Cry of Draupadi & greatness of mercy of Lord Krishna
The Sabha Parva of the Mahabharata, during the unfortunate incident through which she had to pass in the midst of the Kurus after the Pandava brothers were defeated in the play of dice.
Her condition was worse than wretched. There was no one to help her, not even her husbands or veterans such as Bhishma and Drona who were seated there. She had only one support Dwarikadheesh Shri Krishna.
She cries: “Insulted and humiliated by the Kurus, I am standing here unbefriended. Are you aware of this tragedy in which I am today?”
For whatever reason, mysterious being Sri Krishna’s way of working, he did not physically respond. Nobody knows the reason why. It was not impossible for him to come, but he did not. God can come before us just now, but he does not want to.
Interpreters of the situation say the reason why Sri Krishna did not come is because Draupadi was lifting one hand, crying loudly, while her other hand was holding her sari tightly. Cruel as it may look, subtle are the ways of God. He took her literally: If you have some strength, show it; My presence is not necessary.
When Draupadi found that she had no strength whatsoever and uplifted both her arms, a miracle took place. We are told that Sri Krishna discharged the Sudarshana Chakra, which became an endless sari for her. It was all a miracle and a surprise, and nobody knew what happened finally.
Having blessed Draupadi with this immense gift of grace, Shri Krishna’s goodness and greatness was such that he never mentioned this incident again, even when he met her later on. He could have asked: Did you receive the sari that I sent?
The blessings of the greatest of people come to us unknown, undiscovered, and undemonstrated.
