Panchali Sapatham (Panchali’s Vow) is a Tamil epic poem written by poet laureate Subramania Bharati, born in 1882 in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu.
Subramania Bharati wrote the poem during his political exile in Puducherry and published it in two parts- the first part in around 1912 and the full text in 1914. With Queen Panchali as his protagonist, Bharati depicts in his poem the scene from Mahabharata when the Pandavas play dice with the Kauravas. In the game, King Yudhisthira wagers and loses everything, including his wife, Queen Panchali (Draupadi), to his cousin, Duryodhana.
In the narration rendered by Bharati, the epic scene attains relevance to his times as the author makes references to highlight the multifold symbolism of the protagonists. Here, Panchali stands for Bharat Mata, and the Kauravas symbolise the scheming British. In the culminating scene, as Panchali makes her vow of redemption (hence the name of the poem), one imagines Bharat Mata taking a vow to liberate herself from the exploitative rule of the British. As one reads further between the lines, the tragedy of Panchali seems to symbolise the general oppression of women in Indian society, with her powerful transformation being a message for the common woman to claim her power.
A stalwart of Tamil Literature, Bharati produced numerous patriotic poems and songs. He passed away in 1921.
Source: Indian Culture Portal