Shocking Revelations: Why Draupadi Had Five Husbands?

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We all know that in Mahabharata, Draupadi had five husbands. But do you know the real reason why she had five husbands? Read on to find out.

The plot of Mahabharata revolves around the main characters: Pandavas and Kauravas. This epic describes various events which culminate in the great war of Mahabharata. The stories of valiance revolve around all the male characters of the epic who fight the great war, whether they survive or not. But another very important character in this tale is a woman who has forever been held responsible for bringing about this war of destruction. Yes, we are talking about Draupadi.

DID KRISHNA SAVE DRAUPADI FROM THE SHAME?

Draupadi has been the most powerful character in the entire epic. She was the princess of Panchala kingdom, wife to the five Pandavas and an enigmatic woman with great wisdom and devotion towards her husbands. Everything about Draupadi is fascinating. The tales of her enigmatic beauty, her pride, her devotion, her love, her insult and her great vow are all equally mesmerising.

But how would it have been to be a wife of five men, who happen to be brothers? But as the mystery unfolds, we come to know that Draupadi was pre-destined to have five husbands due to a boon in her previous birth. Let us find out exactly why Draupadi had five husbands.

Lord Shiva's Boon

In her previous birth, Draupadi was a daughter of an ascetic. She was unhappy because she wasn't getting married. Frustrated by this, she started a hard penance to please Lord Shiva. After many years of penance, Lord Shiva was pleased with her and appeared to grant a boon. She asked for a husband with five qualities.

The Qualities

Draupadi asked for five qualities in her husband. The first that he should be a moral man. Second, he should be valiant. Third he should be good looking. Fourth, he should be knowledgebale and fifth that he should be kind and loving.

Not Just One Man

Lord Shiva thought for a while and then he said that all these five qualities could not exist in one person. Therefore he blessed Draupadi with the boon that in her next birth, she would have five husbands who would possess all the five qualities, individually. Hence, when she was born as Draupadi to king Drupad, she was pre-destined to get married to the five brothers.

The Practice Of Polyandry

Apart from the mythology, we cannot ignore the fact that polyandry and polygamy were practiced in those days. Polyandry, in this case can be attributed to the fact that there are less of girls born in the North- Western part of India. Till date, states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana have a shortage of girls when compared to boys. The ancient Hastinapur was also located somewhere close to these regions. So, there is a possibility that Draupadi was married to the five brothers because of the lack of suitable brides for each one of them.

A Mother's Strategy

Upon returning home from the swayamvara with Draupadi, on purpose, Arjuna addresses his mother first "Look mother, what we have brought." Kunti, unmindful of what Arjuna was referring to, unassumingly asked her son to share whatever it is with his brothers. Thus, in order to obey their mother's order, all five accepted Draupadi as their wife. Looking at it objectively, Kunti wanted her sons to be united so they will be together to win the war when the war comes; for she knew there would be war. She saw that Draupadi's breath-taking beauty will divide her sons. She could see they all lusted her. It was a very strategic thing which Kunti did. She asked her sons to share her so they will never fight because of her.