Question

Drupada, the king of Panchala, organised a competition where the challenge was to string a bow and hit a target; the winner would be chosen to marry his daughter Draupadi. Arjuna was victorious and was garlanded by Draupadi. The Pandavas returned with her to their mother Kunti, who, even before she saw them, asked them to share whatever they had got. She realised her mistake when she saw Draupadi, but her command could not be violated. After much deliberation, Yudhisthira decided that Draupadi would be their common wife. When Drupada was told about this, he protested. However, the seer Vyasa arrived and told him that the Pandavas were in reality incarnations of Indra, whose wife had been reborn as Draupadi, and they were thus destined for each other. Vyasa added that in another instance a young woman had prayed to Shiva for a husband, and in her enthusiasm, had prayed five times instead of once. This woman was now reborn as Draupadi, and Shiva had fulfilled her prayers. Convinced by these stories, Drupada consented to the marriage.

Why do you think the author(s) offered three explanations for a single episode?

Answer 1

The author(s) offered three distinct explanations for Draupadi’s marriage to legitimise a highly unconventional and socially disapproved form of marriage (polyandry) within the framework of epic tradition. Polyandry violated prevailing Brahmanical norms, necessitating multi-layered justifications to satisfy the audience.

The strategy behind the three explanations is:

1. The Narrative Level (Kunti’s Command): Shows structural obedience within patrilineal families. A mother’s spoken word was sacred and could not be violated under any circumstance.
2. The Cosmic Level (Indra’s Incarnation): Elevates the characters to divine figures. It frames the polyandrous union as a pre-ordained celestial destiny rather than a human transgression.
3. The Ritual Level (Shiva’s Boon): Justifies the situation through a divine boon. It explains the five husbands as a literal fulfilment of her own intense prayers from a past life.