Sudeṣṇā

Sudeṣṇā was the queen of Matsya. She was the wife of King Virāṭa and the sister of Kīcaka. In the Virāṭa Parva of the Mahābhārata, Draupadī served her as a handmaiden during the thirteenth year of the Pāṇḍavas’ exile.

Her place in the court

Sudeṣṇā was a queen of high standing and dignity, and the Matsya court respected her. She was mistress of the antaḥpura (the women’s quarters of the palace). When Draupadī first appeared at the palace, Sudeṣṇā admired her beauty and skill. She felt a real liking for her handmaiden Sairandhrī and saw her fine qualities. The Mahābhārata tells this in Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 9.

How she received Sairandhrī

Draupadī presented herself to Sudeṣṇā and asked for work as a handmaiden. Sudeṣṇā was struck by her beauty and bearing. She said that a woman who looked like this was not fit to be a servant. Her beauty could stir jealousy in the king, or desire in other men.

Draupadī explained her situation. She was a sairandhrī (a skilled handmaiden) who had served in important households before. Powerful Gandharva husbands protected her, and they would destroy anyone who wronged her. Sudeṣṇā was reassured and took her in. This is told in Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 9.

Kīcaka and Sairandhrī

Kīcaka became obsessed with Sairandhrī and demanded Sudeṣṇā’s help. Sudeṣṇā warned him that the Gandharvas would destroy him if he went ahead. In the end she gave way to his insistence and became the means of his plan. She sent Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s quarters on the excuse of fetching wine. This was the chance Kīcaka had arranged for a private meeting. The Mahābhārata tells this in Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 17.

After Kīcaka’s death

Kīcaka and the Upakīcakas were killed. Sudeṣṇā was left without her brother’s whole clan. At the end of the ajñātavāsa (the year of living in hiding), the Pāṇḍavas were revealed. Sudeṣṇā was present at the celebrations. She led the women of Matsya to the marriage ceremony of Abhimanyu and Uttarā, though Draupadī’s radiance outshone all the women of the court. This is told in Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 72.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 9
• Mahābhārata, Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 17
• Mahābhārata, Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 72