My fifth and last husband was Sahadeva. He had an obsession for fortune-telling. Sometimes he would take a look at my left palm and tell me my future. I would listen to him and then say smilingly, ‘Why don’t you see both palms of Krishna and tell him his future too?’ At that he would frown and leave the chambers silently. He was an expert in cows and horses. He had three more wives. One of them was Vijaya – the daughter of Madra king Shalya, the mama of Pandavas. In spite of being his mame bhagini she also became Sahadeva’s wife. Her son was named Suhotra.
One more daughter of the Yadava clan of Dwaraka came into the Pandava clan like Subhadra. She was Bhanumati – the daughter of the King Bhanu. This also took place with Krishna’s initiative. She did not bear any sons.
Sahadeva’s fourth wife was the daughter of Jarasandha – the Magadha emperor of Girivraja; the sister of Jarasandha’s son Sahadeva. It meant that this Magadha lady had a husband and a brother with the same name – Sahadeva.
Sahadeva addressed me as ‘Panchali’ in private. Maybe because he was number five.
Yudhishthira – the eldest Pandava – my first husband. He was indeed a perfect elder brother. He had a keen sense of the qualities each of his brothers possessed. All Pandavas considered their eldest brother Yudhishthira’s word as the last word, and Yudhishthira considered his mother’s opinion as the final word in any subject.
It was during our privacy that I came to know this eldest Pandava in depth. He was more inclined towards the completeness of life, even more than his seniority among the brothers, the kingship of Indraprastha, war or his relation with me as a husband. He preferred the company of sages, hermits and Brahmins. He would have prolonged discussions with Mahatma Vidura, Uddhavadeva, and sages like Vyasa, and Yaaja-Upayaaja who would occasionally visit Indraprastha. After such discussions, this eldest Pandava who otherwise considered his mother’s word as the ultimate would explicate a few fundamentals of life to his mother too. At such times his face resembled Uddhavadeva or Mahatma Vidura. Sometimes he looked like Krishna too. The speech of this eldest Pandava was extremely cultured and sweet. He never got angry as if he had given his share of anger to Bhimsena. This is where there was a big difference in him and the mighty Kaurava Duryodhana of Hastinapura. Duryodhana had absorbed the anger of all his brothers within himself. With the exception of a couple of Kauravas like Dushasana and Vikarna it seemed that all other Kauravas were talking through Duryodhana’s mouth. But it was different about all my five husbands. Each one had his own distinct personality.
The gift of compassion that this first husband of mine possessed was phenomenal. It was the compassion of an eldest son of a family that had endured many hardships and the compassion of a formally crowned, all-powerful and successful ruler of Indraprastha. As he had an innate inclination towards completeness, this compassion had sprung from the core of his life. Indeed, Dharma comprises such noble compassion that touches the hearts of many. It was because of this noble compassion of his that the citizens of Indraprastha called him ‘Dharmaraja’. To me also he seemed the same.
My second husband Bhimsena. How did he appear to me and what was my impression about him? Just as he was incredibly powerful he was also modest. I got to see his modesty in front of his mother and elder brother, and two more people – my friend Krishna and his brother Balaramadada. Many people had the misconception that Bhimsena was mighty powerful and therefore not intelligent. I came to know later about the words that he uttered at the time of the gambling incident. I analysed them literally. He had said, ‘Sahadevaa, bring me some fire. Let me burn his hands that gamble.’ Isn’t his intellect and presence of mind apparent from these words? He commanded only his youngest brother. And what he said was, ‘Let me burn his hands that gamble.’ and not ‘Let me burn the gambling Yudhishthira himself’, even in his rage.
Our daily routine was full of examples of Bhimsena’s presence of mind. Who could say that Bhimsena who brought the red ochre lotus flowers for me from the lake, Bhimsena who told Bakasura, ‘Let me eat first and take care of you later’ had no restraint or brains? His unmatched strength was the impenetrable shield of our family. But he himself never made any claims about that. Oh, such humility! Every powerful man has some obsessions that leave others in a state of wonder. Bhimsena had that kind of sleep and hunger obsession. He did not simply gobble his food, he savoured it. He would make all his putane along with his son Sutasoma eat his favourite fruits. He would cheerfully exercise with them in the gymnasium. It was a pleasure to watch tall and hefty Bhimsena talking humbly with his comparatively short and lean mother.
