Draupadi says no to peace, wants a war! Mahabharata 114

Draupadi, as she hears Yudhisthira and especially Bheema advocating peace, is visibly upset!  She is then soothed by Sahadeva's stance against peace and develops greater respect for him.  Her eyes full of tears, addresses Krishna, 'Janardhana! If kauravas want truce without offering the kingdom, we definitely do not want it. They do not deserve any compassion. A greedy, covetous khsatriya should be killed by khsatriyas.'

'It is unfortunate that I keep repeating my question! Is there any other woman as unlucky as I am? For one, who is Drupada's daughter, Dhristadyumna's sister, your friend, king Pandu's daughter-in-law, queen of five pandavas, mother of great warriors, I had to bear appalling humiliations! They dragged me by my hair right in front of pandavas. They dared to call me a slave, when you, pandavas and panchalas are still living! Pandavas were mute spectators when I was being disgraced and I could only pray!'

'Finally, Dhritarashtra offered me a boon and I requested him to release pandavas from their slavery and give them back their weapons and chariots. They were relieved from slavery and sent to the forest. You know this! If Duryodhana is alive even for a second, there could only be contempt for Bheema's strength and Arjuna's bow. Krishna, if you want to be compassionate and  kind towards me, show total anger towards kauravas'.

She holds her long un-plaited hair in her left hand and asks Krishna 'As you talk about truce with our enemies, never forget this hair which was pulled by Dussasana. In case Bheema and Arjuna in their wretchedness and depression seek truce, my aged father and brother, my sons and Abhimanyu will fight.'

'How will this fire for revenge,  which is still burning  in my stomach be doused, if I am not avenged! I want to see Dussasana's arm, severed from his body, on the ground covered with dust. I have suffered  this fire, the last thirteen years, with a hope that one day it will all end. But Bheema's discourse on dharma has pierced my heart as if by a spear.' Unable to contain her grief Draupadi breaks down sobbing.

Krishna consoles her, 'Krishne, You will see the wives of the men who are responsible for this wrath in you, cry the same way, after they loose their nears and dears. I will get this done by the pandavas! Let the Himalayas shake, let the earth split into a thousand pieces, let the stars fall from the sky if my words do not become the truth. I  give this promise to you Krishne! Very soon, your husbands will kill their enemies and you will see them get back their position and wealth. Please wipe your tears!

Draupadi is rescued again. Mahabharata 94

Keechaka spent the whole day in anticipation of his meeting with Sairendhri and it felt like a month as he waited for the night to fall. He never imagined that she would be the cause of his death as he got ready to meet her. He was dressed for the occasion, his body covered with sandal paste and decked with garlands.

Impatient, Keechaka  enters the dancing hall as soon as it is dark. Sees a fully covered figure on the cot and as he touches the  reclining person, he whispers happily, 'Today, you will experience a beautiful man. Women who have come to me have said there is none better than me.' 

Bheema who was lying in wait, laughs and jumps on Keechaka and after a brief and intense fight, kills him and pounds him into a pulp in sheer anger. He then calls out to Draupadi 'Come and see the condition of this lecher!',  calms down and gets back in to the kitchen.

Draupadi immediately shouts for help as she announces 'Ayyo! The lustful Keechaka has been killed by my Gandharava husbands!'  The watchmen and then his family gather around the pounded and bloodied body of Keechaka. They conclude it is indeed the handiwork of the gandharvas and after a bout of wailing and crying get ready to cremate the body.

Seeing Draupadi, supporting herself against a pillar, their anguish turns into anger. 'It is because of her Keechaka was killed. Let us kill her'. Then one of them suggests 'Let us burn her along with Keechaka. I am sure he will like that better.'  The relatives hold her captive and seek permission   from king Virata to burn her. The king, aware of their strength agrees.

  Draupadi is again in great danger. As she is carried away, she shouts for help calling out the code names of  the pandavas. Bheema hears her and shouts back,  'I heard you Sairendhri. Don't be scared! I am coming.'

Bheema follows them in disguise and on the way uproots a tree and chases after them. One look at him, the very scared Keehaka's men, thinking he is a gandharva,  release Draupadi and run back towards the town. Bheema relentless, follows them, kills altogether a hundred and five of them and tells Draupadi 'There is no fear now. You can go back.' and returns to the kitchen from a different route.

The citizens are now very worried  for their safety and approach the king and inform him about the hundred men killed by the gandharvas and of Draupadi being freed. They speak of  their fear of the gandhravas and want the king to do something about it. The king does not want to take a risk of offending the gandharavas by talking to Draupadi directly, asks the queen to tell her to leave town.

As a very nervous Draupadi walks back, the women and men run away from her as she nears them.
Draupadi meets the queen and  she is told about the worries of the king and his desire that she leave town. Draupadi pleads with the queen to allow her to stay for another thirteen days, when her husbands will be free to meet her and promises that her husbands will be very grateful and will thank them properly for their kindness. The queen agrees!

