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A Review of Draupadi's Role in Inciting the Kurukshetra War As Per Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-2, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in A Review of Draupadi’s Role in Inciting the Kurukshetra War as per Yuganta, By Irawati Karve. Tanusree Sengupta Lecturer, Sociology/Social Science. Ph.D Research Fellow Abstract: This paper tries to address certain pertinent issues related to the great Indian Epic, 2. OBJECTIVE Mahabharata. The primary focus of this paper is to analyze the extent to which the Queen of the The objective of this paper is to explore the Pandavas - Draupadi, was responsible for the various dimensions of Draupadi from the Kurukshetra war. To be precise to analyze Mahabharata. To be precise, the primary focus of this Draupadi’s role pre-and post the Kurukshetra war. paper is to analyze the role of the Queen of the The purpose of this paper is not to hold Draupadi Pandavas, the Panchal Princess. responsible or to safeguard her but rather to analyze 2.1 Firstly, the primary objective is to see to few significant attributes of her character, starting what extent Draupadi was responsible for the from her polyandrous marriage to the five princess, Kurukshetra war. the power struggle between the princely clans which 2.2 Secondly, to see whether Draupadi was at led to the ill famous dice game, and subsequent exile all responsible for the war and whether the war was of 14 years. The study is particularly based on the inevitable. character analysis of Draupadi from the book 2.3 Thirdly, to analyze how far other characters ‘Yuganta. The end of an epoch’ by Irawati Karve. ;/ especially Krishna wanted the war either to bring in the destruction of the Aryan Civilization or to end Keywords – analytical, Aryan, Non – Aryan, clan. the rule of the despotic rulers. To see whether Draupadi was a victim of the situation, or whether it was a war of revenge or an inevitable destruction of 1. INTRODUCTION the Aryan clan. Overall, the war of Kuruskshetra was merely a family feud or part of a bigger political game which was always playing in the background. Irawati Karves’s book basically tries to explore the different characters of Mahabharata and tries to give 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY an analytical explanation to each of the characters. The clash between family, brothers, or the Aryan We plan to use Mixed methods for the analysis of Non-Aryan clash whatever it maybe it is a known this paper. Primarily the data will be based on fact that a dreadful war was indeed fought among the secondary sources. Qualitative data would be used. kins of a generation. Draupadi has always been one There would be an attempt to seek the opinion of of the most interesting and fascinating characters of some young youths of contemporary society. The the Indian culture [1]. Karve claims that Mahabharata focus would be on College going youths both men is not an imaginary, made up story, but represents a and women of age group 18 – 21 years. The sample series of real events that took place approximately in could be selected from the Government aided 1000 B.C. Any analysis of Mahabharata would colleges of North Kolkata, West Bengal India. The remain incomplete without throwing light on one of sample size would be around 200 – 250. But the the most interesting characters of the great Epic, sampling method would primarily to seek opinion Krishna. Whether it was an attempt to ruin the Aryan from those who has read some or any interpretation culture and establish the rule of the Non – Aryans/ or original Mahabharata. The attempt would be to the original inhabitants of the nation or was it purely know their opinion on what do they feel or how far a war in favor of the just against all sorts of injustices or rather at all they hold Draupadi responsible for the remains a major question. But this paper would be an Kurukshetra war. But primarily this would be a study analytical study of the character of Draupadi from based on secondary sources and secondary data. the Karve’s point of view. Field research and Direct Face to Face Interview will be of extensive use along regarding various Interpretations and explanatory analysis on the topic. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 860 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-2, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Reliability is interpreted as the ability to replicate the Polygamy were known but this was a rare case of original study using same research instruments and polyandry. Due to this Draupadi had to face a lot of to get the same result. Analysis could be done by controversy throughout her life. Per some labelling actions and codifying materials that independent evidences and evident through some of represent empirical data on original issue and the dialogues in Mahabharata, a woman could have question. The paper has a multiple paradigm conjugal relations with as many as three men – apart research. I propose to use Mixed Methods for the from her husband, to produce offspring. In analysis of the topic. The focus will be on both Draupadi’s case, there were five men who laid equal qualitative and quantitative data collection and claims on her. Thus, she was branded as fallen analysis. The study includes an in depth multifaceted woman and even likened to a prostitute at times. investigation whereby both the qualitative and quantitative research methods of a single social Many illustrations of the Epic have recorded that phenomenon is being used for analysis. Draupadi was a great wife to all the five brothers. She has a special relation with each of them. She was 4. DISCUSSION a mother to five sons born from each of the five brothers. Draupadi was the daughter of Drupad. Her father had performed a yajna and out of the yajna there a boy But the primary focus of this paper is firstly to see and a girl. The girl was Draupadi. Irawati Karve very the level of victimization Draupadi faced and then beautifully pens down the agony, the success, the her tale of bouncing back, a revenge or again just a failures of Draupadi as a daughter, a queen, a mother, mere pawn in the game, just a revolutionary a diplomat, and a great support for her husbands both character in the greater tale being written elsewhere as a wife and as an administrator. Now, here there is and going on in the background. an interesting turn. Draupad was determined to take Draupadi was dragged to court as her husbands, revenge from Dronacharya. This was the primary mainly the eldest of the Pandavas, Yudhisthira had reason for Draupad to perform the yagna, revenge. lost the in the game of dice. She was insulted and Years later during the Kurukshetra war verbally, physically abused in front of an open court Dhristadyumna, the son born from the Yagna killed by her own family members, her brother-in-law’s to Dronacharya. Now, Dronacharya was the GURU, be precise. It is strange that this was a violent act teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Here the carried out by her own in-laws, and all the elders of analysis takes a turn. Initially Arjuna and the her family like Bhishma, Dhritarashtra, Dronacharya Pandavas attacked Panchal kingdom to take revenge were present in the court, and kept silent. from Draupad and captured him as part of their This silence might have planted the seed of the Gurudakshina to Dronacharya. Later Draupad was destruction which was about to come, not only of the freed but a part of kingdom came under the family but of an entire clan. The Pandavas went on an exile for fourteen years. Draupadi promised to administration of Dronacharya’s son, Ashwathama take revenge and if the tales are to be believed let her was made king of one half of Draupad’s kingdom. hair loose for all those fourteen years just to remind Now, it cannot be clearly said that whether the seeds her husbands what she has gone through and all she of the Great War were planted in this story of wanted was a revenge of her insult. However, the vengeance or not. From this perspective, also question is, can Draupadi really be blamed for what Draupadi could have merely been a pawn of the she did or rather, how she expected her husbands to game. Karve’s Yuganta, Mahabharata is a tale of retaliate? She was the Princess of Panchal, the Queen many individual lives – brothers, step-brothers, of the greatest warriors of their time, still did she older, younger generations, wives, uncles, nephews, really deserved such humiliation? The Kurukshetra relations by marriage and many others. A tale of war brought an end to the greatest of all kingdoms rivalries, love, marital alliances. The character of and family in history. However, towards the end of Draupadi herself has many dimensions to her. She the war some accounts of Mahabharata portray was won by Arjuna, the third of the Pandavas at the Draupadi repenting the loss of all her sons in the war ‘swayamvar’ sabha. when the brothers returned with and wishing it would have not taken place. Draupadi, Kunti - the mother of the Pandavas, The level of humiliation and deprivation Draupadi another important character of the Great Epic faced despite being a Princess, a Queen was [2] mistakenly asked the brothers to share whatever they immense . Possessed with the strong character have won. Now per many analytical explanations this depicted in all the versions of Mahabharata, it is not was done purposely to keep the five brothers united however, unnatural for her to fight back with [3] lifelong.
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