Bhimsena was the most ideal husband when I met him in privacy. I experienced the depth of his knowledge about music and beauty while conversing with him in our privacy. He would take every possible care to not hurt me as a wife. In his company, I always felt like I was taking shelter under a mighty pinnacle of Himalaya.
Bhimsena loved all his brothers dearly and without expectations whatsoever. I had never seen my father-in-law Maharaja Pandu. I had heard that he was a world conqueror. Bhimsena had silently filled his place in this family. ‘What if he did not exist?’ In my opinion that question itself accentuates the significance of his existence. He would prove that he was the son of Vayu by speedily brandishing his huge mace with swift ease. He made life blossom everywhere he went just like the wind.
My third husband Arjuna. He was also called Partha and Dhananjaya. Krishna also addressed him as Gudakesha. Gudakesha is a man who is alert and has total control over his sleep. He was versatile. He was the master of Pratismrutividya or Indrajaala. This husband of mine had two Gurus in weaponry –Drona and Kripa. But apart from them he had two genuine Gurus who taught him the real meaning of life – the first one was his eldest brother Yudhishthira and the second one was my best friend Krishna. In the company of these two, without losing awareness of being younger he silently learned a lot of things. He became the master of weaponry as he learned the art of weaponry from two expert Gurus, and he also mastered the art of understanding life due to Yudhishthira and Krishna. Krishna’s sister Subhadra was his last wife. Krishna used to tease me playfully as usual saying, ‘Krishney, Arjuna’s real love is only Subhadra. The hearts of warriors are like a stack of hay. No matter how tight one tries to bind it together with one string, when another string is tied to bind it the first string slackens.’ I would return his taunt with a smile saying, ‘Who told you that hearts of warriors are like a stack of hay? They are actually like the bed of Yamuna!’ He was no less in pulling legs. He would give me a naughty smile and tease me again, ‘I agree. The hearts of warriors are like the Yamuna, something that you cannot bind, unrestrained!’ Leaving him no chance to speak further I would dismiss his words saying, ‘Like the Yamuna that flows while flourishing both the shores equally!’
The assumption many people held that Arjuna would love me less due to Subhadra was proved wrong. Many a times Arjuna would come into my chambers with my son Shrutakirti and Subhadra’s son Abhimanyu. The same way he would go to her chamber too. He would teach difficult aspects of archery to both of them wholeheartedly at the same time.
Whenever Krishna came to Indraprastha the joy of Shrutakirti and Abhimanyu knew no bounds. Both of them would linger around him calling him ‘Mama’. He would also talk to them for hours on end, forgetting himself. My other sons Prativindhya, Sutasoma, Shatanika, and Shrutasena would also join them. The one who would badger Krishna with maximum questions was our Abhi.
Even for the populace of Indraprastha Abhimanyu had become the most favourite among all sons of Pandavas. It was not only because of his own virtues but also due to the people’s love for Krishna and Arjuna.
Sometimes I would feel the urge to probe my husbands about their additional marriages. Maybe it was just my feminine tendency to guess what kind of women my co-wives were. Whenever I would ask the ruler of Indraprastha and the eldest Pandava Yudhishthira, it would always be with a little sarcasm. I would say, ‘All of you Pandavas revere Krishna very mu
ch. You consider him as your mentor. He has rehabilitated not one or two but thousands of Kamarupa women. Why don’t you follow in his footsteps and do the same?’
The ruler of Indraprastha would get perplexed with my puzzling question and say, “Maharani, I don’t understand what you are implying. None of us can do everything that Krishna does. How can we bring thousands of such women into Indraprastha?” He would answer innocently. Bringing him to the point I would say, “Not thousands, only a few. Each one of you brothers has many wives in addition to me. I hear a rumour that they are not coming to Indraprastha because they are scared of me. What if you bring Pauravi to Indraprastha first?”
Hearing that direct question the Maharaja of the Pandavas would fall silent. As he was reserved by nature people wouldn’t know whether that silence was for being unable to answer, but I would know it unmistakably. Maharaja Yudhishthira would answer all my questions about Pauravi with just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Through this inquiry session I would tactfully gather all possible information about my co-wife who was never going to come to Indraprastha. Who knows, she may be useful to us in future sometime. I did all this inadvertently as per Krishna’s advice.
