Draupadi - Her Existence and Personality

Her Existence and Personality

Draupadi was a multifaceted personality: she could be fiery and angry when the situation called for it, but she still had a compassionate nature. She encouraged people to face life with the same inner strength that she did. For example, after Abhimanyu’s death, she consoled his grieving widow, Uttara, by reminding her of the cause for which Abhimanyu gave his life. She encouraged Uttara to gather her strength for the sake of her and Abhimanyu’s child, whom she was carrying at the time. After the war, Draupadi looked after Gandhari with respect and affection, even though Gandhari’s sons had wronged her in so many ways.

Because of her virtuous nature, Draupadi is considered one of the panchakanya, a group of five women who are especially venerated in the Hindu tradition. The other four are: Seetha, the wife of Lord rama; Tara, the wife of Vali who was instrumental in reconciling Rama with Sugreev; Ahalya, Sage Gautam’s wife who was given a blessing of purity from Shri Ram; and Mandodari, the virtuous wife of Ravana who had the courage to speak out against her husband when he abducted Sita. Simply remembering these virtuous women, according to tradition, destroys great sins.