29/12/2021
Once Draupadi was going to take bath in a river near her palace. She was accompanied by other girls working for her in the palace. This was their daily routine. But on that day she saw a sage (rishi) taking bath in the same river. She along with other girls decided to wait till the sage comes out. The sage spotted her and other girls standing under the shade of a tree. She waited for a while for the sage to come out but she couldn't wait more as it was a hot day. She requested the sage to come out.
The sage replied, ‘ My clothes, which I had kept near the banks of river, have been stolen and so I can not come out’.
All girls except Draupadi started giggling.
Draupadi said, 'I'll tear a part of my saree and throw it towards you so that you catch it, wrap it around yourself and come out'.
The sage agreed. Draupadi tore a part of her saree and threw it towards the sage. The sage was not able to get hold of it and that piece of cloth was washed away with the current of the river. She tore another part of her saree and again threw it towards the sage. Again the sage was not able to catch it. When she was going to tear a piece from her saree for the third time, the sage stopped her.
He said, 'If you tear another part of your saree you will hardly have anything left to cover yourself. But still you want help me. You could have asked for a piece of cloth from one of the girls accompanying you but neither did you ask them nor did any of them offer to help. Instead all were finding amusement out of my situation.’
All girls stopped giggling and started feeling sorry.
The sage continued, 'Draupadi I grant you a boon that if anyone tries to take away your pride by stripping you off, he will never be successful'.
And the rest is history.
