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Draupadi: The Fire-Born Princess
A mysterious prophecy resounds, and the bewitchingly beautiful princess Draupadi arises from the sacred fire in Panchala.Draupadi the princess is in love with Arjuna, the Pandava prince. But fate weaves strange events, and Draupadi finds herself wedded to five men--Arjuna and his four Pandava brothers. Draupadi's life is complicated further by the Kauravas--her husbands' wicked cousins--who try everything in their power to harm her and the Pandavas. As the fiery princess Draupadi's terrible destiny begins to unfold, she goes from majestic queen with five warrior husbands to a poor servant girl. Evil waits around every corner and a terrible war looms overhead. Will the impulsive Draupadi brave the humiliation destiny has written for her? Will she lose everything she has loved?Adapted from the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, this is the story of an astonishingly outspoken woman, who is abandoned at every turn, and forced to make the difficult choice between revenge and compassion.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 8, 2016
Amazing graphic novel....loved it.
Everybody should read it, especially for kids. This is the best way to teach and make them to read our great stories of mythology. Parents, go and grab this GN for your kids… they’ll love it.
My rating:-4.5/5
Everybody should read it, especially for kids. This is the best way to teach and make them to read our great stories of mythology. Parents, go and grab this GN for your kids… they’ll love it.
My rating:-4.5/5
August 3, 2021
The most interesting story book. By reading this book you can get to know about the Life of Draupadi. Every girl should know the story about the life of Draupadi.
Overall it's a mesmerizing story
Overall it's a mesmerizing story
January 23, 2025
I don’t often read graphic novels, so this was what it feels like my first in a very long time. I enjoyed learning a bit more of the Mahabharata story. As I read the novel, I could remember the story my mom told me growing up. I think this would make a great read for anyone getting acquainted with the story. But I was hoping for some more depth.
January 14, 2017
I really liked the art. Beautiful beginning to the story. In the middle it felt a little rushed. As someone who is familiar with Mahabharata I could follow the story and fill in certain gaps and side-stories. But for a first time reader this would seem intense and confusing. The actual courtroom scene was the best in the entire graphic novel!
September 2, 2018
Good work, but not liberatory enough
June 26, 2019
A great overview of the story of Draupadi from Mahabharata in comic book format. Not too complex or detailed
December 7, 2022
Nice graphics and nice story
February 22, 2014
Draupadi looks appropriately beautiful in the book, enveloped by an aura of luminescence one would expect in Yajnaseni (or the fire-born one). If a reader is to go by the narrative of the book, Draupadi was one among many women in an era where femininity was constructed on the axis of passivity; little more than beauty (and rarely scholarly intelligence, as in our princess here) served as the feminine ideal. Draupadi is thankfully spared this rather dreary life thanks to her quasi-divine being and birth and is given a unique, almost telepathically fraternal, bright yet devout relationship with the Dark One, Krsna. Nevertheless, when in trouble (like in the Kaurav court after Yudhisthir lost her indulging his obsession with the game of dice) she prefers to speak a terrible curse (would only tie her hair after washing it in Duhshasan, her oppressor's blood) and leave the execution to the uber-masculine Bhima. In the shadow cast by the auras of fiercely powerful and fiery goddesses like Durga and Kali, the passivity seems a little disappointing. Ah well. Perhaps she was a little too scholarly to realise a vendetta herself when she had five redoubtable professionally-trained warrior husbands to call on.
Other than this, the thing that seems a bit weird is that neither Draupadi or the five Pandava brothers ever seem to age -- whereas everyone else around them grows visibly older. Perhaps this can be attributed to their half-divine birth, but still reads a bit odd. The plot Ms Nagpal sketches seems a bit too linear at times, but perhaps this would be the best approach for readers who are new to the Mahabharat. As someone who has grown up in the nineties in a moderately religious Hindu family in India (and incidentally, seen the quite surreal clashing arrows and oversize jewellery Ramanand Sagar version on national TV), the epic, along with the Ramayana, tends to be essentially imprinted into the psyche -- so reading Draupadi wasn't really a so-what-happens-next pageturner experience. I envy those for whom reading Draupadi will be a fresh initiation into the world of the Mahabharat, even if a somewhat broad-stroked one.
Other than this, the thing that seems a bit weird is that neither Draupadi or the five Pandava brothers ever seem to age -- whereas everyone else around them grows visibly older. Perhaps this can be attributed to their half-divine birth, but still reads a bit odd. The plot Ms Nagpal sketches seems a bit too linear at times, but perhaps this would be the best approach for readers who are new to the Mahabharat. As someone who has grown up in the nineties in a moderately religious Hindu family in India (and incidentally, seen the quite surreal clashing arrows and oversize jewellery Ramanand Sagar version on national TV), the epic, along with the Ramayana, tends to be essentially imprinted into the psyche -- so reading Draupadi wasn't really a so-what-happens-next pageturner experience. I envy those for whom reading Draupadi will be a fresh initiation into the world of the Mahabharat, even if a somewhat broad-stroked one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2013
Princess Draupadi rises from a sacred fire after her father's prayers. She is to be married to her love, Arjuna, a Pandava prince. But Draupadi's destiny surprises even her, as she finds she must marry Arjuna's four brothers as well. Her husband's cousins, the Kauravas do everything in their power to hurt her family and bring down the Pandavas. Draupadi discoveries her purpose is to bring about the end of the Kauravas.
I didn't love it. I appreciated the telling of a myth that we don't often get to hear. Greek myths get told over and over again in a variety of forms, but this is adapted from the Indian epic Mahabharata, a story many people have never heard of. I really wanted to like it.
