Mahabharata

Draupadi Satyabhama Samvada Parva

The words of Draupadi. The colloquy between Draupadi and Satyabhama.

Vaishampayana said:
When the high-souled Pandavas and the Brahmanas had taken their seats. Draupadi and Satyabhama entered the hermitage.

O king of kings, with hearts full of joy, they laughed merrily and they seated themselves at their ease. Those ladies who always spoke sweetly to each other, having met after a long time, began to talk upon various delightful topics arising out of the accounts of the Kurus and the Yadus. The slender waited Satyabhama, the favourite wife of Krishna and the daughter of Satrajit then asked (Draupadi) in private saying, "How, O Draupadi, can you rule the sons of Pandu.

Those heroes who are endued with great strength and beauty and who are like the Lokapalas themselves. O beautiful lady, how is it that they are so obedient to you and that they are never angry with you?

O lady of lovely feature, the Pandavas are always obedient to you. They are all watchful to do your bidding. Tell me its reason.

It is vows or asceticism or incantations or drug in your season or the efficacy of science or the influence of youthful appearance or the recitation of particular formulae or homa or collyrium and other medicament?

Tell me, O Panchala princess, of that blessed and auspicious thing by which, O Krishna, (Draupadi) my husband (Krishna) may be ever obedient to me."

Having said this, the illustrious Satyabhama stopped. The greatly blessed and chaste Draupadi thus replied to her,

"O Satyabhama, you ask me of the practices of wicked women. How can I speak of practices adopted by wicked women?

It does not become you to put further questions to me or to doubt me. You are intelligent, you are the favourite wife of Krishna.

When the husband learns that his wife is addicted to incantations and drugs, from that day he begins to dread her as if a poisonous snake has entered into his sleeping chamber.

Can a man afflicted with fear have peace? How can one who has no peace have happiness? A husband can never be made obedient by a wife with the help of mantras.

We hear of painful diseases transmitted by enemies. Those that desire to kill others send poison in the shape of gifts, so that the man that takes the powders so sent by tongues or skin is certainly deprived of his life as soon as possible.

Women have sometimes caused dropsy and leprosy, decrepitude, impotency and idiocy, blindness and deafness in men (by administering drugs to enchant them).

These wicked women, ever treading in the path of sin, do some times injure their husbands. But the wife should never do injury to her husband.

O illustrious Satyabhama, hear now of my conduct towards the high-souled Pandavas.

Abandoning vanity and subduing desire and wrath, I always serve with devotion the Pandavas with all their wives.

Restraining jealously with devotion of heart and without any feeling of degradation at the service I perform, I always serve my husbands.

Ever fearing to utter what is evil and false or to look or sit or walk with impropriety or to cast glances indicative of the feelings of the heart, I serve the sons of Pritha, those mighty warriors as blazing as the sun or fire and as handsome as the moon, those heroes who are endued with fearful energy and prowess and who are capable of killing their enemies by a glance of their eyes.

Celestials or men or Gandharvas, young or handsome, wealthy and adorned with ornaments, my heart is never attracted to any other.

I never bathe or eat or sleep till he that is my husband has bathed or eaten or slept, till all our servants and followers have bathed, eaten and slept.

Whether returning from the field, the forest or the town or hastily rising up I always salute my husband with water and seat.

I always keep the house and all the household articles and the food that is to be taken well-ordered and clean. I carefully keep the rice and serve them the food at the proper time.

I am never angry, I never speak harsh words, I never imitate women that are wicked. Avoiding idleness, I always do what is agreeable.

I never laugh except at a jest, I never stay for a long time at the gate of the house, I never stay long in places of nature's call or in pleasure gardens of the house.

I always refrain from laughing loudly or indulging in high passion and from everything that may give offence. O Satyabhama, I am always engaged in serving my husbands.

A separation from my husband is never agreeable to me. When my husbands leave home to go to my relatives,

I give up flowers and fragrant paste of every kind and I undergo penances. Whatever my husband does not drink, whatever he does not eat.

Whatever my husband does not enjoy, I always renounce. O beautiful lady, adorned with ornaments and ever self-controlled by the instructions received by me, I always devotedly seek the welfare of my husbands. I always perform those duties that my mother-in-law formerly told me in respect of relatives.

