Polyandry in Mahabharata - Page 2

Originally posted by: FlauntPessimism

She could have checked in Wikipedia too because I don't think Harivamsapurana is a Jain scripture. Puranas as far as I know are all Hindu texts

The name is same 'Harivamsapurana', I checked Wikipedia page and it says 'Not to be confused with' Harivamsa'(Hindi Version). Actually, I didn't know there's a Hindi version too, I assumed Harivamsapurana is Jain Mahabharata

I don't know much about Hindu Puranas, I never really paid attention to any of it, I just write what I know and HearMeRoar, Proneeti, RamKiSeeta, Eloquent, CaptainSpark, you and people who have read Mahabharata correct me, that's my secondary source of information 🤧

Drapaudi married to only yudhishtra s evidence is found in the dice hall itself. Here -

Dhritarashtra endued with knowledge, reflecting with the aid of his wisdom and desirous of saving his relatives and friends from destruction, began to console Krishna, the princess of Panchala, and addressing her, the monarch said,--'Ask of me any boon, O princess of Panchala, that thou desirest, Chaste and devoted to virtue, thou art the first of all my daughters-in-law. "Draupadi said,--'O bull of the Bharata race, if thou will grant me a boon, I ask the handsome Yudhishthira, obedient to every duty, be freed from slavery. Let not unthinking children call my child Prativindhya endued with great energy of mind as the son of a slave. prince, so superior to all men, and nurtured by kings it is not proper that he should be called the child of a slave.

Now at this notice that dritrashtra gave drapaudi only one boon she didn't knew whether or not she would get another plus what is true for prativindhya will be true for all her other children but still only person she frees at this juncture is yudhishtra . She could have asked for all her husbands but she doesn't. So this shows that only yudhishtra was her husband.

Only when dritrashtra gives her a second boon does she asks for other pandavas.

"Dhritarashtra said unto her,--'O auspicious one, let it be as thou sayest. O excellent one, ask thou another boon, for I will give it. My heart inclineth to give thee a second boon. Thou dost not deserve only one boon. "Draupadi said,--'I ask, O king, that Bhimasena and Dhananjaya and the twins also, with their cars and bows, freed from bondage, regain their liberty.'

Now second evidence is during the second dice game when shakuni puts forth a condition that if yudhishtra loses he and drapaudi remember he only mention drapaudi (krishnaa) and none of the other brother will have to go for exile

Sakuni then said,--'The old king hath given ye back all your wealth. That is well. But, O bull of the Bharata race, listen to me, there is a stake of great value. Either defeated by ye at dice, dressed in deer skins we shall enter the great forest and live there for twelve years passing the whole of the thirteenth year in some inhabited region, unrecognised, and if recognised return to an exile of another twelve years; or vanquished by us, dressed in deer skins ye shall, with Krishna, live for twelve years in the woods passing the whole of the thirteenth year unrecognised, in some inhabited region. If recognised, an exile of another twelve years is to be the consequence. On the expiry of the thirteenth year, each is to have his kingdom surrendered by the other. O Yudhishthira, with this resolution, play with us, O Bharata, casting the dice.'

Now talking about prativindhya. In vana parva when krishna and co comes to meet the pandavas during exile. Satayaki mentions about abhimanyu ruling the world after yudhishtra this means that he was the heir apparent This in turn raises a question why abhimanyu when prativindhya was the son of emperor and empress noting a very important fact that he was drapaud s grandson panchal was his maternal home and according karna in one of bis conversation mentions that how only two empires have the right to contest for imperial throne and those are kurus and panchal . So if prativindhya was actually kuru + panchal s progeny he would have been the heir apparent and not abhimanyu. This proves that prativindhya was not Krishnaa s biological son but adopted.

I have heard alot of the reasons provided by scholars and even fellow members regarding Draupadi being only Yudhishthir's wife but I don't buy this theory, though they do have a point.

It was highly unlikely that Arjun won the Swayamvar but ONLY Yudhi married her. It was also unlikely that Panchali was okay with this. I too see her as an intelligent women with knowledge of statecraft who knew if she would not marry Yudhi she could not be empress. But, I don't see her as completely a politician with no human heart or emotions. I do feel she had a soft corner for Arjun for obvious reasons. I am absolutely NOT a shipper but still I feel Draupadi had special feelings for Arjun. Having had that, it is very strange that she would still be okay with this injustice of marrying only Yudhi even if she was not in love at that point.

I think polyandry was a pre planned scheme of Kunti and Yudhishthir after Vyasa's instructions. It makes sense - they did it to keep the brothers together because yeah why not use a woman to do that because ladki toh naahi fevicol ki bottle hai. Just Kunti-Yudhi stuff.