Draupadi herself is an interesting character. She born full grown for the purpose of marriage, but her destiny is larger than that. She deals with going from marrying the man she loves to having to marry his four brothers as well. She is hotheaded and outspoken. She demands revenge against those who have wronged her. She grows as a person over the years and learns compassion.
Unfortunately, the storytelling and set up of the graphic novel did not do the story justice. It just wasn't a very good graphic novel. Rather than using the art to enhance the story, all the images did was reflect the text. The art was flat pencil drawings. Characters didn't look the same from panel to panel, making characters, especially the men, hard to follow. Most problematic were the large blocks of text on each panel. What is the point of a graphic novel when most of the text is still narrative? You have the medium that allows people to see what's happening. It seemed like we had a prose story that was cut up into small chunks and glued onto pictures. It was essentially a long picture book, not a graphic novel.
So it was disappointing all around - the art, the text, the poor use of the medium. It made reading it a slog and completely took away from what could have been a really interesting story. I would have liked to have seen it in someone else's hands.
I didn't love it. I appreciated the telling of a myth that we don't often get to hear. Greek myths get told over and over again in a variety of forms, but this is adapted from the Indian epic Mahabharata, a story many people have never heard of. I really wanted to like it.
Draupadi herself is an interesting character. She born full grown for the purpose of marriage, but her destiny is larger than that. She deals with going from marrying the man she loves to having to marry his four brothers as well. She is hotheaded and outspoken. She demands revenge against those who have wronged her. She grows as a person over the years and learns compassion.
Unfortunately, the storytelling and set up of the graphic novel did not do the story justice. It just wasn't a very good graphic novel. Rather than using the art to enhance the story, all the images did was reflect the text. The art was flat pencil drawings. Characters didn't look the same from panel to panel, making characters, especially the men, hard to follow. Most problematic were the large blocks of text on each panel. What is the point of a graphic novel when most of the text is still narrative? You have the medium that allows people to see what's happening. It seemed like we had a prose story that was cut up into small chunks and glued onto pictures. It was essentially a long picture book, not a graphic novel.
So it was disappointing all around - the art, the text, the poor use of the medium. It made reading it a slog and completely took away from what could have been a really interesting story. I would have liked to have seen it in someone else's hands.
October 17, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up because it was so difficult to remember the many details, history and relationships of the countless characters, many with similar names, along with all the ins, outs and what-have-yous of the all-encompassing plot. It was still a great effort with nice art throughout.
January 20, 2015
I'm not sure if I can objectively review this book but, to me it was a quite disappointing. It will probably appeal only to those who are first-timers, being introduced to this complex narrative with it's complex characters.
I expected the tale to be from Draupadi's point of view with more depth of perspective (maybe even a feminist perspective) on the events from The Mahabharat. Saraswati Nagpal's Draupadi is almost a copy of the B.R. Chopra T.V. version with it's linear narratives and mainstream points of view. Even the art, though great to look at, is still run of the mill.
I expected the tale to be from Draupadi's point of view with more depth of perspective (maybe even a feminist perspective) on the events from The Mahabharat. Saraswati Nagpal's Draupadi is almost a copy of the B.R. Chopra T.V. version with it's linear narratives and mainstream points of view. Even the art, though great to look at, is still run of the mill.
February 20, 2015
This was a blind book. Picked up at library, covered in wrapping paper. The library was hosting a raffle for books to be surprised by. This was one of my unknown picks. At first I rolled my eyes because of its comic book style, which I never cared for. However I gave it a whirl and s actually found it kind of fun to read. Something different than what I normally would have chosen. I was pleasantly surprised even though I won't be picking up another like it willfully anytime soon.
July 25, 2016
All in all, a good effort at creating an Indian mythology based graphic novel however I feel slightly disappointed by the storytelling.
I felt some important story arcs were wrapped up too quickly while there were others that dragged on needlessly. Granted this was an effort aimed at presenting us the epic from Draupadi's point of view however it could all have been presented in a much better manner.
I felt some important story arcs were wrapped up too quickly while there were others that dragged on needlessly. Granted this was an effort aimed at presenting us the epic from Draupadi's point of view however it could all have been presented in a much better manner.
May 20, 2016
If you are new to the story of Mahabharath and want to know about it briefly, then you should definitely pick this up as it is fast paced and the 111 pages filled with illustrations make it an interesting read. However I would have loved to read a more in-depth version too with more details which I felt were missing.
November 25, 2015
This helped explain some of what I missed in "Krishna: Defender of Dharma." I wondered who this woman was who married five brothers! I understand much more now.
Unfortunately, the art does not give the five brothers very distinct faces, so I had trouble telling them apart. Now I want to understand how Arjuna & Draupadis' polygamous and polyandrous marriage worked!
Unfortunately, the art does not give the five brothers very distinct faces, so I had trouble telling them apart. Now I want to understand how Arjuna & Draupadis' polygamous and polyandrous marriage worked!
June 15, 2013
Draupadi is one of my favorite characters. This book thus was a must buy. Saraswati Nagpal's Sita impressed me a lot when I had read it. This surpassed Sita. Loved her narration as well as the illustrations! Graphic novels in India have come of Age!
April 23, 2014
Good book.. Nice drawings ..
May 8, 2015
Great introduction to Indian lore, very well-written and illustrated.
January 24, 2018
Good retelling of the complicated Mahabharata. Beautifully illustrated..
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews