Storytelling Week 11: Draupadi of the Fire

Draupad, the king of Panchal had no children for many years. He performed rituals and prayed to the Gods for fertility so that he could have a child. Finally, after many failed attempts, two children appeared from the fire: Draupadi and her brother, Dhrishtadyumna. The fire was burning in order for Drupad to fulfil his vengance against his enemy, Dronacharya. Dhrishtadyumna was the first child to appear from the fire, and then Draupadi followed. The birth was unique because she was not born as an infant like we would think. No, she was born full growth and in the pinnacle of her youth and beauty because she was divinely created, not from a womb like us.

In nature fire can be very restorative. It is very good in ecosystems although our society has led us to believe that forest fires are detrimental. Without periodic fires, soils would not restore their nutrients and plants could not grow. I believe it is this restorative idea of fire that makes the birth of Draupadi so powerful.

Draupadi was known for her beautiful lotus smell that could be sensed for miles. Along with her beauty, she was extremely beautiful. It is said that she would destroy all evil. But what is it about her personality that makes her able to defeat evil? As previously noted, Draupadi was born when king Draupad least expected to have children. She is without a doubt a gift from the gods—her beauty alone is proof of this. However, why isn’t her brother the one with this special gift since he was born of fire also?  It is believed that her gift comes because she is a woman. Because she was born from the holy pyre, not requiring a womb, she is specially known for her fertility. Her brother cannot bear children and thus he does not receive such an honor although he obtains others.

Photo found online.

Author’s Note: This is written from a third point of view because I didn’t want to make this very personal. I chose to give a history of the birth of Draupadi and some details about her defining characteristics. She is known for her remarkable beauty and smell, but why is she the one that will defeat the Kuru line and not her brother? I chose to make it because she is a woman that is known for her fertility and able to bear children despite the fact that she was not born of a womb.  Her brother was not called to do so simply because he is a male.

Bibliography:

Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.  

Week 11 Reading Diary B: Pandavas

This episode starts off with the Pandavas running away. Bhima sets the house on fire, but Purochana built a tunnel so they were able to escape with few deaths. Once they left the tunnel, they were taken away by the boatman. They are disguised as Brahmins. Draupadi and her brother, Dhrishtadyumna, were born by butter melted into fire. Their father is King Drupada. Drupada set an archery test to the Pandavas where of course Arjuna dominated. He was actually the only one who passed. Because of this he won Draupadi as his wife. People were surprised, however, because no one knew that he was a Pandava; they were still disguised as wondering Brahmins. Draupadi marries all of the Pandava brothers. Arjuna meets Krishna in the forest and falls in love with his sister Subhadra. He takes her to be his wife. Arjuna and Krishna are approached by Agni who wants to eat the forest. They distract Indra. Maya seeks Arjuna’s protection from Agni and builds a palace for the Pandavas as a gift.

Photo of Draupadi found online.

Week 11 Reading Diary A: Intro to Buck's Mahabharata

In Buck’s version of the Mahabharata, he starts with an invocation of the story. In here Vyasa is the composer of the Mahabharata and Ganesha is the scribe who wrote down while he dictated. The elephant head of Ganesha comes from when Shiva got angry with him and tore of his real head. He ended up replacing his head with that of an elephant’s which is why he has a human body but an elephant head. There is a background of how certain people came to be. The ocean was originally milk and upon it’s churning, Rambha, Lakshmi and others appeared. It turned to poison and Shiva swallowed it.

Shantanu and Ganga fall in love along the Ganges river. She agrees to marry him only if he does not ask her questions of her actions throughout their marriage. Each child that she births she drowns in the river up until the 8^th child, Vasu. She gives Ganga that child and dives into the river where she disappears. That child is Bhishma. Satyavati is born inside of a fish. Her and Parashara have a child named Vyasa. Drona and Kripi had a child together. Drona came to King Drupada to ask for help because they could not feed their child. The king treated him with cruelty. Bhishma employed Drona (and Kripa) as a teacher for Pandava and Kurava princes. Arjuna is the best pupil of all the Pandavas.

Photo of Ganesha found online.