Draupadi

Draupadi
Draupadi in her swayamvara द्रौपदी, Draupadī
Debut	Adi Parva Section 1
Affiliation	Queen
Other Names	Maiden of Durupada Panchali Sakhi Krishnai Yajnaseni

Daughter of Drupada, king of Pañchāla, and wife of the five Pāṇḍavas. In her previous life she was an ascetic woman named Nalayani who received a boon from Śiva that she would have five husbands in her next life. The epitome of womanly skills, she once gave advice on how to serve a husband to Satyabhāmā, one of Kṛṣṇa’s principal wives. She was said to be an expansion of the Goddess Lakṣmī. Also known as Pāñcālī.She is also said to be an incarnation of Goddess Kali in another tradition.

Appearance and Attributes

Draupadi was a woman of incomprehensible beauty. She had such a grace and elegance that almost all the men in the world desired her as their wife. Apart from Rukmini and Satyabhama, no woman in the world could rival her.

She had a dark skin tone which earned her the name 'Krishna' meaning the dark one. she had a beautiful scent that used to reach a mile range and was of like a blue lotus. She had eyes like lotus petals and a slender waist with beautiful hips.

Her hair were dark blue in color with beautiful curls and had nails like a crescent moon along with well swelled breasts.

Jayadratha stated that after once beholding Panchali, all the other women in the world appeared to him like monkeys. Meaning that her beauty was such that other women appeared ugly in front of her. She attracted the attention of all the Pandavas, Keechak, and all the kings and princes that attended her Swayamvara. Those who were friends also started to see each other as enemies in the lust of the beautiful Krishna. Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa at that moment compared Draupadi to Uma surrounded by the various Devas.

Thus, it can be said that Draupadi was one of the most beautiful women not only in Mahabharata but also in the entirety of human history.

Draupadi and Lord Krishna shared a very special relationship. As is known to admirers of the great epic poem Mahabharata, Draupadi always considered Lord Krishna as her Sakha or beloved friend and mentor, and Krishna addressed her as Sakhi, this is symbolic of the platonic love existing between the fiery Draupadi and the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Krishna. Using Draupadi as an instrument, Lord Krishna achieved his mega-plan of annihilating the evil Kauravas. The choice of Draupadi as the instrument through which he executed his actions, explains the special place she had in his scheme of things, as a result, Draupadi was put through severe tests in her life. The only true friend, who validated her persona and came to her rescue each time she found herself in dire circumstances, was Krishna, whose divine presence she experienced constantly in her life. Lord Krishna motivated her throughout her life as one of the important bearers of dharma or justice in defeating adharma or injustice.

Draupadi's unparalleled beauty, intelligence and courage becomes the cause of her misery. She is charmed by Arjuna, the winner of the archery contest, set for her hand but she is bundled off by the Pandavas' mother and her mother-in-law, Kunti, as the bride of all the five Pandavas. Her cruel fate divides her as a possession among five husbands and cuts up her personality.

Family

Paternal Grandfather - Prishata

Father - Drupada

Brothers - 10, including Shikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna and Satyajit

Sons - By Yudhishthira: Prativindhya; By Bhima: Sutasoma; By Arjuna: Shrutakirti; By Nakula: Shatanika; By Sahadeva: Shrutasena

Biography

Birth

Drupada, the king of Panchala, wished to the devas for a son as his successor for the kingdom. To fulfill his wishes he organized a ritual of fire sacrifice (yajna) which involved the kindling of a central flame in which his son is designated to emerge. Drupada, describes his wishes for the son and and as wished, his son emerges as the blessing of the devas and steps out of the flame. The saints informed him that the devas are also wishing to grant him another child, but a female. But Drupada refuses to continue the ritual and walks away with his son, despite the saints informing him not to do so, as that would infuriate the devas. Yet Drupada pays no heed to the advice and continues to walk away. But a fireball from the ritual flame emerges to stop him. Infuriated about being forced to continue the ritual, he wishes the following: his daughter should undergo pain and suffering throughout her life and should preach dharma and attain success in the experience of the unjust suffering faced by her. She should be a person who should lose her purity due to injustice at some point in time and regain that later through establishing justice. She should be a person who gives power to people she trusts and inspite of all the suffering she faces throughout her life, she will stand strongminded and will not let others who face the sorrow become crestfallen and will make them strongminded. Even under extreme stress or happiness, she should not lose her stand or her mindset. In the upcoming tests in her life, she shall follow the way of Dharma and justice only, and will never deviate from it.

