The Pandavas Marry Draupadi in Succession
With Drupada's consent given, the auspicious moment arrives. The Pandava brothers, one after another, take Draupadi's hand in marriage, performing a rite that has never been seen before.
With Drupada’s consent given, Vyasa turned to Yudhishthira. The moment was now. “O son of Pandu!” he said. “Today is an auspicious day. The moon has entered the constellation Pushya. Today, you accept Krishna’s hand first.”
King Yajnasena (Drupada) and his son Dhrishtadyumna moved into action. They gathered immense wealth for the marriage ceremony. Draupadi was bathed and adorned with many jewels, then brought out before the assembly. The palace grounds filled with witnesses: the king’s friends and relatives, his advisers, many Brahmanas, and the chief citizens of the kingdom. Crowds of those who had come for alms added to the throng. The festive grounds, lined with heaps of precious stones and thick with lotuses and lilies, looked like the night sky studded with brilliant stars.
The Pandava brothers bathed. They adorned themselves with earrings and ornaments, dressed in expensive garments, and perfumed their bodies with sandalwood paste. They performed the preparatory ceremonies and other auspicious rites. Then, accompanied by their priest Dhoumya — who was as radiant as the sacrificial fire itself — they entered the ceremonial space. They came in due order, one after another, like mighty bulls entering a pen.
Dhoumya, who knew the Vedas, built and lit the sacrificial fire. He poured offerings into the flames, chanting the prescribed mantras. He then called Yudhishthira forward and united him with Draupadi. The priest married them according to the rite, making them walk around the sacred fire, hand in hand. When the ceremony for Yudhishthira was complete, Dhoumya took his leave and exited the palace.
The marriage did not end there. The maharathas (great chariot-warriors), the bringers of fame to the Kuru lineage, then took the hand of that supreme among women in succession, one day after another. Bhima married her the next day, then Arjuna, then Nakula, then Sahadeva.
Vyasa later told the narrator something extraordinary, a detail beyond ordinary human powers. Each morning, after each marriage rite was complete, the slender-waisted Draupadi regained her virginity. The miracle ensured that each brother received her as a bride anew, as if the previous union had not occurred.