Draupadi

Draupadi (Sanskrit: द्रौपदी, romanized: draupadī, lit. 'Daughter of Drupada'), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of Kuru Kingdom. She is the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—and is renowned for her beauty, courage, devotion, intelligence and rhetorical skills. She is also described as sakhi—a close friend—of the god Krishna.

Draupadi, along with her twin brother Dhrishtadyumna, emerges fully grown from a yajna (fire sacrifice) organized by King Drupada of Panchala. Draupadi’s marriage is determined through a svayamvara (self-choice ceremony), structured as an archery contest of great difficulty. Arjuna succeeds in the challenge and wins her hand. However, their mother, Kunti, unknowingly instructs her sons to share whatever they had brought home, resulting in Draupadi becoming the common wife of all five Pandavas—a union sanctioned by divine prophecy and narratives of her previous births. Following her marriage, she becomes the queen of Indraprastha and has five sons, one from each Pandava, who are collectively addressed by the matronymic Draupadeyas.

Attested in several instances of the epic as a partial incarnation of the goddess Shri, Draupadi is portrayed as a powerful queen who holds significant authority and oversees the kingdom’s finances and treasury. The most significant events in Draupadi's life took place during the game of dice at the Kuru court. In this game, Yudhishthira, having lost his wealth and freedom, wagers and loses Draupadi to his cousin Duryodhana—the leader of the Kauravas. Deemed a slave, Draupadi is forcibly dragged into the royal assembly by the Kaurava prince Dushasana and publicly humiliated by Duryodhana and his ally Karna for being married to five men. Despite getting abused, she refuses to obey their commands and challenges the entire assembly, questioning the legality of being staked after her husband had already forfeited his own freedom. When Dushasana attempts to disrobe her, her honour is miraculously preserved, as her garment becomes endlessly extended. Following this, the Kuru king Dhritarashtra intervenes and grants Draupadi two boons, resulting in the release of the Pandavas from bondage.

Soon after, Draupadi accompanies the Pandavas into their thirteen-year exile after they lose their kingdom to the Kauravas. During this period, she is consoled by Krishna who promises her justice and the restoration of her honor. Draupadi’s suffering and steadfastness during exile are frequently emphasized, with literary and moral parallels drawn to heroines such as Damayanti, Sita and Savitri. In the final year of exile, Draupadi lives incognito, disguised as a maid to Queen Sudeshna of Matsya. When she is harassed by the Matsya general Kichaka, she persuades Bhima to kill Kichaka in a violent confrontation. After the exile, when Duryodhana refuses to restore the Pandavas' kingdom, Draupadi strongly supports the call for the Kurukshetra War, recalling the humiliations and assaults she had suffered and demanding punishment for her culprits. Although the Kauravas perish, the war also leads to the deaths of her father, brothers, and five sons. After the Pandavas' victory, she resumes her role as empress of the Kuru Kingdom for thirty-six years. In the epic's conclusion, Draupadi joins the Pandavas on their final journey toward heaven, during which she is the first to fall.

Medieval classical literature introduces several new narratives centered on Draupadi—most notably, her vow to wash her hair with Dushasana’s blood as a symbol of revenge. Noted for her resilience, she is extolled as one of the panchakanya (five virgins), archetypes of female chastity whose names are believed to dispel sin when recited. In some parts of the sub-continent, a sect of Draupadi exists, where she is worshipped as a goddess. Her story has been an inspiration for various arts, performances and secondary literature.