Fascinating facts about Draupadi I bet you didn’t know

                                                                          Unknown facts about Draupadi from Mahabharata

Draupadi needs no introduction. She was the mysterious, fiery yet compassionate queen of the five Pandava brothers, and is also considered as the sole reason behind the great Mahabharat war. But do you know that Draupadi symbolizes binding of the five chakras in human body? She is thus referred as Kula kundalini, which resides in the spinal cord of the humans. Take a look at some more mystifying facts about Draupadi…

The various names of Draupadi

Draupadi is also referred to as Panchali (meaning one from the kingdom of Panchala), Yajnaseni (meaning one born from a Yajna or fire-sacrifice), Mahabhaaratii (great wife of the five descendents of Bharata) and Sairandhri (an expert maid, her assumed name during her second exile in which she worked as Virat kingdom's queen Sudeshna's hair-stylist).

Hidimba’s revenge

Draupadi uttered a horrible curse that Ghatotkacha’s life would be short, and that he would be killed without a fight – a terrible eventuality for a kshatriya. Hidimba couldn’t control herself when she heard Draupadi’s curse. She rushed to her, and called her a wretched, sinful woman. Hidimba in her anger cursed Drauapdi’s children and the two queens almost killed the Pandava lineage

                                                                                                  

Drauapadi cursed Ghatotkacha

When Ghatotkacha visited his father’s kingdom for the first time, he did not pay respect to Drauapdi on his mother’s (Hidimba’s) orders. Draupadi felt humiliated and she got very angry. She shouted at him that she was an exceptional person, she was the queen of Yudhisthira, she was the daughter of a Brahmin king, and her status was far higher than that of the Pandavas. And at his wicked Asur mother behest he had dared to insult her in the august assembly of elders, sages and kings

Was Draupadi saved by Rishi Durvasa?

There is also an interesting story of Durvasa saving Draupadi from the Cheer-Haran. Shiva Purana attributes her miraculous rescue to a boon granted by Durvasa. The story goes that the sage’s loincloth was once carried away by the Ganges. Draupadi quickly tore a piece of her garment to cover him. The sage granted her a boon, which caused an unending stream of cloth to cover her when Dushasan was trying to strip her.

Draupadi didn’t trust her husbands

Draupadi screams vengeance but doubts if her five husbands will avenge her insult. She has reason to doubt them. They do not kill Jayadhrata, the husband of her sister-in-law, even though he drags her out of her house onto his chariot determined to make her his concubine. They hesitate to kill Kichaka for fear of making their secret identities public when he abuses her in the final year of their exile

                                                                  

  Draupadi never had a childhood

Draupadi’s father Drupada, king of Panchala, creates her with the sole purpose of destroying the Kuru household that patronized Drona, who used his students, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, to conquer and then divide Panchala. Thus, Draupadi is born an adult, with no appreciation of childhood or parenting. Draupadi is raised in hatred, designed for destroying a family.

Draupadi didn’t believe in suffering in silence

Rare in the culture of ancient times, Draupadi was a fearless woman. She demanded justice directly from Dhritarashtra, the king of Hastinapur, when she was insulted. She, as Sairandhri, again demanded justice directly from king Virata when she was insulted by his brother-in-law Kichaka. She openly condemned those kings (Virata and Dhritarashtra) for failing to protect a woman. She even condemned great warriors such as Bhishma, Drona, Kripacharya and her husbands for not saving her from the                                                                                           humiliation during Cheer-Haran episode.

Draupadi would have had 14 husbands instead of five

There are also stories of Draupadi asking for a husband with 14 qualities in her previous birth. Lord Shiva granted her a boon. But as no man could possess all the qualities, he told her she will be the wife of five men who collectively possess all the qualities. Draupadi had asked Lord Shiva to bless her with a husband who had five of the best qualities a man can have: dharma, strength, archery skills, good looks, patience etc.