VYASA
Vyasa was an inexhaustible source of wisdom. Rather he was wisdom personi ed. Intelligence radiated from him. Whatever emanated from him was a matter for study. He is the foremost among the sages who have sancti ed this ancient land with their advent. Like the blazing sun he was providing the moral and spiritual succour during his sojourn on earth. e Vedas owe their orderly arrangements to him. e Vedanta Sutras otherwise called the Brahma Sutras are his creation. e stupendous eighteen Puranas are the product of his fertile brain. e Mahabharata was chronicled by him. His versatile genius remains unparalleled. Vyasa was a tall majestic gure. His brilliant face was awe inspiring. It was adorned by a pair of sparkling lotus eyes. e ember-like red matted hair crowned his head and gave him the insignia of austerity. Vyasa was the son of the sage Parasara and Satyavati. He was born and brought up on a dvipa or island in the river Yamuna. For this reason he was called Dvaipayana or the islander. He was somewhat dark in complexion. erefore his full name was Krishna Dvaipayana. He was also known by the name Badarayana. When fully grown up he took leave of his mother and retired into the forest to practise austerity and spiritual discipline. But before parting he gave the promise to his mother that he would appear before her whenever summoned for solid reasons. According to the worldly classi cation Vyasa was a kshatriya. But he was supremely above the conventional social divisions. He was always absorbed in matters supramundane. While in the world, he was not of the world. Austerity or self-control is the supreme process by which the ordinary man reshapes himself into the superman. Vyasa’s excellence was all due to his austerity. From boyhood onwards he was given to selfdiscipline. It was his foremost occupation in life. While in tapas the
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world slipped out of his memory. Apparently he was dead to it. Immeasurable was his absorption in the Supreme. e intensity of it was responsible for making him superlative. His extraordinary literary works were all mere by-products of his spiritual attainments. rough his accomplishments Vyasa illustrated the possibilities of severe selfdiscipline. It is an eternal verity open to veri cation. e human progeny is capable of being improved on to the level of the divine. e lineage of Vyasa bears testimony to this fact. His father Parasara disciplined himself to a stalwart height before taking to procreation. It resulted in Vyasa excelling his father in ethical and spiritual attainments. Subsequently the self-culture that Vyasa underwent was superb. It was aer his self-perfection that he begot his illustrious son Suka. at lad was the embodiment of divinity. No trace of any human weakness was found in him. is is an object lesson to people intent on improved progeny. Vyasa may be called the sap root of the tree of the Mahabharata. He was the grandfather of the cousins -the Kurus and the Pandavas. Usually he kept aloof in his own preoccupation. But he was not apathetic to the affairs of the world. He appeared on the scene whenever and wherever his good offices were imperative. Among his descendants his leniency was towards the righteous and pure-minded. When the good were subjected to untold trials and tribulations he came down from the heights of spiritual absorption and offered comfort and steadfastness. He inspired in them faith and con dence in the inviolableness of the path of righteousness. e good and virtuous would get entangled in seemingly inexplicable situations. Vyasa’s presence could be seen there; the solutions that he offered were the best and the easiest. e taintless ones would occasionally dri unawares into wrong paths. e sage would unfailingly appear before them and guide them aright. e foolish ones would bitterly repent for the blunders they committed. is arch-god would hasten to correct and console them. Vyasa was not actively involved in the happenings of this great epic. But he never failed in giving guidance to his progeny whenever they stood in need of it. ough not of the world, he was never indifferent to its welfare. q
INTRODUCTION Mahabharata is the biggest among the world’s epics. It contains 100,000 slokas or verses. It is an all inclusive literature and not a single homogeneous work. All problems in human life and their solutions are contained in it. is book is a treasure-house of the Indian culture, both secular and sacred. It gives an insight into the core of the attainments of the people of India. It is the sanctum that enshrines the Bhagavad Gita. In other words if the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are elaborated and illustrated they develop into this marvellous book. For centuries together Mahabharata has been popular not only all over India but in foreign countries also. Making reference to the characters and codes in this book is a mark of erudition. From the h century B. C. saints, scholars, poets and dramatists have quoted copiously from it. In the second century B. C. a Greek envoy referred to precepts culled from this epic. In the sixth century A. D. the whole poem was recited in temples in Cambodia. In the following century the Turks of Mongolia read thrilling episodes from this book translated into their tongue. e people of Java translated the book into their language before the end of
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the tenth century. e Americans and the Russians are drawn to this book in the present century. is book is a sastra or manual of ethics. It is a social and political philosophy. It deals with dharma, artha, Kama and moksha, the four aims of the human life. Moral, social and religious duties are dharma. Earthly prosperity and wealth is artha. Pleasures pertaining to mundane life is Kama. Emancipation of the self from the meshes of the world is moksha. It extols humanity as the highest manifestation of the divinity. Mahabharata is called the great war due to two reasons. Multitudes of military men had been massacred. Seven only on the Pandava side and three on the Kaurava side escaped death. e rest perished enmasse. e magnitude of the human loss compelled the author to call it the great war. Secondly the participants in the carnage were outstanding personalities. Characters like Krishna and Bheeshma could not avert the war. e pick of the society, the men of deep understanding, the persons of sterling character — all these were drawn into it. Humanity cannot escape war, try however much it may. is lesson is taught in this episode. erefore it is called the great war. Lust and greed are the two evil forces that drive man into wickedness. Greed for uncontested possession was the root-cause of the troubles imbedded in the Mahabharata. e otherwise civilized man became brute in his attempt to appropriate the kin’s kingdom. Sin was viewed as virtue due to understanding being clouded by covetousness. e cray onslaught of the greedy and the docile self-defence of the virtuous are the themes running all through this great book. Ultimately virtue triumphs over wickedness. e treatment meted out to woman is the yardstick that measures the civilization of a people. e Indian civilization beholds woman with veneration. Any wrong done to her is an offence against God. Honour paid to her amounts to adoration of the Almighty. Deviation from this tenet is another offence that motivates the developments in the Mahabharata. e insults heaped on Draupadi in the assembly at Hastinapura were too violent to be overlooked. A pledge was taken then to avenge them in due time. Like a concealed re it was working from
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within. e terrible war had to be waged on that issue as well. e sin of offence to woman did not go unpunished. e plan of life on earth is such that all beings have their enemies. Combating with the enemy is part and parcel of existence. Success in life depends on the encounter with the enemy. At the human level the con ict is complicated. e manner of strife varies in accordance with the attainments of the enemies. In the Ramayana, Rama’s enemy was Ravana who had nothing in common with the former except his sinful claim on Sita. It was a clean case of extraneity. e enemy was enemy from all points of view. Whereas the position is different in the Mahabharata. e contending persons are kith and kin. e strife is domestic. It is therefore more dangerous and destructive than an alien enmity. Facing the foe external or internal is inescapable. It requires to be done effectively is the lesson taught by this epic. ere is a striking point in which the Mahabharata deviates from the Ramayana. e distinction between the virtuous and the wicked is clear-cut in the Ramayana. Vali who was a friend of Ravana got reformed on the eve of his emancipation. erefore he directed his brother Sugreeva and son Angada to serve Rama with all devotion. Vibheeshana turned against his wicked brother Ravana and fought for the victory of Rama, the righteous. Whereas in the Mahabharata the righteous Pandavas and the unrighteous Kauravas were supported indiscriminately. Krishna gave his army to the Kauravas and his personal service to the Pandavas. Bheeshma blessed the Pandavas to become victorious and fought valiantly for the Kauravas. Drona loved the Pandavas and loyally fought for the Kauravas. Salya was intent on ghting for the Pandavas but became bound to ght for the Kauravas. From the wordly point of view the Kauravas had more support than the Pandavas. Still they were utterly routed indicating that wickedness never thrives, however much it may be supported. As Rama was the pivot of the Ramayana. Krishna was the presiding deity over the happenings in the Mahabharata. He was not a character involved in it, but he was the invisible force manipulating the characters according to their deserts. eologically put, he was God shaping the events in the world. Seemingly he was inactive, but it was his benign
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design that worked itself out as the Mahabharata. Krishna represents the Cosmic Intelligence guiding the universe. ere is another vital point in which the Mahabharata deviates from the Ramayana. Rama employed righteousness alone in all of his doings. ere was not an iota on which he swerved from dharma. Krishna upholds that ideal, but in extraordinary cases he makes exceptions to it. e Mahabharata warfare was a crucial event. Vanquishing the wicked was its sole purpose. If the means adopted for it were somewhat defective they might be ignored. Over-scrupulousness in such cases would defeat the purpose. Bheeshma, Drona, Karna and Duryodhana were ordinarily invincible; and wickedness relied on those superpowers. Krishna had them nulli ed by a few questionable strategies. He gave sanction to them in such critical situations. Sentimentalism and puritanism should be eschewed in such cases. Unfair methods could deliberately be employed to put down the enemy when fair methods proved futile. at was a unique message of Krishna. e mystic number eighteen pervades the Mahabharata. e book is divided into eighteen divisions. e war waged for eighteen days. e armies on both the sides numbered eighteen divisions. Gita the quintessence of the Mahabharata contains eighteen chapters. Gita devotes eighteen verses for the de nition of Sthitaprajna —the sage of steady wisdom. q
1. ADI PARVA Aryavartha was the name of our motherland in good old days. e land of the re ned people is its meaning. is name happens to be retained in literature. e Solar Dynasty Suryavamsa and the Lunar Dynasty Chandravamsa were the two distinguished lines that reigned supreme in those days. We deal with the Lunar Dynasty here. Bharata was a mighty monarch born of Dushyanta by Sakuntala. Because of his manifold merits and supremacy the country was later named aer him as Bharatavarsha. His descendants were all styled Bharatas. Kuru was another outstanding king who came later in this line. e descendants were therefore called also as Kurus. e land Kurukshetra gets its name from him. Santanu was a powerful king belonging to this lunar dynasty. In his former birth he was the king Mahabhisha of the worn out Ikshavaku dynasty (solar line in which Sri Rama was born). While in heaven he participated in a feast attended by many gods. Ganga Devi also was present in it. Wind blew and removed her upper garment by chance. In that predicament the
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Devas drooped down their eyes out of modesty. But the King Mahabhisha kept on gazing at her. For this offence Brahma the Creator cursed both of them to be born on earth in order to work out that karma. at was the background of Santanu’s earthly career, though he was not aware of it.
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King Santanu of the Kuru family was reigning his kingdom very well. One day when he was roaming about the banks of the river Ganga he chanced to meet a maid of exquisite beauty. en and there he sued her for marriage, unconditionally offering his everything at her feet. But the blooming virgin imposed her terms on him if ever he was to wed her. e man should not enquire the woman about her parentage. He was not to question her behaviour, be it good or bad. On no account should he be angry with her. He was to cause her no displeasure. If any of those conditions was violated she would abruptly snatch herself away from her husband. e love-mitten Santanu submitted to all those impossible impositions. ey married and lived happily. Love between the husband and wife was constant. e woman was modest and graceful be tting a queen. e passage of time was forgotten. Eventually a strange abnormality developed in the queen. She gave birth to a few babies. But every new born one was solemnly carried by her and thrown into the owing Ganga. She returned smiling to the king as if she had discharged a pledged duty. e poor king was horri ed at this endish conduct of his queen. But he could not question her according to the stipulation. He was cogitating in silence as to who she was. e lady had already killed seven babies born of her. When she was going to throw the eighth one into Ganga, the father could not put up with it any further. Santanu said: “Good lady, why do you murder your own babies in this devilish fashion? Please spare this babe at least.” She spoke: “Great king, you have transgressed your promise. Now your heart is set on your child and not on me. So I go. Before I do so, let
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me explain me and my action. I am the damsel Ganga cursed by Brahma to be your wife on earth for sometime. While I know that position you as a mortal do not know it. I had agreed to do one more good turn on earth. “e eight Vasus in heaven trespassed Vasishtha’s asrama during his absence and stole away his Nandini, the cow of plenty. Returning to the asrama Vasishtha found out the culprits by his yogic insight. He cursed the eight Vasus to be born as the human on earth. at curse was inviolable. “All the eight Vasus pleaded with me to become their mother on earth and to redeem them from earthly life as quickly as possible. Accordingly I have gained emancipation for seven of them. e eighth one is to live long on earth and do many deeds of valour. So I shall not despatch him to heaven. But I shall give him training in mystic arms and hand him over to you.” So saying the goddess disappeared with the child which is to become the future Bheeshma. e disappearance of the goddess Ganga le a deep impress in the mind of Santanu. He therefore resorted to a life of self-restraint. He lived almost an ascetic life and ruled his kingdom with justice, rigour and love. And time was passing unnoticed. While rambling one day along the banks of Ganga the king Santanu came by a lad whose everything arrested his attention. e heavenly beauty of the boy captivated him. Over and above it his sport was marvellous. With his discharged arrows he had built a dam to prevent the ow of Ganga in spate. Presently an angel-like damsel made her appearance on the scene. But Santanu could not recognize her. She introduced herself as the mother of the youth who was the eighth son of Santanu, saved from being thrown into the river. e past event ashed into the mind of the king who stood amazed. Holding the boy by hand she said: “is, your son’s name is Devavrata. I have brought him up till now as planned. He has learnt the science of arms from Parasurama and has become equal to him in prowess. e Vedas, their limbs and Vedanta he has learnt from Vasishtha. He is also well versed in all the arts and sciences known both
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to Brahaspaty and Sukra. He is a hero talented in warfare and statecra. Please take him back with you.” She blessed the boy, handed him over to Santanu and disappeared.
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Santanu felt himself and his kingdom blessed. With joy he took Devavrata to the palace. In time he crowned him Yuvaraja—the heir apparent. e youth’s lial piety was as great as his strength, wisdom and talents. Four years passed off quietly. en an event took place. While walking along the bank of the river Yamuna the king Santanu smelt at a spot a fragrance of extraordinary sweetness. He traced its source to a sherman chieain’s daughter, Satyavati by name, on whom this boon was conferred by a holy man. No soone he saw the maid than he fell in love with her, humble though her dwelling was. His erstwhile asceticism gave place to courting. Unceremoniously he put it to her to become his wife. But she reminded the king that the proper course for the wooer was to ask her father for her hand. e courtier saw into the propriety of her suggestion. e chieain “was a man of worldly wisdom. He stated his standpoint: “Maids are no doubt to be married some day. My daughter also stands in need of it. Getting our king as the groom is her luck. But I have to elicit a promise from you before you think of getting her as your bride.” e king: “I am ready to make any reasonable promise.” e chieain: “You should pledge that the child born of this maid would succeed you to the throne.” ough mad aer the fragrant and fairy-like maid, Santanu was not prepared to bind himself to this term. For, it amounted to disinheriting Devavrata which was impossible and shameful. e baffled and love-wrecked Santanu returned to Hastinapura, his capital city and dragged on a languishing life. Day aer day he was deteriorating in health and strength. But he kept his agony to himself.
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Devavrata was not lagging behind in detecting the decline of the body and mind of his father. While everything in the empire was prosperous the king alone was getting from bad to worse. Surely there was some cause behind it. e son appealed to the father to reveal to him the cause of his rapid set-back. e father replied: “My darling son, it is true I am waning with anxiety. You are my solitary son, always engaged in military affairs. Life on earth is uncertain and war inevitable. Any mishap to you will be the family’s misfortune. Sacred lores say that single son amounts to no son at all. I am worried about the perpetuation of the family.” e sagacious son sensed that what he was given to understand was partial truth. Other factors were concealed. So he approached the charioteer and persuaded him to divulge the cause of his father’s anguish. e man was obliged to recount the king’s unsuccessful suit for the sherman’s daughter. Driven by the same charioteer, Devavrata proceeded forthwith straight away to the cottage of the sherman chieain. He introduced himself as the crown prince of the country. e chieain: “I and my family are blessed; we are patronized by the royal family.” Devavrata: “I have come to escort my stepmother to my father, the king.” e chieain: “at is quite possible if the conditions are ful lled.” Devavrata: “Grandfather, please take it for granted that all the conditions are ful lled.” e chieain: “Yuvaraja, how can my grandson ascend the throne superseding you the heir apparent?” Devavrata: “I pledge I renounce my right to the throne in favour of my future brother born by Satyavati.” e chieain : “ It is magnanimous on your part. But what is the guarantee that your son and grandson will not assert their rights to the kingdom?”
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Devavrata : “Be it known to the mortals and the immortals that Devavrata vows to observe naishtika brahmacharya—life long celibacy.” As he announced this austerity the gods from heaven showered owers on his head and shouted “ Bheeshma, Bheeshma.” is word means a man who takes a terrible vow and ful ls it. From thence Devavrata became Bheeshma. He lived a stainless life on earth. With the consent of the chieain, Bheeshma escorted his mother Satyavati to the palace and produced her before his father. Santanu heard of his son’s rare deeds and wondered if such a sacri ce was possible of any human being other than Devavrata. e father bestowed the boon of icha mrtyu on the son. According to that boon death would not approach Bheeshma without his permission. Santanu came to know of Satyavati as the daughter of the king Uparisaravasu now brought up by the sherman chieain. She was therefore a kshatriya maid. He married her according to the sacred codes. In course of time he begot two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya by Satyavati and then he passed away. Bheeshma became their protector. He crowned Chitrangada the king. is king fell in battle with a gandharva of the same name. e younger brother Vichitravirya was placed on the throne. He being still a youth, Bheeshma ruled the kingdom on his behalf. It then became necessary to nd a spouse for him.
4
Royal marriage in ancient India was of two types. e ordinary
type was by Swayamvara or self-choice. e suitor princes would assemble and display their talents and gallantry. e bride princess would garland that prince whom she chose as her groom. e extraordinary type was more in hearsay than in practice. According to it the suitor would snatch away the bride princess putting down all the rival suitors. e king of Kasi had his three daughters, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika to be given away in marriage. e usual swayamvara was arranged for. Many Princes had come to exhibit their prowess. Bheeshma’s presence there was viewed with askance. He was a peerless
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warrior no doubt; but he was rather advanced in age and an avowed celibate to boot. What was the need for him to make his appearance there? Bheeshma proclaimed: “You kings, I carry these three maidens away by force. ey will be married to my brother Vichitravirya, the Kuru King. ose who dare to oppose may give me ght.” e enraged Rajkumars sprang in a body and offered stiff resistance, but to no avail. e aggressive Bheeshma scared them all away and conveyed the prizes with ease to Hastinapura, his capital. Amba the eldest sister now made her supplication, to the captor: “I have already chosen Salva as my husband. 1 pray that my chastity may not be interfered with.” Bheeshma and Satyavati gave thought to her case and arranged to get her properly escorted to Salva, the king of Saubala. is incident led to complications which would be studied later on. e other sisters Ambika and Ambalika were married to Vichitravirya who was not destined to live long. e youth died before he could beget progeny. Extinction of the family was the greatest of all misfortunes that could befall a kingly race. at danger threatened the line of Santanu. e broken-hearted Satyavati pleaded with Bheeshma both to ascend the throne and to marry the widowed princesses. Relatives and friends also joined the dowager queen in this entreaty. e joy of ascension to the throne and of matrimony had now returned to him through that very agency that debarred him formerly. But the pledged vow was more sacred to Bheeshma. He submitted: “Mother, it is for the sake of parents that 1 have renounced kingdom and progeniture. Subsequent reverting to them at mother’s mandate may be t sonship. But in my case it is a gross violation of vow. Revoking vow is the same as resorting to falsehood. 1 will not deviate from the path of truth for the sake of anything in heaven or on earth. Elements may perchance deviate from their functions. But Bheeshma shall not budge an iota from truth.” e desperate mother could see into the sacred decision of the son. Still she sought his help in solving the family problem which vexed her
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to the core. e two together arrived at a solution solved by the sacred lore. An issueless widow may beget progeny for the departed husband by cohabiting with a holy man who has transcended body consciousness.
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Satyavati picked up courage and revealed an old incident in her life. As a maid come of age, she was once obliged to ferry a boat across Yamuna for the bene t of the great rishi Parasara. While in the middle of the river he fell in love with her and mated her creating darkness all round. A dark child was born and brought up in an island in the river. erefore he is called Krishna Dvaipayana. (e dark one brought up in the island). Satyavati was again converted into a virgin. e sh smell in her body was turned into fragrance. e child quickly grew into a rishi and rearranged the Vedas into four parts. So he is called Veda Vyasa. While parting with the mother Satyavati the rishi told her that he would appear before her if he was called for due to any distress. at Vyasa was Vichitravirya’s eldest brother on the mother’s side just as Bheeshma was the eldest brother on the father’s side. e mother offered to invite Vyasa and Bheeshma gave his hearty consent to it. at was the best solution arrived at. In the midst of his stupendous Vedic literary work Vyasa intuitively felt the call from his mother. Instantly he appeared before her by his yoga power. ere was a sweet and charming thrill in the meeting of the mother and son aer a long time. A wave of bliss was in evidence on either side. e excitement over, the son asked for the cause of his being called in. e mother presented her dilemma in detail and requested Vyasa to instil the seed of progeny in the wombs of the widowed Ambika and Ambalika who were young, beautiful and in need of issues. e rishi realized the gravity of the situation and agreed to ful l the desire of his mother. But he suggested that his brother’s widows underwent mental preparation for one year while he would get the time to make himself presentable to them. Satyavati pleaded that it was not proper to keep the country kingless for such a long time. So Vyasa consented to serve her cause forthwith.
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Satyavati spoke severally to her daughters-in-law about the imperativeness of the course to be adopted. Each in her turn was to wait at the bedchamber for the arrival of the rishi and be at his disposal all through the night. e princesses bashfully gave their consent. Ambika awaited the arrival at the bedchamber of the elder brother of her departed husband. ere come in a terrifying gure of dark complexion, copper coloured and matted crest, piercing eyes and dishevelled beard. Beholding it the princess got frightened out of her wits. She had her eyes closed as long as the rishi was with her. Vyasa foretold that she would have a blind son because of this folly of hers. at was how Dhrtarashtra the blind king of the Kuru line came into existence. Ambalika’s turn came to receive Vyasa as directed by her motherin-law. Seeing his rustic gure she turned pale with the result that the son born by her was white in colour. So he was called Pandu. Satyavati requested Vyasa to beget another son by Ambika because the rst one was blind. e rishi agreed. But the unwilling daughter-inlaw directed her maid servant, a beautiful woman, to receive the rishi. She responded with all devotion taking the rishi’s attainments into consideration. Vidura the third son was born by her. He was full of wisdom though not full of royal lineage. Vyasa requested his mother Satyavati not to call him into this kind of action any more. Bheeshma acted as regent to his brother’s sons who were too young to attend to state affairs. Moreover he took charge of their tutelage. eir education, training in statecra and warfare, wielding the weapons of war—Bheeshma gave attention to all these details. Codes of dharma were imparted to them in all their phases. ere was prosperity and contentment all over the country. Bheeshma consulted with Vidura and sought marriage alliance for Dhrtarashtra with the royal family of Gandhara. Subala the king of that country rst hesitated to give his daughter as wife to a blind prince. But taking the royalty and other points into consideration the matrimony was performed. Coming to know that her would be husband was blind
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Gandhari the princess chose to bandage her eyes as a mark of her willingness to share the fate of her spouse. is choice is ever viewed as a womanly virtue. Sakuni was the brother of Gandhari. With p’easure he escorted his sister to Hastinapura, the Kuru capital. is Sakuni was to play a notorious part in the later events.
6
Sura of the Yadava race was a famous king. He had a daughter
known as Pritha and a son named Vasudeva. is Vasudeva was the father of Krishna. Pritha was made the adopted daughter of Sura’s cousin called Kuntibhoja. For this reason the girl was also called Kunti. As a girl she had an opportunity to do personal service to the sage Durvasa for full one year. Being pleased with her awless service the rishi taught her a sacred formula by uttering which she could invoke any god upon herself. A little lass that she was, she did not know of its implication. One day Kunti uttered that formula for fun thinking of sun god. Forthwith that deity appeared and offered to embrace her for progeny. e girl got frightened and pleaded of her immature virginhood. But the sun god put it that his invocation would not go fruitless, that she would beget a son full of sun’s splendour and that she would again become a virgin. And this actually took place. Kunti begot a son in secret, put him in a casket together with some gems and oated him down the river abandoning him to fate. at baby was to be the future Karna of the Mahabharata fame. Because of blindness Dhrtarashtra was un t to ascend to the throne. So Bheeshma crowned Pandu the king of the country. He further wanted to get that ruling prince married. In a swayamvara Kunti chose this Pandu as her husband. is development was to the satisfaction of Bheeshma. Some time later Bheeshma gained for Pandu a second queen Madri by name. She was the sister of Salya, the king of Madra. A month aer his second marriage Pandu invaded the kingdoms that had seceded from the suzerainty of Hastinapura, brought them under subjugation and collected tributes in plenty from them. is kingly act of his pleased Bheeshma and the citizens of the capital.
