Disclaimer:

1. This book is open to comments/additions. Since, the BORI editions are voluminous, so it is very much possible, I could have missed out quoting some instances, so please let me know if any such instances are missed out, so I can update the book. Please note, the references can only be cited from the BORI edition

2. We all can have varied opinions but at the end of the day, we should have mutual respect and behave politely. So, I expect whoever participates in this discussion remembers this and adheres to it.

3. The BORI edition was prepared for over five decades by eminent Sanskrit scholars by scrutinizing hundreds of manuscripts and applied their logical thought to come up with the version. So, I am not going to reinvent the wheel and come up with my own MB version. So, I will restrict all my analysis only to the BORI Edition. 

Analysis:

I post analysis of MB topics only from the BORI edition which is widely accepted to the most reliable MB version available. So, to debate with any analysis of mine, please put the citations only from the BORI Edition. I encourage everyone to put any missing instances which could have occurred from my side as the epic is huge.

I am not interested in wasting my time with individual opinions that are not present in the epic or viewpoints which don't have any base in the epic. I am not Maharishi Veda Vyasa to possess some divine vision and conjure something which is not there in the epic and imagine something which is fantastic. So, please ensure this, so nobody's time is wasted.

For example, if we fail to take something as a base, then we will fall into a trap:

1. Someone can say "All Pandavas were equally great archers", because as per them the epic was diluted, so in reality all of them were equally great archers and in fact it was Nakul who shot the target and won Draupadi in Swayamvar.

2. Actually, it was Sahadeva who was selected by Lord Krishna to have the Gita knowledge and not Arjuna, so Sahadeva later on could dumb down the Gita to the level of Arjuna's intelligence. Sahadeva then sat with Arjuna in Kurukshetra and explained him all the concepts present in the Gita.

So, you might think what the hell is with the above, exactly that is what are called individual opinions which anyone is free to have with but they are ignored because they are not in the spirit of the epic nor supported by the epic text;

Yudhisthira who is supposed to be most balanced in his views and control of his senses as he was the divine son of Dharmaraj but he himself loved Bhima the most amongst his brothers and it was mentioned several times in the epic. So, why it is then a problem in Draupadi loving Arjuna the most which is in fact supported by the verses of the epic? The next section deals with the verses detailing the relationship of Arjuna and Draupadi in detail, so keep this point in mind before you come to the conclusion. 

Below are the instances which show that Yudhisthira loved Bhima the most amongst his brothers and this was reiterated by none other than his divine father Yam Dharmaraj and by Lord Krishna himself. This clearly shows that it is virtually impossible for humans and it includes even a steadfast character like Yudhisthira to shower 'equal amount of love' to everyone as it is not a natural human tendency. Only Lord Krishna who was the master of all Yog, was able to display equanimity at all times and rose above all human limitations but rest of the characters of the epic even though very noble but showed the natural human tendencies of great strengths and few weaknesses.

BORI CE Volume 3 - Section Forty-Four:

Yudhisthira and Yaksha dialogue:

The Yaksha said, "You love Bhimasena and you depend on Arjuna. O king! Why do you then wish Nakula, who is your stepbrother, to be alive? Bhima has strength equal to ten thousand elephants. Why do you discard him and wish Nakula to love? People say that Bhimasena is your beloved. Out of what sentiments do you wish your stepbrother to live? All the Pandavas depend on the strength of Arjuna's arms. But you discard him and wish Nakula to live."

The Yaksha was none other than Yam Dharmaraj and he has clearly stated that Yudhisthira loves Bhima the most amongst all his brothers.

BORI CE Volume - 8 - Section Seventy Nine (Chapter 1295 [12]):

Lord Krishna's dialogue with Yudhisthira:

"O Pandava! Your brother (Bhima) is overcome with sorrow on account of his sons. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The descendant of the Bharata lineage has left alone, wishing to kill Drona's son. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Among all your brothers, Bhima is the one you love the most. He is headed towards a calamity. Why are you not doing something about it?"

Note: Since, this is a vast topic, and for lack of time, I was not able to add multiple instances of Arjuna/Draupadi sporting with Lord Krishna/Satyabhama and also the passage when Arjuna returns from heaven. I will be updating this book with those instances as well going forward. Also, the readers can let me know if any specific instance needs to be added, so it could be updated in the book. All the instances should be from the BORI CE Edition only.

Relationship dynamics of Arjuna/Draupadi and Bheema/Draupadi:

The dynamics of the relationship which existed between Arjuna/Draupadi and Bheema/Draupadi is a very interesting topic. There is no doubt in my mind based on my reading and understanding of the epic, that Draupadi moved more closely with Arjuna/Bheema and had many instances of love/affection with them as compared to the other Pandavas.

Just to be clear, loyalty of Draupadi towards her husbands is beyond any question and this point is reiterated even by the staunch enemies of Pandavas like Duryodhan and Karna. Draupadi loved all the Pandavas, respected them and was proud of their virtues and accomplishments, but still she was born as a human being, so it is quite natural for someone to have a bit more of love or affection towards someone compared to the others. In my view, this is a natural expected state of the human being and not a condemnable act. She was not a robot who had to display the same sort of efficiency at all times without any emotions or whatsoever. We will understand this scenario by analysis of various instances available to us in the epic.

Every character in Mahabharat, apart from Lord Krishna(who transcended all human limitations) was prone to some sort of human weakness, of course, some of these characters in the epic were extraordinary human beings, but still they were not cent percent perfect in their dealings as human beings. Also, everyone had their own special quality, like for example, Bhishma (self-control in the form of absolute Brahmacharya), Draupadi (self-respect/courage), Vidhur (knowledge of Dharma/statecraft), Bheema (love for family/protective instincts), Yudhisthira (forgiving nature/rule of law), Drona (exceptional teaching ability), Arjuna (bravery), Karna (loyalty), Sahadeva (intelligence) and so on.

One thing to be noted here, this exercise is just done to get some insights to their relationship dynamics and for a bit of MB knowledge and fun, so what we are doing here is to see the all the instances of Bheema/Arjuna's relationship with Draupadi. Of course, this exercise will not have any bearing on the great love and affection shared by these two mighty warriors or for Draupadi and they might be even laughing to see this effort in the heavens :) .

Relationship between the two brothers [Bheema and Arjuna]:

Bheema/Arjuna had immense love and respect for each other. They acted as a deadly combination in battles and complemented each other wonderfully. They won numerous battles and acted in a coordinated fashion to bring down enemies. They were like pillars of the Pandavas when it came to show valour and strength. They were proud of each other's abilities and valour. Even though Bheema was elder to Arjuna, several times throughout the epic even when he was greatly enraged listened to the advice of his younger brother Arjuna; Bheema's love and protective instincts for his family and loved ones was unparalleled, you would wish someone like Bheema to be there for you to protect you, when your life is on the line. Arjuna was more of a composed and highly poised character who rarely got enraged.

During the events that happened in the Dyut Sabha, Bheema becomes enraged and asks Sahadeva to bring fire, so he could burn the hands of Yudhisthira but Arjuna pacifies him and Bheema is restrained.

Another instance was when Jayadratha tries to run away in his failed mission to abduct Draupadi, Bheema was enraged and he belts Jayadratha several blows and was on the verge of killing him but was pacified on that occasion too by Arjuna. This shows that even though Bhima had immense physical strength and was highly volatile when he was enraged but he always had great respect for Arjuna and listened to him, even though Arjuna was younger to him.