Retrieved 7 March 2020.
51. "Mahabharat (1965)" . www.youtube.com.
Retrieved 7 March 2020.
52. "Sampoorn Mahabharat" . YouTube. Retrieved
2 April 2020.
53. "Actors talk about what went into making
Mahabharat in 1988" . www.hindustantimes.com.
5 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
54. "Why a quarter century after it went on air BR
Chopra's Mahabharat remains Indian television's
most remarkable show" . The Caravan. Retrieved
7 March 2020.
55. "Katrina Kaif is playing Draupadi: Prakash
Jha" . www.santabanta.com. Retrieved 15 June
2020.
56. "Mahabharat aur Barbareek (2013)" .
www.youtube.com. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
57. Desk, India TV News (2 October 2013). "Vidya
Balan lends voice for Draupadi in
'Mahabharat' " . www.indiatvnews.com.
Retrieved 15 June 2020.
58. "Kurukshetra gets its Draupadi in Sneha" . The
New Indian Express. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
59. "Odia writer Pratibha Ray named for Jnanpith
Award" . India Today. 27 December 2012.
60. "The Cult of Draupadi, Volume 1" .
61. Abhimonyu Deb (31 August 2016). "Nathabati
Anathbat in Hindi – Shaoli Mitra" – via
YouTube.
62. "IJELLH (International Journal of English
Language, Literature in Humanities)" .
www.ijellh.com.
Sources …

Eminent women in the Mahabharata by Vanamala

Bhawalkar.
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
Doniger, Wendy, ed. (1993), Purana Perennis:
Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina
Texts , State University of New York Press,
ISBN 0-7914-1381-0
Hiltebeitel, Alf (1999). Rethinking India's Oral and
Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs,
 Muslims, and Dalits . Chicago: University of
Chicago Press. ISBN 0226340554. Retrieved
28 September 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to

Draupadi.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Draupadi

Sacred-texts.com
The Kaurava race of Sri Lanka and the worship of
Draupadi
Karaga Worship is all about Goddess Draupadi
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Draupadi&oldid=975942876"

Last edited 3 days ago by 27.97.8.25

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.