An expansion of Shachi, the queen of deities, Draupadi was hence born after her twin brother Dhrishtadyumna from the middle of the yajna's altar. Meaning dark-skinned, her birth name was Krishnaa, but she was known by her more popular name Draupadi, which meant daughter of Drupada.

Draupadi once found a learned brahmin being hosted by Drupada. Along with her brothers, Draupadi, sitting in her father's lap, learnt of the teachings of the divine mentor Brihaspati from the mouth of that brahmin concerning the importance of actions. She hence was educated in the fact that it was important for a person to perform deeds in a situation instead of leaving it to fate.

Unusual Marriage

To have Draupadi married, Drupada declared the arrangement of a Swayamvara (ceremony of choosing the husband) for her on the eleventh day of the second fortnight of the month of Pausha. The event's participants were hosted for several days. On the sixteenth day, the ceremony took place and Draupadi made her appearance following a bath, wearing beautiful clothes and ornaments, carrying a garland in her hands.

Dhrishtadyumna brought Draupadi to the centre of the hall and declared the condition that the one who would hit the set target through a hole with an arrow would be married to her. Then, Dhrishtadyumna informed Draupadi about all those who were present to obtain her as a wife. Suitors started to attempt the challenge one by one, but no one was able to even pick up the bow.

Finally, it was Arjuna disguised as a brahmin who completed the challenge, successfully taking down the target as per the condition. With a gentle smile, Draupadi walked towards him and put the wedding garland in his neck. As she set off after Arjuna, other kings objected to Draupadi's marriage with a brahmin. The brothers Bhima and Arjuna fought them off and Draupadi followed them to their temporary residence, the house of a potter.

There, the brothers' mother Kunti, without seeing Draupadi, just asked them to share whatever they had brought home. But on turning, when she viewed that it was a woman, Kunti was shocked, while Draupadi remained joyful, happy about getting a husband of her like. Kunti held Draupadi's hand and brought her before the eldest brother Yudhishthira. There was a discussion about whom Draupadi must marry, since Kunti had mistakenly given a wrong order.

During all of this, Draupadi just viewed Kunti and the five brothers, the Pandavas. Seeing that Draupadi was sanding calm and composed, Yudhishthira, to keep Kunti's word and also ensure that the brothers did not come into conflict for Draupadi's mesmerising beauty, declared that she would be married to all five of them.

That evening, Kunti asked Draupadi to take the first portion of their food and offer it to the deities and donate it to brahmins. Kunti then also guided Draupadi in the distribution of food among themselves. After gladly serving and having dinner, Draupadi willingly lied down at the feet of the five brothers to sleep.

On Drupada's call, following the Pandavas, Draupadi accompanied Kunti on a chariot back to the royal palace where her formal marriage would take place. Sage Vyasa arrived and persuaded Drupada to have his daughter married to five men by revealing that she was the incarnation of the personified heavenly wealth as well as the rebirth of an ascetic woman, both of whom had been inadvertently granted the boon of being married to five husbands by Lord Shiva.

Subsequently, Draupadi was married to a Pandava each day. She first had the wedding knot tied with Yudhishthira and completed the traditional ceremony. Next day, she was married to Bhima, then Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Hence, she was subjected to a unique androgynous marriage. Draupadi turned out to be a great wife who provided her husbands happiness who returned the favour. Wearing a silk saree following her wedding, Draupadi presented herself to Kunti, who affectionately blessed her a prosperous married life.

A year later, the Pandavas, with Draupadi and Kunti, were summoned to their home city of Hastinapura, the capital of the Kuru kingdom. Following a happy journey, Draupadi was welcomed justly by the wives of the Pandavas' cousins the Kauravas led by Duryodhana's consort from Kashi. Then, Draupadi accompanied Kunti to greet Queen Gandhari, who warmly embraced the new daughter-in-law.

Almost immediately, the Pandavas were assigned their own territory to rule and Draupadi found her residence in their capital city of Indraprastha. One day there, Yudhishthira called Draupadi to meet the guest Sage Narada, who gave her a lot of blessings, after which she went away at the sage's leave. In Draupadi's absence, Narada advised the Pandavas to formulate rules so that they never came into conflict for Draupadi.

