191215 - Dies Game and Exile - DRAUPADI

Dies Game and Exile - DRAUPADI

Duryodhana together with his brothers, Karna and Shakuni conspired to call the Pandavas at Hastinapur and win their kingdoms in a game of gambling. Shakuni, the gambler, winning by unfair means played against Yudhishthira and won at the gambling table what was impossible to win at the battlefield.

As the game proceeds, Yudhishthira loses everything at first. In the second round, Yudhishthira's brother Nakula was at stake, and Yudhishthira loses him. Yudhisthtira subsequently gambles away Sahdeva, Arjuna and Bheema. Finally, Yudhishthira puts himself at stake, and loses again. For Duryodhana, the humiliation of the Pandavas was not complete. He prods Yudhishthira that he has not lost everything yet; Yudhishthira still has Draupadi with him and if he wishes he can win everything back by putting Draupadi at stake. Inebriated by the game, Yudhishthira, to the horror of everybody present, puts Draupadi up as a bet for the next round. Playing the next round, Shakuni wins. Draupadi was horrified after hearing that she was staked in the game and now is a slave for Duryodhana. Draupadi questions Yudhishthira's right on her as he had lost himself first and she was still the queen. Duryodhana, angry with Draupadi's questions, commands his younger brother Dushasana to bring her into the court, forcefully if he must.

Dushasana drags Draupadi to the court by the hair. Seeing this, Bheema pledges to cut off Dushasana's hands, as they touched Draupadi's hair. Now in an emotional appeal to the elders present in the forum, Draupadi repeatedly questions the legality of the right of Yudhishthira to place her at stake.

In order to provoke the Pandavas further, Duryodhana bares and pats his thigh looking into Draupadi's eyes, implying that she should sit on his thigh. The enraged Bhima vows in front of the entire assembly that he would break Duryodhana's thigh, or else accept being Duryodhana's slave for seven lifetimes.

Karna calls Draupadi "unchaste" for being the wedded wife of five men, adding that dragging her to court is not surprising act whether she be attired or naked. He orders Dushasana to remove the garments of Draupadi. Arjun tries to help Draupadi but Yudhishtira forbids him. Arjun vows to kill Karna for insulting his wife

After her husband’s fail to assist her, Draupadi prays to Krishna to protect her. Dushasana attempts to disrobe her, but she is miraculously protected by Krishna, and Dushasana finds that as he continues to unwrap the layers of her sari, the amount of fabric covering her never lessens. Dushasana is eventually reduces to exhaustion, as the awed court observes that Draupadi is still chastely dressed. At this point, a furious Bhima vows to drink the blood from Dushasana's chest, at the pain of not seeing his ancestors/entering heaven. This vow unsettles the entire court.

The only Kauravas who object to the disrobing of Draupadi in the court are Vikarna and Vidura. Queen mother Gandhari enters the scene and counsels Dhritarashtra to undo her sons' misdeeds. Fearing the ill-omens, Dhritarashtra intervenes and grants Draupadi a boon, gives them back their wealth, and grants them permission to go home.

Amused by the sudden turn of events, Karna remarks that they "have never heard of such an act, performed by any of the women noted in this world for their beauty." He taunts the Pandavas by praising their wife, as she had rescued them "like a boat from their ocean of distress"

Having restored their pride and wealth, the Pandavas and Draupadi leave for Indraprastha. Shakuni, Karna and Duryodhana later convince Dhritarashtra to invite Pandavas for a new game of dice, with modified rules, in which the loser would be given an exile of 12 years followed by a year of Agnathavasa, meaning "living in incognito". Yudhishtira yet again accepts the invitation and loses and goes on an exile with his brothers and wife Draupadi.

While the Pandavas in exile were in the Kamyaka forest, they often went hunting, leaving Draupadi alone. At this time Jayadratha, the son of Vriddhakshatra and the husband of Duryodhana's sister Dussala, passed through Kamyaka forest on the way to Salwa Desa. Jayadratha met Draupadi and then started beseeching her to go away with him and desert her husbands, forced her onto his chariot. Pandavas caught and shaved Jayadratha's head at five places in order to publicly humiliate him and sent him back.

While on the last one year of Ajnana vasa (stay hiding); one day Kichaka, and the commander of king Virata's forces, requested her hand in marriage. Draupadi refused him. Many attempts to disturb was ended in Draupadi’s curse Kichaka with death by her husband's hand. Later Kichaka trapped by Draupadi to come to the dancing hall at night were Bhima (in the guise of Draupadi), fights with Kichaka and kills him.