Week 9 Planning

Yudhisthira and Draupadi. Source: Wikipedia.

I would like to focus my next story on Yudhisthira's final test before entering heaven. I could focus on writing a love story about his willingness to literally go through hell in order to be with his beloved wife, Draupadi.

Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)

The Afterlife link

Article on Yudhisthira

• Conceived in a not traditional type of way
• Test of patience in Hell
• On reaching heaven, Yudhishthira did not find either his virtuous brothers or his wife Draupadi. Instead, he only saw Duryodhana and his allies. The Gods told him that his brothers were in Naraka, atoning for their sins.
• Yudhishthira loyally went to Naraka to meet his brothers, but the sight of gore and blood horrified him. After hearing the voices of his beloved brothers and Draupadi calling out to him, asking him to stay with them in their misery, he remained. Yudhishthira ordered the divine charioteer to return. He preferred to live in hell with good people than in a heaven with his enemies.
• Eventually this turned out to be another illusion to test him and also to enable him to atone for his sin of deceiving his guru during the war where he half-lied to Drona about Ashwathama's death. Thereafter, Indra and Krishna appeared before him and told him that his brothers (including Karna) were already in heaven but so were his enemies.

Article on Draupadi

• Daughter of Drupada, the king of Panchala
• Known as Pandita (the great learned one)
• Had expert knowledge of political science (the great learned one)
• Wife to pandavas

Relationship between Yudhisthira and Draupadi  

• Besides being a wife, Draupadi had a cordial friendship with Yudhisthira and they counseled each other frequently. Yudhisthira listened to her council in areas of politics and running of his kingdom. He had lengthy conversations with Draupadi about Dharma where they did not see eye
• After the Pandavas were exiled from Hastinapur, because of the fateful game of dice, where Yudhisthira staked Draupadi and lost, she questioned Yudhisthira’s manliness and dharma for staking her.
• So he basically lost her in gambling without her permission. I could use this as a reason for Draupadi’s internal contempt towards Yudhisthira, who wins her heart by living through hell just to prove he will do anything to be with her.