Hence, the regulations were implemented that each of the Pandavas would take turns residing with Draupadi for a year and the brother who would walk upon her sitting with one of them would be exiled. Draupadi led a happy and content life with her five husbands.

Receiving Subhadra and Sons

After a long time passed, Arjuna was one day compelled to walk upon Yudhishthira and Draupadi sitting together to take his weapons kept at the same place to urgently help solve a case of theft. As per the rules, Arjuna then went away in exile for twelve years. In that duration, Draupadi heard of Arjuna's marriage to another woman Subhadra.

When Arjuna returned from the exile, Draupadi, who loved him dearly, taunted him to go back to Subhadra, stating that his love had been divided and weakened. After being done speaking, Draupadi began to cry while Arjuna consoled and apologised to her. In the light of this event, Subhadra arrived before Draupadi and Kunti in ordinary apparel. She touched Draupadi's feet and presented herself as her servant. This made Draupadi get over Arjuna's other marriage and she stood up to hug Subhadra, addressing her as a sister and blessing for her husband to possess no enemies.

Resuming her happy life, over a course of five years Draupadi begot a son each from the Pandavas. She gave birth to Prativindhya, fathered by Yudhishthira, followed by Sutasoma by Bhima, Shrutakirti by Arjuna, Shatanika by Nakula and Shrutasena by Sahadeva.

Then one day, Draupadi and Subhadra accompanied Arjuna and his close companion, Subhadra's brother Krishna, with whom Draupadi too began to develop a sisterly bond while also recognising him as God, in their leisure trip at the Yamuna river. Pridefully, the two women donated clothes and jewellery among the masses. After that trip, Draupadi was met by Krishna, who personally bid her farewell before returning to his home city of Dvaraka, after which she sat with Yudhishthira in their newly-built assembly hall.

Rajasuya Yajna

Krishna once again visited Indraprastha and worked with the Pandavas to have Jarasandha killed to clear the way for them to build an empire following which he went back to Dvaraka after personally meeting Draupadi. Yudhishthira then conducted the Rajasuya yajna, officially becoming the emperor of the subcontinent. As per tradition, Draupadi's hair were washed with holy water in the ceremony.

In the yajna, Draupadi looked after the meals of all attendees. Before eating herself, she would ensure that everyone from the hunched and short to the stout kings had eaten. At the end, Draupadi once again received Krishna before his departure from the ceremony.

Draupadi was present laughing when Duryodhana, confused by the visuals of their glamorous assembly hall, fell into water appearing like the floor, making him feel humiliated and hurting his ego. Later, Draupadi travelled with her companions ahead of the emperor in palanquins to Hastinapura, where Duryodhana wished to play a game of dice with Yudhishthira. Although Draupadi discouraged Yudhishthira to gamble, he nevertheless went for it since he could not refute a challenge being a warrior king. At the venue, Draupadi and the women parted from husbands to rest.

Humiliation

Her humiliation at the Dyut-Krida (dice game) led to the start of the Mahabharata War. Yudhishthira was very fond of gambling (game of dice). But he was no expert. Shakuni, maternal uncle of Kauravas, was a very experienced player. Yudhishthira went on losing. He offered his chariots, horses, and elephants as stakes and lost them; and eventually he lost his kingdom, Indraprastha, as well. Finally, he and his four brothers became the slaves of the Kaurava king. He lost Draupadi also in this gamble. The Kauravas having won, Duryodhana ordered that Draupadi be dragged into the court. The Pandavas bent their heads in shame. Yudhishthira now knew what an unjust action he was guilty of. But it was now too late and regret was of no use. When Draupadi, who was menstruating at that time, heard this news from the mouth of Duryodhana's servant Pratikami, she was dazed. But instead of meekly obeying her husband Yudhishthira , she sent back a query which none could answer. She questioned her husband Yudhishthira, if he had pledged her before or after he had lost himself in the gamble. She argued that if he had pledged himself first, he had no right over her as he was already a slave. She later challenged the game as illegal as she argued, that Duryodhana, a Kaurava, had not placed his brothers and wife as a matching stake. Mahabharata tells us how the assembly started to hiss loudly when Yudhishthira staked Draupadi. Plausibly the ownership of the wife by the husband was recognized but not respected in society. The Ramayana preaches that there is no greater gift for a man than his wife. But the phrase gift to a man gives the impression that the wife is merely an object to provide happiness for the man.

