Authors Note:
This is a story of how Duryodhana puts the Pandavas to shame by humiliating and taking his wife Draupadi as slave. I really liked the message in this story and recreated it. I felt really strong emotions to how she was treated and it really upset me. I did not think of or make up this story!
Draupadi's husband had lost the gambling match and she was now Duryodhana's slave. She was not ready to lose herself to Duryodhana and protested. Angrily she was thrown in the dungeon. She was dragged by her long trailing hair, and her garments were stripped. Like sapling tempest-shaken, she wept and shook trembling with a fair face!
"Leave me, shameless prince Duhshasan! Elders, noble lords are here; Can a modest wedded woman thus in loose attire appear?" "Loosely clad or void of clothing, to the council hall you go.
"Slave-wench fairly staked and conquered, wait upon thy masters brave,
Live among our household menials, serve us as our willing slave!"
Draupadi was then brought to the assembly hall. Shakuni and Karna laughed at Draupadi being a slave. Draupadi asked everyone where their powers went and and how no one would give her justice. She was being shamed in-front of the town. "Where are the powerful Gods in the face of injustice?"
"Well spoken, well spoken!" they mocked
Duhshashsana came to try to strip her naked in-front of everyone an she prayed to Krishna. He multiplied her garments so no one could un-strip her.
Karma said to Draupadi
"Tis not thy blame, O princess, that thou hast fallen so low. A woman's fate is controlled by her husband; Yudhishthira hath gambled thee away. Thou wert his, and must accept thy fate. Henceforward thou wilt be the slave of the Kaurava princes. Thou must obey them and please them with thy beauty. ’Tis meet that thou shouldst now seek for thyself a husband who will love thee too well to stake thee at dice and suffer thee to be put to shame. Be assured that no one will blame a humble menial, as thou now art, who looks with eyes of love upon great and noble warriors. Remember that Yudhishthira is no longer thy husband; he hath become a slave, and a slave can have no wife. Ah, sweet Princess of Panchala, those whom thou didst choose at thy swayamvara have gambled and lost thee; their kingdom they have lost, and their power also."
Bhima angrily said to Yudhisthira
"If you hadst not staked our freedom and our queen, O king and elder brother, this son of a charioteer would not have taunted us in this manner."
Bhima cried
"Hear my terrible words, O ye kshatriyas. May I never reach Heaven if I do not yet seize Duhshasana in battle and, tearing open his breast, drink his very life blood! If Yudhishthira will permit me, I will slay the wretched sons of Dhritarashtra without weapons, even as a lion slays small animals."
Duryodhana then asked Draupadi to sit on his knee. Shakuni and his men laughed in the hall. Draupadi looked at her feet with tearful eyes and at Duryodhana with rage. Defiantly she kicked him in the chest toppling him over to the ground.
Image Source:
https://iskconnews.org/draupadi-dishonored-yet-honorable-2,6922/
Bibliography:
Laura Gibbs, Mahabaratha Reading
http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Mahabharata
Hi Zille. I really liked your retelling of this story from The Mahabharata. What I liked the most about your retelling is how you used dialogue in the story. I read the public domain edition of The Mahabharata, so there was not too much dialogue, so you adding some really made it feel personal. Overall a great story; I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteHi Zille! I really like how you formatted this story and your retelling of it was very good! This is a pretty dark story and it is very sad to read about how he had his wife stripped away from him because he gambled her away. The picture really goes well with the story as it looks like she is being dragged away like in the story. I thought you did a very good job!
ReplyDeleteHey again, Zille. I really love the way you retold this story, and the formatting of the dialogue is excellent. Many of the retellings focus on other perspectives, so it's always nice to see Draupadi have a moment of her own. I also appreciate how you kept the linguistic style throughout the dialogue...great work!
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