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e king Pandu was very fond of hunting. He spent much of his time in that sport in the forest. Both of his wives, Kunti and Madri kept company with him in the woods. One day while a stag and a deer were mating, Pandu thoughtlessly aimed fatal arrows at them and incurred the curse that he would die if ever he embraced his wife with passion. is spell made him sad; for he was forced to remain childless lifelong. He and his two wives took perforce to ascetic life. Information about this decision was sent to Hastinapura and the state jewels also were returned through the servants. Aer a time Pandu felt worried over the lack of progeny. He consulted Kunti how this problem could be solved. She told him about the divine power of procreation that she had received as a girl from the great rishi Durvasa. at mantra (formula) could be utilized now. If permitted by her husband she could invite any god to bless her with progeny. Pandu felt as if new life was infused into him. He pleaded with Pritha to invite Dharma Deva, the god of righteousness to give her a son. us they obtained a child whom they named Yudhishthira. e rm in war, is the meaning of the name. He was also rm in virtue. Invoking the wind god Kunti begot Bheema the second son. e terribly strong, is the meaning of this name. e kings got frightened when he took birth—so goes the story. Kunti begot Arjuna the third son impregnated by Indra the king of gods. en Kunti taught the mantra to Madri. She chanted the mantra and invited the twin Aswins who gave her the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. e Pandava brothers became ve in this manner. At Hastinapura Gandhari the wife of Dhrtarashtra became pregnant but did not give birth for two years. Hearing that Kunti had given birth to a child, she became infuriated and gave a violent blow on her belly. at act resulted in her delivering a lump of esh. She did not know what she was to do with it. Just then Vyasa came to her rescue. He ordered a hundred and one pitchers to be lled with clari ed butter. He divided the lump of esh into pieces and put them each into a pitcher. In course of time a hundred sons and a daughter were born one aer another on successive days. e eldest of them was born on the same day with Bheema and he was named Duryodhana which means the unassailable. But the omens pertaining to his birth were all inauspicious.
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Vidura and other wise men foretold that Duryodhana would be the cause of the destruction of the Kuru family and of many kings. ey suggested that in public interest it would be good to abandon Duryodhana to death. But the fond father willed otherwise. In the forest the ve sons of Pandu received their early education from several rishis. e ascetic life of Pandu was going on smoothly. But the tide of fortune took a sudden evil turn. Forgetting the curse fallen to his lot he embraced Madri with passion and fell dead. Madri also cast off her body by sheer will hoping to serve her husband in the world to come where the curse would be null and void. Subsequently the rishis in a body escorted Kunti and the ve sons of Pandu to Hastinapura and handed them over to Bheeshma aer relating to him the chequered career of the late Pandu and Madri. One day Vyasa appeared in secret before his mother Satyavati and made it known to her that the bright days of the Kuru royal family were over and that gloomy and hard days were in store. e dowager queen took the hint and arranged to retreat into the forest to prepare herself for the nal emancipation from the mundane existence. Ambika and Ambalika also joined their mother-in-law in this last holy act incumbent on the enlightened ones.
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The retiring mother charged Bheeshma with the duty of looking
aer so many grandsons. He bowed obedience to her mandate and derived pleasure in this new duty. e seeds of the Kuru House so many in number delighted him. e Pandava brothers, still in their teens, enjoyed for the rst time the luxuries of the palace. ey got themselves well acquainted with their cousins, one hundred in number. e palace bustled with life. e princes took to several active games. Duryodhana wanted to be the foremost among them. But unconsciously Bheema was overshadowing him. In his playful mood he was not himself aware of his super strength. Knocking down the playmates, ten at a time, was a matter of course for him. When the companions were on a tree to pluck fruits Bheema would
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shake the tree with so much violence that they would all fall down along with the fruits. While swimming he would drag down ten lads by hair and remain long under water almost suffocating them to death. It was the ambition of Duryodhana to become the crown prince. But Yudhishthira was elder to him and the true heir apparent. So it was a handicap. Bheema’s sports were painful to Duryodhana. Hence he was developing hatred and jealousy towards that bully brother. (Love and hatred created during boyhood persist life long.) He planned to kill his forest-born rival somehow. Duryodhana had one day arranged for a picnic on the river bank. While at it he had himself served food mixed with poison to Bheema. e repast over, all the lads went to play in the wood. ey took no note of Bheema who fell fast asleep on the bank. Duryodhana came along, tied the hands and feet of the sleeping cousin with green creepers and consigned him to the river. e day’s merriment over, the lads returned to the palace. Yudhishthira thought that his beloved Bheema had returned home early and hastened to ascertain it. Kunti became anxious over the absence of one son. e other brothers searched again in the picnic locality but no trace of Bheema could be found. e dismayed Kunti sent for Vidura and reported to him the possible foul play on her second son by the ever envious Duryodhana. Vidura advised Kunti to keep her views on Duryodhana concealed lest danger should happen to the other sons also. He reminded her of the rishi’s assurance that all the ve sons would be long-lived and that they would do deeds of valour. Kunti was partially consoled and she was waiting hoping for the best. Bheema who was thrown into the water with the limbs tightly tied still slept on under the in uence of the poison. Venomous snakes started stinging him. e snake poison neutralized the vegetable poison. Bheema gained consciousness. With a jerk he snapped the creepers and started killing the snakes. A few of them escaped, dived into the Nagaloka and reported to Vasuki, their king the havoc created by a man.
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Vasuki came to the scene of bold action and recognized Bheema as the son of Kunti. Vasuki fed him with the nectar of strength and sent him back to his mother. Aer eight days of anxiety the mother got back her missing son with tears of joy. But the treacherous and erstwhile joyous Duryodhana was disappointed to see Bheema back hale and hearty. While on a hunt the late Santanu came by the twin boy and girl in the forest and brought them up carefully. He named them Kripa and Kripi. is Kripa being the son of the great Gautama became an adept in archery. Bheeshma thought it proper to engage him as the preceptor to the princes. Not only the sons of Dhrtarashtra and Pandu but also the princes of Vrishni, Bhoja and Andhaka came and joined this royal institute of archery. e youngsters became pro cient in the art very soon. So Bheeshma was on the look out for an advanced teacher. One day the youths were playing vehemently. Accidentally their ball fell into a well near by. e play came to an abrupt end. e boys did not know what to do. A stranger who stood watching the fun asked if they did not know archery that could solve their problem. “We are all archers, but what has that to do with the ball in the well?” asked Yudhishthira the foremost among the pupils. e stranger dropped his ring also into the well and said that both the things could be got back by archery. He took a handfull of kusa grass, spelt them to serve as arrows and charged them one aer another on the ball. e rst grass got stuck to the ball, the second grass to the rst and so on until they formed a string with its one end in the hands of the strange archer and the other end fastened to the ball which was then easily lied up. “What about the ring?” asked the boys. e man shot an arrow which, aer the fashion of a boomerang, lied the ring and returned to him. e excited boys ran to the grandfather and narrated the incident to him. Bheeshma inferred that this stranger was none other than Drona. So he approached him personally, had his inference con rmed and received him with due honours. Requested by Bheeshma the new comer had agreed to be the preceptor to the princes. e grandfather was highly satis ed that the ablest teacher could be got for the training of the future kings of the country.
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Drona was the son of the famous sage Bharadwaja. Aer completing the study of the Vedas this youth took to the art of archery and became a past-master in it. During the period of tutelage he became the friend of the prince of Panchala, a fellow-student in the asrama. eir friendship developed into chummery. On many a merry moments the prince innocently pronounced that he would freely share his wealth with Drona aer his ascension to the throne. eir love was to last for ever. Years rolled on. Drona married Kripi, the sister of Kripa and the daughter of Saradvata or Gautama. ey had a son called Aswatthama. Drona wanted to learn all the intricacies of archery. For this purpose he approached Bhargava who was also known as Parasurama. at sage received him kindly and taught him all the secrets of that science. us he became the greatest archer of the time. Drona returned home, a repository of the use of weapons, but he did not know how to battle with the problem of food. Pinching poverty was his lot. e little boy Aswatthama had heard much of milk; but he had never tasted it. He appealed to mother for a little quaff of it. Kripi’s plight was painful. Drona suddenly thought of his early relationship with a prince. He told : “Listen, Kripi, Drupada, the king of Phanchala was my loving friend during our tutelage. He has promised me lasting support. So let us go to Phanchala. Our poverty will come to an end there.” All the three moved on to that country. Boyhood friendship persists lifelong. Exceptions are rare. With an expectant heart Drona presented himself at the court of Drupada and said: “I am Drona, your boyhood friend. You made affectionate promises of sharing your wealth with me. But I only want mere maintenance from you.” Drupada had become a changed man. Conceited with power and possession as that king was, he said: “Your posing familiarity with me is improper. You are foolish to fancy that boyish pranks are binding promises. How can a wandering beggar become the friend of a throned
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king? Friendship between the inequals is impossible. How can the pauper become the friend of the prince, the ignorant of the learned, the weakling of the valiant? Please go away from here and do not pester me with your boyhood tales.” e adorable Drona was insulted. He stood silent for a moment and withdrew abruptly. In that moment decision was made to teach the haughty Drupada a lesson for life. e famished master archer trekked to Hastinapura where lived Kripa, his brother-in-law. It was there that Bheeshma recognized the worth of Drona and appointed him the Royal Preceptor. e sons of Pandu and those of Dhrtarashtra of the Kuru House were the foremost among the disciples of Drona. Princes from the other kingdoms far and near had also come and joined the gurukula. is military academy was day and night buzzing with life. Each disciple was made to specialize in that weapon most suited to his disposition. Arjuna was coming up the foremost among them. His guru bhakti was superb. His application to study and the practice of archery was indefatigable. By sheer merit he became the favourite disciple of the master. He was taught techniques in archery unknown to the others. A hunter lad, Ekalavya by name, rather uncouth to look at, made his appearance one day before Drona, prostrated and prayed to him to be accepted as pupil. Drona was pleased with the youth,but declined to teach military science to a hunter by profession. e earnest youth did not lose con dence. He returned to the forest, made a clay image of Drona, paid homage to him through that image and applied himself ardently to the practice of archery. e guru bhakti and the consuming desire in him to acquire the skill in archery worked wonders. Talents were unfolding themselves from within. Very quickly the youth became an adept in the intricacies of that science. Permitted by the preceptor the princes of the Kuru House went on a hunting excursion into the forest. eir dog also accompanied them and wandered in the wood in its own way. e dog sighted the unsightly Ekalavya and barked at him furiously. e youth in his turn discharged a bundle of arrows at one shot and gagged the mouth of the dog without
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hurting it. e frightened creature bolted back to its masters and presented its plight. e Kuru brothers were taken aback by this strange spectacle.Was it possible for any human being to perform that miracle? ey combed the forest and came by Ekalavya at practice of archery. On interrogation he introduced himself as a disciple of Drona. at confused the royalty all the more. e whole lot repaired to the preceptor and presented to him the amazement it came by. Drona also was perplexed. e inquisitive group then escorted Drona to the habitation of Ekalavya. On re ection the master recollected the hunter youth’s contact with him. e developments since then were all clear to him. Drona: “ Young man, do you claim to be my disciple?” Ekalavya: “By your grace I am yours.” He fell at his feet and adored, tears owing copiously from his eyes. Drona: “Will you pay me the guru dakshina, the honorary fee?” Ekalavya: “Blessed I am, that you recognize me as your disciple. I surrender my all to you.” Drona: “I only want your right thumb.” With a beaming devotion Ekalavya severed the thumb from his right hand and offered it bleeding, at the feet of his guru. e relationship was now established. But with the loss of the right hand thumb the superior knowledge of archery became dormant. rough this seemingly cruel act Drona revealed a few fundamental points. (1) Each soul is potentially omniscient. Tapping at the source comes under the caption—Knowledge is caught, it is not taught. (2) It is not the low birth but it is the social barrier that prevents the common man from coming up. (3) Ekalavya’s guru bhakti was superb. No sacri ce to the guru is too great. rough guru bhakti all knowledge can be gained.
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(4) rough guru bhakti Ekalavya excelled Arjuna in archery. But superior powers of Nature did not need be in the hands of ordinary people. Persons like Arjuna who were to perform great cosmic functions alone needed be the custodians of such extraordinary powers. One day Drona made an informal test of the attainments of his disciples. He had an arti cial bird xed on the top of a tree. e students were to shoot arrows at it as directed by the master. One by one was to assume position, take aim and discharge the arrow aer answering the questions raised by the master. Yudhishthira was called in rst. Drona said: “See me, see the tree, see the target and then take aim.” Yudhishthira: “Yes, I have taken aim.” Drona: “Now tell me, what all do you see?” Yudhisthira: “I see you, I see the tree and I see the target.” Drona: “Don’t shoot. Stand aside.” Duryodhana was called in next and the same directions were given to him. He took aim and was ready to shoot. Drona: “Now tell me, what all do you see?” Duryodhana: “I see you, I see the tree and I see the target.” Drona: “Don’t shoot. Stand aside.” ese same monotonous questions, answers and disposals were repeated to the tiresome end. Arjuna’s turn came last of all. Drona, “Now tell me, what all do you see?” Arjuna: “e bird.” Drona: “What else do you see?” Arjuna: “e head only.” Drona: “What else?” Arjuna made no reply. His attention got absorbed in the target. Drona: “Shoot.”
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e arrow went piercing the head of the dummy bird. It was the result of concentration. e impossible becomes possible through concentrated effort. e difference between man and man is in the power of gathering up the mind. Arjuna was an adept in converging the mind on the ideal. Incessant practice and one pointed devotion to the ideal were his characteristics. Man’s excellence lies in his power of concentration. One day Drona went with his disciples to bathe in Ganga. During a plunge bath, a crocodile caught hold of Drona by the leg. ough he had the power to extricate himself, he cried out for help. e plight of the preceptor threw the disciples into a commotion. ey ran pell mell with no thought of offering rescue. But it was the cool-headed Arjuna who instantly shot ve arrows and cut the crocodile to pieces. e relieved Drona was immensely pleased with his favourite disciple’s action. He taught the disciple the most powerful weapon called brahma sirsha. In extreme cases it was to be used only against Rakshasas and Devas. If directed against any human being it would destroy the world. e modes of operating it and of quelling it were taught to him. On another occasion there took place an examination characteristic of the ancient system of education. Drona called Duryodhana by his side and asked him to go out into the world, nd out a good man and bring him on to the gurukula. Similarly he summoned Yudhishthira and told him to nd out a bad man and escort him to the school. Duryodhana returned with the nding that there was no good man in the world. Yudhishthira on the other hand came and reported that there was no bad man in the world. Both the princes belonged to the same royal family. ey received training from the same master. ey searched in the same world. e former could not spot out a single good man while the latter could not come by a single bad man. Where do good and evil exist? ey are enshrined in man’s mind. e bad at heart see evil everywhere. e good at heart see good everywhere. One sees the world according to one’s attainments and disposition.
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A charioteer called Adhiratha and his wife known as Radha were
living happily. One ne morning when Adhiratha was bathing in Ganga a beautiful box containing a divine baby came oating in the river. e charioteer took the baby and adopted it as his son. is boy was known as Karna, as sutaputra (the son of the charioteer) and as Radheya because of his being the foster-child of Radha. As he was advancing in age he had no inclination to charioteering. e urge in him was for learning and for martial training. Hearing of the archery academy at Hastinapura the earnest Karna made his way to that city. Approaching the preceptor Drona in person he respectfully presented his application. But Drona was conventional. He enquired about the brilliant boy’s parentage. Coming to know that Karna was the son of a charioteer the master curtly denied him admission into the academy. e lad returned home sadly disappointed. e desire in Karna for knowledge and archery was on the increase. But the name sutaputra was a disquali cation. at stigma stuck to him life-long. But he suffered from no inferiority complex. e thought of a approaching the celebrated Bhargava crossed his mind. en it struck root. But that terrible rishi was the hater of the kshatriyas. So the sutaputra decided to call himself a brahmana. ere was no harm, he thought, in telling lies for the sake of knowledge. Karna presented himself as a brahmana to Bhargava. Admission became a matter of course. e student proved his competency for advanced learning. He stayed a number of years in the asrama. Bhargava had taught him all the mystic weapons including the brahmastra and the mighty bharagavastra. e valedictory advice was “You have proved yourself a worthy disciple. I have imparted to you all the knowledge at my disposal. You are truthful and obedient to elders. Make use of the knowledge you have acquired for the establishment of dharma.” It so happened that Bhargava had to take a midday nap resting his head on the lap of the disciple Karna. Just then an insect stung the thigh of lad and bored hole causing excruciating pain and profuse ow of blood. e youth sat still bearing the pain lest he disturbed the siesta of master. But the warm blood spread on his face and woke him up. Bhargava: “How did this blood come on my face?”
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Karna: “An insect bit my thigh and made blood spread on your face, Sir.” Bhargava: “Why did you not scream and jump up?” Karna: “ I bore the unbearable pain in order to safeguard your sleep.” Bhargava: “Power to ignore bodily torture is peculiar to kshatrias and to none else. Boy, tell the truth, are you not a kshatriya?” Karna fell at the feet of the master and cried bitterly. He confessed: “I do not know my parentage. A suta family brought me up. So I am known as sutaputra. It is the love of knowledge that prompted me to tell a lie to you. I know of no other sin. Pray, pardon me taking the purity of my motive into account. It is said that learning should not be associated with caste and creed. You are my guru, superior to father and mother. I surrender to you. Please show mercy and accept me as your own.” Bhargava was furious and relentless. To him caste was superior to character. In a trice vanished his love for the taintless boy, his divine attainments and his devoted service. e venom came out. He cursed the erstwhile beloved disciple: “You have learnt archery feigning that you are a brahmana. Memory of this weapon will fail you when you are in dire need of it.” us did the rishi wreck his own rare disciple. (A Gautama Buddha would have viewed this case from a different angle of vision.) Karna fell senseless on the ground. When he recovered consciousness the rishi was not there. Forlorn and frustrated that he was, he reviewed his position as he returned home. e real parents were unknown to him. e foster-parents were all love and kindness to him. But his being a sutaputra was a disquali cation preventing entry into talented circle. Still Duryodhana and brothers developed love for him. On and off he was with them. Aversion for the Pandava brothers was a trait common to them. Drona wanted to conduct a tournament and display the prowess of his pupils. e idea was approved of by Bheeshma and Dhrtarashtra. A tting stadium was erected very quickly. On the appointed day there
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was a huge concourse of people from far and near. e royalty was on one side on a suitable gallery and the citizens on the other side. Drona, Kripa and Aswatthama entered the stage rst. ey were duly honoured by the king. e scene was very spectacular. e princes were presented one aer another on the stage. ey paid homage to the preceptor and played feats of valour with the weapons of warfare prevalent in those days. e exhibition was amazing in the spectators. e mace duel between Duryodhana and Bheema was exciting to one and all. ey displayed their pro ciency with ease and dexterity. ere was a possibility of the sport developing into strife. At that stage Aswatthama stepped in and parted the vehement participants. e proceedings were all explained by Vidura to the blind king Dhrtarashtra and by Kunti to the blindfolded queen Gandhari. Amusement was in evidence everywhere. Free commentary on the performances was taking place here and there. Drona was delighted to present Arjuna on the arena last of all. He demonstrated his mastery in archery. Cheering him was at the climax. When Vidura explained the cause of the uproar to Dhrtarashtra he became jealous of his nephews; but he made a show of admiring them. Arjuna was admittedly the hero of the tournament. All on a sudden there was a tumult at the entrance due to a sound resembling the report of a gun. It was none other than the clap of a man on his shoulder as a mark of challenge. All eyes turned in that direction. e path was cleared. A radiant gure emerged. He appeared more like a celestial than man. But he was none other than Karna. His friend Duryodhana received him warmly. Karna paid a brief homage to Drona and sought his permission for the display of his archery. Permission could not be denied. e new comer did all that Arjuna did and more too. Arjuna felt humiliated. In the meanwhile there was a commotion in the royal gallery where the ladies were seated. Kunti saw the newcomer wearing kavacha and kundala with which he was born to her when she was a girl. She put that baby in a casket and oated it away in the river hoping to see it again in future. She saw him now and swooned. at was the cause of the commotion. In his matured wisdom Vidura knew the whole thing.
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Sprinkling water, he revived Kunti to consciousness and spoke to her through signs and words unintelligible to the others, not to reveal the mystery of Karna’s origin. A few minutes early she exulted in the exploits of one son. A few minutes late she was driven to lament over the con ict between the recognized son and the concealed son. e lady had the grit to contain herself. Now Karna challenged Arjuna for single combat. With bows and arrows both were getting ready to ght. Just then Kripa stepped on the stage and announced : “e rules for ghting a duel have to be observed. is Arjuna belongs to the reputed Kuru House; you his rival, please declare your lineage. A prince does not ght with a common man.” Karna’s head drooped down because he was no prince of any kingdom. Duryodhana saw the plight of his friend. He sprang up and spoke: “Dharma recognizes three kinds of kings—kings by birth, kings because of bravery and kings because of conquest. is young man is to be recognized as king because of his bravery. But if Arjuna insists on his rival being the ruler of a kingdom, it shall be so. We crown Karna the king of Anga which is now kingless.” Regular coronation was gone through quickly then and there. Duryodhana placed his own crown on the head of Karna and his own sword in the right hand of the newly crowned king. is prompt and appropriate action of his, drew the admiration of all assembled there. A king alone could do a kingly act! An incident took place just then. An old man, tottering with a stick gained access to the stage. He was Adhiratha the foster-father of Karna. erefore the adopted son hastened towards him, fell at his feet, placed the newly obtained crown at his feet and paid adoration. (During the British days many a graduate in the city felt compunction to receive in a distinguished assembly his own rustic father from the village. e alien culture deprived the modern youth of his devotion to parents.) Adhiratha uttered in faltering tone: “Radheya, my darling, I am glad at long last fortune has favoured you. Glory to the Prince Duryodhana.” at Karna was a sutaputra became self-evident now.
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e Pandavas now became elated. Bheema blurted out: “You charioteer’s son, go about your job with whip in hand. You are too insigni cant to be defeated by Arjuna.” Karna’s face fell, his lips quivered with feeling, but he could not speak. In silence he looked at the sun, for, that was the god he worshipped. But he did not know that was also his father. Kunti alone knew it. She had to suffer from the piercing pang of that situation. at was the irony of fate. Duryodhana ared up. He de ed Bheema thus: “A hero alone appreciates heroism. Could you not, O Bheema, see the feats of valour displayed by Karna? You are obsessed by birth and pedigree. e source of a great river is insigni cant. On that score the river is not slighted. e origin of many a rishi is low and humble. e excellence of the rishi is not ignored for that reason. Even our preceptors Kripa and Drona have not been privileged with praiseworthy births. Still we adore them and avail ourselves of their talents.You know of your mother only and not of your father.at is also the case of Arjuna and the other brothers. Again think of your father and of my father. ey are not purely of Kuru lineage. en why do you make a fetish of kshatriahood? Perhaps Karna also is a kshatriya. at apart, he is a hero. So let your Arjuna ght with him if he dares to.” is statement was applauded by all. e sun set in the west quite pleased with his son’s achievements. us did the tournament come to an end. e dispersing crowd commended the deeds of the newcomer so much that the early elegant performance of Arjuna was almost forgotten. Drona wanted to make Arjuna the champion; but it did not take place.
10
Drona had a thought buried dead in his mind. It was in regard to wreaking vengeance upon the haughty Drupada. e opportune time for it had come. e training of the royal disciples was over. So he claimed dakshina (honorary fee) from them.ey were only too eager to pay it in abundance. But the preceptor went in for a queer fee. He ordered the budding warriors to invade panchala and bring its king Drupada, captive. e young men gloated over this novel idea. It afforded them an opportunity to draw out their hidden talents. ey
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mobilized a huge army and invaded Panchala. Drona also accompanied them as a spectator. While on the way, the Pandava brothers decided to remain neutral at the start of the strife. If Duryodhana’s division faltered Arjuna’s division would reinforce. at was their strategy. Drona endorsed it. Drupada came to know of the Kaurava princes invading his city. He could not understand what was the cause of that hostility. With the help of his brothers he had put up a stiff resistance. Finally he defeated the Kauravas. At that stage Arjuna played his tactics. He asked Yudhishthira to stay behind. e other four brothers charged on Drupada and carried him away prisoner to where the preceptor was waiting. Drona’s plan had now fructi ed. He had Drupada at his mercy. He analysed the position: “In your boyhood friendship you volunteered to make over to me half of your kingdom when you became the inheritor. Aer entering into life I approached you in my poverty just for a bare maintenance. You turned me out saying, that friendship was impossible between a prince and a pauper. Now you have nothing to call your own, no, not even your life. But be not afraid. I shall not take a toll of your life. Instead, I shall restore to you half of the kingdom conquered from you. As equals we shall be the same old fast friends that we were in boyhood. en he affectionately embraced Drupada who warmly responded to his magnanimity. Drupada got reconciled with Drona. But he could not forget the defeat and humiliation that he had suffered at the hands of that mighty preceptor of archery. He resorted to severe austerity and thereby rose to ethical eminence. He searched all over the country and got the help of a competent priest to perform a rare sacri ce for him. From that sacri ce came to him a son and a daughter. at son named Dhrishtadyumna became the disciple of Drona. Later on he was to become the vanquisher of Drona. e daughter was to be given in marriage to Arjuna as a reward for his extraordinary talents.
