Wives of the Pandavas (other than Draupadi)

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Diala D

@...Diala...

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 11 years ago

#21

yes.. one in aswamedika parva.. but am not sure if it is in ved vyas narration or jaimineya narration.. otherwise I dont know much about any of the Pandavas other wives..

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Bhaskari

@bhas1066

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Posted: 11 years ago

#22

its Pramila queen of Naripura - a land where even the horse turns into female horse. Pramila and arjun fight with each other until a voice from sky tells them to stop and marry each other. it says that they were husband-wife in their previous birth. this is from Jaimini mahabharata.

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 11 years ago

#23

Good post. However, I have one doubt.

I don't think that Draupadi PREVENTED other wives from coming to Indraprastha. If I'm not mistaken, then the epic does not mention this.

Besides, Draupadi was angry, becoz when Arjun returned after 12 years, it was supposed to be his year with Draupadi. So, after such a long separation n after so much waiting, when she was finally about to be reunited with Arjun, he brings Subhadra home. That is y she got angry.

And as far as other wives are concerned, Hidimba didn't stay bcoz she was not allowed by the society, as she was a Rakshashi. Chitrangada didn't stay bcoz, her son was to stay at Manipur, n she couldn't leave her son there at such a young age. N Arjun did not exactly want to marry Ulupi. So, maybe he was not interested in bringing her home. N not much is known about the other wives of Pandavas.

Besides, when they were going to exile, then the other wives went back to their fathers' place. Now, how can they go back, if they were not allowed to stay?

And after the war, all wives stayed at Hastinapur, n took care of Gandhari. They have been named individually. So, how can they stay if Draupadi didn't allow them?

So, I think it is a misconception that she didn't allow other wives to stay.

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 11 years ago

#24

Originally posted by: ...Diala...

I too agree that she din't ban them from Indraprastha.. actually nothing related to this ban is mentioned anywhere.. about her personal conditions of marriage except the once in 5 year and exile parts..

having said that the reasons for Draupadi's jealousy may be one among Subhadra's association with Krishna, her blood relation with Arjuna, her youth and beauty or that Draupadi was never Arjun's wife till that day..

Yes, even I don't think that she prevented any wives from staying at Indraprastha.

As for draupadi's jealousy, there could be many reasons for that.

I don't think it was Subhadra's youth n beauty. Bcoz, Draupadi was said to the most beautiful woman of her time n she was blessed with eternal youth.

It was probably the long separation or the fact that she could not be with him as his wife, despite being his first wife.

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Diala D

@...Diala...

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 11 years ago

#25

Eternal youth? i remember I read somewhere that there is a note in the poems on Draupadi being old with wrinkles..

even the most beautiful woman can get jelous of another woman's beauty.. 😉.. it is written that Subhadra looked more beautiful in the simple cowherd woman's dress.. so may be she was very very beautiful..

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amritat

@amritat

Sparkler

Posted: 11 years ago

#26

Originally posted by: ...Diala...
Eternal youth? i remember I read somewhere that there is a note in the poems on Draupadi being old with wrinkles..

even the most beautiful woman can get jelous of another woman's beauty.. 😉.. it is written that Subhadra looked more beautiful in the simple cowherd woman's dress.. so may be she was very very beautiful..

Subhadra was indeed very beautiful. But I haven't read about any poem where Draupadi grows wrinkles. As far as I know, she had some boon of having the fragrance of blue lotus n eternal youth. But I could be wrong.

And I think, it is obvious for the first wife to be jealous, if her husband marries again, irrespective of how the new wife looks. Besides, she had been waiting for so long for her Aarya no.3. N she, despite being Arjun's first wife did not really spend much time with him, while most of his other wives had already given birth to his children. N Arjun preferred Subhadra to his other wives. So, there could be many reasons for her jealousy n anger.

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Diala D

@...Diala...

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 11 years ago

#27

ive also not read the poem forms but read in an article that vyas's poem mentions.. not in this scene but later.. yeah I too think the reason would be she not being his wife so far at all..

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Vrish

@Vr15h

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 11 years ago

#28

Originally posted by: shani88

I am repeating this statement for the nth time on the forum - Draupadi NEVER banned the Pandavas from having multiple wives. The ONLY condition was that these "other" wives shouldn't come to Indraprastha. That's it.

