Mistaken Vows: Draupadi and the Five Pandavas

What It Means To Be Elder?

"Draupadi, Please step ahead" her eldest husband called her. Her heart was in her throat as she got down the palanquin and started stepping ahead. With each step she took towards her husbands she prayed to Shiva.

"STOP!" A voice thundered as she was about to step on the first step of the Palace of Hastinapur. The voice so deep and filled with anger had her withdrawing her feet and dread spread through her being.

Oh Shiva, please no. Please let our marriage be accepted by the elders.

"Pitamah..." Yudhisthir's words were cut off in the middle by Bhism's glare.

"Let me ask you again Pandu putro. Have all of you married this girl?" Bhism desperately wanted to hear a no. How can these boys, how can they do such a sin? A woman marrying five men what sort of marriage is this?

"Yes, Pitamah. All five of us have married Panchali." Bheem affirmed what his jyesth had merely stated.

"How can you do this? How can you do such a sin and think of coming back to my Hastinapur? I will not accept such sin in my Hastinapur." Bhism's anger knew no bounds. Turning his back on his once dear grandsons and walked away cause if he didn't he might end up throwing these boys out of Hastinapur.

"Pitamah" the Pandu putra called again in dejected voices of her.

"What sort of joke is this Yudhisthir? We did not expect this from you. You are known as Dharmaraj, just how can you let this happen?" Maharaj Dhritrashtra sounded disgusted and then disappointed. She saw the king and queen of Hastinapur leave and with their departure, everyone left one by one.

She could hear waves of laughter but couldn't make out their faces. How can someone laugh at their family's pain

Her five husbands along with their mother stood on the upleveled hallway of the palace, whereas Draupadi was still standing out of it. Even if the distance between them was not much, it felt like miles and miles long. She could feel the dejectedness in their slumped shoulders and downturned heads.

What she feared the most had happened. What will they do now?

"the night has fallen. I suggest you all retire to the guest house. We will speak with them in the morning." Kunti couldn't bear the hopelessness in her sons' eyes. She knew how much their Pitamah's and uncles's acceptance of their marriage mattered to her sons. She had faith that one way or another the elders would bless her sons, it was only a matter of how her sons' will convince them.

She also saw the uncertainty and sadness on her precious daughter-in- law's face. She sympathized with the young girl, her sons had brought a storm in the Panchal kumari's life. With each new day, the girl would be facing a new challenge, be it earning the acceptance of her in-laws or navigating her married life.

She knew each of her sons were good on their, but the five of them were too much to handle for a single girl. She saw the distance her sons maintained from Panchali, each of them was hesitant to stake their claim first and wanted the others to take the first step. It was how they have always been, her sons thought of the others before their own self.

But now in their unusual relationship, if they waited too much, as a woman herself she knew, Panchali would end up with walls so thick around her heart that even all five together would not be able to breach them.

And this was the first favour she was doing to her boys.

"I will be staying in my room. Take Panchali with you." she would force all of them together. No matter how awkward they felt at least they will talk to each other and panchal kumari.

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Sehdev was ensnared by rim-jhim sounds and was highly aware of their wife's glowing presence. She was standing in the balcony overlooking the flower garden and apple orchard. The moonlight illuminated the jewels of her red viel and lehenga making an etheral scene before him.

He could sense her inner turmoil, she had silently followed them back to the guest chambers. None of them had spoken to her once during the passage or while coming here and she also refused to acknowledge their presence. It felt strange.

They were husband and wife how can none of them speak to each other? How can they start this relationship with silence? Communication was the essence of a good relationship, yet they were messing up the first step.

Even though he was never the outspoken one, instinctively, he knew he had to do something.

He heard his brother argue heatedly  in the background and moved towards her. If not his jyesths, them he will be the first to talk to her.

"Panchali." her name sounded like prayer on his lips. She covered her face with her viel and turned to face him.

"Arya." her velvety feminine voice quieted his mind and heart. Her voice held a note of reserved hope and it broke Sehdev's heart. He beat himself for not approaching her soon. She was already withdrawing herself.

"What do you suggest? What should we do?" in the turmoil of the situation with the elders and their haste to find a solution, they had instinctively forgotten to include Panchali in their conversation. And what all he knew from Panchali's behaviour till now, she was used to commanding attention and not interrupting where she wasn't invited.

"Arya, I agree with Arya Yudhishthir. The blessing of elders are important for a couple's married life. I suggest talking to Pitamah Bhism and Uncle Vidur and then present ourself before the court of Hastinapur. Meanwhile, we ask Mata Kunti to talk with Mata Gandhari." Panchali knew their plan depended on their ability to win over Pitamah.

"Panchali, you saw Pitamah's anger right? He will not even see our faces let alone talk to us." Bheem sensed that his bride was hiding something in her clever brain.

"Arya, Pitamah is hurt and emotional at this moment beacuse he thought highly of you all. It doesn't mean he will not hear our side of story. Also, before Pitamah, won't it be better to approach Uncle Vidur? Arya Yudhishthir, if the Rishi can accept our marriage to be righteous, so the scriptures must speak of it too." Yudhisthir was amazed with her thinking. Approaching Uncle Vidur was the best idea, he trusted his quick-witted uncle to understand their situation and figure-out how to approach Pitamah.

"Absolutely right Panchali. The scriptures speak of a lady named Jatila who had married seven Rishis and their marriage was considered ethical." Yudhishthir could also recall other people that Maharishi Vyas had spoken of. God, how can he be so ignorant and arrogant? The rishi's had blessed their union and that amounted to something. He looked over to his wife, she had managed to calm his overburdened heart with her carefully placed questions.

In his haze, he had completely avoided Draupadi's existence. But now, it was like he was seeing her for the fist time. It finally felt like he was tied to her, that the marriage bond they were tied together in was not suffocating him rather it was something soft and tender.

"so decided, we will approach uncle Vidur the first thing in the morning." he looked over to his brothers, who approved of him, their mutual bonding requiring none of them to speak.

"For now, let's rest. Arjun, Nakul and Sehdev, you three will stay here with Panchali while Bheem and I keep gaurd. And Panchali..." his voice took an awkward turn. While he easily instructed his brothers, how was he supposed to address his wife?

"Rest well. Tomorrow brings a new day with new challenges but have faith in us, all of us together can deal with anything and everything. If you need anything, call for any of us." Her husband's sincer words made Draupadi almost cry. His simple request, to keep faith in them, strengthened her heart and gave her hope. Maybe, just maybe there was hope for her, for them.

"Goodnight Arya." She wished back and gazed at his muscular silhouette. She desperately wanted to see him without the viel blocking her view.

"Now that everything is settled," she heard the jovial voice and sigh of relief.

"let's play." Nakul said with wide smile on his face.

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