Is Draupadi the incarnation of Devi Kali as per Devi Bhagwatam?

Question

Someone said that as per Devi Bhagwatam Puranam, Devi Drauapdi was the incarnation of Devi Kali. Is that true.?

Answer 1

The Story of Draupadī as per Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa

According to Devī Bhāgavata, Draupadī was a partial incarnation (Aṃśa) of svarga Lakṣmī - Śacī (शची).

Chapter 22, Book 4, Devī Bhāgavatapurāṇa

द्रुपदो वरुणस्यांशो द्रौपदी च रमांशजा ॥ ३९

Draupadī, was part incarnate of Lakṣmī.

But, which Lakṣmī is it?

Is she god Viṣṇu's wife?

Not exactly, but partially.

This is answered in Chapter 16, Book 9, Devī Bhāgavatapurāṇa

कुशध्वजस्य पत्‍नी च देवी मालावती सती । सा सुषाव च कालेन कमलांशां सुतां सतीम् ॥ ३ ॥

श्रीरामाग्नी ऊचतुः

त्वं गच्छ तपसे देवि पुष्करं च सुपुण्यदम् । कृत्वा तपस्या तत्रैव स्वर्गलक्ष्मीर्भविष्यसि ॥ ४९ ॥ सा च तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रतप्य पुष्करे तपः । दिव्यं त्रिलक्षवर्षं च स्वर्गलक्ष्मीर्बभूव ह ॥ ५० ॥ सा च कालेन तपसा यज्ञकुण्डसमुद्‍भवा । कामिनी पाण्डवानां च द्रौपदी द्रुपदात्मजा ॥ ५१ ॥ कृते युगे वेदवती कुशध्वजसुता शुभा । त्रेतायां रामपत्‍नी च सीतेति जनकात्मजा ॥ ५२ ॥ तच्छाया द्रौपदी देवी द्वापरे द्रुपदात्मजा । त्रिहायणी च सा प्रोक्ता विद्यमाना युगत्रये ॥ ५३ ॥

3. After a long time, the chaste wife (of Kuśadhvaja named Mālāvatī), delivered one daughter (Vedavatī), born of the parts of Kamalā.

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49. to 53. Agni and Rāmacandra both of them then said to Chāyā Sītā :-- “O Devī! Go to Puṣkara and practise tapasyā there; that place is the giver of religious merits and then you will be the Svarga Lakṣmī (Lakṣmī of Heaven).” Hearing this, the Chāyā Sītā went and practised tapasyā for the three divine lakh years and became Mahā Lakṣmī. This Svarga Lakṣmī appeared at one time from the sacrificial Kuṇḍa (pit). She was known as the daughter of Drupada and became the wife of the five Pāṇḍavas. She was Veda Vatī, the daughter of Kuśadhvaja in the Satya Yuga; Sītā, the wife of Rāma and the daughter of Janaka in Tretā Yuga; and Draupadī, the daughter of Drupada, in the Dvāpara Yuga. As she existed in the Satya, Tretā, and Dvāpara Yugas, the Three Yugas, hence She is Trihāyanī.

English Translation by Swami Vijñanananda

So, as per Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Draupadī was the incarnation of svarga Lakṣmī, Śacī (शची) - the wife of Indra-deva, who in turn was in her previous life, the manifestation of Chāyā Sītā (छाया सीता), who in turn was part of part of Kamalā (Lakṣmī).

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Therefore, as per Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Draupadī was NOT an incarnation of goddess Kālī, but a part of partial incarnation of goddess Kamalā (Lakṣmī).

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So which scripture say Draupadī was incarnation of Devi Kālī?

Skanda Purāṇa do say that Draupadī and the Pāṇḍavas were manifestations of Pārvatī (Umā), i.e. Kālī, and Rudra (Śiva) respectively.

Chapter 49, Section 1 - Pūrvārdha, Book 4 - Kāśī-khaṇḍa, Skanda Purāṇa

उमापि च जगद्धात्री द्रुपदस्य महीभुजः ।
यजतो वह्निकुंडाच्च प्रादुश्चक्रेति सुंदरी ॥ ४ ॥
पंचापि पांडुतनयाः साक्षाद्रुद्रवपुर्धराः ।
अवतेरुरिह स्वर्गाद्दुष्टसंहारकारकाः ॥ ५ ॥

4. Umā, the mother of the universe, also manifested herself as a very beautiful lady (Draupadī) from the sacrificial fire pit of king Drupada.

5. The five sons of Pāṇḍu (Pāṇḍavas) were the embodied forms of Rudra taking incarnations on the earth from heaven for the destruction of the wicked ones.

English Translation by G. V. Tagare

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Unverifiable information

Also, some social media handles are claiming that Draupadī indeed was an incarnation of MahāKālī basis a text called Draupadī Kalpa from the (now lost) Rudrāyamala Tantra, as follows:-

पांचालीं पंचवीरस्य रमणीं कामरूपिणीं।
द्रौपदीं अग्निजां वंदे कुरूवंशविनाशिनीं ।।

Draupadī is the Avatar of Goddess Durgā.

"In Rudrāyamala tantra's Draupadī Kalpa, Devī Pāñchālī is described as devī Mahākālī's incarnation."

And, the Pāṇḍavas are told as manifestation of the Pañchabrahmās manifestations of god Śiva :- Īśāna, Tatpuruṣa, Aghora, Vāmadeva and Sadyojāta

ईशानं धर्मदेवोक्तं भीमं तत्पुरुषं तथा ।
अघोरमर्जुनं चैव नकुलं वामदेवकम् ॥
सहादेवं तु सद्यानां पांडवं भावयेत् सदा ॥

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But, I can't verify or trace any of this information.

Answer 2

The 5 primary manifestations of Prakriti (Adi-Shakti) are Goddesses Radha, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Savitri. All women in this universe have emerged from a part of Prakriti [Ref: Devi Bhagavatam 9.1.1, 9.1.96-143].

When there is a birth of a girl child in the house, don't we say Goddess Lakshmi has taken birth in our family?

Coming to Draupadi's birth.

Maharishi Vyasa said that a chaste daughter of an illustrious Rishi had performed tapasya (austerities) to appease God Shiva. When God Shiva had appeared before her, she had asked for a husband. He said she would have 5 husbands in her next life since she had repeated her request 5 times. Draupadi was thus born in Drupada’s home to fulfil God Shiva’s earlier boon [Ref: Mahabharata 1.171 and also 1.199 translated by KMG].

So, in her previous birth she was a Rishi's daughter and of course, she is a part of Goddess Lakshmi too.