Originally posted by: india2050
In my opinion not practically possible. I feel Draupadi never banned even the wives from coming to Indraprastha.
I feel the wives would have been in Indraprastha and would have gone back to their respective "maikas" for the duration of the year when it was their husband's turn with Draupadi. The remaining 4 years they would have stayed in Indraprastha only.

Subhadra's case was a bit different as in the eyes of the world it was she who ran away with Arjun so she cannot go back. Draupadi was an empress herself and also would have known enough about politics to ensure that they remain on the right side of the Yadavas especially Balarama.

I don't know where the story came from that Draupadi banned the other wives from coming to Indraprastha.

At the start of Vana Parva, when the Pandavas & Draupadi have gone into exile, Dhrishtadyumna, Krishna and Dhrishtaketu come, and Dhrishtaketu is mentioned as taking his sister - Nakul's wife - w/ him back to Chedi. Vyasa doesn't elaborate, but it's clear that others, like Magadha's Sahadev would have taken his sister back as well. All the in-laws of the Pandavas went to Indraprastha following the exile and withdrew everybody - Subhadra, Devika, Valandhara, et al along w/ their sons to their own kingdoms until the exile was over, and they could reunite w/ their husbands.

In Ashramvasika parva, it's mentioned that along w/ Kunti and Draupadi, all the other wives of the Pandavas served Gandhari like servants. The only ones not mentioned are Devika & Valandhara. I happen to think that Devika's omission is an oversight, while Bhima was opposed to Dhritarashtra & Gandhari getting served by his family, and probably forbade Valandhara from serving Gandhari, and asked her to serve only Kunti.

The only exceptions were Hidimbi, Uloopi and Chitrangada. Each can be separately explained:

Hidimbi, being a cannibalistic rakshashi, couldn't be allowed into either Indraprastha nor Hastinapur, and so remained in the forest for good
Uloopi was married to Arjun, but he only did it b'cos she emotionally blackmailed him. But he never loved her until his battle w/ Babruvahana, when she disclosed to him how she had saved him from the curse of Bheeshma's divine brothers, the Vasus. From then on, Uloopi did live w/ Arjun: she accompanied Babruvahana & Chitrangada to Hastinapur during the Ashwamedha yagna, and remained there even when Babruvahana returned to Manipura after the yagna. She was among those who served Gandhari
Chitrangada stayed in Manipura to raise Babruvahana, which was a part of the requirement of her father when he agreed to Arjun marrying her. So she didn't move w/ Arjun to Indraprastha. When Babruvahana became king, her job was done, and she was free to join Arjun anytime. That occasion came when Arjun invited them all for the yagna. She accompanied Babruvahana and Uloopi to Hastinapur, and remained there w/ Arjun after Babruvahana returned. She too served Gandhari and was a part of the Pandava family there.

When the Pandavas finally retired, Draupadi left w/ them, while Subhadra was made guardian of both Parikshit in Hastinapur and Vajra in Indraprastha/Mathura. At that time, Uloopi went back to her watery kingdom (it's unclear whether that means that she drowned herself, or just returned to her maayka) while Chitrangada returned to Babruvahana's Manipura.

All the other queens - Uttara, Devika, Valandhara, Karenamati and Sahadev's wives - all of them settled down then under Parikshit's rule.

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Diala D

@...Diala...

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 11 years ago

#29

I dont see a point in the wives leaving to their mom's place once in five years.. the Pandava-Panchali marriage rule was to stipulate whose wife Panchali will be in a year.. Its not about whose husband the Pandavas will be..

Edited by ...Diala... - 11 years ago

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Vrish

@Vr15h

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 11 years ago

#30

That quote was not mine - it was india2050's. I too disagree w/ that - I think that whenever a wife's hubby was w/ Draupadi, she'd still be in Indraprastha doing her other spousal duties. Besides, there was saasuma Kunti there, so all the queens could have happily done all sorts of things for her - making her tea, giving her body massages, preparing for her pujas, vaghara vaghara...

Also, once they had sons, that too would have kept them busy.

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Wives of the Pandavas (other than Draupadi) - Page 3

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