Draupadi's Bhakti

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Dharmaja, the eldest among the Pandavas, is one example of a person who was able to achieve this kind of one-pointed devotion. He remained unruffled even when his wife Draupadi was being subjected to extreme humiliation in the royal court. Similarly, when Abhimanyu the son of Arjuna was slain in the battle, Dharmaja accepted the verdict of destiny with perfect equanimity. He remained equally calm when Aswatthama the son of Dronacharya mercilessly slaughtered all the Pandava off-springs. Nor was he bothered when he and his brothers had to spend long years in exile in the forest, foregoing all the royal comforts they were used to. All this was possible for Dharmaja because his mind was ever absorbed in the contemplation of Krishna. He was constantly thinking of Krishna, always chanting His Name, and was generally oblivious to what was going on around him. Dharmaja was not alone in such one-pointed devotion. His wife Draupadi also thought of Krishna incessantly and constantly chanted His Name. After the gruesome murder of the young Pandava children, Arjuna tracked Aswatthama the perpetrator of the atrocity and dragged him before Draupadi. And what did she do on that occasion? Did she curse the murderer? Did she explode in fury? No; with great forbearance she said to Aswatthama,

These children were at home.And did not enter the battlefield;Nor did they hunt and kill; They were just tiny tots devoid of all ill feelings.Why then did you cruelly strike them,And in the darkness of night slaughter them?They were the children of Dronacharya's disciples,That very same Drona, Who was also your father and guru.Can you truthfully declare,That what you did was right?

Bhima could not bear to see what Draupadi was doing. Here was Aswatthama waiting to be dealt with severely for his dastardly act, and Draupadi was trying to reason with this evil monster! Exploding in anger, Bhima roared:

Here is this demon, Who has slaughtered our children,And this foolish woman,Is trying to reason with him!Should the murderer be spared,Or dealt with as he deserves?If no one is willing to punish him,I shall with bare hands,Crush him to pulp!Consumed by fury, most of the Pandavas were about to jump on Aswatthama.

Draupadi raised her hand and said,

"Stop, you should not kill or harm this person."O Partha! It is wrong to kill. One who is afraid, One whom courage has abandoned,One who is asleep,One who is intoxicated,One who seeks refuge, And finally, a woman."

"You should not kill Aswatthama, for he is your preceptor's son. Just shave his head off as a token punishment and set him free."

It was only the purity of her thought that was her strength. Draupadi was such a great woman that in order to protect right conduct, she would oppose her husbands.

This is how Draupadi reacted to the situation; she did not have the slightest hatred for one who mercilessly wiped out all the Pandava offsprings. Among the Pandavas, Dharmaja and Draupadi were two precious gems. It is their constant con-templation of Krishna that enabled them to face all odds with equanimity and display magnanimity as well as forbearance, under the most trying of circumstances.

Draupadi constantly chanted:

|Kleem Krishnaya Govindaya Gopijana Vallabhaya Swaha|

This sacred chant has deep significance. Kleem stands for prithvi or earth. Krishnaya means jala or water. Similarly, Govindaya is a reference to agni or fire. Likewise, the other words refer respectively to vayu or air, and akasha or ether. In short, the words of this sacred chant refer to the five elements. Through this chant, Draupadi proclaimed her belief that Krishna the Supreme was not only immanent in all the elements, but was Himself the elements. This was the profound way in which both Dharmaja and Draupadi meditated on Krishna. Krishna was everything and He was also Perfect. Such are the shining examples of devotion available to us in Bharatiya Culture. Draupadi was a great woman with exemplary character.