Just like Yudhishthira I would also probe Bhimsena about his wives besides me – Hidimba and Kali. I would say to him while chatting in privacy, “How about bringing Hidimba and Kali here, rather than occasionally going to the forest on the banks of Ganga to visit Hidimba, and going to Shuktimati of the Chedis to meet Kali?” Then laughing loudly, throwing his head back, pure-minded Bhimsena would say, “If we bring Hidimba here then we will have to transform Indraprastha back to Khandavavana which is not possible now, even for your friend Krishna. And Kali of the Chedis would never come to Indraprastha ever. You stop beating around the bush. Here in Indraprastha you will have only two co-wives – of the Yadava clan – Subhadra and Bhanumati. And since both of them are from Dwaraka they are more like sisters to you than co-wives. Isn’t it?” Bhimsena would demonstrate his outstanding intelligence.
I would also probe Arjuna about his other wives besides me. I would mention the names of Uloopi and Chitrangada from the distant eastern region while conversing and try to broach the subject of bringing them to Indraprastha. He was no less in teasing. He would say, “Both their kingdoms are far away in the eastern region. You can also go there and bring both of them to Indraprastha like Satyabhamadevi who went abroad with Vaasudeva as his charioteer. They will come for sure, but on one condition.” “What condition?” I asked the archer with curiosity.
He smiled. Looking at his smile, for a moment I felt as if Krishna was standing in front of me. He said sarcastically like his Guru – Krishna, “But there will be a condition of sending Subhadra back to Dwaraka!” Hearing that, I would feel dumbfounded. The very first thought that would strike me was what Krishna would feel if Subhadra was sent back to her parental home in such a way. I would keep silent. Then Arjuna would grab the opportunity to tease me more and say, “Before that they would impose one condition about you. Because you are the first wife, the Maharani. And most of all you are extremely brilliant like our venerable Rukminivahini. You must have by now reckoned what that condition would be!”
I would again be lost for an answer and keep quiet. Because I would have already reckoned that the condition must be to send me back to Kampilyanagar. Then and there I would take a firm decision to never probe Arjun about his other wives.
Thanks to my experience with Arjuna, I also decided to not probe the two younger brothers about this subject ever.
I had many co-wives adding all the wives of the five brothers. Only two of them came to Indraprastha – Subhadra and Bhanumati. The people and my distant relatives knew only one thing – the half-truth that the Maharani of Indraprastha, Draupadi, has five husbands. Not many people knew that she also has not one or two but ten co-wives. The reasons behind that were for one, except two of them all other co-wives stayed out of Indraprastha and for another, the two co-wives who were in Indraprastha were related to Krishna and so had become more like sisters to me than my co-wives.
Sometimes I would think what if all my eight co-wives come to Indraprastha demanding their rights? What kinds of twists and turns would my life take then? Would the Yajnasena of the Panchalas get washed away while dealing with many husbands along with many co-wives? I would answer to myself – it will never happen. Because I am the sister of the Lord of Dwaraka – the best friend of Krishna!
During my life in Indraprastha the two women with whom I formed a close bond were – my mother-in-law – Rajmata Kuntidevi and sister Subhadra. Whenever I met Subhadra it felt like I was meeting Rukminidevi herself. In the beginning Rajmata Kuntidevi seemed to me like a mother-in-law, and she was so as the mother of five valiant sons. The citizens of Indraprastha would give her respect as the rajmata. Her speech sounded like the sweet resonating of the bells in the temple of Shiva. It indeed contained blessings but it also had the sweetness of maturity that comes from the bottom of one’s heart after facing the hardships of life. She never spoke about the faults of her five sons in front of me. She ardently talked only about the virtues of her sons. She had deputed that duty to Krishna, to inform me about their faults. He also fulfilled this duty very tactfully. My mother-in-law was indeed perfect to be the rajmata. Just like Krishna had spread the acclaim of his Dwaraka kingdom throughout Aaryavarta, this rajmata also had a vision to spread the acclaim of her newly built kingdom of Indraprastha. As the one who would take her place in carrying forward her responsibilities, she had tested me thoroughly.
Whatever Sanskaras were inculcated in me during my childhood were all by Sautramanimata. Here in Indraprastha it was only the sanskaras of Rajmata Kuntidevi that were responsible for the moulding of my mind as a Maharani.
