Drupada Bestows Lavish Gifts on the Pandavas
The unprecedented marriage ceremonies are complete. Now, King Drupada fulfills his royal duty, bestowing upon his new sons-in-law a king's ransom in wealth, vehicles, and servants.
When the last marriage rite was concluded, King Drupada turned to the matter of gifts. A father’s duty was to provide for his daughter’s new household, and these were no ordinary sons-in-law. They were five princes in exile, stripped of their own kingdom. Drupada’s gifts would be a foundation.
He gave them wealth fit for maharathas (great chariot-warriors). First came one hundred supreme chariots, each adorned with gold, each yoked to four horses whose bridles were also made of gold. Then came one hundred elephants, each bearing the auspicious lotus mark on its skin, each looking like a mountain with a peak of gold. Then came one hundred young maidservants, each dressed in expensive garments and adorned with ornaments and garlands.
Making the sacred fire his witness, the king of the lunar dynasty then gave more. Befitting his might and status, he separately gave to each of the Pandavas a vast amount of wealth, garments, ornaments, and other riches.
The transaction was complete. The mighty Pandavas, the equals of Indra, had obtained their Shri — a name for the goddess of fortune, here embodied in Draupadi. They had obtained her, and along with her, they had obtained the great wealth of Panchala. With the alliance sealed by marriage and cemented by gold, they took up residence in the city of the king of Panchala, beginning their new life.