Mahabharata is such an epic, in which many small and big instructive incidents are mentioned. Draupadi Cheerharan is also a similar incident of Mahabharata. Draupadi was the princess of Panchal country and she was married to Arjuna. Arjun had married Draupadi by aiming at the eye of the fish in Draupadi’s Swayamvara, but due to an order given by mother Kunti, Draupadi became the wife of the Pandavas i.e. the five brothers.
Once upon a time, Yudhishthira, the eldest of the five brothers, was ruling the city of Indraprastha. At that time the prince of Hastinapur was Duryodhana and the five Pandavas were his cousins. Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kauravas and was jealous of his cousins, the Pandavas.
Duryodhana believed in his clever maternal uncle Shakuni the most. Shakuni advises Duryodhana to invite the Pandavas to gamble. The Pandavas accepted the invitation of their brother Duryodhana. Great people like Dhritarashtra, Bhishma Pitamah, Dronacharya and Mahatma Vidura were also present in that assembly. Shakuni Mama started defeating the Pandavas by deceit. Pandavas lost their kingdom in this game. Dharmaraj Yudhishthira put himself and his four brothers at stake and lost. Finally when he had nothing left to stake, he staked his wife Draupadi. Duryodhana was waiting for this moment. With the help of Shakuni Mama, he also won Draupadi in gambling.
After winning Draupadi, Duryodhana ordered his brother Dushasan to bring Draupadi by her hair and drag her in the crowded assembly. On getting permission from his brother, Dushasan went to Draupadi’s room and asked her to walk in the assembly. Queen Draupadi was a very self-respecting and virtuous woman, so she refused to walk with Dushasan. Dushasan got angry and caught hold of Draupadi’s hair and dragged her and made her stand in the assembly.
Duryodhana ordered Dushasan to strip Draupadi in the assembly. As soon as Dushasan touched Draupadi’s clothes, Draupadi called out to Shri Krishna for help. Shri Krishna never angers his devotees. When Krishna heard Draupadi’s compassionate cry, he started increasing Draupadi’s saree. Dushasan kept pulling Draupadi’s rag, but the more he pulled, the more the cloth kept increasing. In the end, Dushasan got tired and lost, but could not take away Draupadi’s clothes. It is said that the biggest reason behind the Mahabharata war was Draupadi’s rip-off.
