Draupadi's Tears🔊

In the epic land of India, there was a woman of unyielding character named Draupadi, a woman influenced by destiny, as well as a human who provoked the gods.

Revered as the heroine of the epic Mahabharata, the journey of Draupadi was as intense as it was compelling. Her life was proof that strength isn't just enduring adversity, but the ability to start afresh after devastating loss.

Upon the crack of dawn one day, Draupadi woke up to troublesome thoughts. Looking around her lush green garden, Draupadi's gaze softened, her thoughts turned reflective and her heart, heavy. The breath in her body was shaken by the voices of revenge she had called for. She wondered if the pain inflicted was worth the power she had acquired.

Draupadi’s heart was a battlefield. A memory of her humiliation in front of large courtiers flickered in her mind, where Dushasana had disrobed her; an event so traumatic that it set into motion the horrific war of Kurukshetra. Her honor was saved by Krishna by providing her an endless saree, symbolizing his divine grace upon her. All she was left with was a thirst for vengeance.

Draupadi, the princess, had the courage to demand justice for herself when her own husbands stood silent; she was the force which led the Pandavas to the path of justice. She swore she'd wash her hair with Dushasana’s blood, marking the beginning of the bitter war. The revenge she sought gave her strength, but when it actually came, it brought pain too.

When the war came to an end, eighteen Akshauhinis of army got killed, which meant virtually the end of every Kshatriya clan. She had her vengeance on the Kauravas for the public disgrace she endured, but at the cost of losing her sons and relatives. Virtually every house in the enemy territory was in a mourning state – a fact which stunned her.

As Draupadi introspectively gazed at the setting sun, the pool of her tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes. It made her realize, revenge was not just fire every time; it held the potential to cause a downpour. She felt a pain stinging in her heart for those who were lost and those who were left. Her sorrow was as immense as the battle itself, etching a profound mark on her soul.

Yet, she collected herself and rose with majesty from her sorrow. Draupadi nurtured the survivors, stood tall beside her husbands, and supported Yudhishthira when he was crowned as the king of Hastinapur. She mothered Dhritarashtra, the queen of her enemies, providing an embodiment of kindness.

Her strength led her to emotional resilience; mourning yet battling, losing yet winning, and falling yet rising. Draupadi was not just reborn from the pyre, she was reborn every time she lifted herself from the ashes of regret, from the rivers of tears and from the mountains of pain.

Indeed, Draupadi discovered that revenge and ambition come at a great price, yet, she never damned her choices. As the sun set and her tears dried, there was a faint but certain smile on her face. Draupadi had made peace with pain, accepted the cost of her vengeance, and chosen resilience above all.