women's day....special

[Guest guest]

Draupadi: A Role Model For Modern Women

 

The legend of Ramayana has given an ideal male in Rama and an

ideal woman in Sita to the world. Sita became the role model that

every father wants to see in his daughter and every husband wants

to see in his wife. Why did Draupadi not become a role model? A

better question might be 'should Draupadi be the role model for

the modern women?'

 

Draupadi was a courageous woman who, while doing all her rightful

duties, is willing and bold enough to take a stand. Draupadi

actually declared a war with the Kauravas long before it really

happened in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

 

Duryodhana humiliated Draupadi in front of the five Pandava

brothers and in front of many well-known dignitaries of those

times on an open platform. In front of every one in the open

house, Dushashana (Duryodhana's brother) held Draupadi by her hair

and dragged her in. Duryodhana asked Draupadi to sit in his lap.

And, more despicably, they tried to disrobe her to nudity.

 

Draupadi surrendered herself to Krishna for help and Krishna did

help her so that the Kauravas failed in their misadventure. And

then Draupadi vowed that she would not tie her hair until she

first washed it with the blood of Dushashana and Duryodhana. This

is nothing short of declaring a war. Duryodhana was not going to

cut his thigh himself to donate blood for Draupadi to wash her

hair.

 

This stand taken by Draupadi is so significant. In the scene

described above, Draupadi actually won. She could have smiled at

Duryodhana and said, " Well tried, try again. " They had failed

miserably in trying to disrobe her. Kauravas had lost and Pandavas

were full of shame. What Draupadi did was not so much for herself,

but more so for the whole woman kind. She is saying to the

Kauravas not to mess with women. She is saying to the entire

feminine force in the world to take an appropriate stand. She took

the stand, and the pieces of the rest of the puzzle fell together

later. She must have thought that if Duryodhana could attempt such

an insult and humiliation of Draupadi, what would he do to

ordinary women.

 

It is interesting that Sita has become the role model for most

Indian women. Draupadi is an interesting story but she never

really becomes a role model. People in India, especially men, have

always been uncomfortable with Draupadi. They are quite

comfortable with Sita. She is not a threat. Sita sits in the

garden of Ravana and waits for Rama to come. She does not declare

any war. She utters no threat to Ravana. Rama asks her to sit in

fire, she goes in; he asks her to leave the house and she obliges.

Everyone wants his wife to behave like Sita. Draupadi does not

give the same comfort zone. She is married to five brothers. She

takes a stand when she is threatened. She declares a one sided

war. She is not so predictable. How can she really be a role

model?

 

Sita was no ordinary woman. But, she did not need to do what

Draupadi had to. She did not need to take a stand. This has to be

understood deeply. She married Rama, an avatar of Parmatma. It is

not an accident that Sita is married to Rama. She is totally

surrendered to the Parmatma. Once you surrender to the Parmatma,

it is now Parmatma's responsibility to see things through. Who are

you to take a stand? Who are you to question his judgements? Sita

is surrendering and Rama is a conformist.

 

Krishna and Radha is a different story. Radha is happy with her

unconditional love to Krishna. Krishna is a rebel. He is willing

to break rules; he helps Arjuna to take Subhadra against the

wishes and accepted social norms of the time. He has no problem

dancing with Radha. Krishna is also incomplete without Radha; and

Radhe-Krishna is the complete entity.

 

Draupadi is a different story. She is human and is dealing with

human husbands, not one but five. One husband can do several

mistakes. You can imagine what will happen if the mistakes are

multiplied by five. Draupadi is also surrendered to Parmatma, and

the Parmatma (Krishna) helps her as a sister every time she needs

help. But, she is married to five extraordinary yet human beings.

They have their weak and strong points too.

 

Sita and Radha did not have to worry. Rama would not stake Sita in

a game; this is unimaginable. He would not let Ravana touch Sita

either. The question does not arise. Draupadi does not have this

situation. She is in the real world with real people. Duryodhana

is humiliating her and her husbands are watching silently. Not

only the husbands, but also the so-called Gurus and even Pitamah

Bhishma. A public humiliation is on and nobody is doing anything.

She has to take the stand.

 

Draupadi is the one out of the three who is closer to the times of

today. She deserves the attention of the modern women. Draupadi

was born out of the Vedi of a Yajna; from the sacred fire. This

may not be true literally, but is significant. It is symbolic of

the temperament of Draupadi. She is not going to be a passive

woman.

 

These properties are reflected in Draupadi's character throughout

her life with the Pandavas. Once while they were in forest she had

a discussion with Yudhisthir about God. She said that she did

believe in Dharma and Parmatma completely, but she would continue

to complain anyway. She also talked about the importance of karma

yoga. It takes a very deep Shraddha (Trust) to be able to say that

her trust in Parmatma is obvious by the fact that Krishna appears

every time she remembers him.

 

We have to give credit to Draupadi for putting up with five

husbands and taking up a stand when honour of a woman was at

stake. I must point out that Draupadi did not leave the Pandava

brothers after the insult by Duryodhana. She continued her role as

a wife and was with them through the hard times in the jungle and

every other place.

 

Making a role model of Draupadi is not without problems. Men are

used to see the role of Sita in their wives. A questioning wife,

an intelligent wife, and a wife who will take stand when needed

may be incomprehensible by the men of India. A balance may have to

be re-established. But, that is a small price to pay for what has

happened to women by having ideal Sita as a role model alone. It

is easy to expect a wife like Sita, much harder to be a husband

like Rama.

courtesy:indiatimes