Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part C
PDE Mahabharata by Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore
For these reading notes I wanted to focus on one character, Draupadi, who is following the Pandava princes into exile. She is upset that Duryodhana tried to make her a slave and her husbands didn't try to protect her. Draupadi and her husbands are rejoined with Arjuna and they returned to Kamyaka. Draupadi is carried away in a chariot by Jayadratha while her husbands were gone hunting. She says that Jayadratha is worthy of death for kidnapping her, but Bhima spared his life. The goddess Durga promises the Pandavas and Draupadi that they would remain hidden during their final year of exile. When they arrive to the city of Virata, Draupadi offers the queen to be a bondwoman. The queen was drawn to Draupadi, but feared that her beauty would cause problems. Draupadi reassured the queen that she was protected by her husbands. The queen sends Draupadi to deliver wine and food to her brother Kichaka because he thought she was lovely. When she got there, Kichaka tried to rape her and when she escaped, he punched her in the face. Everyone ignored Draupadi when she told them what happened except for Bhima, who killed Kichaka for his actions. Bhima sens Draupadi to tell the other maidens that Bhima killed Kichaka.
I really like the importance of Draupadi in this epic and how she is portrayed throughout the episodes. It seems like many women in these epics don't argue with the men, like when Queen Sudeshna sent Draupadi to her brother, despite knowing his bad intentions. Compared to Sita, I view as more headstrong and demanding about how she deserves to be treated by her husbands. She gets upset when her husbands don't protect her or mistreat her. I wonder how the Ramayana would have played out if Sita would have been more outspoken when she was being mistreated by Rama like Draupadi is.
For these reading notes I wanted to focus on one character, Draupadi, who is following the Pandava princes into exile. She is upset that Duryodhana tried to make her a slave and her husbands didn't try to protect her. Draupadi and her husbands are rejoined with Arjuna and they returned to Kamyaka. Draupadi is carried away in a chariot by Jayadratha while her husbands were gone hunting. She says that Jayadratha is worthy of death for kidnapping her, but Bhima spared his life. The goddess Durga promises the Pandavas and Draupadi that they would remain hidden during their final year of exile. When they arrive to the city of Virata, Draupadi offers the queen to be a bondwoman. The queen was drawn to Draupadi, but feared that her beauty would cause problems. Draupadi reassured the queen that she was protected by her husbands. The queen sends Draupadi to deliver wine and food to her brother Kichaka because he thought she was lovely. When she got there, Kichaka tried to rape her and when she escaped, he punched her in the face. Everyone ignored Draupadi when she told them what happened except for Bhima, who killed Kichaka for his actions. Bhima sens Draupadi to tell the other maidens that Bhima killed Kichaka.
I really like the importance of Draupadi in this epic and how she is portrayed throughout the episodes. It seems like many women in these epics don't argue with the men, like when Queen Sudeshna sent Draupadi to her brother, despite knowing his bad intentions. Compared to Sita, I view as more headstrong and demanding about how she deserves to be treated by her husbands. She gets upset when her husbands don't protect her or mistreat her. I wonder how the Ramayana would have played out if Sita would have been more outspoken when she was being mistreated by Rama like Draupadi is.
Draupadi and Queen Sudeshna (Wikipedia)
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