Draupadi was born after years of constant prayers to King Drupada. She was beautiful and was born to be the wife of
the Pandavas, the five brothers who were the sons of King
Pandu. Devoted to
Lord Krishna, she was a woman of strong will and determination. As the princess of the kingdom of Panchal she was known as Panchali. Draupadi was born out of the haven fire lit by Drupad pledging his determination to wreak vengeance against Dronacharya, his enemy. She originally garlanded Arjuna, one among the Pandavas, at the
Swayamvara venue. By a strange twist of fate, she had to remain the wife of the other four brothers as well.
Once a dice-competition was held between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. During the game, one of the Pandava brothers (
Yudhishtira) got carried away by the game and staked even the beautiful Draupadi. Unfortunately Pandavas were defeated in the game and were compelled to leave their beloved wife to the Kauravas. To humiliate the princess, the Kaurava brother, Dushasana, ordered their guards to strip off all her clothes. But to their surprise, they realized that the clothes had no end. They found that Draupadi remained fully clothed. Ultimately they gave up the futile effort. It was Lord Krishna who kept her clothed invisibly. Meanwhile Draupadi took a vow that she would tie up her hair only after Dushasana is properly punished for the sin. Later in the Kurukshetra war, Bhima, the Pandava brother tore Dushasana’s breast with the strength of a hundred elephants, and drank his blood.
When the Kauravas cunningly won the kingdom, the Pandavas were asked to remain in the forest for twelve years. Draupadi too followed them to the forest. Thus Draupadi had to undergo numerous hardships and obstacles to live happily.
