DRUPADA'S PRAYER

Ages ago there used to be a city called Kampilya that was the capital of
Panchala kingdom situated at where today's Farrukhabad district of U.P.
is. Drupada was the king of Panchala.
One day Drupada requested to a yajna priest, "Holy sir, I wish for a son
who could slay Drona, the guru of Hastinapur princes."
"Why do you wish that?" the priest asked.
"Dorna used his princely disciples to defeat me in the battle. He
humiliated me and took away half of my kingdom. Imust take my
revenge. Please peform the required yajna."
"But what is there in it for me?" the priest wanted to know.
"Holy sir, you can take as much money as you fancy from my treasury
for your services. You get whatever you ask."
"That is fair. I will arrange for 'Putreshti Yajna'." The priest was a
greedy soul.

THE INVOKED
OFFERING
In an auspicious hour the yajna went underway. At the culmination
point the priest sent for the queen and said handing her invoked
offering, "Queen! Partake the offering and in due course you will be
bleesed with son and a daughter."
The queen pleaded, "Holy priest! Hold it for a while. I am yet to wash
off my body the beauty treatment applications. Allow me to take a
bath."
The priest announced, "I can't hold it, queen. It is immaterial whether
you take it or not. No harm will be done. The offering will go to the fire.
Your wishes would be fulfilled nevertheless."
"What have you done, holy sir?" the king sounded worried.
"Whatever God wished." The priest was calm and smug.

DRAUPADI
MATERIALIZES
As soon as the offering went into the holy fir a glowing figure of a male
youth leapt up like a flame. A prophecy was heard, "This prince would
bring glory to Panchala royal dynasty. He would be the death of Dorna.
Pradyumna is his name."
King Drupada got elated. He embraced his divinely gifted son.
Then, the yajna fire produced an extremely beauteous girl dark
complexion. She had large mesmeric eyes and wavy hair that spelled
magic. Everyone started at the star arrival. Again another prophecy was
heard, "This gem of womankind would cause the destruction of evil
forces. And in particular she would sound the death knell of Kauravas.

The announcement excited and delighted everyone. King Drupada put

her to his bosom endearingly and spoke, You are my daughter and I
name you Draupadi after my own name. May God bless you and me.

DRUPADAS WISH
In no time Draupadi won the heart of every inmate of the palace with
her sweet behaviour and polite manners. Her beauty evoked praise of
the onlookers. The king and queen were a delighted couple.
One day the king said to the queen, Dear, during my battle with
Hastinapur princes, that Pandava archer, Arjuna had greatly impressed
me. I pray for a warrior like him to marry our daughter Draupadi. But it
is rumoured that Kauravas have killed Pandavas by setting fire to the lac
house they were sleeping in. How sad! We wont now find one like
Arjuna.

Master, there is always another one, the queen said, We can organize
some archery contest to discover a valiant on like Arjuna.
Perhaps you are right, the king agreed with her.

SWAYAMWARA
King Drupada got a very heavy and stout bow conatructed. Stringing
that bow was a challenging task. Then, a revolving wheel was put atop a
tall fixed pole. A fish was placed above that wheel. At the base of the
pole a tub of water was kept. The challenge for a contestant was to hit
the fish eye with an arrow by just looking at the reflection of wheel-fish
set-up in the water of the tub. Draupadi was to wed the successful
warrior.

The date of swayamwara was fixed and announcement made.

Draupadis beauty had become the talk of the lands. She was the prize
any king prince or woarrior would try to win. The hopefuls convered on
Panchala kingdom.

THE LURE OF
DRAUPADI
Rightfully the Hastinapur kingdom belonged to Pandavas but
Duryodhana and his evil maternal uncle Shakuni conspired. Pandavas
were made to stay at a lac house which was put on fire at night.

But minister Vidura had learnt about the conspiracy and he had secretly
got an escape tunnel constructed. Pandavas lived in a town called
Ekchakra in disguise. The Brahmin in whose house the Pandavas lived
revealed the news of swayamwara of Draupadi.
The news excited the pandava brothers. They wanted to witness the
event. They asked Kunti, Ma!We want to see Draupadi Swayamwara.
As you wish, my dears, mother Kunti had no objection. So, they allset
out to see the swaqyamwara.

IN KAMPILYA

Kunti and her five sons reached the capital of Panchala. They put up in
the house of a potter outside Kampilya. Later, Pandava brothers went to
the city as mendicants to see things. They went round around and came
upon swayamwara venue. It was packed with princes and kings seated
in thrones. Pandavas joined the crowd of Brahmins that stood on a side
as spectators.
They saw in the royal assembly Krishna, Balrama, Pradyumna, Samba,
A