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When Yudhishthira came of age he was crowned as Yuvaraja. e blind king was not quite in favour of it. He would have preferred his own son Duryodhana to that position. But the points were against him. It
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was the late Pandu who actually rebuilt the disintegrating Kuru empire. Blind that Dhrtarashtra was, he was not quali ed to occupy the throne. Being the elder brother, he was called the king by courtesy. Among the princes Yudhishthira was the eldest and therefore the heir apparent. King makers like Bheeshma, Vidura and Drona viewed Yudhishthira as the crown prince imbued with all kingly virtues. People liked him the best of all the princes. So he was crowned the young king. e cousins were smarting; but they could not protest. It was just one year since Yudhishthira was installed the heir to the crown. But within that short time he distinguished himself in every respect. He was the embodiment of rmness, fortitude, frankness, benevolence and patience. He discharged the public duty with unswerving honesty. erefore he became immensely popular with the people. Pandu the late king was regarded a model administrator. But the son overshadowed the deeds of the father. His younger brothers expanded the borders of the kingdom. Bheema and Duryodhana became pupils of Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna. is Balarama was an adept in the art of wielding the mace. He had several pupils. Among them he liked Duryodhana the best. What Arjuna was to Drona, Duryodhana was to Balarama. Drona gave a nishing touch to the training of Arjuna. He made him the best archer in the world. At the same time he advised the disciple not to become conceited with his attainments. He demanded of the disciple a strange guru dakshina—Arjuna was to ght with Drona when the time for it came. Last of all Drona induced his disciple to be ever devoted to Krishna the embodiment of Divinity, though he was born as the son of Vasudeva, the maternal uncle of Arjuna. e citizens of Hastinapura were openly discussing and reviewing the royalty to which they were subjects. It was not proper for the inefficient and blind king Dhrtarashtra to occupy the throne. Bheeshma was the ttest person to rule, but he had vowed renunciation of the throne long ago and he would in no wise reconsider the matter. Duryodhana had some grave defects. Yudhishthira was the one prince worthy to rule. is was the talk prevalent in the city.
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Duryodhana was sore pained when he heard from his spies that public opinion was against him and his father. He met his father in private and poured out his feelings, “Father, why have you installed Yuthishthira as the crown prince? He is gaining in political strength and popularity day aer day. People take advantage of your blindness and want to make him the king forthwith. en am I the son of the king to be treated as a serf? I shall rather die than being driven to that position. Please decide on some action before it is too late.” Dhrtarashtra: “ough eyeless I am not blind to this sorry situation. People are in favour of your cousins. Any rash action on our part may result in our ruin.” Duryodhana: “Father, please listen to me. Our grandfather (Bheeshma) is neutral. When Bheema oppressed me and my brothers almost to death, grand-father did not interfere. He knew I then poisoned Bheema to death. en also he did not concern himself. So his opposition is out of question. Aswatthama’s love for me is as steady as the pole star. rough thick and thin he will be with me. Falling in line with him, his father Drona and maternal uncle Kripa are bound to side us. Uncle Vidura is de nitely behind the Pandavas. But he is a weak man, incapable of action, good or bad. He is an expert in dialogue on dharma. erefore we can ignore him. With a strong backing that we have we shall have to intrigue to overthrow the Pandavas. Now or never.” Dhrtarashtra : “ My thought goes to the learned brahmana who is a minister to your uncle Sakuni. His name is Kanika. In worldly wisdom none can equal him. I hear he is in the city now. Hasten to call him in.” Kanika was escorted secretly to the private chamber of the king and the grave royal problem presented to him in con dence. Kanika calmly thought for a while and gave his considered advice : “O king, kindly cultivate double personality in you. at is very essential to hatch the plot successfully. Pretend to love the Pandavas immensely. e more you hate them, the more you should feign friendship. e hidden hatred is the incentive for cool-headed decisive action. e enemy must be killed somehow. Delay in it is to your disadvantage.” So saying, Kanika the cray intriguer le the palace.
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Duryodhana addressed the king again: “ Father, I have a plot. You please arrange to send the Pandavas and their mother Kunti for a year to a distant place like Varanavata. In their absence I shall strengthen my position here. I shall see to it that they do not return here. If at all they happen to return, they will nd Hastinapura too hot for them.” Dhrtarashtra was silent. His silence amounted to approval of his plot. His jealousy against the sons of his departed brother became deeprooted. He longed for the succession of his son to the throne. Bribed by Duryodhana some of the ministers started speaking highly about the importance of Varanavata. at place was sacred to Siva, the festivity in it was highly entertaining, the climate of it was salubrious—propaganda to this effect was widely made. Varanavata was in the air. Dhrtarashtra called Yudhishthira to his side and spoke to him tenderly: “My boy, they say Varanavata is a unique place worth residing in. Why not you go over there with your mother and brothers and spend sometime recouping yourself. You have dragged on in this monotonous city and overworked yourself. A change of place and rest is absolutely necessary.” Yudhishthira felt that this was an order in the guise of an advice. Unwillingly and helplessly he agreed to go. e Pandava brothers and their mother took leave of Bheeshma, Vidura, Drona and other elders and departed. “e king has asked us to go and so we leave,” said the heir apparent to one and all of them. Some of the citizens inferred there was an intrigue behind the goaded itinerary of the Pandavas. ey felt sorry for them and chose to follow them too. But they were paci ed by Yudhishthira and sent back to the city. Vidura alone accompanied them a long way and warned them against possible plots and re accidents. When a whole forest was ablaze the rats escaped by burrowing holes in the earth. is point was emphasized and the prince caught its signi cance. Bidding the party farewell Vidura stayed behind. In a few days the much advertised Varanavata was reached.
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was glad the cousins had agreed to move on to Varanavata. With the help of his uncle Sakuni he nalized the plot. Purochana was a minister in the kingdom. Duryodhana took him into con dence and directed him to hasten to Varanavata and build in hot haste a mansion of lac, resin, wax and other in ammable materials. Pandavas were to be requested to take residence in that mansion. When they were well settled in it, it was to be set on re. e occupants would be burnt to death. e calamity would be viewed as providential. And that was the plot. e people of Varanavata were delighted at the arrival of the ruling prince in their midst. ey gave the royal party a warm and rousing reception. ey invited the party to several eminent houses. Last of all they took residence in the old royal rest house. Aer the completion of the construction of the new house with a moat all round apparently for protection but actually for entrapment, Purochana invited the princes to occupy it. Dhrtarashtra’s injunction was to keep his nephews well looked aer. Soon aer they changed quarters. Yudhishthira and Bheema suspected there was danger to life in that apparently more comfortable new house. It was found to have been built of highly in ammable materials. e smell within the house gave clue to that fact. It was de nitely a death-trap set against the Pandavas. Bheema said: “Duryodhana gave me poisoned food and made venomous snakes bite me. By the grace of God I escaped death. Now annihilation by re awaits all of us. Uncle Vidura’s warning is coming true. Let us just now get away to the old house. en we shall march on Hastinapura, ght and defeat the usurper.” Yudhishthira observed: “Duryodhana’s plot is quite clear to us. But it is a long-drawn one. He will not burn us to death immediately lest his treachery be exposed. We shall also have a long-drawn plan to undo his plot. While we escape safely Duryodhana should be led into the belief that we have been burnt to death in this mansion. In disguise we shall then live unknown in some far off place. Aer gathering friends who will side us in emergency we shall reveal our survival to our rival cousins.”
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Bheema approved of this plan. e brothers chose to live alertly in that snary mansion. Under the pretext of protecting them Purochana kept guard against their escape. e brothers feigned con dence in the man and got on well with him. Vidura knew all about the evil designs of Duryodhana and his minister Purochana. So he sent an expert miner to Varanavata entrusting an important work with him. at miner met Yudhishthira in private and spoke about his constructing a secret tunnel from the wax house to the nearby forest. e man was therefore engaged for remodelling the moat. Purochana could not raise objection to it. e Pandavas created the impression in him that they chose to reside in that house permanently and that Purochana was to be their steward all along. Morning to night the brothers went out hunting in the forest and they delighted in taking Purochana along with them. Unknown to the others the tunnel was constructed as quickly as possible. Purochana had his day xed to set the house on re at midnight when Kunti and her ve sons were sound asleep. A few days prior to it Kunti had arranged for a feast in which Purochana was sumptuously fed. A hunter woman who used to frequent that house was also invited for the feast. She brought her ve sons along with her. Food and drink were supplied in plenty to them. ey enjoyed the dinner and slept away. Purochana also was in sound sleep. Midnight came. Bheema made his mother and brothers crawl away rst through the hidden tunnel. He set re to all the apartments and slipped out himself. e burning materials were to cover the tunnel soon aer they escaped. e Pandavas and their mother emerged from the tunnel in the forest, covered it up beyond detection and made their way to the bank of the river where a boat was kept waiting for them. ey sailed a long way off, landed on the southern bank and disappeared in an unknown region. e furious re spread quickly all round the mansion and made a roaring noise. e frightened citizens of Varanavata rose from a sound sleep and ran to the scene of tragedy. ey lamented but they could not do anything against the leaping ames. e moat kept them aloof. Instinctively the people felt that the blind king and his wicked son were the sole cause of this annihilation of the Pandava princes, the gems of
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the Kuru House. When the con agration calmed down to ash and ember people poured water and went into the debris. ey could get at burnt-up bones and skulls of seven individuals. e secret subterranean exit was all lled up with ash and earth. e conclusion was that the Pandava brothers, their mother and Purochana perished in the planned re. Purochana no doubt had his karma rebounded on himself. e sad news was hastily carried to the Kauravas at Hastinapura. e father and the son breathed an air of relief. e rival cousins were gone. e Dhrtarashtras had now become the undisputed heirs to the throne. at was the delight within. But they posed bereavement in order to appear good in the eyes of people. Vidura, however, was nonchalant to the tragedy and so was Bheeshma too. eir indifference was attributed to their other-worldliness. Barring those two, the royal family took to spectacular obsequies to the departed Pandavas and their mother Kunti. e merits of the perished ones were individually recounted and extolled and lamented. e loss to the Kuru House was incalculable according to Duryodhana’s pretensions!
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Pandava brothers who made good their escape from re reachcd the forest on the southern bank of the Ganga. Pitch dark night was still dominating. ey traversed a long distance into the interior. Bheema cleared the path for them. At dawn they were actually too far away in the unknown forest to be detected. Kunti was exhausted. She exclaimed, “It does not matter if the Kauravas nd our escape from their death-trap. I’m unable to move a step further. My tongue parches with thirst.” Bheema le the mother and the other brothers under a spreading banyan tree and went in search of water. Not far off he found a lotus lake with cool and crystal pure water. Aer a refreshing bath in it, he took water in a container contrived of lotus leaves and cloth. Reaching the halting place he found the kin fast asleep; so he kept watch over them. In the course of it he thought, “It is all right we play the game of hide and seek with our murderous cousins; but is it worthwhile to involve our mother in this risky and painful adventure?” As Bheema was pondering thus, a beautiful young woman approached him with an alluring sidelong glance. He politely asked as to who she was. e woman said: “I am Hidimbi, the sister of Hidimba, the
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ruler of this forest known aer my brother as Hidimbavana. We are of rakshasa species, fond of human esh. My brother ordered me to kill you all and carry the esh to him. But seeing your graceful form I have fallen in love with you. I have the power to change my form and 1 have bccome presentable to you. Please accept me. Let us go away from here and enjoy the pleasures of life.” Bheema said: “My mother and brothers are sleeping and taking rest here. I am keeping watch over them. Without the permission of my mother and my elder brother I should have nothing to do with you. Please go away from here.” Hidimba was annoyed over the delay caused by his sister. He rushed to the scene roaring both with anger and with hunger. But Bheema met him half way and dragged him away lest he disturbed the needed sleep of his people. Far off, a duel ensued between the man and the rakshasa. It was terrible to behold. It was as though two tuskers were encountering each other. e distant noise did disturb the sleepers. ey woke up to see a heavenly damsel waiting on them and to nd Bheema tussling yonder with a demon. Enquired by Kunti the waiting woman precisely recounted the developments. e refreshed Arjuna hastened to take up the duel with the demon and relieve Bheema who knew no rest for the last two days and nights. But Bheema cut short the combat by despatching the demon instantly to the other world. He ung that huge being high up in the air, held it as it came down, bent it backward into two, twisted the head away from the trunk and dashed it on the earth into a heap of esh and bones soaked in blood. ey resumed the journey hoping to reach some unknown city very soon. Hidimbi followed them respectfully. She pleaded: “I have fallen in love with this young man. He would not respond without the sanction of his mother and his elder brother. O mother, have mercy on me. My request is not against dharma. If you ignore me I shall die. If you concede I shall be your faithful servant. I can carry all of you to any place you want. I pray to you. Save my life.” Kunti took pity on her. Aer consulting with Yudhishthira she permitted Bheema to be with her for sometime. e delighted Hidimbi took them to the lake of Salihotra, built a hut for them and provided facilities for their spiritual life. Morning to evening Hidimbi would take
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Bheema to places of interest and sport with him. Before dusk she would bring him back. us they lived until Hidimbi begot a son of Bheema. e boy was named Ghatotkacha which means the pot-headed. e sage Vyasa made his appearance before the fugitive Pandavas and enquired about their welfare. ey complained about their hardship created by the Kauravas. Vyasa paci ed them saying that life is always a mixture of good and evil. ey were to bear the bad days patiently, holding fast to dharma. Bright days were bound to come. ey were directed to disguise themselves as brahmanas in ascetic attire, to proceed to the city of Ekachakra and live there. Bheema explained to his wife Hidimbi and his son Ghatotkacha that on larger interests they had to part. e woman was to be satis ed with the conjugal life she enjoyed so far. e mother and the son made the promise that their services would be at the disposal of the Pandavas whenever summoned. en they parted reluctantly. Kunti and her sons walked through many tracts containing beautiful sceneries. ey reached the city of Ekachakra and gained shelter in the house of a brahmana. Aer the way of the mendicants they chose to live on alms gathered from house to house. But their assumed beggary could not conceal their royalty. e intelligentsia in the city discerned that they were noble men in the guise of ascetics for some set purpose. Food was forthcoming in plenty. Kunti distributed half of it to Bheema and the other half to the rest of them. Still the rapacious second son felt famished. His standard of consumption remained unknown in that region. One day Kunti heard weeping and wailing in the inner apartments of her host. She went in and asked for the cause of it. e dilemma was explained: One asura known as Baka was on and on causing heavy loss of human lives. In order to minimize it the citizens entered into a stipulation with the demon. He was to protect the city from all possible dangers and in return for this good turn the city was to supply him weekly with a cart load of food, two bulls and a human being. Every family had its turn for the supply of the human being. On the morrow came the turn of this family. e father, the mother and the daughter were vying with one another to offer oneself and save the other two. e wailing was in connection with the pending loss to the family.
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Kunti Devi offered to solve the problem by sending one of her ve sons instead. e host family stoutly protested against the sin of sacri cing the life of a guest instead of protecting it. Kunti paci ed the hosts stating that gods would come and protect her son, and through him save the city. e offer was hesitantly accepted. On the following day a cart load of food was collected and brought to this house. Bheema drove it to Baka. But he decided to make a hearty feast of the food he carried for the rakshasa. Purposely he delayed the movement, neared the cave of Baka and started helping himself to a variety of edibles. e enraged rakshasa rushed out to crush the impudent fellow to death. But the hungry Bheema managed to keep him at bay until he did justice to the food. en ensued a tussle. Bheema gave Baka the time to display his savage strength. en he tore him into two even as an elephant splits a sugarcane. e carcass was carried in the cart and put at the gateway of the city for show. e concerned brahmana guest was tutored to state that some divine being did it and saved his life. To keep Bheema’s valour concealed for sometime more was the purpose behind this ction. e city of Ekachakra was thenceforth saved from human slaughter. e disguised Pandavas were living happily for a long time as the honoured guests of the brahmana. ey spent their time in the study of the Vedas and other sacred books. e passage of time was not noticed because of their intellectual absorption. An itinerant brahmana deeply learned in the sacred lore happened to go to that very house as a guest. During his brief stay there he gave brilliant discourses on matters sublime. A current topic also gained place in his talks. It was about the king Drupada of Panchala and his celestial born daughter Draupadi. Elaborate arrangements were being made for the swayamvara of this beautiful maid. e king’s original intention was to give this girl in marriage to Arjuna, the greatest archer. But his heart broke hearing of the tragic end of that prince in the wax house of Varanavata. Drupada also had a premonition that Arjuna was not dead and that he was likely to make his appearance at the swayamvara. e Pandavas in disguise heard this discourse with deep interest. ey felt that Draupadi was meant for Arjuna. en and there they decided to move on to Kampilya, the capital of Panchala. On the eve of their departure from the city of Ekachakra the sage Vyasa appeared again before the incognito princes and blessed them.
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Bright days were about to dawn on them. e sage advised them to proceed to Kampilya.
14 Great was the preparation made at Kampilya, the capital city. Invitations had been sent to all the prominent princes. e Kauravas headed by Duryodhana had come there. Karna had come. Balarama and Krishna were present. Almost all the important kings had come either to witness the event or to compete. Suitable accommodations had been provided for all of them. e Pandavas came into the city unnoticed and uninvited. ey sought shelter in a potter’s house! ey procured their subsistence by mendicancy. While wandering in the streets they gathered information about the pending swayamvara. “Arjuna may, if he be alive, dramatically appear on the stage and put all the suitors to shame,” was also a talk among the commoners. e appointed auspicious day came. e stage was magni cently decorated. Sweet fragrance permeated the atmosphere. Melodious music resounded everywhere. e sovereigns walked in with importance and assumed their distinguished seats. In contrast with them the disguised Pandavas came severally commingled with the brahmanas in order to avoid identi cation. ey sat on humble seats. Dhrishtadyumna escorted his lovely sister to the dais in the centre of the stage. en he read out the names of the kings who had come either to contest or to grace the solemn occasion. Draupadi was splendidly dressed. Her attire added to her heavenly elegance. She bore ower garland in her hands. She was to don the victorious prince with it. Eyes directed to the ground she stood gracefully. A hushed silence prevailed as Dhrishtadyumna started addressing the august assembly: “I pray for your attention. Here is the bow. Here are ve arrows. A wheel with a hole in it revolves above. Over it is the target. Whoever aims the arrow through the hole in the revolving wheel and knocks down the target gets my sister in marriage. is is my pledge.”
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While the attention of the kings was on the bow and arrow, Krishna’s attention was on the audience. Gazing round them he could spot out the disguised Pandavas seated among the brahmanas. He was glad they were alive. Some of the kings approached the bow and arrow and retreated with surprise written large on the face. Others handled them and withdrew with awe. Sisupala and Jarasandha attempted and failed miserably. e pompous Duryodhana made a determined attempt but narrowly missed the target. Karna’s performance was perfect. He walked like a panther to the spot. He aimed the arrow with ease through the hole in the winding wheel, but could not strike the target. e swayamvara seemed a failure. Dhrishtadyumna again proclaimed: “e contest that was reserved for the rulers only is now open to all. A brahmana, a kshatriya, a vaisya, or a sudra even may make an attempt. He who wins gains my sister.” A young brahmana stood up. Some encouraged him while the others discouraged viewing him as an impudent stranger. But Krishna understood who this stranger was. He was sure Draupadi was going to be married. e man emerged as an ember from ash. ere was grandeur and kingly grace in his gait. He approached the great bow, he bowed before it, he strung it, he twanged the string and he discharged the ve arrows in quick succession. e sh-like target was knocked down on the ground. ere was a peal of uproar in the theatre. e brahmanas in particular were all in excitement. at the brahmana power was any day superior to the kshatriya power was their boast. Draupadi walked as gracefully as a swan to the spot where the brahmana youth stood and garlanded him. e blow of the conches, the blare of the trumpets, the beat of the drums and the play of the musical instruments deafened the ears. Flowers were profusely showered on the couple. e groom held the bride by the hand and descended from the stage. Drupada was happy he had a handsome and gied son-in-law. Karna, the reputed archer, was nonplussed because of his failure to hit the target and because of the brilliant success of the unknown
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brahmana youth. Did he win by a uke or by merit was the question. So Karna called the youth for a friendly contest in that very assembly. e youth responded. Keen was the competition in archery between the two. Very quickly the youth triumphed over Karna who admitted: “When Arjuna was alive, he was the only archer who came up to my level. Now I note you, a brahmana, have excelled me. Bhargava is my guru. Who is your guru?” e youth replied: “My guru is also a brahmana.” A tense atmosphere on the stage prevented their further conversation. A marriage ceremony in a big family does not usually end to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In Drupada’s palace the swayamvara as such took place successfully. But the kings were all dissatis ed. Castecomplex was the cause of it. ey remarked: “is Drupada has deliberately disgraced us by giving his daughter to a wandering brahmana vagabond. If a suitable king was not available Draupadi ought to have committed suicide instead of garlanding a loafer. We shall teach Drupada a lesson for life.” So saying they pressed their host hard. Drupada did not know what to do. Despairingly he looked round. It was at this stage that the bridegroom cut short his conversation with Karna and rushed to the rescue of his father-in-law. Four other brahmana youths also had sprung to the spot to protect Drupada. Other brahmanas who rushed in to help them were requested to keep aloof. A scuffle ensued. e youths managed to keep the entire royalty at bay. Krishna knew who the youths were. With delight he watched the affray. en he paci ed them all explaining that there was nothing wrong in what Drupada did. He had strictly stuck to the kshatriya usage.
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ve brothers returned to their dwelling taking Draupadi along with them. Nearing their hut they shouted, “Mother we have brought a unique bhiksha to-day.” Before seeing the bhiksha mother responded from indoors, “All the ve of you may share the bhiksha you have brought.” e mother then came out and saw Draupadi standing by the side of Arjuna. Yudhishthira clari ed their common statement: “is princess was won by Arjuna in the
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swayamvara. When we said bhiksha we meant this maid.” Kunti was troubled at heart. But hiding her feeling she embraced the girl. e maid in her turn touched the feet of her mother-in-law in reverence. Mother Kunti later divulged the feeling in her heart to Yudhishthira: “I have never in my life uttered a word falsifying truth. Unwittingly I have spoken directing all the ve of you to share the bhiksha. Now I note Draupadi is the bhiksha. I do not know what is to happen.” Silence prevailed for a while. en the son spoke: “Mother, be not worried. Nothing wrong will happen.” Yudhishthira turned to Arjuna and said: “You marry the prize you have won.” Arjuna replied that it was impossible while his two elder brothers still remained unmarried. Yudhishthira thought for a while. en he announced : “ Nothing is more sacred to us than mother’s word. She has asked us all to share Draupadi. We shall obey her. My understanding endorses her verdict. I have never entertained an evil thought in my life. erefore this thought must be good.” When the day’s sensational events were all over and when everything was quiet at night Krishna and Balarama went to the potter’s house and paid their homage to their aunt Kunti. ey got themselves introduced to the Pandavas whom they met there for the rst time. Homages were exchanged be tting their ages. e friendship that was engendered then was to be fast for ever. Cautioning the fugitive brothers to remain concealed for sometime more, the divine brothers returned to their mansion. Dhrishtadyumna shadowed the ve brahmana brothers who escorted Draupadi, the prize, to the potter’s house. He spied upon their reverential approach to an elderly lady in that house. He overheard their conversation. He secretly watched their movements. He made sure that the supposed brahmanas were none other than the Pandava brothers. e elderly lady was surely Kunti their mother. e archer who won his sister must be Arjuna. With this inference he hastened away to the palace and reported his surmise to his father. King Drupada was till then ill at ease over the development at the swayamvara. He wished and he prayed that the son’s surmise came true. In that case his dream in life would also be realized.
