Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 544

MEHENDALE ! Once Again Draupadi's Hair
tency in the epic's reference to Draupadi's hair, there is consistency while referring to her actions. Once, before the death of Kicaka and, again, after his death, Sairandhr. washes her limbs and garments (gātrāņi vāsasī caiva praksalya salilena sa 4. 16. 2; 4. 23. 12). Here, there is consistency in her actions. What strikes H. more in this case is that in both these verses there is no reference to the washing of her hair. Repetition of verses is not unusual in the epic and H.'s conclusion is unwarranted. The word gäträni can include hair as well and no distinct mention of kesän is needed. The Pandavas, while visiting the tirthas, often bathed in holy waters. While referring to such ablutions the epic sometimes uses the word gäträni without specifically mentioning hair ( 3. 93. 5; 3. 109, 20; also Draupadi in another context (aplutāng! ) 1. 176. 29). This, however, does not mean that the Pandavas and Draupadi washed only their limbs and not their hair,
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Kali had figured in the Puranga incident brought in for comparison with an incident in the Viraṭaparvan in which blood issued from Yudhisthira's H. has observed similarity between the roles of Kali and Draupadi in the two incidents. In the death of Kicaka too, which occurred even before the above incident, H. sees a connection between Kall and Draupadi. The person, however, who kills Klcaka is Bhima, not Sairandhri. Hence, H. has to establish some sort of identity between Bhima and Sairandhri in order to associate her with Kali. This he does by approvingly citing M. Biardeau's view that Bhima was the arm of Sairandhri (le bras de la déesse) (p. 198). Next, in this connection H. gets a passage in the epic in which Sairandhri is said to be another form of Death. Kicaka was happy at the prospect of meeting Sairandhri in private, but the fool as he was, he did not realize that Sairandhri was only another form of Death (sairandhri rapinam müdhe mṛtyum tam nāvubuddhavän 4. 21. 19). Again, later, when Kicaka touched Bhima mistaking him for Sairandhri, the epic says that he had touched Death (sayānam sayane tatra mrtyum sütaḥ paramṛśat (4.21.42). There is really nothing very striking in such statements. If there was any other woman in place of Sairandhri (and even if she had never worn her hair loose), the narrator might have used similar words. But, H. has the following to contribute to the present scene: "In the epic, Mrtyu is a Goddess, a form evoking Kali and Durgă as they break into the Hindu literary tradition. For Death to appear to Kicaka "in the form of a Sairandhri" would seem an unmistakable evocation of Kali, the wild Goddess with the dishevelled hair" (p. 199).
Conclusion: There is no evidence to show that Draupadi wore her hair loose in the Ajñātavāsa. On the other hand, there is evidence to show that she had tied them up.
22 Annals BORI]
Madhu Vidya/519