As I blog about Mahabharata my questions about the shocking behaviours of  most kings were explained by a friend as normal, 'During Vyasa's times, molestation of women and rape( + kidnapping) was common. The powerful did this as a routine. The immorality of high society was accepted by the helpless.'

And another friend spoke of an incident in recent history, wherein parents whisked away a pretty teenager from the precincts of a palace. She had strayed by mistake into the inner rooms of the palace and they did not want to risk her being seen by the powerful men in  the palace. Obviously people in power have a different set of rules.

The story of Draupadi does intrigue me.  It seems she is the only queen singled out for all the indignities perpetrated against women. So what is it about Draupadi?  She is different, she is dark skinned, she emerged a full grown woman from a sacrificial fire. She is married to five men. She is a strong personality and is unafraid to ask questions! In short a challenge  to all the males and to the alpha males in particular!

 It is said she is the most written about woman of our epics. There are many versions. There is even a version by the Bheel tribals. Interpretations by the pious, the feminists, the psychologists, the liberated, the prurient and the list is endless! When I first read about the pandavas being asked by their mother to share what they had brought, none of these were really issues for me!

Being part of a very middle class society, where most women, stay home mothers, waited for their husbands to come home after work, the scene was very different. The women would wait at the gate, having a chat with the other waiting women. The moment the man of the house, appeared, either walking or an a bicycle, the woman would rush back home, conversations dropped at whatever point. We kids avoided fathers as a rule, some fathers were pretty obnoxious and their sons would stop playing and slink home. I do not think we even thought about it, but if we did, it would be: 'Why would any sensible woman choose to deal with five such obnoxious characters!'

Keechaka Vadha. Mahabharata 93

Draupadi, seething with anger, reaches her dwelling, wipes herself clean and washes the clothes she has on her body by poring water on herself as she continues to cry! She cannot bear the humility of her existence any longer, wants an end to it. While caution makes sense, she wants revenge, she wants action! 

Suddenly decides that it is only Bheema who will act to please her. She quietly enters the kitchen and tries to wake him up. 'Wake up Bheema. How can you sleep like a dead man, when Keechaka, my enemy, who misbehaved with me, is still alive?'

Bheema sits up and asks Draupadi 'How is it you are here at this time of the night! Tell me what is bothering you. You know I am always there to take care. Tell me quickly and go back to sleep before we are discovered.' This question touches a raw spot, the deep sense of hurt festering in her mind and the floodgates open with a force which she is unable to contain.  'What has not Yudhisthira's wife suffered? How can you ask me this again and again when you know how I have suffered.'

She narrates in great detail the indignities she and the rest of Pandavas  have faced and blames Yudhisthira for all their troubles. She is now worried about the very persistent Keechaka. 'He is after me every day and I cannot bear it anymore. I think my heart will break into pieces with the tension! Any amount of reproach is not enough for your brother who has brought us into this state.'

Draupadi rests her head on Bheema's chest sighs 'Bheemasena! I must have committed innumerable sins, if not, I should have been dead by now instead of suffering like this'. Unable to control she begins to sob again! Bheema takes her hands to console her and is shocked to see the condition of her once delicate palms! Totally upset, he places the swollen and callused palms against his cheeks and cries uncontrollably. 'As I feel your hardened hand I think my strength and Arjuna's bow are useless! While all I want is to kill the kauravas and kick Dussasana's severed head like a  ball, being unable to act feels like a dagger stuck in my heart!'

He then cautions her that if Yudhisthira ever hears her speak this way, he would die. He counsels her to be patient like Sita and the many pativratas before her, who supported their husbands, whatever the difficulty. Anyway she would be queen again in just fifteen days.

Draupadi calms down and tells Bheema she just had to talk as it had become unbearable and she had no intention speaking against her king. She then tells Bheema that each day has become impossible as the queen Sudheshne is ever worried about the king Virata getting attracted to her. And that Keechaka is constantly after her. She is certain that he will not give up.  'Keechaka just laughed at me when I told him that five gandharva husbands protect me.'

  'You must kill him as you did Jarasandra and others. If  he is not killed by tomorrow, I will take poison and die. I rather do it before  anything untoward happens to me.' She breaks down again and cries resting her head against his chest. Beema yields and tells her that he would kill Keechaka and others  supporting  him. They make a plan. Draupadi should ask Keechaka to come to the Dancing hall secretly without telling anyone and Bheema would take care of the rest. They then spend the whole night  crying and consoling each other

 As she anticipated, Keechaka accosts Draupadi, first thing in the morning. He tells her that she has seen even the king cannot protect her. Claims he is the real king and again pleads with her to be his. Offers meet her at her place if that what she wants. Draupadi pretends to agree and has a condition. 'You must come alone as I am afraid my Gandharava husbands will come to know'. She invites him to the dance hall in the night. 'Even Gandharvas will not know this place'.

 Keechaka comes in the  night for his tryst with Draubadi but meets his death at the hands of Bheema.