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Drupada sent costly clothings and gis to the new marriage allies. He invited them to the palace for dinner. e guests seemed quite used to the palace formalities. eir dining hall etiquettes were all royal. Among the halls they were shown round, the hall of armour attracted their attention most. Observing these traits in them Drupada made sure they were kshatriyas. He politely requested them to reveal their identity. ey accordingly disclosed their true selves. Drupada knew no end to his joy. He heard with rapt attention their thrilling experiences since they went to Varanavata. Drupada suggested that the marriage of his daughter with Arjuna should take place as early as possible. But Yudhishthira made a countersuggestion which startled the other to the core. He stated that all the ve Pandavas would have Draupadi as their common wife. It was something unheard of. Dharma would not sanction it. Usage was against it. Man was allowed to marry several times. He might have more than one wife at the same time. But woman was to marry only once. She was to have one husband only. Based on that lore Drupada stoutly refused permission to the Pandava proposal. e tangle seemed insolvable. Suddenly Vyasa appeared on the scene. His arrival was welcome to both. He was received with due honour and reverence. Drupada presented his predicament. Yudhishthira submitted his considered decision. e sage said: “I intuited your dilemma. So 1 have come with the mission of clarifying dharma. Draupadi in her former birth prayed ve times to Siva for a good husband. According to her karma she is to have ve good husbands. And that is possible only in Pandavas who are ever in agreement with one another. eir karma goads them on to have Draupadi as their wife. We shall help all of them work out their karmas. Draupadi shall never lose her chastity while serving ve husbands. at merit is exclusively her own. No other woman shall ever take her as an example. e marriage may be sanctioned.” e canny father Drupada had implicit faith in Vyasa, the repository of wisdom. He resigned himself to the design of Providence. Willingly he dedicated his daughter to the ve inseparable Pandava brothers. e leading characters of Mahabharata personify the categories of Vedanta. Draupadi is the personi cation of the pure mind loyally
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serving the ve senses and at the same time maintaining its own purity and individuality. Drupada was immensely pleased because his ambition was ful lled. He told the Pandavas that he made no distinction between the two families. He exhorted the newly allied relatives to treat the fatherin-law, the brother-in-law and the Panchala empire as their own. at alliance gave the Pandavas a new strength and status. ey were no more fugitives. In addition to it Krishna, Balaram and the entire Vrishni House were at their disposal.
16
The wrath-and-jealousy-invoking news that the Pandavas were not dead, that they were the fellows who enacted as the brahmana youths and that they were well established in Panchala, reached Hastinapura. Vidura made capital out of it by being the rst to convey it to the blind king. “May the Kuru House increase! Draupadi has been won as the daughter-in-law of Hastinapura.” is was the news Vidura put into the ears of Dhrtarashtra. e king impatiently responded: “Why have you not brought the couple Duryodhana and Draupadi so that I may touch and bless them?”Vidura calmly stated: “Brother! you have understood my statement according to your inclination. e fact is: Pandavas are alive. ey have seized Panchali in the contest. ey are safely placed in Panchala.” is was a bolt from the blue to the blind king. But he was obliged to hide his hatred and pretend affection towards his nephews. erefore his tongue uttered: “Is it so? I am mere pleased. Aer all, the sons at least of my dead brother are alive. Let them be prosperous in Panchala. I am so happy to hear of their welfare.” Vidura listened to these words with a smile and said: “I hope your love for the fatherless nephews would be constant.” en he parted with his blind brother. Duryodhana and Karna were waiting outside and listening to the latter part of the conversation. As they entered, the former blurted: “Father, I do not understand your affection for my cousins whom I hate bitterly.” e perturbed father replied: “I am more worried than you are over the developments. But I should not betray my feelings to Vidura who is keenly interested in their welfare. You tell me as to what we should do.”
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Duryodhana suggested several underhand dealings, all of which Karna turned down as cowardly and impracticable. He goaded him on to immediate invasion and conquest be tting a kshatriya. is manly course was agreed upon.ey invaded and attacked Panchala. But that country proved impregnable. e aggressors were put to rout and shameful retreat. Hearing of the invasion of Panchala by the Kaurava force Krishna hastened with an army to defend that city. But before he reached there normalcy was established. Still Krishna camped there for sometime. At Hastinapura things took a different turn. Bheeshma,Drona and Vidura called upon Dhrtarashtra and counselled him to counteract the wrongs done so far by his sons. e gist of their advice was: “Fortunately Pandavas and their mother Kunti have not perished in the re of the wax mansion. If they had been burnt to death the eternal infamy would have fallen on you and not on the wicked Purochana. It is better to die than choose the path of ignominy. Cordially call back the Pandavas and treat them as your own. at is the only way to atone for the evils done to them. e Pandavas are more entitled to inherit the ancient Kuru kingdom than the Kauravas are. Still, divide the kingdom into two halves and apportion to both of them. Persuade the cousins to live in peace, harmony and happiness.” Dhrtarashtra was apparently in uenced by this thoughtful entreaty. en all of them jointly decided to send an envoy to Panchala to invite the Pandavas back. Vidura was entrusted with that mission. He carried the greetings of the Kuru House to Drupada. e good will was reciprocated. Krishna’s presence in Panchala just then added to the reconciliation. Seeing the Pandavas safe Vidura was visibly moved because of his love for them. It was agreed that the princes should return to Hastinapura. Krishna accompanied them. e artistically decorated capital city gave them a rousing reception. People were glad their beloved princes had come back. e brothers prostrated before Bheeshma and Dhrtarashtra who received them cordially. e coronation of Yudhishthira was celebrated ttingly on an auspicious day. Dhrtarashtra then advised his nephew to go to Khandavaprastha, the ruined capital of their ancestors and renovate it as
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his new capital. e prince agreed to it in order to avoid future clash between the two groups. Yudhishthira is also known as ajaata satru or the enemy of none. Krishna approved of it though the partition was to the disadvantage of the Pandavas. He invited Indra to build a city. Indra in his turn employed Viswakarma to undertake the great project. In no time an exquisite city was created. It was aptly renamed as Indraprastha. Krishna saw to it that the kingdom was well established. en he took leave of the Pandavas and returned to Dwaraka. While parting Kunti prayed to Krishna always to have a protective eye on her sons. Narada, the great wandering sage, one day made his appearance in Indraprastha to see how the Pandavas were getting on there. All the brothers paid homage to the sage. Draupadi also paid her reverence to the holy visitor. Aer she returned to her inner apartment Narada made a note of warning to her husbands. “Woman is the cause of dissension even among devoted brothers. If you would not be divided on this knotty issue no power on earth or in heaven can ever defeat you.” Aer imparting this advice Narada departed. e brothers came to an understanding among themselves that each in turn was to live for one year with Draupadi. e privacy of that particular one was not to be intruded upon by the other four. e transgressor of this arrangement was to be in exile for one year. (is imposed regulation of the earthly career of the ve Pandava brothers attests the psychological fact that while any one sense avails itseff of the service of the mind, the other four senses keep aside.)
17
When Yudhishthira and Draupadi were engaged in conversation
in their chamber, Arjuna was obliged to intrude into that place in order to procure his bow and arrows to meet an emergency. Aer the discharge of his duty he came to take leave of his eldest brother before his departure on exile for the violation of their polyandry terms. Yudhishthira condoned Arjuna’s action stating: “You did not intrude upon us. You only carried out your duty. Since I do not object to your action your parting with us on exile for a year is purposeless.” But Arjuna said: “My beloved brother, enacted codes should not be evaded on imsy grounds. I must adhere to dharma.” With these words he departed on pilgrimage.
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e truth-abiding Arjuna started his wanderings all over the country. He visited many holy places. He met with adventures here and there. In the north he penerated into the interiors of the Himalayas. He came to the south and bathed in Godavari and Cauveri. Seeing the southernmost end of the land he turned northward along the west coast. When Arjuna reached Prabhasa he disguised himself as a sannyasin and was seated under a banyan tree. Krishna came to know of it by intuition. So he came and met him. It was Arjuna’s intention to marry Subhadra the beautiful sister of Krishna and it was Subhadra’s dream to marry Arjuna the handsome hero. Krishna came to know of the desire of both of them and planned for its culmination. e proposal was rst communicated to Kunti and Yudhishthira at Indraprastha and their consent was obtained. en Krishna took the seeming sannyasin to Dwaraka. Balarama mistook him for a holy man and made him stay in their garden. He further directed his sister Subhadra to serve the holy man. Krishna was glad at heart because the required situation was created. Subhadra was agreeably surprised to nd out that the seeming holy man she was serving was really her lover Arjuna. She agreed to marry him. One ne morning the sannyasin disappeared and Arjuna was carrying away Subbhadra in Krishna’s chariot with the object of claiming her as his own aer the kshatriya usage. e Vrishnis gave a chase. But to their dismay they found Subhadra herself driving the chariot. Krishna paci ed his people saying that aer all what had happened was not a bad bargain! Balarama chided Krishna seeing that he was a party to the intrigue. Very soon the Vrishnis got reconciled to the marriage alliance. Arjuna and Subhadra got married at Indraprastha. e Vrishnis went to Indraprastha, attended the marriage and then returned to Dwaraka. But Krishna stayed behind with Arjuna for sometime. In course of time Subhadra gave birth to Abhimanyu the model son. Krishna took a special liking to that child. Subsequently Draupadi gave birth to ve sons born of her ve husbands. All of them grew robust and received good education and training. In summer the heat was very oppressive. Krishna and Arjuna thought of spending a day in the cool shade in the Khandava forest
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adjoining the river Yamuna. ey obtained Yudhishthira’s permission and went there. A number of their relatives also accompanied them. While they were all making themselves merry both in water and on land Krishna and Arjuna sat under a shady tree and chatted. Just then cool breeze was blowing on them. A venerable person appeared before the comrades and complained he was hungry. “ What is the sort of food you would like to have ?” asked Arjuna. “I am not a human being. I am the god agni. Several times I tried to consume this Khandaya forest infested with ferocious animals, venomous reptiles and loathsome vile creatures. But every time I launch into this desirable work Indra pours down rains and foils my attempts. at is how I am hungry. You are the ancient Sages Nara and Narayana come here now as Arjuna and Krishna. Both of you can help me burn down this forest.” Krishna saw into the desirability of destroying that den of deadly things. Arjuna replied: “We can ward off the rain; but we do not have the required weapons. Please procure them for us. While we arrest the rainfall you can consume the Khandava forest.” Agni invoked Varuna the god of the oceans and submitted his case. Varuna promptly supplied the requirements. Arjuna was equipped with the famous bow Gandiva, two inexhaustible quivers of arrows and a magni cent chariot drawn by four spirited white horses. e chariot was donned with a ag containing the emblem of a monkey. Krishna was armed with a chakra named Sudarsana and a mace named Kaumodaki. With these armaments the dual personality saw to it that no rain marred the con agration of that unwanted forest. All the dreaded denizens of that wood perished along with it. One asura called Maya was at the point of being burnt to death. He sought the protection of Arjuna and thus saved himself. e god agni was immensely pleased with the help rendered by the two friends. q
2. SABHA PARVA
Maya owed his life to Arjuna’s mercy. So
he begged his saviour to permit him do some substantial repayment. “It is my principle not to accept anything in return for the service I render,” was the reply given by Arjuna. But seeing the man’s earnestness, he directed him to pay his homage to Krishna in some suitable form. Krishna advised him to approach Yudhishthira and get his desire ful lled in any manner he thought t. Maya pleaded with the king that he was an architect and that he wanted to leave at Indraprastha a mark of his talents. e king gave the architect permission to build a sabha (assembly hall) according to his taste and skill. e work was commenced on an auspicious day. Krishna had stayed for a pretty long time in Indraprastha. en he took leave of his cousins to return to Dwaraka. But the Pandavas were not willing to part with him. He consoled them saying that mentally he was always with them. His physical presence also would be made available whenever deemed necessary. With this understanding Krishna le the place. Maya went to Bindusaras to the north of Kailas and brought the precious gems and rare
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materials required for the construction of the palace. He had also brought a mighty mace for Bheema and a conch named Devadatta for Arjuna. In fourteen months the exquisite assembly hall was built. It was a wonder of wonders. Kings and rishis came from far and near to see this unique sabha. But the Kaurava cousins did not care to visit the place because of jealousy. Sage Narada was the foremost among the distinguished visitors to Indraprastha. He opined that the sabha here was the best among the assembly halls he had seen. He further suggested that it was tting for the king Yudhishthira to perform a Rajasuya Yajna. His imperialism would be established that way. ere were several others who endorsed Narada’s views. But the peace-loving king was not earnest about it. He thought of consulting Krishna in the matter. So invitation was sent to him. Krishna responded to the call promptly. e question of Rajasuya Yajna was placed before Krishna. He counselled that Rajasuya was possible to him only who had no rival king. Jarasandha the mighty king of Magadha was there to oppose the suzerainty of Yudhishthira. e Vrishnis were teased several times by him. For fear of him they were obliged to vacate Mathura and retreat to Dwaraka. He was keeping eighty six kings as captives. He aimed at capturing fourteen more. en he would sacri ce a hundred kings as a mark of his vanity. e conquest of such a man was the problem that thwarted the Rajasuya. Yudhishthira candidly expressed his indifference to imperialism. Live in peace and allow the others to live in peace was his motto. Bheema said: “I hate this indolence. e wicked must be vanquished. e conquest of Jarasandha is possible with the combination of my strength, Krishna’s wisdom and Arjuna’s dexterity.” Arjuna supplemented: “Prowess goes to waste if not properly utilized. A vegetating life ill becomes a man of valour. It is our duty to arrest the arrogance of Jarasandha.” Krishna concluded: “Jarasandha deserves to be slain. His death means deliverance to eighty six innocent princes in captivity.”
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Krishna, Bheema and Arjuna were attired like wayfarers and not like warriors. ey scaled over the wall at midnight aer the wont of the enemies and challenged Jarasandha to a duel. He chose to ght with Bheema. e encounter ensued. Aer a long drawn combat Bheema tore the enemy into two and ung on the ground. Strangely the two halves joined again into one. Jarasandha came to life and started the duel afresh. As it was going on, Krishna picked up a straw, tore it into two and put it on the ground making the opposite ends meet. Bheema took the hint, tore Jarasandha into two and put them on the ground in the reverse order making the severed leg touch the splitted head. And that was the end of Jarasandha. e imprisoned princes were all liberated to their great joy. e son of Jarasandha was made the king of Magadha. e three victors returned to Indraprastha by Jarasandha’s chariot. Yudhishthira was immensely pleased with the performance of his people. Krishna then le for Dwaraka to report to his people the deed of valour done at Magadha. e four brothers Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva went in four directions winning the alliance of the kingdoms and acquiring wealth. All the four of them returned quite successful in their mission. Kings of all the countries came to attend the Rajasuya. e elders and the cousins of Hastinapura were also invited. Indraprastha looked heavenly. e Rajasuya Yajna took place splendidly. Pomp and glory was in evidence. Hidden behind it was also the feeling of hatred and jealousy by the cousins. Honouring the guests was the last function to take place. Who among them was to be the guest-in-chief, was the question raised. e grandfather Bheeshma and the grandson Yudhishthira jointly pitched upon Krishna as the foremost. So Sahadeva washed his feet and offered owers. He being the embodiment of divinity, the homage was be tting him, indeed ! e sharp-tongued Sisupala rose up, laughed aloud in derision and mocked at the host in vulgar words: “Advised by the son of a river, this bastard has honoured a cow-herd. Grand, grand indeed!”
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Yudhishthira was dismayed. Bheema became furious and Sahadeva’s eyes turned red. But Bheeshma paci ed them stating that Krishna would do the right thing in opportune time. Sisupala kept on insulting Krishna and the Pandavas. en he walked out of the assembly in protest. A few kings who agreed with him also walked out. Standing outside, Sisupala challenged Krishna for a free ght. Krishna stood up and addressed the assembled kings: “ I tried my best to see that this Rajasuya went on smoothly. But this Sisupala is bent on marring it. I promised his mother that I would put up with a hundred of his insults. at number is now exceeded. He further challenges me to a ght.” e ght began. Kings were stunned. Yudhishthira was sad at heart. Bheeshma smiled. Krishna discharged his chakra against Sisupala not with anger but with a benign grace. e chakra, radiant like the sun, revolved in the air, severed Sisupala’s head from the trunk and returned to its wielder. A glow emanated from the fallen victim and entered the feet of Krishna. (Jaya the gate-keeper in Vaikuntha, in his third birth as Sisupala the enemy of the Lord, attained emancipation.) It cannot be said that the Rajasuya ended well. Many kings were dissatis ed. Ill omens were in evidence. e rishis predicted bad days that were in store for the world. In the midst of this muddle Yudhishthira was declared the emperor. (Vanity is the reward for imperialism. e price paid for it is very high. It begets endless problems the solutions of which are ever elusive.)
2
Duryodhana, Sakuni and Karna stayed behind to study the Mayabuilt palace in detail. e Pandavas looked aer them very cordially. ey entertained the guests and showed them round the places of interest. e most noteworthy among them were the spots where Maya excelled in creating optic delusions as part and parcel of his science. While walking along a corridor Duryodhana suddenly fell into a pond and got completely drenched. e surface of the pond looked exactly like the adjoining hard ground. at was the cause of the mishap to the visitor evoking laughter in the spectators. Duryodhana knocked his
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head against an invisible beam over a seeming door-way. ese little incidents hurt his feeling beyond measure. But he made a show of enjoying them. On their way back to Hastinapura Duryodhana expressed to Sakuni and Karna his unbearable jealousy of the Pandavas’ prosperity. But Sakuni exhorted him to reconcile himself with their self-earned empire and enormous wealth. Duryodhana made it clear that he would rather die than tolerate the opulence of his much hated cousins. Sakuni opined: “ Conquest is out of question. Gambling is the only venue. Yudhishthira has a liking for it while he is thoroughly inexperienced in that art. I am an adept at dice. Let us cheat him in gambling and win away his empire and everything.” Duryodhana approved of this evil trick. At Hastinapura Duryodhana hastened to his father, complained against the disparity between the two kingdoms and sought his permission for gambling. e blind king was rst opposed to it. But on the petulant persuasion of the wily son he gave consent. A sabha was ordered to be built at Jayanta. at work was executed very quickly. Vidura was asked by the king to explain to Yudhishthira the entertainment planned for the sons of Pandu. Vidura frankly viewed that course of action as harmful. e cousins were getting on happily in their respective kingdoms. Calling them together for a game of dice would lead to dislike and dissension. But the king was keen on that course of action. Play at dice as pastime was common among princes. So he insisted on Vidura going to Indraprastha and inviting the brothers to see the new sabha. at Vidura who happily hastened once to Panchala on the mission of escorting the Pandava brothers to Hastinapura now moved hesitatingly to Indraprastha. King Yudhishthira was glad to receive his well-wisher; but he soon detected dejection on his face. When questioned about it, Vidura revealed that the king Dhrtarashtra had invited the nephew for a game of dice in the newly built sabha at Jayanta. Yudhishthira as quick to see into the intrigue. He knew that gambling was the cause of many evils. On enquiry he came to know that Sakuni and several other experts were to participate. Personally he was
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a novice in the play of dice. Still his uncle had ordered him to take part in it. So he had to obey him. When kshatriyas challenged he could not retreat. Circumstances such as this foreboded evil days for Dharmaputra. He had no alternative to facing them calmly. Resigning himself to Providence he went to Hastinapura taking kith and kin along with him. Dhrtarashtra received his nephews very cordially. ey were accommodated in be tting apartments. e cousins exchanged cordiality with all warmth. It seemed the estrangement among them had been erased out once for all. And that was the enticement.
3
The fateful day dawned. e Pandavas were shown round the newly constructed sabha. en Sakuni suggested that they played a game of dice to while away time. Yudhishthira had a hankering for it lurking in his heart. Still he discriminated: “is game of dice is nothing but cheating. I do not believe in winning wealth by cheating. Gambling deprives man of discrimination. It is as intoxicating as wine.” Sakuni said: “So you care more for wealth than for the kshatriya spirit of accepting a challenge.” Yudhishthira’s feeling was hurt. He retorted: “I am not as fond of wealth as you are. I accept the challenge. Who is to be my opponent? What is the wager?” Duryodhana answered: “I wager whatever wealth you wager. My uncle Sakuni plays on my behalf.” Yudhishthira observed: “ One man wagering and another man playing on his behalf is not the rule. Still if you are bent on it, let the play begin.” (He betrayed his weakness for gambling by reconciling himself with the irregularity that was to his disadvantage.) e spectators entered the hall one by one. Bheeshma, Vidura, Kripa, Drona and such like dignitaries were there. e blind king also was there, keenly interested as he was. e game began. Yudhishthira announced his rst wager: his jewels, gems and gold. Duryodhana staked similar things. Yudhishthira tossed the dice, but to no effect. Sakuni tossed it and declared, “Lo! I have won.” e trickery of Sakuni was triumphant all through. Stake aer stake sliced away the fabulous fortune of Indraprastha. Instead of coming to his senses Yudhishthira was losing his balance. He got into the grips of the fever for gambling. Sakuni was the wily wizard who enchanted the Pandava king into a wagering puppet.
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Vidura could not tolerate this wickedness any further. Approaching Dhrtarashtra he protested: “e Pandavas are your sons. Why do you allow Duryodhana plunder them in this fashion? Greed has deprived you and your son of right understanding. is gambling is going to be the cause of the destruction of the Kuru House. Before you die you will be fated to hear of the slaughter of your sons.” e covetous king made no response to this note of warning. Duryodhana drew near Vidura and remarked: “Uncle, I know too well of your partiality for the Pandavas. Your one business is to malign me. You are ungrateful to the man who feeds you. We are all right though disliked by you. e Pandavas will become beggars just now in spite of your patronage. You presage our future destruction. But we know all will die in the end including yourself and your Pandavas. We know how to make the best of our life on earth. Please leave us to ourselves.” So saying he withdrew to the gambling table. All the earthly possessions of the Pandavas were plundered away as wager by the sinister Sakuni. en he made a generous concession: “I stake all that Duryodhana has won expecting no counter-stake from you, O Yudhishthira, if you win they go back to you.” ey played. Yudhishthira lost again. “Have you any-thing else to call your own for wager?” Jeered Sakuni at the defeated nephew. Apparently the gambling was over to the ruin of the empire of Indraprastha. e Kauravas had gained all that they wanted. (It was a psychological moment. e Pandavas could have easily turned tables against the Kauravas. Challenging them through a manly kshatriya duel the Pandavas could have regained all that they had lost in the deceitful gambling. But Yudhishthira lost his wisdom in his mania for gambling.) All on a sudden it occurred to Yudhishthira that he still owned something. e four brothers were verily his own. Goaded by gambling fever he wagered them, the best of human beings. In quick succesion he lost all the brothers. e gambling-hypnotized man wagered himself and got lost. Hazarding human being as pledge was something novel and beyond the expectation of the Kauravas. In ridicule Sakuni taunted
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Yudhishthira why he did not stake Draupadi. e man foolishly wagered her also and lost her. e Pandavas were not only plundered, but they were also enslaved. Duryodhana embraced the cray Sakuni and ejaculated: “Uncle, this is the happiest day in my life.” en he ordered Dusasana his younger brother to fetch the slave Draupadi to the assembly. With glee written large on the face Dusasana roughly dragged Draupadi to the court catching hold of her long locks. She picked up fortitude and protested: “Does this august assembly approve of a woman being manhandled in this manner?” ere was no response from anybody. “Treatment meted out to woman indicates man’s civilization. e once celebrated Kuru House today betrays brutality. at apart, I am told my husband lost himself in a game of dice. en he pledged me. Was he right in wagering me aer losing his independence?” All were silent. Turning to the drooping Yudhishthira she demanded: “Is this action of yours as laudable as the Rajasuya Yajna?” e man wished that he died on the spot. But he did not; and he could not speak. Turning to the assembly Draupadi made bold to state: “My husband ever obeys the orders of his uncle Dhrtarashtra. e uncle invited the nephew here and induced him to gamble. His inexperience and his inclination to gambling were taken advantage of. is assembly has plundered my husband. Plunderers are not righteous and truthful. So this is a house of ignoble people. I want somebody to tell me if my husband was right in wagering me aer he became a slave.” ere was silence for a while. en Bheeshma spoke: “It is very difficult to de ne dharma in this situation. One thing is clear. Husband is always the owner of his wife irrespective of his being a free man or a slave.” Slaves were not entitled to princely attire. So they were ordered to be deprived of the royal robe. e Pandavas themselves took the lead in surrendering their kingly costumes. ey stood in serf ’s simple loin cloths. Now Duryodhana was supremely satis ed. His heart was burning with envy when he witnessed the Rajasuya pomp in Indraprastha. Reducing that rival monarch into serfdom gave him supreme delight.
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In the swayamvara at Panchala, Draupadi could not be won. at complex was lurking in the heart of Duryodhana. Now he gloated on disgracing her in public. So he ordered Dusasana to strip her of the sari she wore. e younger brother rushed in glee to this nefarious job. e husbands could not protest and the others did not. A miracle ensued. e helpless Draupadi surrendered herself to the mercy of Sri Krishna. e Divinity responded. Dusasana stripped off sari aer sari. He made a heap of them, higher than himself. But Draupadi was still in raiment. e gasping villain sat in exhaustion. Alas! the defeat taught him no lesson ! (Two points stand self-evident, (a) God’s grace is unfailing to the devotee who makes complete self- surrender. (b) e mystery of Nature cannot be fully probed into. Here Draupadi represents Nature.) Duryodhana next purposely exhibited his le thigh before Draupadi in order to insult her. Just then the valiant Bheema thundered: “If I do not do you to death by smashing this thigh in war, I swear I shall not enter the heaven of my heroic forefathers.” en turning to Dusasana he pledged: “If I do not split your heart in war and drink the blood in it, I swear I shall not enter the heroic heaven of my forefathers.” Karna induced Dusasana to drag Draupadi away and allot such menial work to her as be tted a slave. She was also to be the wife of the Kauravas as she was for the Pandavas. Hearing these insolent and wicked words Arjuna ared up, “When time comes I vow I shall sever your head and make it roll on earth. So also Sahadeva shall kill the sinister Sakuni.” But the eldest brother paci ed him and Bheema. ey were to abide by dharma at all costs.
