The Academy of Yoga and Oriental Studies (AYOS) organised a lecture on “Draupadi: The Iron lady” here on Saturday with
AYOS director Dr Indulata Das as the speaker. The meeting was presided over by eminent Sanskrit scholar S Sundar Rajan.
It was the 100th consecutive lecture of the academy. Mihir Kumar Mishra anchored the programme.
Dr Das said women have played an important role in designing the history of India. Draupadi was one such lady who changed the course of history. She is not a fictional character but was very much a historical character because Indian tradition accepts the Mahabharata as one of the recorded histories of India.
Draupadi was not a common woman; she was a faithful wife, an efficient housewife and a devoted daughter-in-law. She was a highly learned lady. She was soft to the maximum level but hard to the maximum level too. She knew that Krisna was not a mortal being but was the Supreme lord of the Universe. She was an ardent devotee of lord Krisna. Out of the nine kinds of Bhakti she practised the “Sakhya Bhakti”. She also saw Him as an elder brother. Karna was a character whom she hated from the beginning till the end. Because of her, truth, justice and righteousness prevailed. She created a new era in the Indian history, Dr Das said.
After the lecture was over there was a question-answer session in which many scholars asked questions which were answered by the speaker and the chairman of the meeting.
In his presidential address, Sundar Rajan said Krisnaa (Draupadi) and Krisna (lord Krisna) were responsible for the great incidents of the Mahabharata.