Lord Shiva's Boon to Draupadi

Everyone left the decision to Yudhishthira, who saw that all his brothers were captivated by Draupadi's beauty. He felt that if Draupadi were married to only one of them, it could cause a rift between the brothers. So, he declared that Draupadi would marry them all.

Draupadi also consented to this decision. "Don't worry, Mother," she addressed Kunti. "No one can go against fate. Whatever happened was the will of God. I was destined to become the wife of five brothers. Indeed, Lord Shiva had given me such a boon in my previous life."

Lord Krishna and Balarama had been following the Pandavas and soon reached the potter's house. They touched their aunt Kunti's feet and asked her why she seemed perturbed. Kunti told them about her unintentional command to her sons. Krishna and Balarama comforted her.

Krishna then narrated the story of Lord Shiva's boon to Draupadi: "In her previous life, Draupadi had undertaken severe penance to please Lord Shiva. When Shiva appeared before her, she wished for a husband with five different qualities: virtue, strength, skill, beauty, and wisdom. Shiva lamented that no man living then possessed all these qualities, but promised that in her next life she would have five husbands, each embodying one of them."

Kunti was pleased, and so was Draupadi, who had now become the wife of all five Pandavas.