Draupadī
Sign in to saveDraupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is one of the central characters of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). Born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) conducted by King Drupada of Panchala, she is the princess of the Panchala Kingdom and the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—in a polyandrous marriage sanctioned by divine prophecy and narratives of her previous lives. Attested as a partial incarnation of the goddess Shri, Draupadi initially serves as the queen of Indraprastha, overseeing
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Draupadi is one of the main characters in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic composed between roughly 400 BCE and 400 CE, who was born from a sacred fire sacrifice and became the shared wife of five royal brothers. She matters because her story—which includes her role as queen and her treatment in the epic—explores themes of duty, dignity, and justice that remain central to Hindu religious and cultural traditions.
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Key facts
- Deity.type
- Hindu
- Deity.member_of
- Panchakanya
- Deity.alt
- Panchali
- Deity.devanagari
- द्रौपदी
- Deity.image
- Draupadi, Raja Ravi Varma.jpg
- Deity.caption
- Depiction of Draupadi in the Kuru court by Raja Ravi Varma, c. 1888-90
- Deity.gender
- Female
- Deity.spouse
- Pandavas
- Deity.children
- Draupadeyas
- Deity.texts
- ''''
- Deity.birth_place
- Panchala
- Deity.death_place
- Himalayas
- Deity.dynasty
Article
31 sectionsContents
- Etymology and epithets
- Literary background
- Biography
- Birth
- Education
- ''Svayamvara''
- Polyandry and previous lives
- Goddess Shri
- Sage's daughter
- Nalayani
- Wedding and children
- Queen of Indraprastha
- Rajasuya
- Game of dice and humiliation
- Vanavasa
- Ajnatavasa (Incognito)
- Kurukshetra War
- Ashwatthama's attack
- Later life and death
- Draupadi as a goddess
- In other traditions
- In popular culture
- In folk cultures
- Arts and dances
- In literature
- In politics
- See also
- Citations
- Notes
- References
- External links
Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is one of the central characters of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). Born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) conducted by King Drupada of Panchala, she is the princess of the Panchala Kingdom and the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—in a polyandrous marriage sanctioned by divine prophecy and narratives of her previous lives. Attested as a partial incarnation of the goddess Shri, Draupadi initially serves as the queen of Indraprastha, overseeing the kingdom's finances and treasury. She is also described as a sakhi (close friend) of the god Krishna.
The most notable episode featuring Draupadi takes place during the game of dice at the Kuru court. In this game, Yudhishthira, having lost Indraprastha and his freedom, wagers and loses Draupadi to his cousin Duryodhana—the leader of the Kauravas. She is forcibly dragged into the royal assembly and deemed a slave. However, she challenges the assembly, questioning the legality of being staked after one of her husbands had already forfeited his own freedom. After she is publicly humiliated by Duryodhana and his ally Karna for being married to five men, the Kaurava prince Dushasana attempts to disrobe her, but her honour is miraculously preserved, as her garment becomes endlessly extended. The Kuru king Dhritarashtra then intervenes and grants Draupadi two boons, resulting in the release of the Pandavas from bondage.