The most complex sanskara of these was the time of privacy with my five husbands. We all had unanimously outlined a code of conduct for that. All its subtleties were designed according to rajmata’s instructions. When I accepted to be the wife of the five brothers, at that time before leaving Kampilyanagar the rajmata had given a strict instruction to her sons. She summoned all of them together and said, “Just as this Draupadi of the Panchalas is a wife to all of you, it is also true that she has become a daughter to me. I have double responsibility towards her future life – first as her mother-in-law and secondly as her mother. You all followed my command of sharing the alms amongst all of you. Now that it is agreed upon that she will be shared, I am giving you the next command with full caution.
“I will be the one to decide how and when she will spend the time with each one of you as a wife. Of course, it will be done with her and your consent.”
My most favourite virtue of my five husbands was their evident devotion to their mother. Their commitment to her was unmatched. They were all equally devoted. Each one of them was ready to sacrifice his life for his mother’s word. Their temperaments, valour, love and hatred were different. But their love for their mother was equal. There was no difference in it such as Yudhishthira’s love was more as he was the eldest and Sahadeva’s was the least as he was the youngest. Not only that, even Nakula and Sahadeva who were the sons of Madridevi loved Kuntimata equally. Together these five brothers were like a mighty fist formed by five fingers of a hand. Their mother – Rajmata Kuntidevi – my mother-in-law had complete control over this fist.
In just a few days I came to realize the strong bond of their relationship. Since the moment rajmata took me under her wings as her daughter, she had filled in the vacuum in my life due to the absence of Sautramanimata.
It was at the time of our coronation that the code for my time with each husband was outlined. Till that time, I remained the daughter of Kuntidevi. It proved most beneficial to me as I could observe closely what a strong woman my mother-in-law was.
The code that the six of us designed for the private time with my husbands was kept extremely secret. Nobody else besides the six of us knew about it. In that the main role of the rajmata was to mentor me. She
had developed a soft spot for me in her heart because I had agreed to accept five husbands on just her command. By considering me as her daughter she compensated for the absence of a daughter in her life. I addressed her as rajmata with respect.
After the coronation ceremony, I spent my first night in the company of Yudhishthira. At the entrance of my private chamber a pillar was erected to display the royal emblems. There was a stone nook on the pillar to hold an emblem symbolizing each one of my husbands. When it was my private time with Yudhishthira a replica of the royal sceptre was kept in it. When it was Bhimsena’s turn a replica of his favourite weapon, the mace was kept. During Arjuna’s turn a replica of his favourite bow would be kept. For Nakula a sword and for Sahadeva it was the pestle.
The loving days that I spent in my private chamber in the company of my five husbands were heavenly. During this time, I noticed a very special thing about my five husbands which I will always remember. None of them ever asked me any questions about my privacy with the other brothers. Once they had accepted the code of conduct none of them failed to follow it. Here also I experienced the oneness of their hearts. Each one of them had complete faith that the others followed the code of conduct to the letter just like him. Only once the rule was broken.
After Yudhishthira’s turn was over the attendant who changed the symbol in the pillar mistakenly put the bow instead of the mace. At that same time Arjuna needed his bow to protect the cows of a Brahmin that thieves were stealing. Therefore, breaking the code of conduct he entered the chamber during our privacy. He had brought Bhimsena’s mace with him. He took his bow down from the pillar and put Bhimsena’s mace there. While doing all this, his movements showed his politeness and extreme embarrassment, which I could feel. Because of that my love for Arjuna grew even more.
The kingdom of Indraprastha kept flourishing day by day. The kingdom of the Yadavas of Dwaraka and my maternal home, the Panchala kingdom, were the two main allies of Indraprastha. After Jarasandha the threat of the Magadha kingdom had reduced considerably. The acclaim of Dwaraka had spread throughout Aaryavarta. Its renown had reached the kingdoms beyond the ocean with the end of Kalayavana. Dwaraka was now being recognized as a well-planned harbour. Many mammoth ships of the kingdoms from the western ocean were docking in this harbour with their pennants fluttering atop. The name of Krishna had now gained the value of Srikrishna. That Srikrishna had now become well-known as Vaasudeva and Bhagvan. Yet I called him Krishna because of my deep attachment. I never felt there was anything wrong about it.
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 57