KAVYA CHAWLA

2K21/EN/17

DRAUPADI AS THE UNPROTECTED WIFE

The intoxication with power is worse than drunkenness with liquor and
such, for who is drunk with power does not come to his senses before he
falls. – Vidura Niti
Draupadi, for ages, has been the symbol of injustice, dishonour and resistance.
Mahabharata explores ideas of immorality, politics, sexism, and identity, among
others, as significant features of human life which still rings true today. Dr
Vanamala Bhawalkar states, “[in] Draupadi’s Era, there was no question of
women’s equality with men. The wife was the counterpart of her husband,
and both together became a complete person.” Yudhishthira is seen as the
epitome of wisdom and righteousness, yet he gambles away his kingdom,
brothers, and wife. Yudhishthira found gambling to be sinful and was well
aware that the son of Suvala played with foul means, and this play of dice will
only lead to destruction, yet he continued as by his ideals; it was his Dharma to
do so not once but twice. In the end, when he lost himself and became a slave,
he stated that he had nothing more to stake, to which Shakuni suggested that he
still had Draupadi, and by staking her, he could win his freedom back; and that
is what he did without hesitation. The question raised by Draupadi here was
how does Yudhishthira have the right to gamble Draupadi? After being won at
dice, Draupadi argues with the Kauravas. First, she speaks privately from her
quarters. Then, after being dragged by her locks into the Kauravas’ public
audience hall, traditionally was a male space, she openly advocates how the
situation is ‘a savage injustice’ (adharmam ugraṃ). This essay will highlight the
vulnerable and helpless state of Draupadi during the dicing sequence, her
actions and juxtaposition of men in the story who cannot do justice to their
duties and responsibilities and the women who accept and adapt to the
consequences of their tyranny.
In the times of Mahabharata, wives were under the orders and at the disposal of
their lords. Once Yudhishthira lost Draupadi, she was asked to be brought into
the assembly by Pratikamin. Draupadi did not comply; she asked what kind of
lord stakes his own wife? Duryodhana commanded his younger brother
Dushasana to bring Draupadi into the assembly. She was wrapped merely in a
single piece of cloth and was menstruating. She begged dushasana not to take
her to the assembly filled with dignitaries. But dushasana grabbed her by her
hair dragged her into the court. Draupadi repeatedly questioned everyone
present at the assembly, the legality of the right of Yudhishthira to stake her
who himself had lost all his kingdom and freedom. Everyone in the court was
dumbfounded. She is infuriated; she sweeps her glace across her five husbands
to find them silent.
She was subject to horrific indignity, being ogled at while wearing a
garment stained with her menstrual blood (Ganesan 2014:19).
She criticises the elders and wise men of the Kuru lineage and says, “Shame!”
that the transgression of Dharma has been ignored; that there is no substance
left in Bhīṣhma, Droṇa and Vidura that this gross transgression is “not seen” by
them. Karna suggests that she be undressed in the assembly, and Dushasana
disrobes her. She is in front of men, in fact in front of the elders of her family
being disrobed by her brother-in-law; seeing that she is at the mercy of the men
in the Sabha (court) and that her husbands would not rescue her, she calls on
Krishna to intervene. Krishna answered her prayers, and a miracle occurred in
front of everyone’s eyes. Instead of being stripped naked, Draupadi’s sari kept
getting extended as Dushasana unwrapped layers and layers of many hues. In
the meantime, Draupadi was lost in prayer and was oblivious of her
surroundings. Finally, an exhausted Dushasana gave up his effort and fell to the
ground.
The system of Dharma originated to uphold the good, to conserve the ideas of
morality and humanity. It was a guiding ideal of human life in Hindu thought –
within the morass of the characters’ immoral behaviour. But the line between
dharma and adharma, is often muddled. The law meant to be for the wellbeing
of human beings became technical to a point wherein establishing legality,
humanity was lost. Sin was committed by all other men who witnessed that
without doing anything against it, their power and strength were of no use if
they could not raise their voices against wrong committed in front of their eyes.
She was in that vulnerable state and yet held a voice of reason, whereas present
in the assembly, fit and mighty warriors and learned persons said to be wise
couldn’t answer her questions. Draupadi was a confident woman who
responded to them with her resistance and strength. Stood up for what was right
and held people responsible for their actions. Whenever provoked, she
challenged the male ego without the typical cause and effect analysis that
stopped the women of her time from raising their voices against male atrocities.
Her position in society was controversial; she was seen as a non-respectable and
unchaste woman. She was seen as a woman of loose character due to her
polyamorous marriage which wasn’t even her choice in the first place. Her
having sexual relations with five men led to her being called a prostitute and of
a lady not deserving of dignity or respect. That still rings true for women of our
generation; a woman who engages in sex, not for procreation but for pleasure
with one or multiple partners, is shamed or worse.
This incident and the ill-treatment of Draupadi is largely seen as the reason for
the war of mahabharta and that may as well be the case but people do see it as a
one for revenge which isn’t exactly accurate. Draupadi seeked justice not
revenge, she wanted to hold people responsible for the wrongs that had been
committed and she tried to appeal to Bhisma and dhristrashta but when met with
disappointment, took things into her own hands. Sometimes the system itself
fails you or is stacked against you and in that case you have to find courage in
yourself to speak up, to make people and hear and understand your plight. As
modern women we struggle to find our voice, to stick up for what we believe in,
to explore things out of the norm because we are either not allowed to or are
scared of being shamed or judged. To be seen as loud, crass, ugly, characterless
and simply less than and Draupadi was seen as all of those things. It feels easier
for women to listen and to abide to what we are supposed to do but it is not
enough for everyone. Draupadi teaches us how to have an identity of your own
and even if you have to fight to conserve that identity it is the right thing to do.

Draupadi signed up for a traditional marriage which is inherently patriarchal in

nature and ended being under the orders and disposal of five husbands and not
one of them during the cheer haran provided her with protection. Learning how
to be married to a man while retaining your independence and identity might be
one of the biggest challenges for this generation of women.
Men in the mahabharta do not represent as ideal role models, they are complex
and flawed and they provide an insight into themes of greed, power, status,
dilemmas of morality, the idea of fate versus agency and many more. They are
the decision makers and lead lives according to their own terms, they are not
limited to being love interests which we know is often the case for women. The
female characters including Draupadi’s self worth is tied to her beauty and
sexual purity something still very relevant in our society. But that is not how we
remember her; Draupadi was stuck in an assembly hall full of her culprits, the
enablers and cowards and yet becomes a metaphor of resistance.