The Pāñcālan role in fostering peace

This paper suggests that although one could argue that they were “fated” to serve in their roles within Kṛṣṇa’s masterplan for Pāṇḍavan victory, that the epic points to these three Pāñcālans’ as crucial in resolving the Kuru-Pāñcāla conflict by ending multiple multigenerational conflicts. They ultimately make peace possible by ending the looming individual conflicts of their predecessors, thereby contributing to the restoration of the Pāṇḍavas and Pāñcālī-Draupadī on Hastinapura’s throne. Without the Pāñcālan allies, the Pāṇḍavas would not have had a common enemy in the Kauravas, and it’s only through their marriage to Draupadi that they are forced by her - directly and indirectly – to emerge from hiding, return to Hastināpura, and wage war. While their actions certainly help precipitate and conclude the war, I also argue that their actions contribute to establishing peace from multiple fronts.