There are many instances where Draupadi's bits with Bheem and Arjun do not seem like an elder brother's wife talking. She hugged Bheem and wept to him before Keechak incident. Unless you are seeing this from the lens of Kadambari Tagore there's no way this was bhaabi dewar in Dwapar Yuga. Arjun bought her special gifts from Indralok, if I am not mistaken he even carries her on his back so all this was for a woman whom HE WON but his brother had the fruits of? I don't think he was THAT GIVING.

Bheem maybe dumb or less sharp than Yudhi Arjun or Sahdev, but I don't think he was so furious and showed so much love for a brother's wife because of some crush. Even Laxman didn't do this 😂😂

What's the evidence that Upapandavas were not Drau's children?

Besides, if all of this is later creation except the war, I believe this is a fantastic literary addition. It shaped the epic as we see it today and also brings in diversity. So in this case, I choose not to believe only Yudhi's wife theory 😊

@Brishti about drapaudi having soft spot for arjuna because he won her Swamyvaar i think we indirectly try to see drapaudi as 16 year hormonal teenager of today s times who was flattered by an alpha male s archery skills. But that was not the case in those time. In dwarpar yug princess were taught and groomed mostly to become an empress someday. So in drapaudi s situation on we have a third brother arjuna who ofcourse was a great warrior but what will his warrior skills provide drapaudi with?? What would have been her position in the empire as arjuna s wife - nothing she would have been just a shadow of the empress just like how subdhara was. Subdhara s importance to the plot is only because the person listening to the story is her great grandson and nothing else had the succession story changed a little bit subhdra would have been reduced to just a name. Even in general what position did subdhara or any of the other pandava wives held in empire politics nothing they were just in drapaudi s shadow. Hell drapaudi as an empress held a better and more higher position than any of the other four pandavas

Another point being we should not forget drapaudi was drapaud s daughter princes of panchal and panchal in those times was a Very prosperous kingdom coming second as par with the kurus. And we should not forget that it was via this marriage that yudhishtra and his brother dared to go back to claim their inheritance. Drapaudi being well educated knew these facts. So one opportunity was presented to her to marry only the crown prince and be the empress ofcourse she will grab it and why not ?? She was smart well educated plus this marriage came as a boon to the pandavas. So she deserved the foremost position

Even from a 16 year old princess s pov a crown prince is anyday more attractive and alluring match than his third brother.

Plus when all of them go back to drapaudi and yudhishtra says that he being the eldest should be married first than drapaud was all happy to give drapaudi s hand to only yudhishtra inspite of the fact that arjuna won the Swamyvaar so i don't think that was much of a problem that who won. Don't you that the entire Swamyvaar was just a set up to seek the Pandavas out so that this yudhishtra drapaudi marriage seals the deal of coming together of two of the most powerful kingdoms. The plan was already made from both the side with panchali being completely aware of it. Krishna s presence and his entry right in Swamyvaar further proves this fact

Here is link from kmg from swayamvar up- parv of sabha parv from kmg

Drupad said to yudhistar about giving hand of draupdi to arjun with ritual

Then yudhistar said I also have to marry draupdi as order by kunti . then yudhistar said to drupad that and my brother will marry draupdi one by one and draupdi will become common wife of all

Some condemn draupdi marrying to 5 man then yudhistar said I have heard that jatila married to 7 rishis and after ward all pandav married to draupdi

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01198.htm

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01199.htm

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01201.htm

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01202.htm

Originally posted by: Poorabhforever

Drapaudi married to only yudhishtra s evidence is found in the dice hall itself. Here -

Dhritarashtra endued with knowledge, reflecting with the aid of his wisdom and desirous of saving his relatives and friends from destruction, began to console Krishna, the princess of Panchala, and addressing her, the monarch said,--'Ask of me any boon, O princess of Panchala, that thou desirest, Chaste and devoted to virtue, thou art the first of all my daughters-in-law. "Draupadi said,--'O bull of the Bharata race, if thou will grant me a boon, I ask the handsome Yudhishthira, obedient to every duty, be freed from slavery. Let not unthinking children call my child Prativindhya endued with great energy of mind as the son of a slave. prince, so superior to all men, and nurtured by kings it is not proper that he should be called the child of a slave.

Now at this notice that dritrashtra gave drapaudi only one boon she didn't knew whether or not she would get another plus what is true for prativindhya will be true for all her other children but still only person she frees at this juncture is yudhishtra . She could have asked for all her husbands but she doesn't. So this shows that only yudhishtra was her husband.

Only when dritrashtra gives her a second boon does she asks for other pandavas.

