Chakravartin Samragyi Draupadi

Chakravartin Samragyi Draupadi
Draupadi (Sanskrit: द्रौपदी, romanized: draupadī, lit.  'Daughter of Drupada'), also referred to as Krishna, Panchali and Yajnaseni is the heroine of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. She was the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. She is described to be the most beautiful woman of her time and was prophesied to bring the end of many warriors.

Draupadi and her brother, Dhrishtadyumna, were born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) organized by King Drupada of Panchala. Arjuna won her hand in marriage, but she married the five brothers because of her mother-in-law's misunderstanding. Later, Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya ritual and achieved the status of the emperor, and she became the queen of Indraprastha. She had five sons, one from each Pandava, who were collectively addressed as the Upapandavas.

Once, Duryodhana, the cousin of the Pandavas and the chief of the Kaurava brothers, invited him to play a gambling game in Hastinapur out of envy. After Yudhishthira lost Draupadi in the game, she was humiliated by the Kauravas and abused by Karna. The Kaurava prince Dushasana tried to disrobe her but the divine intervention of the god Krishna saved her honour.

Later, she and her husbands were exiled for 13 years with the last year being incognito. During this time, many men including Jayadratha tried to harass her. For incognito, Draupadi disguised herself as a maid and served Sudeshna, queen of Matsya. Kichaka, the general of the kingdom, who was also the brother of Sudeshna, tried to molest her, but was killed by Bhima. After the Kurukshetra War, her humiliation was avenged, but she lost her father, brothers and her five children. At the end of the epic, Pandavas and Draupadi retired to the Himalayas and walked to heaven. Because of her partiality towards Arjuna, Draupadi was the first one to fall on the way.

Draupadi's story has been an inspiration for various arts and performances. There are many books based on her life. In Hinduism, 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.