After Draupadi sent Pratikami back twice and a messenger from Yudhishthira once, Duryodhana's brother, Duhshasana, goes to her chamber and barges in, yelling at Draupadi to bow down before her masters. Draupadi did not go silently. She challenged Duhshasana to try to touch her in front of Gandhari, the queen mother and his mother, pushed him, and rushed towards Gandhari's chamber. Duhshasana followed her and grabbed her by her plaited hair, dragging her by it. Draupadi screams and it reverberates throughout the entire hall. Draupadi looked at all elders in the court - Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and Vidura - with her eyes shouting for help. But all elders were silent. The subjects were stunned. Her husbands sat with their heads bowed. Draupadi had a marvelous blend of intensity that suits kshatriyas and forgiveness that fits devotees. She was very intelligent and knowledgeable. She had a brilliant mind, was utterly "one-in-herself" and did not hesitate in reprimanding the Kuru elders for countenancing wickedness. When Duhshasana was dragging her by the hair to the court, she ridiculed him to show his prowess against her husbands.

She also boldly reprimanded the elders present in the court and appealed to them to do justice. She cried out to her silent husbands. Her speech drips with sarcasm. The elders whom she ceremoniously salutes, deliberately using the word "duty", have remained silent in the face of Vidura's exhortation to do their duty and protect the royal daughter-in-law. At last Duryodhana's brother Vikarna supported Draupadi but Karna derided him and questioned his support for her. Thus, despite being humiliated, Draupadi won morally. Nobody could refute her logic. She said "where righteousness and justice do not exist, it ceases to be a court; it is a gang of robbers". In response to Draupadi's volley of harsh words, Duhshasana grinned and uttered wicked words. Duhshasana should have respected Draupadi, his sister-in-law, like his own mother. But instead, the wicked Duhshasana began to pull at her saree. Draupadi's weeping and wailing would have moved a stone to mercy. Draupadi turned to Lord Krishna as her husbands bowed their heads in shame. She threw out both hands and with both hands in salutation she cried to Krishna, and miraculously even though Krishna was physically absent there, the more Duhshasana pulled her robe, the more it was still there on her person. Several meters of the robes he pulled, yet it was still there. Duhshasana was tired drawing her saree but he could not find the end of it. This shows us the bond between a brother and sister or the promise of security. Draupadi gave to Lord Krishna one small strand from her saree to tie on his injured finger, during a duel with the cruel Shishupala.

(The injury of Lord Krishna's finger has another popular origin in mythology: During the celebrations associated with the Sankranthi festival, Krishna was partaking the freshly harvested sugarcane offered to him by Gopis in accordance with the customs of the festival. To squeeze the juice out of the sugarcanes, Krishna had to cut them. While doing so, he inadvertently cut his little finger. Seeing blood on his finger, Satyabhama - Krishna's wife - with her characteristic pride, ordered the Gopis to go inside the house to fetch some cloth to bandage the finger. Draupadi who was also there, however, out of her love and concern for Krishna, immediately tore off a piece of cloth from the end of her new saree and bandaged the Lord's finger. For Lord Krishna this signified Raksha bandhan and he immediately took Draupadi as his sister. Draupadi was a great devotee of Lord Krishna, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-pervading.)

When Karna smugly ordered Duhshasana to take Draupadi to his residence to begin her service, she was again dragged maliciously. However, she did not allow herself to be taken away and continued to pitiably pose her question to the ashamed elders present at the site, among whom Bhishma courageously insisted that Yudhishthira should be the one to answer her.

Having failed in his efforts to disrobe Draupadi, who was unaware how her honour had been miraculously conserved, Duryodhana patted his thighs and ordered Draupadi to sit on his lap, since she was supposed to obey his orders as she was now a slave to him after her husband, Yudhishthira had lost her in the game of dice. On hearing this, Draupadi cursed Duryodhana of a death with a broken thigh. Draupadi also took a vow that she would not oil or tie her hair until she could wash her hair with the blood of Duhshasana, after he was killed. At such a moment, Bhima lashed out and vowed to avenge the insult that Draupadi was subjected to.

Draupadi asking the whole raja sabha why she is being treated as such.

Thus her humiliation sparked the flame of revenge and seeking for justice in the Pandavas' hearts, leading to the war of Mahabharata!

