Draupadi's Choice

Every princess has dreamed of finding her Prince Charming since she was a young girl. This dream was no different for Princess Draupadi, as she participated in a sacred Indian tradition called swayamvara where she would be able to choose her husband. Yes, you read that right. The princess was able to choose her prince.

Princess Draupadi was a woman of many talents and she knew finding a husband would be a difficult task for her. Her skills in archery intimidated many men as this skill was uncommon for women to learn. Princess Draupadi had been practicing archery since she was a young girl and often competed in local events against the boys. By her teen years she had become unbeatable and never missed her targets. Her love for archery grew over the years and she dreamed that her future husband would have a shared interest.

It was the morning of the swayamvara and Princess Draupadi woke early in order to properly prepare herself for the event. Princess Draupadi dressed in her best clothes and was layered in the palace's most treasured jewels. Draupadi was excited to find her true love and spend a lifetime with him. Although she was overjoyed, she chose to internalize her excitement and make the men work harder for her affection.

It was mid day and the event had begun. Numerous suitors from around the world showed up to showcase their skills in hopes that Princess Draupadi would choose them.

The first contender for her heart was up and his talent was making music out of water-filled glasses. The princess was unimpressed and sent the suitor on his way.

The next suitor was just as dull with his snake-charming skills and so were the next few suitors following. The princess began to worry that she would never find someone to live up to her standards.

The princess was scouting the crowd when she spotted a tall man whose eyes gleamed in the sunlight. The sight of his eyes drew her in and she became fixated on his tall, athletic physique. The princess approached the mysterious man without any hesitation because she felt in the pit of her stomach that she needed to know this man.

The princess asked the man, "What is your name?"

The man replied with a smile on his face, "My name is Arjuna."

"Are you competing today?"

With confidence, Arjuna responded, "Yes princess, and I hope to win your affections."

Arjuna was called away to showcase his talent to the princess. Arjuna came prepared and whipped out his bow. The princess was impressed with his archery because she too was an archer. Her dream of finding a suitor that had a shared interest of archery had finally come true. Although his skill was not comparable to hers, she was happy to see a man that shared interests with her because now they had an activity to bond over.

After the swayamvara had ended, she sent word to Arjuna that he was her chosen suitor. Although this was not normal for princesses to send for their suitors, the princess' father was progressive and allowed for his daughter to be independent.

Before they wed, she wanted to set forth a few rules.

Rule #1: He could not tell her what to wear

Rule #2: She was allowed to continue working even after they have children

Rule #3: He could not speak to her in a rude tone

There rules were set forth because the princess had lived a very independent life and did not want to change her lifestyle for a man. Princess Draupadi was happy when Arjuna agreed to these terms and they began to plan their dream wedding.

Author's Note:

For this story, I decided to put a spin on the original and give the princess all of the power. In the original story, her opinion is not taken into account as much as I would have preferred. Kunti also made a comment to the brothers, "Then share the gift between you, as becomes brethren," which was weird to me because she suggested they share her between the five of them. They debate between themselves who she will marry when she already picked her husband during the swayamvara. In my version, I wanted to empower the princess and give her a voice. Many women were often told what to do and are expected to follow orders without question. It was not until women's rights movements that women were able to find their voice and demand equal rights. I hope that after reading my story, women can walk with their head held a little higher. Women typically had no voice in the older days and were expected to stay home, care for their kids, and allow for the men to do all of the heavy lifting whether it was in social events, the work-force, or politics.

Bibliography:

Wife of the Five Pandavas

Author: Donald Mackenzie