4
Draupadi pitiably appealed to Dhrtarashtra to save her from the evil designs of his wicked sons. Drona, Vidura and others defended her cause. A t of righteousness dawned in the mind of the blind king. He reprimanded his sons Duryodhana and Dusasana for their excesses. He spoke very kindly to Draupadi and promised boons to her. e humiliated woman pleaded for freedom to Yudhishthira. It was then and there granted. e father-in-law permitted her to ask for another
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boon. She pleaded for the freedom of the other four brothers and got it readily. She was encouraged to ask for a third boon. She stood the chance of regaining the wagered out empire; but she gratefully responded, “No, I am not avaricious for any more boon.” Dhrtarashtra called his ve nephews by his side and said that he permitted the game of dice just to know how it ended. He was sorry for the developments. e Pandavas were asked to forget the happenings as mere dream. ey were to get back to Indraprastha and rule their empire without hindrance. Yudhishthira and brothers bowed down in reverence to their uncle and departed to their regained capital. Soon aer the Pandavas le Hastinapura, Duryodhana, Dusasana, Karna and Sakuni presented themselves before Dhrtarashtra and submitted their case. e Pandava brothers had pledged to seek revenge. So there was no escape for the Kauravas. If the enemies remained in power they would arm themselves to invincibility. at danger had to be avoided. rough one more play at dice they must be banished to forest life for twelve years. e Kauravas could then make themselves unassailable. e fond father agreed to this seemingly fair play. e elders, however, objected to it. Still the plot was pushed through. Before the Pandavas reached their capital they were summoned back to Hastinapura by the blind king for another harmless play at dice. “I am to obey my uncle whatever may be his command,” was the calm reaction of Yudhishthira. With his party he appeared again on the scene of destiny. Sakuni on behalf of Duryodhana and Yudhishthira were to toss the dice again. Whichever party lost the game was to be in exile for twelve years and in concealment for one year. If detected during concealment the party had to undergo banishment for another twelve years. Resigning himself to Providence Yudhishthira played the game only to lose it. According to the terms imposed he chose to go into the forest with his brothers and Draupadi. Mother Kunti was le behind taking her age into consideration. Like wounded lions they retreated to wait till the day of retribution came. q
3. VANA PARVA 1
“Whatever my uncle ordains for me, that I shall accept as the divine dispensation”—this was the attiude of Yudhishthira. Now onwards we shall also call him as Dharmaputra and as Dharmaraja. ese two names are very appropriate to him. Adversity is as much part and parcel of life as prosperity is. In fact the former is the better training ground than the latter. Dharmaputra calmly accepted the misfortune that fell to his lot. He made his way to the Kamyaka forest and settled there. Sages and good people were constantly visiting his hermitage. e problem of feeding them all stared him in the face. He prayed to Surya the sustainer of the lives on earth to solve his problem. e sun god responded to his prayer and penance and presented him with a vessel that was inexhaustible. Draupadi was to cook her daily items of food and place them in this vessel. en she could serve out of it to as many people as came as guests on the day. en the four younger brothers would be fed. Bheema had his mighty share everyday! Dharmaraja ate aer them. Last of all ate Draupadi. e vessel would then become empty for the day. Its power of plenty
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would commence again on the following day, but not on the same day. is virtue of the vessel would continue for twelve years, the period of their exile. Abundance in hospitality was thus assured to them. Dhrtarashtra called for Vidura and enquired how that state of affairs stood aer the Pandavas had been sent away into the forest. Vidura gave a gloomy picture. People were not satis ed with the fradulence played on the Pandava brothers. ey loved Dharmaraja’s reign better than Duryodhana’s. Unlawful appropriation of the cousin’s kingdom was wrought with danger. Duryodhana was none the better for his deceitful conquest. Fear was lurking in his heart. Peacc of mind was something unknown to him. e more the Pandavas languished in the forest the more the Kauravas’ sin multiplied. e wisest course was to call back the banished Pandavas and restore to them the empire that was theirs. Two kingdoms could thrive side by side in peace and love. If the treachery done to the nephews was not atoned in time the destruction of the sons of Dhrtarashtra was certain. Bheema and Arjuna were sure to vanquish the wanton usurpers. is portrayal of the position was too much for Dhrtarashtra. He misunderstood Vidura, viewing him as the well-wisher of the Pandavas and not of the Kauravas.”If you are so much attached to the fugitives you may as well go and live with them and not with us.” So saying the blind king withdrew into his apartment. Vidura did as it was curtly suggested to him. He repaired to the Kamyaka forest and reported the sorry situation in the city to Yudhishthira. But aer the lapse of a few weeks the blind king came to know on calm re ection that Vidura’s analysis was correct, sent message to him regretting for his rash remarks and recalled him to Hastinapura. Vidura’s movement to the forest and back was interpreted by Duryodhana as an attempt at conciliation between the cousins. If it were effected the Pandavas would again come into prominence and overshadow the Kauravas. Duryodhana therefore plotted to kill the rivals in the forest and solve the problem once for all. But Vyasa intervened and warned against the futility of his wild attempt. Vyasa next presented himself before Dhrtarashtra and warned him also to check the self-annihilating wickedness of his son. Maitreya came next to Hastinapura with a de nite mission. In his pilgrimage all over the country he met Dharmaraja by chance in the
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Kamyaka forest and learnt from him the developments of the game at dice in Hastinapura. e sage wondered how such an evil act could have been permitted to take place by Bheeshma and Dhrtarashtra. e sage Maitreya next met Dhryodhana and advised him to desist from the foul game of ruining the Pandavas. e arrogant Kaurava ridiculed the adviser by stroking the thigh in derison. Maitreya got angry and cursed him, “You will die on the battle eld, that thigh being smashed by Bheema’s mace.”
2
The legalized plundering called the play
at dice took place at Hastinapura at the time when Krishna was busy with the defence of Dwaraka from the onslaught of Salva, the friend of Sisupala slain by Krishna. e repulse of the invader was effected poignantly. Following in its wake came to Dwaraka the tragic news of the exile of the Pandavas. So Krishna was obliged to go in search of them in the forest. Dhrishtadyumna and several other relatives joined him in this painful pursuit. e contact brought about in this way was a source of consolation to the Pandavas in general and Draupadi in particular. She wept pitiably and reported to Krishna her tale of woe. In the presence of her helpless husbands she was dragged by the hair to the assembly and disgraced shamefully. Her modesty was violated. Nobody came to her rescue. Krishna lent a sympathetic ear and assured Draupadi of revenge in right time. e wicked Kauravas would not escape the law of retribution. en he arranged to call his sister Subhadra and her son Abhimanyu and keep them under his personal care. Similarly Dhrishtadyumna took under his care the ve sons of his sister Draupadi. e self-assumed fugitives had got themselves reconciled to the hardships of forest life. ey made no difference between the ease and comfort obtained in the palace and the pain and discomfort characteristic of the wood. But the attitude of her husbands was what Draupadi could not understand. e four younger brothers implicitly abided by the decision of the eldest. To resist evil is the dharma of the kshatriya. Whereas Dharmaraja passively reconciled himself with the destitution imposed on him by the ever hostile cousins. Anger is a weapon indispensable to the kshatriya. But Dharmaraja was alien to that force. He was calm and docile to the
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point of impotency. Draupadi was therefore smarting under that paci sm of Dharmaputra. She politely pleaded for the clari cation of that inconsistency. Now and then Bheema also joined her in this reproof. Yudhishthira explained: “I admit I am the cause of our suffering. But I am to obey our uncle as I would have obeyed our father if he was alive. Uncle has taken advantage of my weakness for gambling and reduced us to this plight. I have agreed to his terms of thirteen years of forest life. Now if I change my line of action it will amount to deviation from truth which I shall not do at the cost of life even. Aer the period of banishment I permit you to act as you like. Now through patient suffering and penance we shall purify ourselves of the sin of gambling. Let there be harmony among ourselves.” e brothers and Draupadi submitted to the decision of Dharmaraja.
3
When the Pandava brothers were engaged in talks on matters
important, Vyasa made his appearance before them. His arrival delighted them immensely. He hinted that war was imminent. Duryodhana was busy seeking alliance. Bheeshma and Drona had agreed to ght for him. Karna was his fast friend. All these three were the disciples of Bhargava. erefore the Pandavas had to arm themselves properly. Arjuna was advised to go northward to procure celestial weapons. Vyasa then went his way. Yudhishthira blessed Arjuna and despatched him on the all important mission. He hastened to the spot known as Indrakila in the interiors of the Himalayas. Indra was present there in the garb of an old brahmana. He advised the new comer to make penance to propitiate the Great God, Siva. Awe-inspiring was the penance that Arjuna underwent. While he was relaxed, a boar charged against him. In self-defence he aimed a fatal arrow at the animal. Simultaneously a hunter also discharged an arrow. A row ensued, each claiming the prey as his game. e row developed into a terrible combat in which Arjuna was clean worsted. He worshipped Siva through a clay image, offered ower garland to it and prayed for success.With renewed strength he resumed the ght. But to his surprise and dismay he found the offered ower garland on the matted crest of the hunter! At once he recognized the hunter as Siva and prostrated before him. e Lord picked him up and
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embraced. at act of grace infused divine strength and invincibility into Arjuna. Siva presented him with Pasupata astra aer testing his strength. A weak man would mishandle it and be the cause of the destruction of the world. e strong Arjuna received it with humility. Other gods such as Yama and Varuna presented their weapons to Arjuna. At the bid of Indra, Matali his charioteer descended on the Himalayas with his marvellous chariot and invited Arjuna to his father’s heaven. e son eagerly responded and mounted the chariot. It ascended through starry regions and reached Amaravati, the magni cent city of Indra. e celestials received Arjuna with due honour and escorted him to the presence of his divine father who made the mortal son sit side by side with him on the throne. e mortal son equalled the immortal father both in beauty and in bearing. Arjuna was asked to remain ve years in Indra-loka receiving training in the use of celestial weapons. He was also to be trained in the ne arts of dance and music. Chitrasena was placed incharge of it, he being a past master in those arts. In the meanwhile the rishi Lomasha was sent by Indra to earth to inform the other Pandava brothers of the welfare of Arjuna in Indraloka. At the conclusion of the training, the master Chitrasena put the disciple Arjuna to a crucial test. Urvasi is a heavenly nymph. She does not age. With her extraordinary beauty she tempts mortals as well as immortals. is nymph was commissioned by Chitrasena to entice Arjuna into love affair; and she acted accordingly. But the man revered her as his mother and foiled her base design. It was the rst time she met with shameful defeat. In her anger she cursed him to become a eunuch and dance in the presence of women for their merriment. Arjuna became nonplussed and presented his plight to his heavenly father. Indra called Urvasi to his presence and asked her to limit her curse just for one year on any occasion chosen by the victim of the curse. e temptress did as directed by the king of gods. He then advised Arjuna to utilize that curse for his concealment on the thirteenth year of his exile. Arjuna then accepted the curse as a blessing in disguise. Both Indra and Chitrasena extolled Arjuna for his complete mastery over lust, an act possible only of perfected rishis.
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4
The sage Brihadaswa paid a visit to Dharmaraja in the forest. He
was received with due honour and reverence by the dethroned king who related his tale of woe to the visiting sage. Yudhishthira held himself as the worst among kings for having gambled and brought unparalled ruin to himself. But Brihadaswa pointed out that the king Nala’s case was much worse. He gave an elaborate account of the fall of Nala and his queen Damayanti due to gambling and of the revival of his kingdom by sheer self-effort. is appalling event infused new hope and courage into the depressed Dharmaputra. He longed for the dawn of bright days to himself and his brothers. e thought of the long absence of Arjuna vexed the Pandava brothers. ey wondered where he was. e Sage Lomasha made his appearance one day before Yudhishthira and recounted his visit to Indra. His portrayal of Arjuna’s progress in that heaven pleased the brothers immensely. New life surged in them. ey thirsted for more and yet more information about their long absenting brother. Lomasha willingly quenched their thirst. Arjuna would return soon aer his training in Indraloka was over. en he communicated to them Indra’s suggestion that the Pandava brothers living in the forest make an extensive teertha yaatra. It would impress on the mind of the pilgrims lasting and elevating holy ideas. Yudhishthira warmly welcomed this idea of pilgrimage. He was fully aware of its signi cance and utility. Bharatavarsha abounded in sacred spots. ere were forest retreats where the sages distinguished between the permanent and the impermanent. Hermitages were there noted for communion with the Transcendent. Asramas existed where adoration of the Almighty took place by day and by night. Culture and re nement emanated from those centres. ey were all necessarily located on the banks of sacred rivers, lakes, con uences and holy mountains. e Pandava brothers fully adhered to the rigid and sacred vows pertaining to pilgrimage as they moved on to the different teerthas. Aer completing their itinerary in the east and south, the Pandavas were moving along the west coast. When they were at Prabhasa, the news of their arrival there reached the Vrishnis. Headed by Balarama
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and Krishna, they hastened to meet their relatives then on pilgrimage. e contact was pleasing to both the parties. Krishna was delighted to hear of his companion Arjuna’s stay at Indraloka, receiving training in the use of celestial weapons as well as musical instruments. Balarama did not like this state of affair. He said: ‘’Duryodhana has deceitfully taken possession of the Pandava’s empire and is enjoying it, being attired in silk. e real owners of that empire, being attired in bark of tree, roam the earth as fugitives in privation. Wickedness is prosperous while virtue is in an evil plight. And we the kith of these forced destitutes tolerate the atrocity with impotent indifference.” Satyaki roused himself up. He uttered: “It is not proper that we allow the sons of our Pritha to be plundered in this manner. We the Vrishnis have the power to vanquish the wicked Kauravas, root and branch. We shall regain the usurped kingdom and enthrone Abhimanyu its heir apparent until Yuthishthira completes the period of his moral commitment.” Krishna with a smile remarked: “Our alliance with the Pandavas is inviolable. While Yudhishthira is practising patience we shall not precipitate his planned action. To him Truth is superior to suzerainty over the world. Now he seems powerless. In right time he will reveal his power. en we shall all join him.” Yudhishthira was glad because Krishna understood him aright. e Pandavas continued their pilgrimage northward from Prabhasa. Seeing many places of importance on the way, they reached the mount Kailas. It was verily a heaven of peace to them. It was in that region that the sages Nara and Narayana had their abode known as Badarikasrama.
5
The luxury of nature was at its best at Badarikasrama. One ne morning Draupadi was enjoying the sight of multi-coloured owers. Just then the north-east wind carried a strange ower to that spot. It was unique both in beauty and in fragrance. Draupadi picked it up and showed to Bheema. She requested him to trace the place of its origin and cull a few of it for her to offer to Yudhishthira. e man was only too ready to oblige her. Forthwith he set out on that job. He penetrated into the wood in the manner in which a tusker would do. Uprooting the trees, cutting off the creepers, pushing through the bushes—acts of this
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kind were mere play to him. He disturbed the birds and beasts and scared them away too. All on a sudden he came by a huge monkey sleeping across a path in a plantain grove. Bheema thundered to wake up that giant. But he only half-opened his eyes becausc of drowsiness. e monkey: “You seem a gentleman. But you disturb the denizens of the forest in the manner in which a commoner does. It is dharma to be considerate to creatures.” Bheema: “I understand you. But I am in a hurry. Please make way for me.” e monkey: “I am drowsy and exhausted. You may leap over me and go.” Bheema: “You are old. Out of respect for age I should not cross over you. Otherwise I would have leaped over you as Hanuman did across the sea.” e monkey: “In that case push aside my tail and get some moving space.” Bheema lied the tail with his le hand because he was not willing to give undue respect to an old monkey; but the tail could not be lied. He tried with both the hands. He exerted his utmost. Impossible. e rst defeat in life! Bheema paid homage to power by prostrating before the monkey. e monkey: “Who are you?” Bheema: “I am one of the Pandava brothers. I am the son of wind god by Kunti.” e monkey: “I am also the son of wind god by Anjana. I am that Hanuman you mentioned just now. I am the servant of Rama. You are my younger brother.” So saying he rose up and embraced Bheema. e latter felt new strength entering into him. e former experienced the bliss he enjoyed when he touched the feet of Rama in the grand old days. Eventful was this meeting of the erstwhile unknown brothers. Hanuman wanted to give a boon to Bheema who felt that with the help of his brother he was sure to defeat the Kauravas in the war that was to take place. Hanuman said he would reside on the agstaff of Arjuna’s chariot and shout to infuse strength into the Pandava force and scare into the Kaurava force.
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Directed by Hanuman, his younger brother Bheema made his way to the river on the surface of which the ower in quest of, was found in plenty. It was called the Saugandhika ower. While he was gathering it, the other brothers and Draupadi made their unexpected arrival there. ey worried over Bheema’s prolonged absence. erefore they summoned Ghatotkacha the giant son of Bheema to come and carry them to the spot where his father was. Contact became very easy and quick that way. ey chose to stay in that charming place for a few days. Kubera the owner of that place made a courtesy call on them. en they returned to Badarikasrama and awaited the arrival of Arjuna from Indraloka. One day the magni cent chariot of lndra descended, blazing through the rmament. When it touched the earth Arjuna sprang down from it. He was wearing the diadem and the armour given him by his father. He hastened to touch the feet of Lomasha, Yudhishthira and Bheema. e meeting was full of joy. Years of anxious separation were over. e object of the separation was more than ful lled. Arjuna recounted in full his contact with Siva, his life in Indraloka and the training that he received there. Repetition did not render the report stale. e brothers hankered to hear about the heavenly life in minute detail; and Arjuna willingly responded to their demand. Yuthishthira desired to hear all particulars about the celestial weapons, into the mystery of the use of which Arjuna was initiated. e younger brother was preparing to acquaint the elder with the wondrous might of the weapons received by him. Just then Narada presented himself and warned: ‘’e powers of nature are not fully known to man. He needs no knowing of them either. e weak man either misuses or abuses the powers entrusted to him. e divine weapons are more metaphysical than physical. eir power of destruction is incalculable. Indra drew Arjuna away from the earth even for the mere act of practising them. is earth is too feeble to withstand their effect. Even a friendly demonstration of their inherent force is fraught with danger. Arjuna is to be the sole custodian of them. In dire necessity alone he is to commission them into action. He has the stength to resist the temptation to employ them on paltry grounds. Let the talk about these divine weapons end here.”
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Ten years of the forest life had already passed off as a trice. e seeming hardship was converted into a soul-elevating self-discipline. e sublimity of Gandhamadana mountain and the charm of the Badarikasrama were so captivating that they did not feel inclined to vacate that place. But other equally important things remained to be done. So they returned to the Kamyaka forest for the remaining two years of exile.
6
Bheema’s delightful pastime was to ramble in the forest. One day
when he was on his usual outing, he found himself within the grips of a python that had coiled itself round him. Strangely enough he also experienced that his strength had vanished as soon as the creature had caught hold of him. Immediately it occurred to him that physical strength was not permanent and that dependence upon it was baseless. But he did not lose courage. He enquired: ‘’Who are you in this form? What do you want to do with me? I am Bheema, the younger brother of Yudhishthira.” e python said: ‘I am hungry. I want to swallow you. But your identity makes me hesitant. I am the king Nahusha. In heaven I became haughty of my earthly wealth. e sage Agastya cursed me to fall on earth as a python and remain long in this state until Yudhishthira came and saved me by holding a dialogue on matters spiritual. Your introduction reminds me of my unhappy fall.” In the meanwhile Yuthishthira came to the spot. He was anxiously searching for his missing brother. e sight shocked him. He resumed calmness and queried. e aggressor came out with his tale. Yudhishthira prostrated when he came to know of the python as his ancestor Nahusha, cursed and reduced to this plight. e dialogue commenced: e python: “What is the de nition of a brahmana ?” Yudhishthira: “A brahmana is constituted of godliness and austerity. e senses are under his control. He is always truthful and kindly toward all beings. Pursuit of sacred knowledge and propagation of it is his function.” e python: “Knowing what does a man become all knowing ?”
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Yudhishthira: “Brahman is the basis of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is beyond time, space and causation. Knowing Brahman, man becomes all-knowing.” e python : “Is caste based on birth?” Yudhishthira : “All are born as sudras. Based on the degree of mental regeneration man ascends in caste. at man who renounces all earthly pleasures, who is established in Brahman, who seeks to elevate all human beings becomes a brahmana. at man who maintains the social integrity is a kshatriya. He who increases the material wealth of the community is a vaisya. He who seeks his personal welfare is a sudra. Society’s progress depends on the number of brahmanas that spring from it.” e python: “ What is the bene t of the knowledge of Brahman?” Yudhishthira: “ Brahma-jnana is the summum bonum of life. e knower of Brahman realizes he is Brahman and not the body. He transcends life and death. He is supremely above happiness and misery. His proximity induces moral and spiritual elevation in them who contact him.” e curse imposed by Agastya came to an end. e sheath called the python dropped down lifeless. Nahusha emerged radiant. Down came a chariot from heaven and conveyed him there. While ascending, Nahusha blessed Yudhishthira, his illustrious descendant. Bheema, the mighty man, became whole again. e two brothers embraced each other. ey returned to the asrama wondering over the strange possibilities in human life. Coming to know of the return of the Pandavas to Kamyaka forest, Krishna paid a visit to them. He took his wife Satyabhama along with him. e meeting was delightful to either party. e welfare of Subhadra, of Abhimanyu and of the ve sons of the brothers by Draupadi was forthwith communicated to the concerned party. e adventures and the experiences of the Pandavas were enquired into in all details. Arjuna’s exploits in particular were absorbing to his comrade Krishna. He wished his cousins well. Bright days were drawing nearer to them. e immortal sage Markandeya graced the asrama with his presence. Following in his wake the divine sage Narada also came. e
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august assemblance of these god-men charged the asrama with ethereal holiness. Markandeya was famous for telling inspiring stories relating to great men. at gi of his was availed of in full measure in the asrama. Even Krishna was captivated by those soul-elevating narrations. e passage of time remained unnoticed. Aer spending some memorable and divinity- charged days at the asrama in Kamyaka forest, Krishna and Satyabhama arranged to return to Dwaraka. ey encouraged the Pandavas and Draupadi in their pursuit of the path of righteousness. eir virtue would soon triumph over the wickedness of their sinister cousins. ey departed with this parting benediction.
7
One day a brahmana pilgrim, erudite in Vedas and endowed with character and austerity, presented himself at the court of Dhrtarashtra as the one who had come from the asrama of the Pandavas. e new arrival of this pilgrim roused the curiosity of the Kaurava group. e old blind king fondly enquired about the welfare of his nephews. e pilgrim replied in glowing terms about the acquisition of vast religious merit (tapodhanam) by Yudhishthira, of additional strength by Bheema from Hanuman, of celestial weapons by Arjuna from Siva and Indra and of mental calibre by Nakula, Sahadeva and Draupadi. Rishis and other holy men were constantly visiting the asrama. Krishna was with them more than once. All the visitors were sumptuously fed by Draupadi. In brief the asrama was a sanctuary of culture, martial rejuvenation and holy alliance. Dhrtarashtra wished he had not heard this information. e con ict in him was aggravated. He was torn between the passing sympathy for his nephews and the deep-rooted partiality for his demoniac son. He was wretched and sleepless. But the son was cocksure he had made his position impregnable. In place and out of place he dinned this idea into the ears of his blind father. Instigated by Karna and Sakuni, Duryodhana planned to visit their royal dairy farm adjoining the Kamyaka forest. On that plea they obtained permission from Dhrtarashtra. But their ulterior motive was to humiliate and put Pandavas to shame. ey moved on a large number
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taking their womenfolk along with them. Draupadi would languish for her lot while seeing the royal ladies strutting in neries. e banished Pandavas would feel dejected, seeing their cousins enjoying luxurious dinner. “ere is no pleasure equal to that enjoyed while vexing the enemy,” stated Sakuni. With high hopes of placing the Pandavas in humiliating situations they moved into the forest. e Kaurava groups came by a delightful lake with crystal pure water. A refreshing bath in it was what they wanted rst. But to their discom ture they found the lake already occupied by the gandharvas from heaven. Duryodhana ordered them to quit immediately. e heavenly beings atly refused to obey orders. A scuffle ensued. Quickly it developed into a pitched battle. e valiant Kauravas were thoroughly routed. Karna was disgraced, being deprived of his chariot. He ran away to save himself from further danger. All the others including the womenfolk were being tied fast and led away captives. It so happened that the overpowered Kauravas were being conveyed within the purview of the Pandavas. at sight delighted Bheema immensely. He ejaculated: ‘at is very ne; Duryodhana planned to put us to shame. He is paid back in his own coins. e gandharvas have meted out to him retaliation on our behalf.” But Dharmaputra objected to Bheema’s vindictive attitude. He pointed out: ‘ We may have our own family quarrels. But on that ground we should not allow an alien to molest our kith and kin. It is all the more so because our women also are being carried captives. While the Kuru House is in danger, we and the Kauravas are in self-defence.” In the meanwhile Duryodhana’s calling out to the Pandavas for help was heard. So Yudhishthira goaded: “We ought to rush to save anybody in danger. All the more so when the victims happen to be our relatives. To boot all these, Duryodhana pleads for our help. I should not touch arms now since I am engaged in a Yajna. All four of you, brothers, hasten to save our people.” Obedient to the brother’s behest the valiant younger ones took up arms and fought the gandharvas courageously. While the terrible con ict was still on, Chitrasena the generalissimo of the gandharvas revealed himself to Arjuna. e man who fought ferociously now fell
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prostrate in reverence to his guru in Indraloka. e war came to a dead stop. Arjuna politely asked his master why he carried the Kauravas captives. Chitrasena explained that Duryodhana had come in array to the forest with the object of mocking at the Pandavas in their adversity. He therefore took him and his retinue prisoners in order to punish them. At the request of Arjuna, Chitrasena led the prisoners before Yudhishthira for disposal. Dharmaraja admonished Duryodhana, his cousin, not to indulge in rash action. “O child, go back to your capital and live in peace. Spite never pays. Forget this mishap and be cheerful.” So spoke he viewing the offender as his own.
8
Duryodhana le the forest with his face cast down in shame and humiliation. He sent the retinue back to Hastinapura and stayed all alone. Karna came to him thinking he had returned victorious. He apologized for his own weakness and congratulated his comrade on his successful campaign. But Duryodhana acquainted him with his sad experience. Yudhishthira’s magnanimity freed him from slavery. He owed his life to the detested cousin. erefore he would not care to hold on to it any further. Installing Dusasana on the throne he would starve himself to death. But the younger brother fell at his feet and pleaded against that drastic action. Karna also did not countenance that cowardly course unbecoming a kshatriya. What the Pandavas did was but their duty to their king. Duryodhana was still adamant in his resolve. en the danavas and daityas made their appearance before Duryodhana and contended that if he died their con ict with the gods would be weakened. ey promised him victory over the Pandavas who were helped by the gods. is assurance made by the demons infused new life into him. He returned to Hastinapura and resumed sovereignty. News of the happenings in the forest had already reached the capital. Bheeshma summoned Duryodhana to the council hall and reprimanded him for his foolish action against his virtuous cousins. But the man was nonchalant. He remarked: “I know very well of the attitude of the grandfather. He always praises the Pandavas and censures me. Still I get on well.” He struck his thigh producing a sharp sound and walked away in de ance.
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“Ever since I saw the Rajasuya of Yudhishthira I am cherishing a desire to perform a similar one myself,” said Duryodhana to Karna, his comrade. e other responded quite favourably. “I am always at your disposal. e rst condition for the Rajasuya is to make all the other monarchs subscribe to it. I shall go round the earth and establish that supreme position. In the meanwhile let the other preparations be in progress.” e priests were duly consulted in the matter. ey opined that when Yudhishthira was alive the performance of Rajasuya by Duryodhana was improper. Further the son undertaking this sacri ce in the proximity of the father Dhrtarashtra was irregular. For these two valid reasons Rajasuya could not be performed. Instead, Vaishnava Yajna could be resorted to. It was equally meritorious and signi cant. e elders gave consent to it. Rapid arrangements were made for it. Invitations were sent to all the kings and dignitaries. An envoy was despatched to Kamyaka forest to invite the Pandavas to the coming Vaishnava Yajna. He communicated the message quite faithfully. Yudhishthira received it with pleasure. He wished the Yajna all success. But he and his brothers could not participate in it because of the conditions imposed on them for thirteen years. Bheema supplemented: “Please inform Duryodhana that aer the completion of the period of exile we shall perform a Yajna in which all the sons of Dhrtarashtra will be offered as oblation.” e man returned to Hastinapura and delivered this message verbatim to Duryodhana. e Vaishnava Yajna took place very well as planned. e invited kings were all immensely pleased. But the discerning ones among them could see into the superiority of the Yajna at Indraprastha. at apart, there was nothing wanting in the sacri ce at Hastinapura.e royal guests were all regally honoured and given farewell. Duryodhana attributed the grand success of the Yajna to the untiring efforts of the gallant Karna and thanked him heartily. He in turn renewed his pledge to serve Duryodhana loyally life-long. He swore he would not touch meat and wine until he killed Arjuna in the war to come. And this oath of allegiance reached the Pandavas through spies. ere was another noble and awe-inspiring vow that Karna took and stuck to it to the end. “I vow to gi my possessions to all who ask for
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them.” In and through the carrying out this pledge Karna immortalized himself.
9
That potent sage Durvasa who initiated the girl Kunti in the mysticism of invoking the various gods, now made his sudden appearance before the king Duryodhana. He had brought his ten thousand disciples with him and sought the hospitality of the monarch. He was capable of granting benevolent boons and of in icting, malevolent curses wrought with danger and destruction. It was very difficult to satisfy Durvasa. e slightest irregularity in serving him would provoke his furious wrath. Duryodhana knew of this danger very well. erefore he served the sage with all caution, liberality and perseverance. e exacting holy man was immensely pleased with the awless hospitality of the king. e latter was permitted to ask for a boon as a reward. Duryodhana snatched the opportunity and submitted: “Lord, you have blessed a half of this Kuru House by accepting our hospitality.e other half is in the forest serving the ascetics. Draupadi is intent on feeding them all day long. Deign to ask her for alms aer she has nished her noon meal. is is the boon that I beg of you.” Durvasa graciously consented to do so and made his way to the asrama of the Pandavas. Now Duryodhana, Karna and Sakuni gloated over the development that had taken place providentially. Draupadi would not be able to feed a single soul aer her noon meal. She had to keep the guests waiting for the morrow meal. at would infuriate the sensitive sage. He would explode curse on them. e damnation trap to the Pandavas had been set in that way. e Kauravas could not be blamed for the consequences. ey happily expected the fall of the Pandavas. In the aernoon on a ne day the sage Durvasa, together with his unwieldy retinue, graced the asrama of the Pandavas in exile. He was received by the brothers with due reverence and homage. He and his disciples were then requested to bathe in the river and come for meals. Accordingly they hastened to the river. But strangely enough their rst arrival at the asrama tallied with Draupadi’s nishing her noon meal. Akshaya patra-the inexhaustible vessel would not produce any more food for that day. Hearing of Durvasa and his army being invited for meals she got alarmed. She prayed to Krishna with all her heart, with all
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her might to save her from the ordeal. Krishna suddenly appeared there saying he was very hungry. It made the woman all the more miserable. She bitterly cried over her plight. Krishna understood her perplexity and asked her to fetch the inexhaustible vessel. Finding a morsel le over in it, he picked it up with delight. While consuming the morsel Krishna said, ‘My hunger is over. My stomach is full. Not at morsel more will I be able to consume.” As Krishna was making this statement Durvasa and his disciples in the river felt their stomachs lled to the full. No more eating was possible! ey would complicate the situation if they presented themselves in that state before Yudhishthira the virtuous. ey unanimously resolved to skulk away and made good their escape. Bheema who came in search of them found them all missing. at was how Draupadi’s predicament was removed. ere is a yoga power by which a perfect yogi can appease the hunger of the others through the appeasing of his own hunger. Krishna made use of that power to drive away the hunger of Durvasa and his disciples. ereby he saved the Pandavas from the imminent curse of the provocative sage Durvasa. One day all the ve brothers were out hunting. Draupadi was alone in the asrama with a few attendants. Jayadratha the king of Sindhu happened to pass by the asrama. Sighting Draupadi he courted her love unceremoniously. She told him who she was and reminded him of the impropriety of his conduct. He simply brushed aside her explanation, brutally put it to her that the fugitive Pandavas did not deserve to own her as wife and asserted that as a king he could claim any woman to be his wife. In a tussle she knocked him down twice. But he proved himself stronger. He bound her hands and feet, put her in his chariot and carried her away by force. e Pandavas scented danger in the asrama and hastened back. Draupadi was missing. e attendants reported the mishap that overtook her. e brothers gave a chase and arrested the assailant. A battle ensued. e villain was subdued. Bheema pulled him down from the chariot and trampled on him until he became unconscious. While in that state his hair was clipped leaving ve tus which made him look grotesque. When he regained consciousness he was tied with a rope and led like a bull to the presence of Yudhishthira in the asrama. Bheema then sought
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the permission of his brother to kill this Jayadratha the wicked king of Sindhu. Yudhishthira : “is man is aer all our brother-in-law, the husband of Dussala our youngest sister by Gandhari. Let him be pardoned and let his life be saved.” Jayadratha went his way with a drooping face. But he did not return to his kingdom. On the banks of the sacred river Ganga he performed austere tapas to propitiate Siva. Many were the days that he spent in penance. e Great God appeared before him and asked what he wanted. “Lord, give me the power to kill the Pandavas in the ensuing war,” was the boon he begged for from Siva. “Krishna is protecting the Pandavas. erefore they are invincible. I can just make your prowess felt by them for a while. More than that I cannot do,” replied the God of gods. Jayadratha was pleased that his prayer was heard to that extent at least.
10
Twelve years of forest life was about to be completed. A few months more and it would be over. At that time an incident took place. e re churning rod of a brahmana got stuck up by chance to the horns of a deer. e animal got frightened and took to its heels. e dismayed brahmana ran to the Pandavas and requested them to get the stick back from the eeing deer. e brothers gave it a prompt chase. Aer drawing them on far away into the forest, the elusive deer mysteriously disappeared. e brothers were parched with hunger and thirst. ey sat exhausted under a banian tree. “Our failure to do a good turn to a brahmana is an indication that we have become feeble in the discharge of dharma,” observed one of the brothers. Bheema remarked: “Revered brother, when the wicked Dusasana dragged Draupadi to the assembly, I ought to have killed him. My failure in duty is the cause of this calamity.” Arjuna added : “I remained passive when Karna defamed Draupadi in the court. If I had slain him then and there, this evil would not have taken place.” Sahadeva said: “If only I had done Sakuni to death when he triumphed in the game of dice, we would not have failed in this tri ing incident.” Yudhishthira received their observations with a smile. He asked Nakula to search round and get some water to quench their thirst.
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Nakula found a lake with crystal pure water. He rushed to allay his thirst rst and then carry water in his quiver for his brothers. A voice was heard: “is lake belongs to me. First answer my questions and then take water.” e man looked round. Nobody could be seen. He drank water and fell down apparently dead. Finding Nakula not come, Sahadeva was sent forth to nd out the brother and to fetch water. irdly Arjuna was sent. He was shocked to nd both the brothers dead, but with no wound on them. He discharged a mystic weapon to kill the invisible enemy. “Your arrow has no effect on me. Answer my questions rst and then take water,” was the warning that sounded in the air. “I shall appease my thirst rst and then answer you,” replied Arjuna. He took water and fell dead. Yudhishthira was puzzled over the undue absence of the three brothers. He feared some mishap might have overtaken them. With anxiety he looked at Bheema. “Brother, please see what became of those valiant ones. Also bring me some water. I die of thirst,” muttered he. e other hurried away without a word, but with apprehension. Bheema saw the three brothers lying dead. His grief and anger can be imagined. “Surely the yakshas have done this havoc,” concluded he. “I shall hunt and wipe them out. irst allayed I shall do the job well.” So saying he got into the lake. e voice: “ Bheema, beware. If you do not answar my questions you will also perish.” “You rogue, who are you to dictate terms to me?” So challenging he quaffed off water, only to fall dead. e forlorn Yudhishthira wailed bitterly. He feared the brothers were dead. And he was himself dying of thirst. He tottered in search of his brothers; he panted for water. He dragged himself to the pool. He saw the brothers lying lifeless. He sobbed and wept: “Is this the end of our pledge! Our cousins will be quite happy now. How shall I face my mother and Draupadi? Why has not death consumed me also? Providence is not merciful. But I nd no trace of ghting here. e faces of my brothers do not indicate death. I shall allay the parching thirst and then investigate further.” e disembodied voice : “Your brothers died because they did not pay heed to my words. e same will be your fate if you also disregard me. Answer my questions rst. en I permit you to quench your thirst. is pool belongs to me.”
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Yudhishthira inferred that it was a yaksha who was speaking. ere was also a possibility of his brothers coming back to life. He submitted : “You say this pool belongs to you. In that case I have no right to take water from it without your permission. Please raise your questions. 1 shall try to answer them to the best of my ability.” 1.
Question : What makes the sun shine ? Answer : e cosmic power of Brahman. Q : How can man become great? A: Man becomes great by asceticism. Q: Study of which science makes man wise? A: Not by book learning but by association with the enlightened does man become wise. Q : Who rescues man in danger ? A: Courage Q : Who is a brahmin? A: He is a brahmin who dedicates his life for the welfare of all beings.
6.
Q: Who is a kshatriya ? A: He is a kshatriya who lays down life in defence of dharma. Q: In providing sustenance who is nobler than the earth ? A : Mother Q : Who is higher than the heavens ? A: Father. Q : What is faster than the wind ? A : Mind.
10.
Q : Who is the, best company of a traveller ? A : Learning, better than man. Q : Who accompanies the dead ? A : Dharma. Q : What is happiness ? A : Clinging to good conduct.
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Q : Abandoning what, man becomes universally loved ? A : Pride. Q : e loss of what yields joy ? A : Anger. Q : Renouncing what man becomes rich ? A : Desire. 16.
Q : Which is the best gain ? A : Health. Q : What is tranquillity? A : Contentment. Q : Who creates heaven and hell ? A : Mind. Q : What is the origin of grief ? A : Ignorance.
20.
Q : What loss cannot be compensated ? A : Ill-spent time. Q : What is the wonder of wonders ? A: Countless lives are dying constantly. Still the living man thinks he will live for ever. is is the wonder.
ese and several other questions and answers transpired between the two. e invisible questioner was immensely pleased. He said: “O, good soul, I give life to any one of your dead brothers. Whom do you want?” Yudhishthira: “May you be pleased to give Nakula back to me.” e Voice : “ is is very strange. Bheema and Arjuna are your own brothers. And they are mighty warriors, invincible as they are. Discarding them, why do you choose a second rate warrior, the son of some other woman ?” Yudhishthira: “ Winning the war is not my main concern. I must serve my parents with devotion. My father married Kunti and Madri. erefore both of them are my mothers. My duty is to see that each has a son; I should not render one sonless when I can help her have one.”
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e Voice : “You are magnanimous. e like of you cannot be seen anywhere. So I give you back all the brothers.” All of them woke as from sleep. eir thirst, hunger and fatigue had all vanished. Yudhishthira: “My brothers are unassailable even by gods. But you meted out death and life to them. I desire to know who you are.” A resplendent form revealed itself. It spoke: “I am Dharma, your heavenly father. All that took place now were contrived by me in order to test your steadfastness. I am immensely pleased with you. Ask for the boons you want.” Yudhisthira fell prostrate at the feet of his father. His joy knew no bounds. He asked: “Father, I must restore the re churning stick to the brahmana. Please get it to me.” It was the god Dharma that assumed the form of a deer and carried away the stick. It was now returned. Yudhishthira: “We have spent the twelve years of forest life successfully. We pray, bless us that we may terminate the incognito life unscathed for one year.” God Dharma: “ You will not hide yourself in any forest or mountain cave; you will not ee to any heavenly region for concealment; but you will be in society rendering useful service. Still your identity will not be traced by anybody for one year. My blessings are with you.” So saying Dharma became invisible again. Twelve years of forest life were very usefully spent by Yudhishthira. It was all due to the company of holy men. ey were engrossed in matters supramundane. ey were absorbed in the stories of great men and women. ey engaged themselves in the discussion of philosophy. Now the time had come for them to part with the Pandavas. Not even the holy men ought to know anything about their plan for ajnaata vaasam—life incognito. With reluctance Dharmaputra requested all of them to disperse. e endless feeding of the guests with aid of akshaya patra-the inexhaustible vessel came to a happy end. e holy assembly of brahmanas, ascetics and rishis dispersed. q
4. VIRATA PARVA e Pandava brothers sat in a secluded place in the forest and discussed their plan of action during the hiding period. Aer a brief consultation they hit upon the kingdom of Matsya ruled by the king Virata. at country was prosperous and at the same time obscure. e monarch was of mature understanding and devoted to the path of virtue. He liked the Pandavas and disliked the Kauravas. His kingdom was the proper place to go underground. Arjuna pleaded that while all the others would purposely take to menial tasks in that place, Yudhishthira was to occupy a digni ed post. He who performed the Rajasuya sacri ce was not to demean himself even as an expediency. Draupadi’s case was rather knotty. A beautiful young woman engaged as a domestic servant in a palace would be exposed to unthinkable perils. Bheema and Arjuna were to guard her secretly. Everything else would be easy and adventurous. e line of action being decided, they moved on mysteriously and mainly at night. On the outskirts of the city of Virata was a cemetery where the brothers had an important
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work to do. ere was a huge tree in a forlorn spot. Within the cavity of that tree they hid their weapons. ey hung a corpse on that tree in order to make it loathsome to strayers. en they separated themselves hoping to meet at the palace posing as strangers and adepts on different footings. As he walked along Yudhishthira prayed to Goddess Durga for protection. She appeared in vision and assured him safety and success during the ajnaata vaasa and in the pending war. He then presented himself to king Virata Kanka, a learned brahmana, skilled in dice. Virata remarked: “Your bearing indicates nobility. You seem enlightened. I entertain you as my companion. You shall acquaint me with great ideas and dice with me when at leisure.” A few days later Bheema presented himself at the king’s court, as Valala by name, an expert cook. He had a ladle in his hand as a symbol of that profession. He assured he would treat the king to delicious dishes. He would also entertain him with his feats in wrestling. e king was amazed at the new comer’s physique. e man was worthy of being the marshal of an army. All the same he was appointed as the head cook in the palace kitchen. An uncouthly attired woman pushed her way to the presence of the king and introduced herself as a eunuch named Brihannala. According to the curse of Urvasi in Indraloka, Arjuna had become that eunuch. She was an adept in singing, dancing and in playing on musical instruments. She offered to teach those ne arts to the princess Uttaraa, the daughter of the king. is case beset the king with an anomaly. Eunuchs were generally imbecile; but this gure in woman’s garb beamed with manliness. Her gait was royal and the demeanour majestic. e person had to be carefully observed. All the same, the appointment sought for was granted. “When the king Virata was inspecting the horses in the royal stable a handsome man presented himself as an expert in grooming horses. He offered his service for mere food and clothing. Being attracted by the comeliness of the man the king absorbed him in the stable management. It was Nakula who sought this job mentioning his name as Damagranti.
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It was the wont of the king to go round the royal dairy farm every morning and evening. One day when he was enquiring about the welfare of the cows a stranger gave more information than the usual cowherds could do. It was Sahadeva who went there giving his name as Tantripala. e king Virata observed that this man was surely a brahmana or kshatriya posing as a vaisya. Without probing further into his personal matters he was taken in as a cowherd. Maid servant is the meaning of the word Sairandhri. Choosing it as her proper name Draupadi walked in the streets of the city of Virata. She had put on dirty rags. Still her beauty could not be concealed. People on the road jeered at her all along. is awkward scene caught the eyes of the queen Sudeshna who was looking round from the balcony of her palace. She took pity on the lonely woman teased by a vagrant crowd. So she had the distressed woman taken away into the palace by the maid servants. e queen was moved by the pathetic look of the woman and the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Kindly enquired by her the forlorn new-comer said: “My ve gandharva husbands are separated from me for one year by a curse. It will be annulled aer twelve months. Till then I want protection from you. I am Sairandhri. I can make ower garlands for you and I can decorate you artistically.” e queen thought for a while. en she made the matter plain: “I have no difficulty in giving you shelter for one year. But your beauty is the handicap. It is sure to rouse up the passion of any blooming man.” Sairandhri: “I shall con ne myself to your inner apartments. Furher, the gandharva husbands are invisibly protecting me. If I be molested my husbands will kill the offender.” e fugitive woman was graciously admitted into the queen’s appartment and kind treatment assured.
2
Creatures gain stamina by being exposed to extreme heat, cold
and wind. But hot house plants continue to be delicate and always in need of protection. Nature provides the required weathering to all beings. Man is no exception to this law of life.
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Misfortune moulds his character more than fortune. Pandavas had been seasoned and tempered through all eventualities in life. ey had seen prosperity and adversity. ey had known smooth sailing and being tossed in troubled waters. rough the twelve years of asceticism they had become robust in mind. rough one year of self-chosen menial service they proved the sanctity of life at all levels. e entertainment pertaining to the adoration of Siva was the foremost among the festivals celebrated in the city of Virata. is chief festival used to be prolonged for a few days. A day was set apart for wrestling match which attracted competitors and spectators from far and near. In the year in which the Pandava brothers stayed there incognito the contest was keen. An unknown alien wrestler defeated all the local athletes. His boast that his opponents were mere boys was embarrassing to the king. Kanka (Yudhishthira) noted the king’s predicament and suggested: “I saw several times your new cook Valala (Bheema) demonstrating ne feats. He may be able to combat against this vainglorious wrestler.” e king straightaway summoned Valala from the crowd and ordered: “Kanka says you are good at wrestling. See if you can face this audacious athlete.” Valala never anticipated an opportunity would present itself to him in the manner it did. “For the glory of my king I shall do what I can” he shouted and ran to the arena. Very politely he challenged the victor of the day. e duel ensued. It was like two lions ghting. Valala enforced self-restraint. erefore the combat prolonged. Aer a sensational. display of talents Valala vanquished the arrogant champion. e king was delighted. e people became hilarious with joy. Queen Sudeshna had a brother Kichaka by name. Powerful man that he was, the brother-in-law of the king that he was, he enjoyed the highest post in the kingdom as the commander-in-chief of the army. He was virtually the king of the Matsya country. Ten months had already passed away peacefully to the pandavas. Trouble was then brewing. is Kichaka saw Sairanhri (Draupadi) by chance in the inner apartments of his sister, the queen. At the very rst
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sight he fell in love with her. He spoke shamelessly to his sister demanding that the maid servant be handed over to him. e sister’s imploration to the contrary had no effect. Her warning that the stranger was protected by ve gandharvas was ingored. He would either have the woman or die for her. So vehement was the lust in Kichaka. Sudeshna ordered Sairandhri to go to Kichaka’s mansion and bring wine from there. e woman pleaded to spare her and to send some one else on that errand. e plea was not heeded. She had to obey orders. e poor woman prayed to God for protection and went. Her apprehensions were correct. Seeing her Kichaka went mad with lust. He begged her with solicitations. She pointed out the impropriety in him. He caught hold of her by the hand and dragged her. e servant woman snatched herself away and ran to the court. e enraged Head of the army ran aer her and kicked her in the open assembly. “Is there no protection to a forlorn woman in this kingdom?” she implored. Including the king Virata all were silent and somewhat terri ed. For Kichaka was a terror to one and all of them. Kanka and Valala (Yudhishthira and Bheema) were in the court. But they were helpless. Because the recti cation of a small evil should not expose them to the danger of self-identi cation. Valala was all the same getting excited. Kanka suggested that he went and split fuel for cooking. e man caught the hint and quitted the court. e king saved his face stating that since the dispute between the commander-in-chief and the menial rose in the inner apartment, it was proper that the queen enquired into it and did the needful. Draupadi met Bheema in secret and presented her plight. Due to overwork her palms had become hard. But she did not mind it. Toil one should, when demanded by circumstances. She added: “Kichaka is bent on having me. But I am not prepared to stake my chastity. Either you save me, or I commit suicide. ere is no other go.” Bheema thought for a while. en he suggested to Draupadi: “You pretend response to his lustful proposal. Ask him to meet you alone at midnight in the dance-hall. I shall ambush there and attend to the rest.” is strategy was agreed upon.
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Draupadi acted very tactfully. Kichaka was beside himself with joy and expectation. He entered the dance-hall at the dead of night. It was kept open. A dim light was burning within. A human gure fully covered with a sheet was seen lying on a couch. e man’s heart was beating fast. He approached and woke up the supposed stealer of his heart. Instead, a giant sprang up and scuffled Kichaka. e man fancied he was perhaps a gandharva who protected Sairandhri. A terrible duel ensued. Bheema crushed Kichaka to death, pounded the body into a huge lump of esh intermingled with bits of bones and le it there. Bheema had a bath, applied sandal paste to his body and slept well. In one form or another superstition sprouts in the mind of man at all times and in all places. e typical superstition is that supernatural beings commingle with human beings to make or mar the affairs of the world. Such a belief gained ground overnight in the city of Virata. Including the king the entire populace believed that the gandharvas had killed Kichaka, the unassailable. Sairandhri was viewed with awe because she was protected by the gandharvas. Misbehaviour or wrong attitude towards her was wrought with danger! e king was diffident to deal with that mysterious woman. He directed the queen to somehow send her away without causing her displeasure. Sudeshna was grieved over the loss of her brother Kichaka. She was pained for the mishap to Sairandhri. So she presented her dilemma and persuaded the strange woman to quit the city in peace. e refugee woman pleaded her case: “You have been merciful to me for more than eleven months. Hardly a month remains for my redemption. My gandharva husbands are watching your hospitality to me with gratitude. ey will more than recompense you for your kindness. ey will even atone the loss of your brother. No more evil will befall you. Please have mercy on me.” is prayer had its effect. Sudeshna agreed to keep Sairandhri with her till the end of the month.