"Dhritarashtra said unto her,--'O auspicious one, let it be as thou sayest. O excellent one, ask thou another boon, for I will give it. My heart inclineth to give thee a second boon. Thou dost not deserve only one boon. "Draupadi said,--'I ask, O king, that Bhimasena and Dhananjaya and the twins also, with their cars and bows, freed from bondage, regain their liberty.'

Now second evidence is during the second dice game when shakuni puts forth a condition that if yudhishtra loses he and drapaudi remember he only mention drapaudi (krishnaa) and none of the other brother will have to go for exile

Sakuni then said,--'The old king hath given ye back all your wealth. That is well. But, O bull of the Bharata race, listen to me, there is a stake of great value. Either defeated by ye at dice, dressed in deer skins we shall enter the great forest and live there for twelve years passing the whole of the thirteenth year in some inhabited region, unrecognised, and if recognised return to an exile of another twelve years; or vanquished by us, dressed in deer skins ye shall, with Krishna, live for twelve years in the woods passing the whole of the thirteenth year unrecognised, in some inhabited region. If recognised, an exile of another twelve years is to be the consequence. On the expiry of the thirteenth year, each is to have his kingdom surrendered by the other. O Yudhishthira, with this resolution, play with us, O Bharata, casting the dice.'

Now talking about prativindhya. In vana parva when krishna and co comes to meet the pandavas during exile. Satayaki mentions about abhimanyu ruling the world after yudhishtra this means that he was the heir apparent This in turn raises a question why abhimanyu when prativindhya was the son of emperor and empress noting a very important fact that he was drapaud s grandson panchal was his maternal home and according karna in one of bis conversation mentions that how only two empires have the right to contest for imperial throne and those are kurus and panchal . So if prativindhya was actually kuru + panchal s progeny he would have been the heir apparent and not abhimanyu. This proves that prativindhya was not Krishnaa s biological son but adopted.

Why didn't she include everyone in her first boon? If she could ask for 4 Pandavas in one boon then she could have aksed for 5 of them in one boon too, that's why I think she knew she had 3 boons because we were discussing it the other day and @FlauntPessimism was in the conversation or she stated that Draupadi set out to enrage Duryodhana and Party as King has to give 3 boons to people who are harassed

For me, it is very unlikely that she as an empress would not try to free Bheema and Arjun who are responsible for security of their Kingdom, without Bhima and Arjun's prowess Yudhishtira couldn't be an emperor.

Abhimanyu could have been older than Prativindhya.

Yesterday only we were discussing it and apparently Krushna didn't know about Arjun's exile, it is not possible for anyone to hide something like this from a friend like Krushna for 12 years, he would have at least visited them for old time's sake, so we came to a conclusion that Arjun's exile period was only 12 months as opposed to 12 years, it is possible Draupadi didn't conceive in first year and Abhimanyu was born before Prativindhya.

If Arjun's exile was of 12 years then even if Draupadi didn't conceive then Bhima, Nakul, Sahdev and Yudhishtira's other wife would have conceived making them older than Abhimanyu

Why being older is important because Yudhishtira's claim to Throne was being older than Duryodhana, It's unlikely he discredited his son who was older and gave the Throne to Abhimanyu, even if Prativindhya was adopted he was emperor's son like Yudhishtira wasn't biological son of Pandu

Originally posted by: CaptainSpark

I have heard alot of the reasons provided by scholars and even fellow members regarding Draupadi being only Yudhishthir's wife but I don't buy this theory, though they do have a point.

It was highly unlikely that Arjun won the Swayamvar but ONLY Yudhi married her. It was also unlikely that Panchali was okay with this. I too see her as an intelligent women with knowledge of statecraft who knew if she would not marry Yudhi she could not be empress. But, I don't see her as completely a politician with no human heart or emotions. I do feel she had a soft corner for Arjun for obvious reasons. I am absolutely NOT a shipper but still I feel Draupadi had special feelings for Arjun. Having had that, it is very strange that she would still be okay with this injustice of marrying only Yudhi even if she was not in love at that point.

I think polyandry was a pre planned scheme of Kunti and Yudhishthir after Vyasa's instructions. It makes sense - they did it to keep the brothers together because yeah why not use a woman to do that because ladki toh naahi fevicol ki bottle hai. Just Kunti-Yudhi stuff.

There are many instances where Draupadi's bits with Bheem and Arjun do not seem like an elder brother's wife talking. She hugged Bheem and wept to him before Keechak incident. Unless you are seeing this from the lens of Kadambari Tagore there's no way this was bhaabi dewar in Dwapar Yuga. Arjun bought her special gifts from Indralok, if I am not mistaken he even carries her on his back so all this was for a woman whom HE WON but his brother had the fruits of? I don't think he was THAT GIVING.

