Overview
Draupadi (Sanskrit: द्रौपदी, "Daughter of Drupada"), also known as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is one of the central characters of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. Born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) conducted by King Drupada of Panchala, she is the princess of the Panchala Kingdom and the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—in a polyandrous marriage sanctioned, within the narrative, by divine prophecy and accounts of her previous lives.
Within the tradition, Draupadi is regarded as a partial incarnation of the goddess Shri. She serves as queen of Indraprastha, where she is described as overseeing the kingdom's finances and treasury, and is portrayed as a sakhi (close friend) of the god Krishna.
The most prominent episode featuring Draupadi is the game of dice at the Kuru court. After losing Indraprastha and his own freedom, Yudhishthira wagers and loses Draupadi to his cousin Duryodhana, the leader of the Kauravas. Dragged into the royal assembly and declared a slave, she challenges the assembly by questioning the legality of being staked once her husband had already forfeited his own freedom. Following public humiliation by Duryodhana and Karna on account of her marriage to five men, the Kaurava prince Dushasana attempts to disrobe her, but her honour is said to be miraculously preserved as her garment becomes endlessly extended. The Kuru king Dhritarashtra then intervenes and grants her two boons, leading to the release of the Pandavas from bondage.
Draupadi subsequently accompanies the Pandavas into their thirteen-year exile. In the final year, she lives incognito as a maid to Queen Sudeshna of Matsya. When she is harassed by the Matsya general Kichaka, she persuades Bhima to kill him. After the exile, Duryodhana's refusal to restore the Pandavas' kingdom contributes