Bagawatha Purana - Part XIV

Once Pandava brothers got constructed a beautiful palace in Indraprastham before the dice game took place. It was constructed by the Divine Architect Mayan. Pandavas told him that the palace should be unique and there should be no equivalent to the Palace anywhere!

Hence Mayan has shown his expertise to bring into reality, the wishes of Pandavas. On the inauguration day, they invited Duryodhana and his brothers. The interior walls and floors were deceiving the eyes of the visitors. When there was a wall, it was like an open space and hence Duryodhana went ahead and dashed on the wall and fell. Again, there was a marble floor which was actually a water surface. When Duryodhana stepped on the floor, he was drowned!He heard that somebody was laughing from the first floor. He found Draupathi there. Though she did not laugh, it is the attendant ladies who laughed at the discomfiture of Duryodhana. But he mistook it to be the laugh of Draupadi and hence he got very much annoyed due to the stratagems of Mayan. His anger rose and it was turned into jealousy. He wanted to bring disgrace to Pandavas and especially to Draupadi.

He consulted his uncle Sakuni. Sakuni was an expert in dice game. He used to cheat his opponents without their knowledge. He always used to win the game whoever may be the opponent. Dharmaraja had a weakness for dice game. Hence they cajoled their father Dritharashtra to invite the Pandavas for a friendly dice game!

Duryodhana told Dharmaraja that Sakuni will play the game on their behalf! Dharmaraja never understood their game plan. He accepted the conditions. Unfortunately, in each game Dharmaraja was losing. They used to bet for each game. First Dharmaraja put the jewelleries and gold. After losing them, he pledged other properties. Likewise he was losing. He should have realized his folly and kept quiet. But the wicked Sakuni was prodding him stating that you have your valiant brothers. One by one he pledged and lost all of them. Finally he pledged him and lost. The mind of the man who enter into gambling become confused and he loses his wisdom. After losing himself, he was about to withdraw. Then the Kauravas told him, he had one more treasure Draupadi. He lost her too in the game. The wicked Kaurava brothers asked Duschasana to bring Draupadi. It is really a great sacrilege. It is a barbaric act. No sane individual will ever conceive such evil plans. She was dragged to the hall where all the preceptors and grandfathers are seated. The wicked Duschasana become a beast and he started disrobing her in front of all!

Draupadi was the most virtuous woman! Now she found that her husband could not save her due to the dice game in which he lost authority. Hence she cried and prayed Lord Krishna from her Heart. Krishna invisibly supplied mounds of saris one by one. As the wicked Duschasana was unrobing her sari, one new sari wound around her body graced by the Lord Krishna. Duschasana could never disrobe her. The saris became a very big heap. Duschasana was exhausted.

Then Krishna manifested in front of Draupadi and requested her to tie her hair!. She cried, “Oh Krishna! This evil Duschasana pulled my hair and dragged me in front of the people here. When he is killed in the battle and his head become many pieces, on that day I will tie my hair!. It was the most horrible pronouncement by a virtuous woman. Krishna said, “So be it Sister! The entire Kaurava brothers would meet their doom! Rest in next Part.