Bheem maybe dumb or less sharp than Yudhi Arjun or Sahdev, but I don't think he was so furious and showed so much love for a brother's wife because of some crush. Even Laxman didn't do this 😂😂

What's the evidence that Upapandavas were not Drau's children?

Besides, if all of this is later creation except the war, I believe this is a fantastic literary addition. It shaped the epic as we see it today and also brings in diversity. So in this case, I choose not to believe only Yudhi's wife theory 😊

I am inclined to believe in existence of polyandry because of the importance given to Draupadi - Bheem and Draupadi - Arjun, There are just too many incidents to support it

However, Draupadi obviously had feelings and emotions but women back in those days were groomed to run a Kingdom or a household, I mean one would any day marry a King than settle for King's younger brother. Their duty was to produce an heir and a spare. Arjun is a hero now with him being friends with Lord Krushna but he was just someone from Yudhishtira's kingdom who won Swayamvar.

But, Why would Yudhishtira marry Draupadi after Arjun participated in her Swayamvar? I mean, if I am going to see a ladka, my sister won't marry him unless they both like each other (🙄) which makes me think Yudhishtira Boi was a bit... Ehm

That's why I once said Duryodhana is better option for Subhadra than Arjun

Originally posted by: surabhi01

Here is link from kmg from swayamvar up- parv of sabha parv from kmg

Drupad said to yudhistar about giving hand of draupdi to arjun with ritual

Then yudhistar said I also have to marry draupdi as order by kunti . then yudhistar said to drupad that and my brother will marry draupdi one by one and draupdi will become common wife of all

Some condemn draupdi marrying to 5 man then yudhistar said I have heard that jatila married to 7 rishis and after ward all pandav married to draupdi

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01198.htm

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01199.htm

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01201.htm

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01202.htm

Yeah

Thats the basic story, I am thinking if it is actually true or just an interpolation

Why is it such a big deal to marry before elder brother, didn't Bheema marry Hidimba?

Originally posted by: NoraSM

Why didn't she include everyone in her first boon? If she could ask for 4 Pandavas in one boon then she could have aksed for 5 of them in one boon too, that's why I think she knew she had 3 boons because we were discussing it the other day and @FlauntPessimism was in the conversation or she stated that Draupadi set out to enrage Duryodhana and Party as King has to give 3 boons to people who are harassed

Kind of far fetched about that three boon thing what if dritrashtra didn't give another boon ?? Then what. Plus drapaudi was smart to see that the above can be possible. So when opportunity presented her she took it and freed the man who was her husband.

For me, it is very unlikely that she as an empress would not try to free Bheema and Arjun who are responsible for security of their Kingdom, without Bhima and Arjun's prowess Yudhishtira couldn't be an emperor.

Abhimanyu could have been older than Prativindhya.

Yesterday only we were discussing it and apparently Krushna didn't know about Arjun's exile, it is not possible for anyone to hide something like this from a friend like Krushna for 12 years, he would have at least visited them for old time's sake, so we came to a conclusion that Arjun's exile period was only 12 months as opposed to 12 years, it is possible Draupadi didn't conceive in first year and Abhimanyu was born before Prativindhya.

Arjuna certainly didn't went on exile right after the Swamyvaar now did he ?? I am sure atleast an year passed between the Swamyvaar and arjun s exile .Now even if he take arjun s exile to be of 12 months that is still 2 years so drapaudi didn't conceived for two years and conceived exactly an year after subdhara had abhimanyu. Again too far fetched. And if abhimanyu and prativindhya didn't had an age difference if an year so they were of same age than the obviously panchala s progeny will get more preference than dwaraka another reason being prativindhya was the son of emperor and empress

If Arjun's exile was of 12 years then even if Draupadi didn't conceive then Bhima, Nakul, Sahdev and Yudhishtira's other wife would have conceived making them older than Abhimanyu

Why being older is important because Yudhishtira's claim to Throne was being older than Duryodhana, It's unlikely he discredited his son who was older and gave the Throne to Abhimanyu, even if Prativindhya was adopted he was emperor's son like Yudhishtira wasn't biological son of Pandu

I don't think it worked that way for a simple reason that it is given somewhere in the text that yudhishtra while performing yagya after the war was surrounded by his grandson and sons so if other grandson were old enough to take part in yagya and he also had sons and if succession did really boiled down to eldest than why not crown any of the surviving sons ?? Why prakishit because prakishit was dwaraka s progeny .. .