We have left Draupadi being chased and harassed by Keechaka, the brother of Sudeshna and the queen of the Matsyas. A plot was hatched between the brother and sister to send the hapless Draupadi to fetch drinks from the house of Keechaka. It was a miraculous escape for Draupadi from the clutches of Keechaka that day.
But, as Draupadi expected, the lustful Keechaka did not leave her alone after that. She was continuously tormented with advances and threats. Finally, one day Draupadi gave him a green signal.
In the dancing hall
It was the hall in which the ladies of the palace got training in dancing. Often performances were held there which all the royalties attended. The hall was empty when the night fell and was completely secluded from the rest of the palace. Draupadi asked Keechaka to pay her a visit there at night. He had to come alone and in complete secrecy. It was dangerous for him to let the Gandharva husbands of Sairandhri suspect any false move.
Keechaka was delighted. He promised to follow her instructions to the last letter. He would do anything to achieve his long cherished desire for the fair Sairandhri.
It was complete dark in the dancing hall when Keechaka arrived. The place had no signs of human habitation. As promised, Keechaka found someone lying down on the couch in the middle of the hall. He hurried to the bed and touched the person apparently asleep in it. Immediately, he found himself embraced by a pair of arms. They were definitely not the delicate arms of his love, the beautiful Sairandhri, but, something much stronger that almost crushed him.
Draupadi’s vengeance
Draupadi had not left the assembly of the Virata to suffer silently in her chambers. She waited for an opportunity to meet one of her “Gandharva” husbands, the formidable Bhima. She approached him alone in his house. Bhima was woken up by the soft touches of his dear wife that night. Draupadi first let out all her sorrows to arouse the sympathy of Bhima. Then, she went in detail into the circumstances that lead to their present state of slavery. If Yudhishthira had acted sensibly and avoided the fatal game of dice, they would be living like kings and queen in the royal palace of the Pandavas. She did not mince words to castigate the shameless and arrogant way in which Keechaka chased her into the Virata assembly. He humiliated her in front of all who had assembled there. What did Bhima and Yudhishthira do while Keechaka caught hold of her hair and dragged her around? Her words were meant to raise the sense of helplessness and anger in Bhima. Then, she used her final weapon. If Keechaka succeeded in his misadventure with her, she would definitely end her life.
The sleeping lion in Bhima was finally awakened by the calculated words of Draupadi. He promised action. It was Bhima who laid the plot to trap the hateful Keechaka. That was how Keechaka found himself in the firm grip of the formidable Bhima.
A struggle for life
But, Keechaka was not one to be tackled that easily even by the mighty Bhima. The Pandava found a worthy opponent in him after he had fought with the demon Hidimba in their early days after escaping from the castle of wax. They fought like two lions fighting for a mate. Bhima’s power did not vane even after hours of fighting. But, he found the strength slowly escaping from the opponent. He did not waste further time and killed the enemy with a few hard blows.
Vengeance on the wife of the Gandharvas
The people in the palace found the body of the mighty Keechaka reduced to pulp next morning. The suspicion, naturally, fell on the Sairandhri. She had warned all of her powerful Gandharva husbands. It was also well known that Keechaka was giving her a hot chase.
The supporters of Keechaka did not take the fate of their leader kindly. They forcefully took Sairandhri to the pyre in which they were going to cremate Keechaka. Draupadi wailed aloud for help, but, in vain. Suddenly, one huge figure appeared on the scene resembling a ghost run amok. He fought off all the people who had gathered there. Many were killed and the others escaped in panic. When all had been killed or dispatched away, Bhima released Draupadi from the bondage.
Sudeshna scared
The death of her brother and his men scared the Virata queen. She called the Sairandhri and asked her to leave the palace at once. It was too dangerous to have a maid with such powerful allies around. Draupadi appealed to the good queen to have pity on her and allow her to stay for a few more days. By then, she said, her husbands would come for her. Draupadi knew that her days in exile were coming to an end by then. The queen gave her consent, though with reluctance.
The chapter on the killing of Keechaka or Keechaka Vadha Parvam ends here.