Draupadi was suffering from the continuous taunts of Karna and Duryodhana when Dhritarashtra finally heeded Gandhari and Vidura, consoling Draupadi by allowing her to ask him to grant anything. Draupadi asked Dhritarashtra to free Yudhishthira from slavery, stating that she did not want Prativindhya to be ignorantly called the son of a servnt.

Granting that, Dhritarashtra told Draupadi to ask for something else as well. At this, Draupadi had her other four husbands also freed along with the equipment they had lost in the gambles. She then refused a third boon, expressing her wish not to fall to greed. Dhritarashtra granted them leave with everything they had lost restored. The traumatised Draupadi departed for Indraprastha on a chariot shared with Yudhishthira.

Yudhishthira was subsequently called to another game mid-way which he was again unable to refute for warrior duty and this time as per the conditions of loss, the Pandavas with Draupadi were subjected to thirteen years of exile. Draupadi visited Kunti and her companion women to take their leave.

Kunti sadly advised Draupadi to accept her fate and retain trust in righteousness throughout her struggle, also asking her to take special care of the youngest Sahadeva in the forest. The weeping Draupadi agreed and then exited the palace in her miserable state. Hence, Draupadi set out for the forest with her husbands, still wearing her blood-stained robe, accompanied by their royal priest Sage Dhaumya.

Beginning of Exile

The group set out towards the north and the arrangement for their food became their first concern. Yudhishthira went into the river Ganga for a while to solve the issue by Lord Surya's grace, following which he reunited with Draupadi and began cooking in the inexhaustible vessel which he had obtained. Throughout the exile, all the brahmins who accompanied them along with the Pandavas would be fed by it and Draupadi was the last to eat from it, since her meal was the limit set for the vessel's contents to be exhausted.

With that grave problem settled, Draupadi began a three-day journey with the company to the Kamyaka forest. They reached the forest in the middle of the night, when they were faced by the demon Kirmira. Draupadi boosted Bhima's motivation while fighting the demon by looking at him affectionately. After Bhima killed Kirmira, Draupadi, under her husbands' assurance and praising Bhima, established abode in the now-safe forest.

The Pandavas' allies, including Draupadi's brothers and Krishna, arrived at their residence on hearing the news of their exile. Draupadi opened up about her grievance for the first time in front of Krishna, questioning why she was put through disgusting humiliation even on possessing a valiant family. Recounting her pain, she burst into tears, feeling the absence of any just reaction to these events.

In response, Krishna vowed before Draupadi that he would ensure that the wives of her offenders would cry the same way upon their corpses laden with Arjuna's arrows, following which she would become a queen again. At this, Draupadi looked slantly at Arjuna, who assured her that Krishna's words would come true. Dhrishtadyumna too consoled Draupadi that they would slay their enemies who had allowed her humilation. After some conversation, Krishna was bid farewell by the still-tearful Draupadi, following which she was also parted from her five sons, who were taken to Panchala by Dhrishtadyumna.

Draupadi and her husbands then mounted chariots prepared by their loyal servants to move to the Dvaita forest, parting from their subjects who had followed them till then. After entering the Dvaita forest, Draupadi dismounted and halted near Yudhishthira under a tree, ensuing residence there. One evening, when the grieving group was conversing, Draupadi attempted to trigger anger inside Yudhishthira, comparing their current state to their glorious days in Indraprastha, asking him not to forgive their enemies for bringing their ruin.

Draupadi recounted a legendary conversation between the learned demon Prahlada and his grandson Bali, quoting the former's discouragement of unconditional forgiveness, since it made sinners fearlessly commit crimes without consequences. Yudhishthira in turn spoke against the emotion of anger and praised the tendency to forgive. At this, the aggrieved Draupadi spoke in scepticism on the appropriateness of righteousness and fate.

Draupadi, whose mind was clouded by grief, was explained by Yudhishthira that the fruit of one's deeds always returned as a result and its delay did not deserve losing trust in dharma. Draupadi then explained her mind, stating that she did not outright doubt all of that, but only wished to let out her sadness. She spoke her knowledge of the importance of doing actions that she had learnt in childhood, imploring Yudhishthira to do something against the injustice they were facing.

