Where Woman Stands

Mahabharata - an ancient Indian epic revolving around the feud between the sons of two brothers, Dhritarashtra and Pandu, of the Kuru dynasty in the Hastinapur kingdom. Pandavas were five sons of Pandu and Kauravas were a hundred sons of Dhritarashtra. Pandavas were Yudhisthir, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul, and Sahdev. Duryodhan was the eldest among the Kauravas. Now the kingdom was run by the blind king Dhritarashtra as Pandu has long ago given up the throne due to a curse and then died when the Pandavas were very young. Though Yudhisthir was the eldest among all the Pandavas and Kauravas, Duryodhana considered himself the rightful heir to the throne. When Yudhisthir was declared the heir of the throne of Hastinapur, Duryodhana schemed to kill Pandavas and their mother by burning them alive in a palace made of a flammable substance, lacquer. Pandavas were able to save themselves and their mother from the fire.


After that, they married Draupadi. Destiny led to such an unusual arrangement that she had to become a common wife of Pandavas. Then the kingdom of Hastinapur was divided, and Pandavas got the barren part of the kingdom. Pandavas' effort and hard work turned the barren land into one of the most grandeur and powerful kingdoms, Indraprastha. Fire of revenge and jealousy started burning inside Duryodhana's heart after visiting Indraprastha, where he was insulted by Draupadi. Duryodhana tricked Yudhisthir In the game of dice where the latter lost his throne, four brothers, and Draupadi. 


Draupadi was dragged into the hall of court and insulted. Duryodhana ordered his younger brother, Dushasan, to disrobe her. In the court, Dhritrashtra, grandfather of Pandavas and Kauravas (Bhisma), teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas (Dronacharya), brothers of Duryodhana, and many other powerful rulers and courtiers were present. Draupadi pleaded for help from all of them, but no one helped her. Finally, she prayed to Lord Krishna, and a miracle happened. Her robe started extending endlessly, and Dushasan got tired of pulling it and finally collapsed. 



Image credit: Pinterest


This poem represents that incident in Draupadi's life that changed the perspective of society toward women forever. In today's world, certain men find nothing wrong in passing derogatory remarks on women as and when they want. Certainly, what happened can not be changed, but we can set examples to make society safer and better for women


Draupadi Is No Longer Safe Today


If almighty Pandavas would have stood by Draupadi,

If powerful Bhisma had used his power then, instead of on the battlefield,

Had king Dhritarashtra punished his sons for maligning Draupadi,

Had the great scholar and warrior Drona lifted his weapons then,

Had Draupadi not been insulted then,

Draupadi would not be insulted now in all walks of her life.


Examples of households where women are treated as objects would not be there,

People would not console Draupadi, saying that only God will help and no living person,

In today's world, when God doesn't come when prayed for help,

Why was such an example set in the case of Draupadi?


Why was it not told that the husband should protect his wife at all costs,

Why was it not shown that a woman is safe in her family?

Why was she not told that if everyone fails to save her,

She is also a 'Shakti' who could lift weapon for herself,

Why was she not taught self-defense to set an example?


Why was Draupadi not told that her husbands were mere living beings,

Why was she not asked to be aware of intentions of family members,

Why was she not advised that "You are your saviour."


Yet women today worship their husbands,

Yet women today rely on them for protection,

Yet women today have not learned to be their saviours,

Yet women today do not have a better world for themselves,

Even after the epic taught women what lies ahead in time,

That Draupadi is no longer safe today.

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