FROM OPPRESSION TO EMPOWERMENT: YAJNASENI, A STORY OF DRAUPADI’S LIBERATION

This study, ‘From Oppression to Empowerment : Yajnaseni, A story of Draupadi’s Liberation’, offers a critical feminist examination of Mahabharata, shedding light on Draupadi’s transformative journey. Despite being a pivotal figure in the epic, Mahabharata, Draupadi’s significance has been marginalized within the epic narrative. Vysa, a patriarchal writer has failed to give an authentic image of Draupadi. Pratibha Ray’s novel, Yajnaseni, presents a poignant epistolary account of Draupadi’s life. Through this intimate narrative, Ray highlights Draupadi’s unacknowledged sacrifices in her relentless pursuit of Dharma, which are systematically obscured by the patriarchal discourses.