Week 6 Story: Draupadi's Strength

Draupadi's Strength
Draupadi watched, dejected and disappointed. Yudhistira had gambled away everything - all the Pandavas' wealth, their land, their horses, and even themselves. How stupid could he be? Could he not tell that Duryodhana's dice were magically altered so that he would win every time? All these Pandavas were supposed to be sons of the gods, yet they seemed to lack the brain of humans. 

On top of that, he would not stop betting. He had lost everything at this point, but he was again preparing the dice. What would he gamble this time? 

"I refuse to stop until I win. This time, I gamble our wife, Draupadi," exclaimed Yudhistira. 

Emotions flooded Draupadi. An amalgamation of sadness, anger, and disgust. How could this man who loved her so much be crass enough to gamble her? Nay, how dare he gamble her, a woman whose origins were from a holy swayamvara? 

Of course, Yudhistira lost. That fool. 

"Aha, this comely dame is now mine!" exclaimed Duryodhana, lustily. "Disrobe her immediately, Dussahsana."

Duryodhana's brother Dussahsana began advancing toward Draupadi. She instinctively clutched her blouse, not willing to let herself be improperly touched. 

But, suddenly, a wave of fury overtook her. "Why should I be the weak one?" she thought. 

Just as Dussahsana was within reach of her, she threw out a punch. A very mighty punch that caught Dussahsana on the jaw. Not only did his jawbone break into a thousand pieces on the spot, but he was swept off his feet and crashed out of the palace walls, landing in the neighboring town. The locals there saw his bloodied face and mistook him for a demon, so they beat him to death. 

"Anyone else?" Draupadi asked, tauntingly cracking her knuckles. Every single mouth in that palace courtyard lay agape in astonishment. She shot a glance at the Pandavas, who had never looked more embarrassed in their life. 

"Men are fools," she murmured to herself as she spat at Duryodhana. Her spittle caused for him to melt away on the spot. Hearing his screams as he turned into a puddle of flesh, she thought to herself, "who needs Krishna when there's Draupadi?"

A picture depicting Draupadi being helped by Krishna as Dussahsana tries ripping away her clothing. 

Author's Note: In the original, Yudhistira gambles away Draupadi, and the Kauravas advance to disrobe her, stopped either in some versions by Krishna and in others by the Kauravas' father, Dhritarashtra. In this version, Draupadi herself stops the improper advancement and saves the day. 

Bibliography: "Draupadi Lost" from PDE Mahabharatha. Link to Story

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 2, 2017 at 10:26 PM

    Hi, Vinay.

    Haha. I like how you are turning women into the powerful ones in your stories, especially that punch that Draupadi gave to Duroydhana’s brother, Dussahsana. If I were Draupadi, I would hate to see my husband got so deeply into gambling. I didn’t like how Yudhistira was so careless about Draupadi and lost everything. You made the ending so much funnier and happier. I enjoyed reading your story.

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  2. UnknownOctober 6, 2017 at 12:20 PM

    Hi Vinay,

    I like the way you decide to tell this story by giving power to Draupadi. In the whole series of Mahabharata, the men are usually portrayed as most powerful. I enjoyed reading your story, especially the part where Draupadi punches Dussahsana. I would have liked to see more fights and how Draupadi conquers all of Kaurava's brothers. I wonder what she would have done to her husbands that gambled her away after she won all the battles.

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  3. UnknownOctober 27, 2017 at 6:33 PM

    Hi Vinay!
    I think this might have been the greatest story that I've ever read. At first, I was just really happy that you were telling the events from Draupadi's point of view. She was the one most misused and hurt, but you didn't get much about her feelings and thoughts in the original. The fact that you also made her someone who could and would fight for herself was an amazing bonus! She didn't need someone to step in and save her, like some wilting flower. I loved it! Great job!

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  4. UnknownNovember 26, 2017 at 5:06 PM

    Hi Vinay!

    I really loved this story. This was the story that annoyed me the most in the original version, both because Yudhistira behaves as a complete idiot and no one stops him and because Draupadi receives the worst fallout from his decisions. I loved that you not only gave her perspective on Yudhistira but also gave her some agency and made her a hero. You basically wrote the version that I wished had happened when I read the original. Great job!

    -Elizabeth

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