Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part B

       

Image information: The Swayamvara of Panchala’s princess, Draupadi, Image Credit: Wikipedia

          In the story “Birth of Draupadi” written by Donald A. Mackenzie, the author writes about the Pandavas traveling to the swayamvara of the beautiful Draupadi, where the winner of the contest would marry Draupadi. The Pandavas were the five powerful and skilled sons of King Pandu and his two wives, Kunti and Madri. The brothers names were: Yudhishthira, Sahadeva, Bhima, Nakula, and Arjuna. The famous brother were critical characters in the Indian Epic, Mahabharata. Although the brothers were human in nature, they each had divine attributes. Furthermore, having head of the birth of Draupadi, Kunti took her sons and traveled far from home to the ancient kingdom of northern India, Panchala. As she believed that the princess was destined to become a Pandava queen. With that being said, the Pandava brothers were married to Draupadi collectively.
King Drupada had two miraculous children, the son was called Dhrishtadyumna and the daughter Draupadi. After having to lose half of his kingdom to Drona, Drupada vowed to seek revenge against Drona, but he knew that without help, he was no match to Drona. Moreover, the king paid pilgrimages to holy places where he found someone willing to perform a sacrificial ritual known as Putrakameshti yajna to grant him an offspring that would destroy Drona. So the sacrificial ritual was performed, and the king received two children: the first, the son, would destroy Drona and increase the fame of the Panchala, while the second, the daughter, will become the chief of all women and accomplish the decrees of the gods.
According to the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi emerged from the sacrificial fire with a heavenly voice that said she would bring about the destruction of the Kuru line. Draupadi was also described to be a very beautiful woman. She had dark hair with long, curling licks and lotus eyes, and a sweet smell that clung on her body.