3
Duryodhana
had engaged the best of his spies to detect the whereabouts of the Pandavas. ey roamed the earth, searched every nook and corner, city, town and village, forest and mountain, but they could not nd out the royal absconders. e spies returned to
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Hastinapura and swore that the fugitives were either dead or gone beyond the sea. ere was no trace of them anywhere in the known lands. Duryodhana wished his cousins were dead. Still he called a council and consulted. Karna showed concern because the period of concealment was practically over. He suggested that a new group of spies should be despatched forthwith. Drona maintained that the Pandavas would not perish and that they would not be detected. Bheeshma supplemented Drona. e Pandava brothers never deviated from dharma. Krishna’s grace was on them. ere was prosperity wherever they stayed. Rainfall was regular because of them. People never quarrelled in their presence. e Pandavas would not be harmed by anybody. Bheeshma added that Duryodhana would prove himself magnanimous if he returned the kingdom to the Pandavas aer having enjoyed it for thirteen years. A new set of spies brought the news from Virata that the valiant Kichaka was killed by a gandharva due to his rude behaviour with a woman. Duryodhana gave thought to this incident. He surmised that the gandharva was none other than Bheema and the woman none other than Draupadi. Evidently the Pandavas were in disguise in Virata. If it was invaded the Pandavas were sure to defend it out of gratitude to their protector. But if they chose to remain hidden even in that crisis, they could be easily combed and brought to light aer taking the city by storm. According to the terms agreed upon the Pandavas would be then obliged to go into exile for another twelve years. e war strategy was next arrived at. Susarma, the king of Trigarta was to invade Matsya from the south. He said: “Virata, the king of Matsya is my enemy. Kichaka who troubled me constantly is now dead. Virata is therefore weakened. Let me attack him now and take possession of his cows.” Duryodhana said: “e Matsya monarch refused to ally with us. Susarma shall attack him on the south a day early. A day later we shall attack him on the north. He will not be able to hold out on both the fronts. We shall subjugate him. We shall plunder his cows. We shall detect the Pandavas and thereby render Virata’s protection to them futile.” With this decision they dispersed for quick action.
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4
The
cowherds of the south pen brought dispatch to the king Virata that all his cows were being taken away by Susarma, the king of Trigarta. e king surmised that this bold invasion was due to the death of the mighty Kichaka. Still he quickly mobilized his army. His brothers also joined him. Kanka volunteered his service. He said he was trained fairly well in warfare. He also recommended the cases of Valala, the robust cook, Damagranti, the able horsegroom and Tantripala, the fearless cowherd. Virata sensed there was martial element in all the four of them, the new additions to the palace servants. He ordered the provision of armours and chariots too to the promising but unknown warriors. Kanka felt glad because he could get an opportunity to repay the king for the hospitality shown to him and other men. e Matsya army headed by its king Virata pursued the Trigarta army in hot haste and surrounded it. A battle ensued. Fierce was the ght. e loss of life was heavy on both the sides. Susarma managed to capture Virata prisoner. at grave act caused confusion in the rank and le of the Matsya force. It started getting scattered and scared away. But the newly volunteered warriors rose equal to the crisis. ey took up positions and rallied the army infusing courage and fervour into it. e sinking army sallied. ere was a dramatic change of the fortunes of the day. Induced by Kanka, the supposed cook Valala rushed to rescue Virata. He approached a tree with the object of uprooting it. At once Kanka warned: “Do not apply your favourite technique here. We cannot afford to betray our identity for a few days more. Fight like an ordinary man.” Valala controlled himself and acted as directed. He defeated Susarma, bound his hands and feet and carried him to his own chariot. e enemy force surrendered. Virata felt extremely thankful to his rescuers. e victory was communicated to the city. It received the information with joy. People became jubilant. ey decorated the city to receive their victorious king in a tting manner. Duryodhana was correct in his conjecture that on the day of his invasion Virata would be defenceless. He marched his mighty army to
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the northern ranch and drove away the cattle towards his capital. e men in charge of the ranch were helpless. ey ran to the city to report the plunder; but they found the king’s court empty. ey hastened to the dance-hall and saw the young prince Uttaran playing on veena. On hearing about the attack the prince became concerned over the lack of a good charioteer. He boasted, “Half of the success in a combat depends on the charioteer. If I had a good charioteer I would scare away the Kauravas as vehemently as Arjuna would do.” Sairandhri responded to the prince stating, “is Brihannala is as good a charioteer as she is a musician and a dancer.” Taking the emergency into consideration that woman also responded to the call, put on the armours, yoked the horse to the chaiiot and drove the prince in the direction of the ranch. With weapons in hand Uttaran picked up courage and rode away bent on doing his best. Brihannala found out the locality of the Kaurava force and drove the chariot there. But seeing the gallant warriors in array Uttaran got frightened, jumped down from the chariot and ran away to save his life. But Brihannala chased the young prince and infused courage into him. e prince was simply trembling. It may be noted here that many a hero started his career as a timid creature and concluded it as a gallant ghter. is scene was placed so near the Kaurava force that it could all be seen by individuals in it. Drona gauged that the woman charioteer had traits resembling those of Arjuna. Karna’s surmise was that the lonely prince was charioteered by an uncouth and timid woman. It was absurd to associate Arjuna with this weakling. But Kripa endorsed Drona’s views. Duryodhana got annoyed at all those wild conjectures. He was in favour of wiping them out of existence whoever they were. Brihannala caught hold of the imploring prince and cheered him up: “Be not afraid. He who ees from a hard situation achieves nothing. Fear ruins a man. You simply drive the chariot. I shall defeat the enemy and recover your cows. e glory of it will be yours.” So saying she had put him on the chariot and asked him to drive it towards a tree near the burial ground. Brihannala bade the prince climb the tree, discard the seeming corpse, look into the cavity and pick up the leather case hidden there.
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Uttaran did as directed. He was amazed to behold a bulky container. He brought it down. When opened, weapons shining like the sun were found in it. e prince’s curiosity knew no bounds. e truth was revealed to him in this wise: “ese weapons belong to us, the Pandavas. Kanka is none other than Yudhishthira.Your new stout head cook is Bheema. I am Arjuna. Damagranthi, the horsegroom and Tantripala, the cowherd are Nakula and Sahadeva respectively. e maid servant Sairandhri is our queen Draupadi. We have all sought asylum in your kingdom for our career of concealment for one year. A few days more and we shall emerge in our true status. Till then you please do not reveal us even to your parents.” e prince was stunned. He stood aghast at the revelation. He simply agreed to be the charioteer.
5
The lion-emblemed ag was removed from the top of the chariot and the monkey-emblemed ag was substituted to indicate the warrior who had come to arrest the aggression. Drona said: “Ah, here comes my beloved disciple Arjuna whom no mortal or immortal can assail. I am delighted to see him aer thirteen years.” Karna complained: “We made a mistake in bringing this brahmana to the war eld. He praises the enemy and thereby damps the zeal of our soldiers. e proper place for him is the council hall and the yaaga saala.” Duryodhana came to the point: “We invaded this country to help Susarma who has been constantly harassed by Kichaka. Susarma’s attack has drawn away Virata and his entire force. Our main object of the expedition is to bring to the open the Pandavas who have gone underground. Now that we have detected one of them before the expiry of the period, they are obliged to go into exile for another twelve years.” Kripa warned: “Single handed, Arjuna has so far done many deeds of valour. Now he will not spare us who have been directly and indirectly parties to the harassment of the Pandavas. Now let us collectively defend ourselves.” Aswatthama observed: “We have come here to lay hands on the Matsya cows.We have not yet taken them to Hastinapura. ey are still within the bounds of the Matsya kingdom. Great men do not brag. ey
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act. But we brag a lot. Heroes do not annex empires by playing dice. ey win by open warfare. Arjuna has come to reclaim the cows. We have to answer his Gandiva bow. Dice will be of no avail here.” Bheeshma, the grandsire, intervened. He remarked: “e observations made by Drona, Kripa and Aswatthama are true. Karna’s insolence has created confusion and controversy. His blunder may be forgiven and forgotten. Dissension among the leaders is bound to create anarchy in the army. Taking the crisis time and place into consideration we shall have to patch up. Please combine and get ready to face the situation.” Drona said: “I have not taken Karna’s criticism to heart. I have ignored it as a child’s prattle. But I have a doubt to be clari ed by you. Arjuna advances vehemently. Duryodhana says his period of concealment is not yet over. What have you to say in the matter?” Bheeshma said: “Pandavas never deviate from dharma. Astrological calculation asserts that two months have to be added to every ve years for the settlement of all earthly commitments. According to it Yudhishthira has erred on the right side. He has lived ve extra months in exile in order to avoid dispute. Arjuna’s movement is therefore regular.” Drona: “ In that case we shall immediately send away Duryodhana and the cattle to Hastinapura. Otherwise he may kill the king because of his long cherished anger.” Manoeuvre was made according to this suggestion. Duryodhana was made to withdraw from the eld. e others stood combined to face Arjuna. Arjuna shot two arrows simultaneously. One of them fell at the feet of Drona as a mark of adoration to the Guru. e other whizzed near his ear as if praying for permission to ght. Not nding Duryodhana in this group Arjuna had his chariot directed to where he was retreating with the cattle. e rst and foremost act was to redeem the cattle from the plunderers by putting them into confusion with deafening noise and ying arrows. e released cows ran back headlong to the byres, the cowherds following them joyfully.
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e regaining of the cows was merely the beginning of Arjuna’s triumph. He next pursued Duryodhana. But the gallant Kaurava warriors intervened. ey surrounded Arjuna and assailed him. Marvellous was the way he held them at bay. Defending himself from the rest he fought vehemently with Karna and drove him away from the battle eld. He next attacked Drona and compelled him to retreat. Aswathama put pressure on Arjuna next. e engagement between the two was awe-inspiring. e son of the Guru got exhausted and withdrew. Kripa took up his place and fought furiously. He also tasted defeat and withdrew, the whole army was very soon routed by Arjuna.Bheeshma then rallied them and assailed Arjuna. e combat between the grandfather and grandson was terrible to behold. e gods themselves came down to witness this phenomenon. e grandfather grew tired and sought rest. Arjuna now assailed his arch enemy Duryodhana. is king was defeated in no time and he ed from the battle eld. ‘Shame on you, devoid of kshatriya calibre,’ taunted Arjuna.is ridicule roused up some manliness in Duryodhana. He picked up courage and returned to ght again. Presently all the other heroes joined him. It was a sight to see one man holding at bay a band of celebrated warriors. Aer proving himself more than a match to all of them put together, Arjuna employed the sammohana astra—the stupefying weapon. Its effect was that the enemy host fell down unconscious. Arjuna stood as the monarch of the situation. He directed Uttaran to strip the Kaurava heroes of a few of their ne silk scarfs. is done, Arjuna drove away victorious from the scene. Aer a while the Kaurava heroes woke up as from sleep. ey stood up and surveyed the situation. ey found themselves relieved of their scarfs. at act indicated that Arjuna had defeated them Crestfallen, humiliated and grief-stricken they returned to Hastinapura. Arjuna and Uttaran drove triumphant to Virata. On the way the weapons were again hidden in the cavity of the same tree though just for a few days. e prince was told to keep the event secret until the Pandavas revealed themselves. Brihannala drove the chariot into the city.
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6
Susarma, the king of Trigarta, was the aggressor. But he was completely subdued by Virata. For that reason Virata was given jubilant reception in the city. But the prince Uttaran was not there. On enquiry the king came to know that Uttaran had gone alone to arrest the Kaurava force that invaded the north zone of the city. He had Brihannala the eunuch only to chariotteer for him. e king became dejected because he was sure his beloved son would have been killed in the affray. Forthwith he sent a strong detachment to save his son if he was still alive. Kanka tried to cheer up the king reassuring him that no evil would befall the prince when accompanied by Brihannala. In the meanwhile the glad news came that Uttaran had defeated the Kauravas and had recovered the kine. e king was not prepared to believe this impossible rumour. Kanka reassured: “When Brihannala went as the charioteer the prince’s success was inevitable.” e man went on repeating this statement giving the credit to a eunuch in preference to the prince. e king got annoyed. He ung the dice on the face of Kanka. It hurt his forehead and caused blood ooze out. Sairandhri who was nearby wiped the blood in the edge of her cloth and squeezed it into a gold cup. is act incurred the displeasure of the king. At once the sensible woman gave her explanation: “He is a holy man. If his blood falls on the ground the country will have no rains for a number of years.” e arrival of Uttaran and Brihannala was announced to the king. Permission was given to their being brought in just then. But Kanka sent word that Brihannala might come aer sometime. For if she saw Kanka bleeding on the forehead, that would lead to an unwanted complication. Uttaran entered and paid homage to his father, the king. He turned round to pay homage to Kanka, now knowing who he was. e hurt on his face horri ed the prince. “Who dared hurt this great one?” he demanded. e father gave a brief account of it and slighted it.
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“Father, you do not know who he is. Please fall at his feet and plead for pardon. Otherwise we will all be destroyed,” exhorted Uttaran. And the king conceded because the prince had become a hero all on a sudden. e elated father then embraced the son and enquired: “My boy, it is incredible you could do this deed of valour. How could you defeat the invincible Kaurava force and how could you redeem our kine?” e prince: “I did nothing whatsoever. Rather I was hesitant. A superhuman prince did everything. He will come here soon and bare the facts.” When the prince Uttaran started on the expedition against the Kauravas his sprightly sister, the princess Uttaraa requested Brihannala to snatch for her pieces of ne silk from the victorious battle eld. e brother was providentially able to conquer. Brihannala gave her the scarfs taken as booty. She was delighted to receive them from her music teacher. Aer three days the Pandava brothers and Draupadi took bath,dressed themselves in royal robes and entered the king’s court hall. Yudhishthira sat on the throne and the others on the seats be tting royalty. With the ministers and courtiers the king Virata entered the chamber and found his throne occupied! He gazed at the occupant and said: “Kanka, I have been liking you as the dice player in my court. Now you sit on my throne in royal attire. is behaviour does not be t you. Explain yourself if you want to save your life.” Yudhishthira sat silent smiling at the angry king. Arjuna said: “is is Yudhishthira worthy of sitting on Indra’s throne. Have you any objection to his sitting on your throne?” Virata was amazed. He was speechless for a while. en he asked: “If this is Yudhishthira who are the others that have been in my palace?” Arjuna introduced the several self-chosen domestic servants including himself as the Pandava Princes of the illustrious Kuru House. Now Uttaran thought that he was free to tell his tale to his father. He said: “Father, it was Arjuna who fought the battle for us. I was his charioteer. He seems docile here. But what a divine power he
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demonstrated there! Single-handed he routed the Kaurava heroes and their army. He is the saviour of our Kingdom.” Addressing Yudhishthira, the king Virata submitted: “Lord, you have been pleased to live incognito in my palace for one year. I implore you to pardon my scanty hospitality. Because of your divine presence in my country rainfalls have been regular, good on the increase and evil on the decrease. ere is an all-round prosperity. I surrender myself, my kingdom and my everything to you.” Yudhishthira stretched out both of his hands, held Virata’s right hand and expressed: “ I am immensely pleased with you. We have been able to spend the hardest part of our exile very happily in your city. We came here as strangers. You treated us with affection. I am happy we have become friends.” Virata felt grateful. He turned to Arjuna and pleaded: “is princess Uttaraa has been well trained by in music and dance. You please honour me by accepting her for wife. Anything short of it will not give me satisfaction. Marriage alliance welds the relationship permanently.” Arjuna said: “I have been treating this child as my daughter all along. at is a supermundane relationship. Now I cannot change my attitude. I shall, however, accept her as my daughter-in-law. She may be married to my son Abhimanyu. ereby your wish is ful lled and my preceptor attitude remains untarnished.” is proposal was acceptable to all. At this juncture a messenger came from Hastinapura with Duryodhana’s ultimatum, “We have seen Arjuna before the expiry of the thirteenth year. You must therefore go to the forest for another twelve years. Deviation from the mutually agreed terms amounts to fall from your wont path of righteousness.” Yudhishthira laughed aloud and sent a return message, “Let our adored grandfather Bheeshma say whether the thirteenth year has been passed through or not. As his true grandsons may we abide by his decision and thereby bring credit to our lineage.” e Pandavas took their residence in the city of Upaplavya belonging to Virata. News spread everywhere that the Pandavas had
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emerged from their ajnaata vaasa. Friends and well-wishers started coming in large numbers. Krishna and Drupada were of course the rst among them. e meeting between the Pandavas and Krishna was very touching. e former submitted: “By your grace, Krishna, we have completed the thirteen years of exile. We are here to carry out your will.” Draupadi stood stunned while tears were owing down her cheeks. Krishna wiped her tears and said: “irteen years ago I promised you in the Kamyaka forest that I would redress your humilation. I will ful l that promise. e day is near when you will smile. e sinner who tampers with woman’s sanctity shall not escape punishment.” Subhadra and her son Abhimanyu arrived. at youth was the prototype of his father, Arjuna. In certain respects there was the possibility of his excelling his father. Sudeshna was pleased to receive the mother and son. Other relatives poured in quick succession. Happiness was written large on the faces of all. Quick arrangements were made for the marriage of Uttaraa and Abhimanyu. ey be tted each other perfectly. With all joy and solemnity the marriage was performed. Several kings who came to meet Yudhishthira participated in it. Further it was an occasion to discuss the life issues pertaining to here and hereaer. Dharmaraja of mature understanding and severe austerity was competent to guide them on rightlines q
5. UDYOGA PARVA 1
The marriage of Abhimanyu over, the invited kings had all gathered in the assembly hall of Virata. e future of the Pandavas had to be decided. Krishna stood up and reviewed the position. He suggested that a t person should be sent to Hastinapura on behalf of Yudhishthira. He should politely ask the king Duryodhana for the half of the kingdom due to Yudhishthira. Balarama spoke next. He pointed out that Yudhishthira made a mistake in asking Sakuni to gamble with him. What had been staked in a game could not be reclaimed. Let the envoy plead for some kind of concession. Satyaki, the Yadava warrior, opposed Balarama’s standpoint. Yudhishthira was dragged by his uncle and compelled to play with Sakuni. e fraudulent terms of exile have all been ful lled. Let the kingdom be honourably returned or let it be reclaimed by a righteous war. e question of begging did not rise. Drupada endorsed Satyaki’s views. He pointed out that Balarama’s view of the issue was distorted. Drupada would send from his kingdom to Hastinapura a capable ambassador
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who understood the political situation in its true perspective, who would present the case precisely and strongly. More emergent than that was the expedient enlistment of the allies. It was the wont of the kings to respond to the rst requisition. Yudhishthira was therefore to be quicker than Duryodhana in apprroaching the rulers of the world for alliance. Drupada’s plan of action was appreciated by Krishna and the other assembled kings. ey dispersed for the quick mobilization of their respective armies. Because war was imminent. Duryodhana was all along on the war path. Now that it had come quicker then he anticipated he was hectic in preparing for it. He sent envoys to his friends seeking their alliance. e movements of the princes and the armies created stir everywhere. Duryodhana personally hastened to Dwaraka to enlist the alliance of Krishna. Following in his heels Arjuna also was there on the same mission. Krishna was then in slumber just for a while. Duryodhana entered the sleeping chamber and occupied a solitary chair behind the head of Krishna. Arjuna followed him and stood at Krishna’s feet with folded hands. When Krishna opened the eyes his gaze naturally fell on Arjuna standing at the feet. Greetings were exchanged. e help that Arjuna sought for was promised. Duryodhana’s presence was then announced by Arjuna. Krishna turned about and noticed him. He in turn presented his case. Since he was the rst to come in, he was, in conformity with dharma, entitled to Krishna’s help. at was Duryodhan’s plea. Krishna said: “Duryodhana, you came tome rst So you are entitled to my help. But I saw Arjuna rst. erefore he is also entitled to my help. I shall help both of you. I shall divide my everything into two parts. Unarmed I form a part. My army and warriors put together form the other part. Of these two, one will go to you and the other to Arjuna. Since he is younger to you let him choose his requirement rst. What is le over will be at your disposal. Is my deal fair?” Duryodhana had nothing to say against this dispensation. Arjuna thought for a while. He chose the unarmed Krishna to help him on the
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battle eld. Duryodhana was delighted at heart; because army was to him all in all in the warfare. Man’s attainments are known in his choice of equipments. God and His grace is all in all to a devotee. He feels: “When God is for us, who can harm us; when God is not for us, who else can protect us?” Duryodhana next went to Balarama for help. But Balarama said: “I defended your case as best I could at Virata. Krishna, howerver, is de nitely in favour of helping the Pandavas. I cannot and I should not ght against my brother. I shall be neutral. I wish you well.” Duryodhana was con dent his mission to Dwaraka was quite successful. He gloated over Arjuna’s folly. e late Madri was the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva. Madri’s brother was Salya, the ruler of Madradesa. He was requested by the Pandavas to help them in the impending war. Salya was determined to ght for his beloved nephews. With a huge army he marched towards Upaplavya, the camping city of the Pandavas. Duryodhana came to know of Salya’s intention and movement. He played a trickery on the way. Fine sheds were erected at the halting places and the unwieldy army was sumptuosly fed and entertained. Salya thought that Yudhishthira had made all these excellent arrangements for the bene t of his army. So he said: “I must reward all of you who have taken so much pains to serve me. Please get Yudhishthira’s consent to my expressing my gratitude in this way.” e servants went and reported to Duryodhana their king the intention of Salya. at was exactly the development that Duryodhana wanted. He immediately hastened to Salya and exclaimed: “I am highly honoured by your acceptance of my hospitality.” Salya was amazed. He never expected this grand entertainment from the opponent king. So he exclaimed: “What you have done is a magnanimous act. Please tell me how I may repay you.” Duryodhana’s trickery was successful. Promptly he requested: “You and your army will please join me in the ensuing war. is is the reward I ask from you.”
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Salya was entrapped. He was stunned. He could not go back on his statement. He said: “True to my commitment I shall ght for you. But let me rst see my nephews who have emerged from a great ordeal. Aer consoling them I shall be at your disposal.” e wily Duryodhana agreed. Salya’s meeting the Pandavas at Upaplavya was full of emotion. eir past hardships and the present welfare were all lovingly enquired into. at act calmed the mind of the Pandavas. ey counted upon their uncle and his army as a great asset and source of strength in the coming war. But Salya presented his predicament. It came to the Pandavas as a bolt from the blue. ey had to reconcile themselves with the reverses of war alliance. Aer a deep thought Yudhishthira made a request to Salya. If he ever happened to act as charioteer to Karna during the war, he was to recount the valour of Arjuna to Karna at that critical time. at kind act would recompense the loss. Salya agreed to do so. Allies and armies were enlisting themselves to both the contending parties. Duryodhana had eleven Akshauhinis to his credit while Dharmaraja had only seven to count upon.
2
Drupada’s priest arrived at Hastinapura as the envoy of the Pandavas. He pleaded the justice of their cause. eir paternal property had been usurped by Duryodhana. e new kingdom that they had built for themselves had also been snatched away by illicit means. e proper course was to restore to them their kingdom according to promise. War, the alternative course, would prove disastrous. Bheeshma supported the case of the Pandavas. But Karna stoutly opposed it. Dhrtarashtra sent back the priest stating that he would depute Sanjaya to present the case of the Kauravas to the contending cousins. Aer a few days Sanjaya presented himself at Upaplavya as the messenger of Dhrtarashtra. He conveyed greetings in abundance, but no word about the restoration of Indraprastha. e wayward Duryodhana would not part with an inch of land. But on that issue the Kuru House should not exterminate itself by mutual slaughter. Dharma
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holds the life of mendicancy holy; but it does not sanction the war of self-annihilation. Yudhishthira was requested to make note of these points and refrain himself. at was the message that Sanjaya brought. Yudhishthira said he was not inclined the war way. But if it was imposed on him he would not recoil from it. He was quite prepared both for peace and war. Peace should be on honourable terms. His selfearned empire should be restored to him. Above all he would abide by Krishna’s decision. Krishna said he was interested in the welfare of both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He would personally go to Hastinapura and plead for a peaceful settlement bene cial to both the parties. If his intervention was ignored the result would be disastrous. Sanjaya was sent back with this message. At Hastinapura Sanjaya rst met Dhrtarashtra in private and explained to him the true picture of the situation. Yudhishthira obeyed the uncle as implicitly as he would have obeyed his own father if he had been alive. at obedience was deliberately exploited in order to ruin him. But he had withstood the ordeal. Duryodhana on the other hand forced his father to be party to his wickedness. He would on no account obey the father. is partiality in Dhrtarashtra was the slur on his character. Sanjaya secretly pointed out this plot in the blind king and then took leave of him. He offered to explain to all in the court on the next day the result of his mission to Yudhishthira. e guilty conscience was torturing Dhrtarashtra. He did not have a wink of sleep. He sent for Vidura and sought his advice. at wise brother held a long dialogue all through the night. He pointed out that the wicked had no rest. In spite of being plundered the Pandavas thrived because of righteousness. In the midst of plenty the Kauravas had no peace of mind because of their wickedness. e father was in agony and the son was turning a desperado. Dhrtarashtra felt like turning over a new leaf, but the esh was weak. His fondness for the son would not allow him on the right path.
