Why Krishna and Pandavas did not protect Draupati immediately?
Qn. In detail:
Hare krsna prabhu g.. dandvats …..my friend was asking me why marriage is necessary….i asnwered bcoz women need protection…..she asked when Dusshasana was trying to naked draupadi all five husbands were present not even a single one out of five helped her……what is the conclusion we can make from this scene
REPLY:
There is a reason for why Krishna and Pandavas did not protect Draupati immediately when she was undressed. This episode has a few subtle messages in it.
If we see this in worldly terms, we get agitated.
(WHY KRISHNA DOES NOT COME AGAIN? HOW KRISHNA IS EXISTING IN THE FORM OF PEOPLE? READ HERE!)
But, if we see this as the events happened among the Kshatriyas, we get some messages in it.
First of all, for Kshatriyas, there are two kinds of competitions:
(i) Fighting and winning a war and getting the properties of the enemy.
(ii) Playing dice and winning the game and get the properties of the enemy.
Both these competitions are allowed and approved by Kshatriya dharma.
However, the mighty kings will choose the first option of war only to show their braveness to the world.
In the case of Pandavas, they were tricked by Shakuni, the uncle of Duryodhana who called Yudhishtra to play dice.
Though Yudhishtra lacked in complete tricks of playing dice, he agreed.
(BHAGAVAD GITA Vs RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATHA! READ HERE!)
Uddhava asked Krishna:
‘You were a dear friend of the Pandavas. They trusted you. Why did you not stop Yudhishtra from playing the gambling game? You could have at least saved Yudhishtra by stopping the game after he lost his wealth, country and himself. You could have released him from the punishment for gambling. Or, you could have entered the hall when he started betting his brothers. You did not do that either. At least when Duryodhana tempted Yudhishtra by offering to return everything lost if he betted Draupati, you could have intervened and with your divine power you could have made the dices roll in a way that is favorable to Yudhishtra. Instead, you intervened only when Draupadi almost lost her modesty and now you claim that you gave clothes and saved Draupadi’s modesty; If you did not help in the time of crisis, what is the use? Is it Dharma?’
Krishna replies to Uddhava:
‘Dear Uddhava, the law of this world is: ‘only the one who has intelligence wins. While Duryodhana had lots of money and wealth to gamble, he did not know how to play the game of dice. That is why he used his Uncle Shakuni to play the game while he betted. That is intelligence. Yudhishtra also could have thought similarly and offered that I, his cousin, would play on his behalf. If Shakuni and I had played the game of dice, I would have won. He did another blunder. He prayed that I should not come to the hall as he did not want me to know that through ill-fate he was compelled to play this game. He tied me with his prayers and did not allow me to get into the hall; I was just outside the hall waiting for someone to call me through their prayers. Even when Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva were lost, they were only cursing Duryodhana and brooding over their fate and they did not call me. Even Draupadi did not call me when Dusshasan held her hair and dragged her to fulfil his brother’s order. She was also arguing in the hall, based on her own abilities. She never called me. Finally good sense prevailed; when Dusshasan started disrobing her, she gave up depending on her own strength, and started shouting ‘Abhayam Krishna, Abhayam’ and shouted for me. Only then I got an opportunity to save her modesty. I reached as soon as I was called. I saved her modesty. What is my mistake in this situation?”
(Is reading Garuda Purana, Mahabharatha and keeping Krishna Pictures wrong? READ HERE!)
Krishna further says:
‘Uddhava, everyone’s life proceeds based on their own karma. I don’t interfere in it. I am only a ‘witness’. I stand close to you and keep observing whatever is happening. This is my Dharma’. When you understand & realise that I am standing as witness next to you, how could you do anything wrong or bad. You definitely cannot do anything bad. You forget this and think that you can do things without my knowledge. That is when you get into trouble. Yudhishtra’s ignorance was that he thought he can play the game of gambling without my knowledge. If Yudhishtra had realized that I am always present with everyone in the form of witness, then the game would have ended differently.’
Thus, the entire Mahabharatha is the witness for the effects of karma. When Pandavas keep Krishna with them, Krishna protected them in many ways and tricks that we know.
Since Yudhishtra chose not to include Krishna in the episode of dice game, all the anarthas happened.
The blunder done by Yudhishtra was that he first lost all his properties, brothers and himself. Then, he chose to pledge Draupati.
He succumbed to the tricks of Duryodhana. Yudhishtra has no rights to pledge Draupati after he himself is lost to Duryodhana. However, since it will do favour to himself, Duryodhana offered that opportunity saying that all his properties will be returned to him if he succeeds in pledging Draupati.
Since Yudhishtra relied on his own insufficient talents, not Krishna in this episode, he lost even Draupati.
(WHY PANDAVAS DID NOT GO TO VAIKUNTA or GOLOKA THOUGH KRISHNA WAS WITH THEM? READ HERE!)
Once he lost himself and his brothers, all the five brothers naturally become CAPTIVE under Duryodhana. They have lost their freedom. They were ordered to sit on the floor silently. They can not do anything since they are now under the control of Duryodhana after losing the game.
That is why, they could not protect Draupati when she was undressed. A person in the captivity of his enemy can not act on his own. This is the system.
Therefore, as said by Krishna, only those who have the intelligence wins. In this episode, Duryodhana intelligently employed Shakuni and won. Yudhishtra had no intelligence to employ Krishna for his favour and hence he lost.
Later, Yudhishtra used his intelligence in Kurukshetra war by employing Krishna as their saviour. Therefore, they won the final game and got back their countries.
Hope I have cleared your friend’s doubts on Why Krishna and Pandavas did not protect Draupati immediately. She need not fear that all husbands are like Yudhishtra who failed to protect his wife. Only the karma determines one’s course of actions. One example will not fit to all the husbands. Therefore, ask her to select a good devotee boy and marry. Let the things happen as per her karma.
(Why Krishna delivered Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, not to Other Pandavas or Duryodhana? READ HERE!)