DRAUPADI

In those days the royal house of Kurus was very famous in Bharata. Dhritarashtra and Pandu were two brothers of this royal line. Pandu had five sons – Yudhishthira, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Yudhishthira was very righteous person. Bheema was an expert fighter with the "Gada’, the mace. Arjuna was an excellent bow-man. All the five were great heroes. They were known as the Pandavas. The one hundred sons of Dhritarashtra were known as the Kauravas; of these Duryodhana and Dusshasana were the eldest.

Kind Pandu passed away. The Kauravas wanted to kill the Pandavas and get the entire kingdom. When children go the wrong way, it is the father’s duty to advise them properly. But Dhritarashtra became a party to the injustice planned by his sons. So he ruined himself, and his sons were also destroyed.

Dhritarashtra himself once, summoned the Pandavas and said, "Today is the festival of Lord Umamaheshwara in Varanavatha. You may go and attend it."

In great joy, the Pandavas took their mother Kunthi also with them and went to Varanavatha. But do you know what trick the Kauravas were playing? They had built a beautiful palace of Lac at Varanavatha. They had arranged that the palace should be set on fire at night when the Pandavas were asleep. The elder statesman Vidura came to know of this. He therefore got a tunnel dug from the palace. This he got done secretly. He also told the Pandavas of it. One night the Pandavas themselves set fire to the palace. The mansion built of Lac burnt fiercely and was reduced to ashes. The Pandavas stepped into the secret tunnel and reached a forest. Crossing the forest they reached a town. In that town of Ekachakrapura they lived in the disguise of Brahmins.

At this time they heard the news of Draupadi’s Swayamvara and went to the Panchala country. In that assembly of kings it was the great archer Arjuna who mastered the heavy bow.

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