Did Krishna Save Draupadi From The Shame?

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You have every reason to be shocked after reading the title. We all know about the shameful incident of disrobing Draupadi in the Mahabharata. After Draupadi's husband, Yudhishthir lost her in a game of dice to his cousins, they decided to commit the lowly act of disrobing their sister-in-law.

All of Draupadi's valiant husbands remained seated and she was disrobed in front of all courtiers. It is believed that it is the time when Lord Krishna came to her rescue. With His blessings, Draupadi's cloth became endless and she could not be disrobed.

Now the question arises was it Krishna who came and rescue Draupadi or was it someone else who saved her from the shame? Read on to find out:

Was It Dharma?

We all believe that Lord Krishna came to rescue Draupadi at the time of her shame. But according to Vyasa's description in the Mahabharata, it is not true. Vyasa says Dharma saved her from the shame. However it is not clear as to who is Dharma here. It can be the Lord of Dharma, Vidura or even Yudhishthira, who was the son of Lord Dharma. Hence, it is not clear as to who saved Draupadi.

Krishna's Promise

According to the popular belief, Draupadi summons Keshava or Lord Krishna in the hour of her shame. He comes to her rescue. There is a mention of this story in the legends. Once Krishna hurt His finger by the Sudarshana chakra, His finger started bleeding. On seeing this Draupadi tore a piece from her saree and tied it around His finger to stop the bleeding.

Touched by the gesture of Draupadi, Lord Krishna promised her to repay the debt at the time of her need. So, He protected Draupadi from the shame of being disrobed by making her cloth become endless.

Story Of Durvasa

There is another interesting story of Sage Durvasa saving Draupadi from the 'cheer haran' or disrobing. According to the Shiv Purana, Draupadi's rescue is attributed to a boon granted to her by sage Durvasa. According to the story, once when the sage was bathing in the Ganges, the loin cloth of the sage was carried off by the currents.

So, Draupadi tore off a piece of her saree and gave it to the sage. The sage was pleased and granted her a boon. This boon is said to be the cause of the unending stream of cloth when Dussashan tried to strip her off.

The Sun's Payback

According to the Sarala Mahabharata, the Oriya version, it was the Sun God and Lord Krishna who jointly saved Draupadi. The story goes like this. Once the Sun had borrowed clothes from Draupadi for His son, Shani's wedding. At that time He had promised Draupadi that He would pay her back in her time of peril.

So, when Draupadi was being disrobed, Krishna reminded the Sun about His debt. So, the Sun ordered Chaya (shadow) and Maya (illusion) to dress up Draupadi. Unseen by everyone in the court, these two kept dressing up Draupadi as Dussashan kept pulling her robes.

Hence it cannot be rightly said that Lord Krishna was the only one who saved Draupadi from the shame. However He played a major role in protecting her when nobody else did.