In the contemporary literary scenario the epic Mahabharata occupies a position of reverence and the various "rewritings" of the epic testify to the fact that people from different regions of India are doing an ongoing effort to reinterpret the epic to elicit deeper meanings and insights from the epic. It presents a realistic picture of a man's struggle and heroism against adversity which makes it suitable material for rewriting new fiction. The tendency to write new stories has been instrumental in recreating the tales of the great epic that have a universal and timeless appeal. Its relevance to contemporary society is underlined by the fact that the characters of the epics have infiltrated the Indian psyche to such an extent that they have become points of reference for people in their daily lives. Yajnaseni: The story of Draupadi is a rewrite of the events of the Mahabharata, linked to the life of its central female figure Drapuadi, told by herself at the time of her death, highlighting the darkness of her life as a woman, where at every step she is used as an object by men to adapt it to their designs. She is an epic heroine whose hardships and suffering seem endless. Despite making all the compromises in her polyandrous marriage, no one around her bothered to empathize with her. Born from a sacrificial altar, true to her monikers, Yajnaseni burns all her life in the fire of male lust and her actions and reactions cause burning in others. Ray taps into the ironic element relating to Yajnaseni's position and predicament. Yajnaseni is a deeply wronged woman, all decisions about her are made by others without ever gaining her symbolic approval. Everyone, from the gods, his father, his mother-in-law, husbands use...... half of the paper...... Hot editions. Bombay: Bhartiya Vidaya Bhawan, 1976. Print.Nair, M. T. Vasudevan. Second Round. Trans. PK Ravindranath from Malyalam Original Randmozham. Channai: Macmillan, 1997. Print.Ray, Pratibha. Yajnaseni: The Story of Draupadi. Trans. Pradip Bhattacharya from the original Yajnaseni. New Delhi: Rupa, 1995. Print.Sehgal, Nayantara. "Virtuous women". Tribune. May 24, 2009. Print.Subramaniam, Kamala. Mahabharata. Bombay: Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, 1998. Print.Tharoor, Shashi. "The Importance of the Mahabharata in India Today". Vyasa's Mahabharata: Creative Insights. Ed. P.Lal. 1. Print.Thomas, P. Indian Women Through Ages: A Historical Survey of the Position of Women and the Institution of Marriage in India from Remote Antiquity to the Present Day. Bombay: Asia, 1964. Print.Varadpande, ML The Mahabharata in performance. New Delhi: Asia, 1963. Print.