Draupadi is the daughter of King Drupada and the bride of the five Pandava brothers, the epic's heroes, in the Mahabharata, the later of the two major Hindu epics.
This literary reference to polyandry (the marriage of one woman to several brothers) is intriguing since it seems to have been highly uncommon in Indian history, and the epic must explain how it occurred.
Draupadi's father swears that he will only marry his daughter to a man who can raise a massive bow and then strike a target dangling in mid-air.
For Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and the world's greatest archer, this is a piece of cake, and he marries Draupadi.
While the wedding party is still outside, their mother Kunti declares that anything they have earned must be split among them.
Each of the brothers marries Draupadi in order to please their mother.
They agree to live with her for a year, during which time the others are forbidden from seeing her.
In the epic, Draupadi's most famous incident occurs after her husband Yudhishthira has risked and lost her in a dice game.
Yudhishthira has been playing with his cousins Duryodhana and Duhshasana, who see Yudhishthira's gaming ineptness as a chance to take over the kingdom.
Duhshasana returns to Draupadi's room after the defeat and takes her back to the gaming hall by her hair.
The fact that she is in the midst of her monthly cycle and is unable to change her ruined robe adds to her anguish and embarrassment.
Draupadi is paraded and humiliated in front of the public like an animal at sale in the gambling hall, and her property status is highlighted when Duryodhana offers her his thigh (a metaphor for the genitals) as a seat.
Duhshasana's ultimate insult is when she attempts to undress Draupadi by unraveling her sari.
The deity Krishna performs a miracle here: Draupadi stays completely dressed no matter how much fabric Duhshasana takes away.
He ultimately gives up, stunned and perplexed.
Duryodhana's father, Dhrtarashtra, is shocked by her humiliation and begs Draupadi to pick a boon.
She opts for freedom for her husbands, but they finally agree to go into exile.
There had been friction between the Pandavas and their relatives even before this episode.
However, the seeds of discord are sowed even deeper with these insults to Draupadi.
Draupadi pledges to keep her hair unbound until she may wash it in Duhshasana's blood, while her husband Bhima swears to revenge Duryodhana's insult by shattering Duryodhana's "thigh." Draupadi's desire for vengeance and unwavering loathing for these two is a primary driving factor throughout the epic, propelling all sides into the final fratricidal conflict.
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