As also in respect of alms-giving, of offering worship to the celestials, of offering oblations to the Pitris or boiling food on auspicious days in order to offer it to the Pitris and the guests, of reverence and of service to those that deserve our respect and of all else that are known to me. I always perform my duty night and day without the least idleness. Having my heart firmly fixed in humility and fixed in approved rules, I serve my gentle, truthful and virtuous husbands, considering them always as so many poisonous snakes capable of being enraged at trifle.

My opinion is that to depend on one's husband is the eternal virtue of women. The husband is wife's god, he is her (sole) refuge. There is no other refuge for her. How can then a wife act what is disagreeable to her husband?

I never either in sleeping or in eating or in adorning my person act against the wishes of my husbands. I am always guided by my husbands. I never speak ill of my mother-in-law.

O blessed lady, my husband has become obedient to me for my diligence, my alacrity and for the humility with which I serve my Gurus.

Every day I personally wait with food and drink and clothes upon the revered and truthful Kunti, the mother of those heroes.

I never show any preference for myself over her in matters of food and attire and ornaments. I never reprove in words Pritha (Kunti) who is equal to the earth herself in forgiveness.

Eight thousand Brahmanas were formerly fed every day in the palace of Yudhishthira from plates of gold.

Eighty thousand Snataka Brahmanas, all leading domestic lives, were entertained by Yudhishthira with thirty maid-servants assigned to each.

Besides these, ten thousand Yatis with their desire under complete control had their pure and well-cooked food carried to them in golden plates:

All those Brahmanas that were the utterers of the Vedas, I used always to worship duty with food, drink and clothes taken from stores, when a portion of them had been dedicated to Vishvadeva.

The illustrious son of Kunti, had one hundred thousand well-dressed maid-servants with bracelets of their arms and golden ornaments on their necks; they were adorned with costly garlands and gold in profusion and they were sprinkled with sandal paste. Adorned with gems and gold, they were all well-skilled in dancing and singing.

I knew the names and features of every one of those girls and also what they used to eat and what they used to wear and what they used not to do.

The greatly intelligent son of Kunti had also one hundred thousand maid-servants who duly used to feed the guests with plates of gold in their hands.

When Yudhishthira lived in Indraprastha, one lakh horses and one lakh elephants used to follow him.

Such was the procession of Yudhishthira when he ruled over earth. It was I who regulated their number and formed the rules to be observed in respect to them. It was I who had to listen to all their complaints. I knew everything about the maid-servants of the palace and other servants, nay even of the cowherds and shepherds of the royal household. O blessed and illustrious lady, it was I alone among the Pandavas who knew the (real) income and expenditure of the king and what (really) their (Pandavas) whole income was.

O beautiful lady, those foremost of Bharatas, throwing upon me the (whole) burden of looking after all those that were to be fed by them, would always pay their court to me.

This load, so heavy and incapable of being borne by persons of evil heart, I sacrificing my ease used to bear day and night, all the while being affectionately devoted to them.

While my husbands were engaged in virtuous pursuits, I supervised their treasury as inexhaustible as the ever full abode of Varuna (ocean).

Day and night bearing hunger and thirst, I used to wait upon the Kuru princes, so that my nights and days were equal to me.

I used to rise up from my bed first and to go to my bed last. O Satyabhama, this has ever been my custom.

This is the great charm ever known to me for making my husbands obedient to me. I have never used any charms of wicked women and I never wish to use them."

Vaishampayana said:
Having heard these virtuous words of Krishna (Draupadi), Satyabhama expressed her greatest reverence for the Panchala princess and she thus spoke to her, "O Panchala princess, O Yajnaseni, I am in fault, forgive me. Among friends conversations in jest naturally and without premeditation arise."

Draupadi said:
I shall now point out to you a way for attracting the hearts of your husband which is free from deceit. O friend, by duly adopting it, you will be able to withdraw your husband from other women.

O Satyabhama, in all the worlds including that of the celestials, there is no god equal to the husband. When gratified with you, you may get (from your husband) ever object of desire, but when angry, all of them may be lost.

It is from her husband that the wife obtains offspring and various articles of enjoyments. From your husband you may have handsome beds and seats, robes and garlands, perfumes and great fame and heaven itself hereafter.

One cannot obtain happiness here by means that are easy. The woman that is chaste obtains happiness with great misery. Therefore always adore Krishna with friendship, love and sufferings.

Act in such a way by offering handsome seats and excellent garlands and various perfumes and prompt service that he may be devoted to you, thinking, "I am truly loved by her."

Hearing the voice of your husband at the gate, rise from your seat and stay in readiness within the room. As soon as you see him enter your room, worship him by offering him a seat and water to wash his feet.

O Satyabhama, when he orders a maid-servant to do any thing, soon get up and do it yourself. Let Krishna know that you adore him with all your heart.

Whatever your husband speaks before you, do not speak it out to every body, though it does not deserve to be concealed, for if any of your co-wives is to speak of it Vasudeva (Krishna), he might be irritated with you.

Always seek the good of your husband and feed by every means in your power those that are dear and devoted to him. You should always keep yourself aloof from those that are hostile to your husband or those who seek to do him injury and those that are deceitful.

Avoiding all excitement and carelessness in the presence of men, conceal your mind by observing silence. You should not stay or talk long even with your sons Pradyumna and Samba.

You should make friendship with only those ladies who are highly born, who are sinless and devoted to their husbands; you should always shun women who are wrathful, addicted to drinks, gluttonous, thievish, wicked and fickle.

Such conduct is always praiseworthy and it always produces prosperity. While it neutralizes hostility, it also leads one to heaven. Therefore worship your husband, adorning yourself with costly garments and ornaments and besmearing yourself with unguents and perfumes.

Vaishampayana said:
The slayer of Madhusudana Keshava Janardana (Krishna), having talked on various agreeable topics with the illustrious Pandavas and with the Brahmanas headed by Markandeya and then having bade them all farewell, ascended his chariot and called for Satyabhama.

Satyabhama then embracing Draupadi spoke these cordial words to her expressive of her feelings towards her.

"O Krishna, (Draupadi) let there be no anxiety and no grief for you. You have no cause to pass your nights in sleeplessness, for you will surely obtain back the earth subjugated by your husbands who are all equal to the celestials.

O black and beauty, women having such disposition and possessing such auspicious marks (as you have) can never suffer misfortune for a long time.

It has been heard by me that you will with your husbands enjoy without any doubt this earth in peace and free from all thorns.

O daughter of Draupada, when the sons of Dhritarashtra have been all destroyed and severe vengeance has been taken for their hostility, you will certainly see the earth ruled by Yudhishthira.

You will soon see those wives of the Kurus, who, deprived of sense by pride, laughed at you when you were coming away in exile, themselves placed in a state of hopelessness and despair.

O Krishna, know that those who do you any injury when you are in distress are already gone to the abode of Yama.

Your brave son Prativindhya, Sutasoma and Shrutakarman by Arjuna and Shatanika by Nakula and Shrutasena by Sahadeva are all skillful heroes and experts in weapons.

With Abhimanyu they are all living in Dvarka, much delighted with the place. Subhadra cheerfully and with her whole heart looks after them as you yourself used to do. Like you she takes great delight in them and derives much happiness from them. She grieves in their griefs and joys in their joys.

The mother of Pradyumna also loves them with all their heart. Keshava (Krishna) with his sons Bhanu and others watches over them with special affection.

My mother-in-law is ever attentive in feeding and clothing them. All the Anddhakas and Vrishnis with Rama and others love them very much.

O beautiful lady, their affection for your sons is equal to what they feel for Pradyumna." Having said these agreeable, truthful and delighting and cordial words, Satyabhama desired to go to the chariot of Vasudeva (Krishna). The wife of Krishna then walked round Krishna (Draupadi).

The beautiful Satyabhama then ascended the chariot of Krishna. The chief of the Yudus (Krishna) comforted Draupadi with a smile; and then asking the Pandavas to return (to their house), he started for his own city with swift horses.

Mahabharata

Draupadi Satyabhama Samvada Parva

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