In this, Bhima too joined Draupadi, but Yudhishthira concluded the debate by voicing his trust in benignity and stating that it was prudentially too better to bide their time in their weakened state. Then, Sage Vyasa visited them and advised that they should keep switching residences in that wild terrain. Some time after hence moving back to the Kamyaka forest, when Arjuna was departing on his quest to obtain celestial weapons, Draupadi told him that they would miss him and praying for his safety, bid him farewell.

Pilgrimage

Draupadi spent five years with her four husbands only. She always remained anxious as she thought about Arjuna. One day, she finally opened up towards Yudhishthira about her distress, shared by the other four as well. At that moment, they were met by Sage Narada, who advised them to go on a pilgrimage instead of continuing their dull life in the Kamyaka forest. Another incentive was found by them for this when Sage Lomasha visited them and conveyed Indra's message with whom Arjuna was staying, saying that they too should perform penance like Arjuna.

Great sages including Vyasa, Narada and Parvata arrived to bless them and Draupadi heeded their advice to maintain a pure mind throughout the pilgrimage, for which they then set out. They were also informed that Arjuna would ultimately reunite with them in one of the pilgrimage sites. On Sage Lomasha's command, Draupadi bathed in the water of the historical site Bhrigutirtha, where their physical glory marred by Duryodhana was restored. They also visited the river Vaitarani on their pilgrimage, in which she offered water to ancestors by tradition.

Draupadi also bathed in the Naritirthas, sites connected to Arjuna, who had previously visited them and displayed his valour there. She also performed bath and offering in the Prabhasakshetra, where the Yadava people including Krishna arrived to see them. Moving on, they travelled north into the region of Uttarakhanda, the talk of whose harsh mountainous terrain did not stir Draupadi's resolve of the pilgrimage and she insisted on continuing. Her belongings were handed over to the kingdom of Kulinda to ensue the difficult journey from there.

The group set out for the holy Gandhamadana mountain, where they were to meet Arjuna. The path challenged them with a strong rainstorm, which forced them to spontaneously run for shelter. Draupadi was protected by Bhima, who stood under a tree with her. After the storm died down, Draupadi was only able to walk a kos more before she had to stop and sit down, exhausted after walking so much. As her hands pressed down on her thighs, she fell down, but was held by Nakula.

The Pandavas comforted Draupadi while the brahmins who accompanied them chanted hymns to provide them peace. Her consciousness was also aided by the moist air, after which she was laid down on a bed of animal hide. Nakula and Sahadeva slowly massaged her feet as Yudhishthira consoled her. In light of this event, Bhima called upon his son Ghatotkacha, who gladly carried his step-mother Draupadi for the rest of the way.

The company then visited the heavenly hermitage that used to be the residence of the legendary sages Nara and Narayana. Draupadi began walking around with her husbands in that mesmerising jungle, situated at the foothills of the Gandhamadana mountain, whose wind provided Draupadi joy. After staying there for six nights, Draupadi found a Saugandhika lotus, one exquisitely fragrant and of thousand petals, that had flown there with the wind. Draupadi requested Bhima to bring more of these lotuses for her and in the meantime, gifted her specimen to Yudhishthira.

After some time, when Yudhishthira did not find Bhima in the hermitage, he asked Draupadi about his whereabouts. She told Yudhishthira that he was gone to the north-east to gather lotuses for her. Concerned for Bhima's safety, Draupadi was carried by Ghatotkacha with the Pandavas journeying along to find Bhima. They found him at the lake housing the lotuses, having slain spirits guarding it. For some time, Draupadi resided with her husbands at the shore of that lake.

While Yudhishthira was looking forward to visiting Kubera's nearby palace as a part of the pilgrimage, a divine voice discouraged them from that prospect and instructed them to return to the Nara-Narayana hermitage. Hence, the Pandavas resumed residence there with Draupadi and the accompanying brahmins. A malicious demon named Jatasura infiltrated the hermitage in the disguise of a brahmin, greedily looking not to just steal, but also to abduct Draupadi.

One day, in the absence of Bhima, Ghatotkacha and his companions and many of the sages, Jatasura abducted Draupadi with three of her husbands. While Sahadeva escaped from the demon's hold and rushed to fetch Bhima, Yudhishthira assured Draupadi not to be afraid as he was pressing down his mustered weight to hinder Jatasura's speed while Bhima would arrive any time. Bhima took down Jatasura, rescuing Draupadi and his brothers.