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Sanjaya the messenger appeared before the assembly of the Kaurava warriors and presented a true picture of the peace and war preparations of the Pandavas. at report led to a long drawn debate, evincing all discord and hardly any concord. It may be summed up as follows: Bheeshma: “Arjuna and Krishna are the sages Nara and Narayana come on earth for the destruction of the wicked and the protection of the virtuous. If they choose to wage the war their enemies would all be wiped out. We will do well to reconcile with them.” Karna: “is old mad Bheeshma is treacherous. He is physically with us and mentally with our enemy. He is all praise to them and all censure to us” Bheeshma: “I should not misguide you; neither should I give you false hope. Fraudulent play at dice is the only venture in which you have been successful. ere has not been a single warfare in which you have triumphed over the Pandavas. When you were all led captives by the gandharvas in the forest, it was the valiant Arjuna who saved your lives. You, Karna, individually escaped capture and took to your heels. at was your heroism. e other day when we invaded Virata all the six of us the Kaurava warriors were subdued by Arjuna, single handed. Still you brag of your valour and victory in the ensuing war.” Karna: “ is old man does not understand that failure is a stepping stone to victory. He mistakes manoeuvres for defeats. He is a fatalist. So I am not going to rally with him. I shall not take up arms until he is defeated by his hero Arjuna. And when I take up arms, it will be for the destruction of Arjuna, the invincible according to this pessimistic and senile grandfather.” So saying Karna le the assembly in protest. Dhrtarashtra: “What the head of our family says is correct. All great men advocate peace in preference to war. I am also inclined that way. But these fool-hardy youngsters go headlong in their own way pay no heed to my advice.” Duryodhana: “ Father, please listen to me. I am not as rash as you think. If there was kshatriya element in the Pandavas they would have
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revolted, when we humiliated them aer their defeat in the game at dice. Whereas they are duffers. ough I was the rst to approach Krishna for the war alliance, he, out of mercy permitted Arjuna to choose between himself unarmed and his fully equipped army. at stupid Arjuna chose the unarmed Krishna in preference to his mighty army. I have gained Krishna’s army, the thing wanted for war. I have at my disposal eleven akshouhinis, while Arjuna has only seven akshouhinis. e Pandavas are therefore afraid of defeat and beg for ve villages for their sustenance,” Dhrtarashtra: “But you give them back their kingdom and prove your generosity. Both of you live like loving cousins. at relationship will delight me.” Duryodhana: “I am not prepared to part with ve needle-points of land. Let them clear away to the forest.” So saying he le the assembly abruptly.
3
There was consultation again at Upaplavya aer Sanjaya le the place. Dharmaraja surmised that the Kauravas were not prepared to part with any little portion of the kingdom which they had misappropriated. In this crisis he sought the advice of Krishna. Bheema who was all along bubbling for war opined at this stage for an honourable and peaceful settlement. Unusual was this gesture on his part. Arjuna visualized the havoc entailed in the war. Krishna offered to go on peace mission to Hastinapura. Dharmaputra discountenanced it apprehending danger to life. But Krishna assured him of his proof against attack. Draupadi bitterly sobbed reminding Krishna of the rampage on her modesty in the assembly at Hastinapura. Krishna was visibly moved by this pathetic sight. He said: “I go on peace mission. But Duryodhana will drag us into a war in which the wrongs done to you will be more than avenged.” is statement brought some consolation to Draupadi. Krishna moved on to Hastinapura accompanied by Satyaki. Hearing that Krishna was coming to his capital the king Dhrtarashtra issued orders that a magni cent reception was given to him. Duryodhana had stately pavilions erected at several places in his honour. But Krishna moved on casting not even a glance at them.Vidura pointed out to
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Duryodhana that Krishna would not be enticed that way. His mission was to seek redress for the crimes perpetrated against the Pandavas. Anything short of it would not satisfy him. Duryodhana plotted to imprison Krishna, but the elders protested against such a base action against an ambassador. Krishna was jubilantly received by the crowd when he arrived at Hastinapura. He drove rst direct to Dhrtarashtra’s palace and greeted him. en he went to Vidura’s house. Kunti welcomed him with profuse tears thinking of her sons’ tribulations in the forest. Krishna consoled her reminding her of the bright days that would soon dawn on her sons. He next called on Duryodhana and exchanged greetings. Duryodhana requested Krishna to dine with him. But the other declined stating that an envoy should not dine with a king before the ful lment of his mission. Duryodhana pursued the issue further: “You are the impartial wellwisher of the Kuru House. en why do you alienate yourself from one half and attach to the other?” Krishna rejoined: “e Pandava brothers have never deviated from dharma. ey are virtuous. You are their sworn enemy intent on destroying them. e enemy of the virtuous is my enemy too. Until you reckon them as yours I shall have to keep aloof from you.” So saying Krishna returned to Vidura’s house. Vidura and Krishna reviewed the position. Duryodhana was arrogant and self-willed. Going to his court was undesirable.at was the view of Vidura. But Krishna contended that mediation to the last minute was to be made irrespective of the result. On the morrow Duryodhana and Sakuni appeared before Krishna and invited him to the court at the instance of Dhrtarashtra. Krishna responded to the call. Vidura accompanied him. Krishna was received with due honour at the court of Hastinapura. All the elders and the kings allied to the Kauravas stood up and paid homoge to the venerable visitor. e preliminaries were over. Krishna stood up and addressed: “O Lord, when the Kuru kingdom was declining, it was Pandu your younger brother who revived its glory. When Pandu passed away in the forest, his sons came to you as orphans and depended on you as they did on their father. At the start, O Lord,
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you did well by making Yudhishthira the virtual ruler. He was and he ever is as obedient to you as he was to his father. You took advantage of that obedience and brought a series of tribulations on your nephews. It is providential they escaped murder and many calamities deliberately brought on them by your son. You are tacitly a party to your son’s sinful designs. Yudhishthira is prepared to forgive and forget all those atrocious crimes, is prepared to be your obedient nephew provided his self-earned kingdom is returned to him according to the terms then imposed.” Dhrtarashtra explained himself: “I am ever for a peaceful and honourable settlement of the domestic dispute. But my son does not obey me. In company with Karna and Sakuni he is having his own perverse way. Krishna, you please put him on the right path “ Krishna then turned to Duryodhana and spoke very kindly: “Your acts should be t your noble birth. Please desist from the way of the lowborn. Greediness is characteristic of the base-born. Whereas benevolence becomes a born monarch. May you be a monarch to the core. Obeying your parents and befriending your virtuous cousins will enhance your power and glory. On the contrary, the war path will annihilate the noble Kuru House and many other royal families.” Bheeshma and Drona supplemented Krishna’s solid advice. ey pleaded with Duryodhana to be considerate. Making peace with the Pandavas was the only means to avert calamity. Vidura spoke next in the same strain. Duryodhana’s father and mother begged of him not to be obstinate. Duryodhana made his statement: “All of you seem to think that I am to blame for all that has happened. I am the indisputable crown prince of the Kuru dynasty. ey went out of the way and crowned Yudhishthira the king. What he gained by luck he lost by his worthlessness. In a game of dice Yudhishthira staked his empire and lost it. We returned his empire to him. He staked it again and lost it. at is not my fault. “Now the Pandavas have allied themselves with the Panchalas and declared evil war against the Kuru House. But I am better provided than
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they. I have eleven divisions of army against their seven. e invincible warriors such as Bheeshma, Drona, Kripa, Aswathama and Karna are on my side. I will surely win the war. Even if I happen to be defeated it is immaterial to me. As a true kshatria I am prepared for victory and defeat. My cause is just. So I am not afraid of threats. I pay no heed to persuasion. Knowing that the empire is mine, I am not prepared to part with a pin-point of land to the Pandavas.” So saying he walked out of the assembly, showing no regard whatsoever to the elders. Duryodhana then plotted to capture Krishna captive. News of it created a stir in the court. But Krishna was amused over the developments. He simply revealed his cosmic form which confounded the plotter. Dhrtarashtra was fortunate to get his eyesight for a while to perceive that divine possibility of Krishna. And he did not pray for eyesight to see anything else. But the perverse Duryodhana failed to infer the consequences of the divinity siding with his enemy. All attempts to avert con ict proved futile. War became inevitable. Accompanied by Vidura and Satyaki, Krishna drove direct to his aunt Kuntidevi and reported to her the developments at the court. Kunti said: “Blessed am I, a kshatria woman, in begetting sons who are to wage a righteous war. May they fare well in the coming war. Krishna, kindly convey to them my blessings.” Krishna hastened to Upaplavya.
4
Before leaving Hastinapura, Krishna had a private talk with Karna. e truth about the origin of the latter was revealed by the former. Karna was actually the rst born son of Kunti when she was still a small girl. e power of a mystical formula (mantra) made her beget him of the deity Surya. Her virginhood was not affected thereby. Karna was therefore, according to dharma the eldest, son of Pandu, the heir to the throne of the Kuru House. If the Pandavas come to know of it they would with delight and reverence install him the king. Duryodhana would heartily welcome the revelation of the origin of Karna and would happily join the Pandavas in installing Karna the king of the Kuru House. e deadly war would be automatically avoided. All those happy developments were in the hands of Karna. Karna fully believed in all
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that Krishna said. But for three solid reasons he refused to accept his identity. Firstly his foster-parents should have the satisfaction that Karna was their dear son. Secondly he would not modify his friendship with Duryodhana for any reason whatsoever. irdly he had pledged to kill Arjuna. He would not withdraw that pledge. So until the war was over Krishna was requested to keep the Karna episode a secret. Krishna appreciated his manly stand. Sometime later Kunti called on Karna in secret and revealed her relationship to him. She pleaded with him to join the Pandavas, his own brother. But Karna stoutly refused. He was intent on killing Arjuna. However, for the sake of Kunti he would not take up arms against the other four brothers. Either he would kill Arjuna or be killed by him. Kunti was to claim Karna as her own if he survived the war. If he succumbed she was to place his head on her lap in the battle eld and bemoan revealing his identity as her rst son. Till then the truth about him was to be kept strictly concealed. at was his plea with his mother who remained unknown so long.
5
Krishna returned to Upaplavya and narrated all that took place at Hastinapura. War was the only alternative open to them. Without any further delay they prepared themselves for it. ey appointed Drupada, Drishtadyumna, Virata, Sikhandin, Satyaki, Chekitana and Bheema as the commanders of the seven divisions. Suggested by Arjuna and Krishna, they anointed Dhrishtadyumna as the supreme commander. He was the valiant son of Drupada. He escorted his sister Draupadi at the swayamvara and gave her away to Arjuna in marriage. For thirteen years this brother was keeping in mind the insults and humiliation heaped on his sister at the court of Hastinapura. He was given the opportunity to avenge those wrongs. As he assumed charge of the entire force there were simultaneous shouting of the warriors, the blowing of conches and the trumpeting of the elephants. e Pandava army cheerfully entered the battle eld at Kurukshetra. Duryodhana approached the grandsire Bheeshma in reverence and prayed to him to become the eld marshal of the Kaurava force.
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Bheeshma said, “I abide by my promise to you. My valour is at your disposal. Warriors in thousand I shall slay. But I shall not kill the Pandavas. ey are as dear to me as you and your brothers are. I repeat, this war is not approved by me. I draw your attention to another point. Your friend Karna is at loggerheads with me. He has pledged not to ght when I am the commander. You may therefore entrust the leadership with him all through. I shall discharge my duty as directed by him.” But Duryodhana anointed Bheeshma the rst generalissimo of his forces. Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, came to Kurukshetra and saw the large concourse of armies gathered for mutual annihilation. Because he was the teacher of mace ght both to Bheema and to Duryodhana he loved both of them alike. ey were now intent on killing each other against the wish of Balarama. Unwilling to be a witness to this con ict Balarama went away on pilgrimage. q
6. BHEESHMA PARVA 1
The armies of the Pandavas and the Kauravas met at Kurukshetra and formulated codes of warfare. e day’s ght should cease at sunset and there should be friendly contact at nights. Single combats were to take place between equals only. e ght was to be consistent with dharma. Verbal ght was to be met by similar verbal ght. e runaways from the battle eld were not to be killed. Chariot warrior against chariot warrior, horse warrior against horse warrior -in this manner the combat was to be balanced. ey that surrendered were to be protected. No attack was to be made on one engaged in combat with another. e one that was not yet ready for war, the one that had lost the weapons and the one that was retreating were not to be killed. e drummers, the conch blowers, the charioteers, the horses and the arms suppliers were not to be killed. Vyasa made his appearance before Dhrtarashtra and announced that the deadly war was about to commence. If the born blind king wanted to witness it Vyasa offered to give him eye sight. But the king said it was not worth
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—while to gain sight to see the mutual slaughter of his kith and kin. He had, however, no objection to hear a true account of it presented to him. Vyasa gave Sanjaya the divine eye to grasp the happenings and narrate them to Dhrtarashtra. Arjuna wanted to see the warriors who dared oppose him. Krishna placed the chariot just in front of Bheeshma, Drona and Karna. Seeing the venerable grandsire and the revered guru, Arjuna became dejected. He did not want to wage the war against those adorable entities. Krishna was now compelled to enlighten him in regard to the philosophy of life. ‘It is impossible for the embodied to renounce work. Discharge of one’s duty is a trust. If one does one’s duty as an act of the adoration of the Almighty one does not get tainted by that karma. Rather that is the only way to gain the maximum bene t of the life in the mundane. at is also the means to transcend the limitations of the life in the mundane.’ Incidentally all the systems of yoga are expounded. is dialogue goes by the name of the immortalized Bhagavad Gita. e war was about to commence. Just then Yudhishthira got down from his chariot, laid down his arms, removed his armour and walked to where Bheeshma was on the enemy side. is act of his was interpreted variously by the warriors on either side, each according to his disposition. Duryodhana said: “ere is no kshatriya element in this shameless man. He comes cringing before our chief for some favour.” Whereas Yudhishthira’s, behaviour bespoke his magnanimity. He walked round Bheeshma prostrated before him and submitted: “It is no desire of mine to ght against my adorable grandsire. But you know wherein dharma is. If you permit, I shall ght against you.” Bheeshma said: “I am glad you have come to me in right time. I have agreed to ght for the Kauravas with all my might. But you will win the war. Because dharma is on your side and Krishna is protecting you.” Yudhishthira: “You are invincible. How shall we vanquish you?” Bheeshma: “Time has not yet come for me to divulge that secret to you. Go and ght with me vehemently.” Yudhishthira prostrated again before his grandfather, proceeded before Drona and prostrating before him said: “Homage to you my
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guru. I have no intention to ght against you, my revered preceptor. But dharma compels me to discharge my duty. I seek your permission in the matter.” Drona said: “You have done the right thing in seeking my permission to ght against me. Circumstances compel me to ght against you. I have to discharge my duty to the best of my ability. But you will win the war. Because dharma is your weapon and Krishna’s grace is on you.” Yudhishthira: “But how shall we be able to defeat you, the invincible?” Drona: “Nobody will be able to subdue me when, weapon in hand,I wage the war. But if I get afflicted by any sad event communicated to me by a truthful person, then my weapons will fail me. en only will I be defeated.” Yudhisthira returned to his army, put on the armour, lied the arms and resumed his chariot.
2
The fatal war commenced. Duel war and promiscuous war, sankula yuddha took place on the rst day. Like one rolling wave dashing against another the two armies charged against each other. e uproar created thereby was tremendous. e warriors shouted their lion-roars, drums beat, trumpets blared, elephants trumpeted and horses neighed. e dust raised hid the sun, arrows ew like blazing meteors. Relatives fought against relatives forgetting their family bond. Bheeshma’s chariot moved everywhere leaving terrible carnage behind. e rst day’s battle was not encouraging to the Pandavas Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, was the only young warrior who distinguished himself on that day. Uttaran, the son of Virata, and Salya encountered each other. Uttaran was slain Infuriated by his brother’s death Sveta, the rst prince of Virata, charged on Salya vehmently. His deed of valour was admired by friend and foe alike. But Bheesma struck him dead. ousands of warriors perished on the rst day. e day’s battle was encouraging to Duryodhana and discouraging to Dharmaraja.
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e second day war commenced. e reverses of the rst day were taken note of by the Pandava forces for their consolidation. Dhrishtadyumna the Generalissimo arrayed the forces in krauncha shape. It resembled a bird. is ancient war manoeuvre was a science best known to themselves. e Kauravas made a formation to match against it. Bheeshma easily splitted the krauncha formation and started slaying the Pandava warriors wholesale. Charioteered by Krishna, Arjuna dashed before his grandfather and attacked him vehemently. Prolonged and awe inspiring was the deadly war between the two. Elsewhere Drona and Dhrishtadyumna fought ferociously. e former proved himself superior to the latter. At that stage Bheema came to relieve Dhrishtadyumna. Duryodhana sent the Kalinga forces to arrest Bheema’s ferocity. But Bheema routed the whole army including the king and the prince. Bheeshma rushed to the rescue of the Kalinga division. is grandsire was attacked by Satyaki and Abhimanyu. Satyaki slaughtered Bheeshma’s charioteer. e horses therefore bolted away dragging Bheeshma’s chariot far away from the battle eld. Arjuna was now le to himself to reduce the Kaurava forces as he liked. e morale on the Kaurava side was deteriorating. At sunset ght was brought to an end for the day. e third day battle : Bheeshma was resolved to make up for the reverses on the second day. He ordered his forces assume garuda vyuha, kite formation. Prominent warriors were placed in strategic positions. Bheeshma himself occupied the head. In order to counteract this force Dhrishtadyumna the head of the Pandava army decided to place his forces in the crescent formation. Bheema and Arjuna occupied the horns of the crescent. e battle began in all fury. Ghastly was the ow of blood. Satyaki and Abhimanyu together managed to destroy Sakuni’s forces. Bheeshma and Drona together attacked Dharmaraja’s army. Bheema and his giant son Ghatotkacha attacked Duryodhana’s army. e son wrought more havoc than the father did. A sha shot by Bheema made Duryodhana fall unconscious in his chariot. He was quickly removed to prevent demoralization in the army. Aer gaining consciousness he returned to the front and demoralized his generals in another way. He blamed the
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generalissimo: “Grandsire, I note you are not doing your best. Evidently you have a partiality for the Pandavas. You could have frankly told me your intentions instead of leaving me in the lurch.” Bheeshma smiled and answered: “I warned you, you will not win the war in spite of the best of my efforts which I will not stint for any reason whatsoever.” Bheeshma was a knower of Truth. He knew the worth of the phenomenal life. He neither hugged nor hated it. Praise and censure could not affect his poise. He acted as in sport because he had nothing to gain. is Bheeshma roused himself to action. He chose to destroy the Pandava forces. e annihilation that he wrought was tremendous. e morale of his victims was sinking. Krishna reprimanded Arjuna that he was not putting forth his maximum valour. It was perhaps due to his regard for his grandsire. So Krishna himself chose to take up arms and do away with Bheeshma. He abandoned charioteering and, the all consuming divine disc Sudarsana in hand, rushed towards the grand old warrior who was pounding the Pandava forces wholesale. is sudden and unexpected change of event delighted nobody else more than it delighted Bheeshma himself, the target of Krishna’s unfailing weapon. Bheeshma extolled: “Lord, be pleased to exterminate me. While alive I am resolved to wipe out the Pandava forces. Your doing away with me will be a blessing to me in disguise.” Arjuna ran aer Krishna and caught hold of his feet. He pleaded: “Because of my torpor you have taken up your all powerful weapen. You gave word you would not ght. But you have deviated from your promise to make up for my torpidity. I assure you I will ght with all my might. Pray withdraw from this resolve.” Krishna became paci ed. He resumed charioteering. Arjuna stirred himself up. He fought with all fury. His superhuman performance pleased the opposing grandfather. Warriors on either side gazed at his ght with amazement. e twang of his Gandiva rent the air like thunderbolts. Constant and appalling were the falls of chariot warriors,
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elephants, horses and infantry. Ten thousand was the number of chariot warriors accounted for before sunset on that day. Corresponding numbers of elephants, horses and soldiers were slain on that day. e main talk that night was of Arjuna’s extraordinary valour.
3
On the fourth day Bheeshma arrayed his armies very strategically. He meant to mop up the the enemy forces as best as he could. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, forged ahead form this side. e warriors were amazed to nd this lad as gallant as his father. Dhrishtadyumna, the commander of the Pandava armies, split the head of the son of Sala, causing great commotion in the enemy forces. Bheeshma and Arjuna fought valiantly. Elsewhere Duryodhana and Bheema fought ferociously. Bheema killled eight brothers of Duryodhana. Ghatotkacha the giant son of Bheema slew the enemy forces right and le. His slaughter terri ed the enemies. us ended the fourth day engagements. Dhrtarashtra complained: “Sanjaya, every day you supply me with sad news. How shall my son win the war at this rate ? Fear overtakes me.” Sanjaya said: “l am obliged to tell the truth. is tragedy is your own creation.’’ Duryodhana could not sleep that night. He walked to the tent of Bheeshma and submitted in sorrow: ‘’Grandfather, I have lost eight of my brothers. Invincible are our heroes. Yourself, Drona, Aswatthama, Kripa, Kritavarma, Bhoorisravas, Nikarna and Bhagadatta are capable of defeating the gods in war. Why could you not protect my brothers? I am not able to understand the mystery behind the success of the Pandavas. Please enlighten me this point.” Bheeshma smiled and said: “My child, I have been all along warning you of your weakness. Your enmity and injustice to the Pandavas are pulling you down. No power on earth or in heaven can save the sinner. Because of their righteousness Krishna is protecting them. And Krishna is the Incarnation of Narayana. He is going to rid this world of the wicked people. You cannot escape the consequences of
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your iniquity. Know this and reconcile yourself with the Pandavas. Otherwise you will be doomed. Even now it is not too late for you to redeem yourself.” Duryodhana re ected for a while and le the grandfather’s tent. All night long he had no sleep. But there was no thought of self puri cation. On the h day the battle commenced in hot haste. Bheeshma adopted makara vyuha or the alligator shape to his forces. In response to it Dhrishtadyumna arrayed his armies in syena vyuha or the hawk form. Sankula yuddha or the total affray was the order of the day. e mutual slaughter was terri c. Arjuna killed thousands of warriors on the day. ose that rushed against him perished like moths in a blazing re. On the sixth day the Pandavas arrayed their armies in makara vyuha, alligator form. e Kauravas resorted to krauncha vyuha or the bird shape of the armies. Bheema and Drishtadyumna were the heroes of the day. ey destroyed a large portion of the Kaurava forces. e war on the seventh day was ferocious. All the leaders on either side took part in it and got exhausted. Sweet music at night brought balm to them. Krishna’s ute is the counterpart of his conch the Panchajanya. On the eighth day Bheeshma arrayed oormi vyuha of his armies, appearing like an occean. In order to counteract it the Pandavas resorted to sringataka vyuha which was destructive of all hostile arrays. It looked like horns. At the very start Bheema killed eight of the brothers of Duryodhana. In agony Duryodhana pleaded with Bheeshma to slay Bheema. But the grandsire expressed his inability to kill any of the Pandava brothers. He could only destroy their forces. Ghatotkacha killed a considerable section of the Kaurava forces on that day. Before sunset Bheema slew eight more brothers of Duryodhana thereby bringing their total loss to twenty four. Duryodhana again approached Bheeshma and pleaded with him to kill the Pandavas. It was not impossible for him if he only decided to do so. Bheeshma simply repeated the statement: “Pandavas are protected
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by Krishna. No power on earth or in heaven can harm them.” But that was the point that the evilminded Duryodhana could not understand. He sincerely believed that his action was right. On the ninth day, war was resumed more vehemently than before. Bheeshma had his force arrayed in sarvatobhadra vyuha. ‘Safe on all sides’ was its meaning. In order to combat with it the Pandavas had their forces arrayed in an equally impregnable form. ere were terri c duels between Satyaki and Aswatthama and between Drona and Arjuna. Aer a while all the Pandava brothers together attacked the grandsire. Try however much, they could not assail the oldest man in the war front. e morale of the Pandava forces was deteriorating. At this juncture Krishna took up his chakra ayudha for the second time and rushed to do away with the veteran warrior. Bheeshma said: “Blessed am I that you choose to release me from mortal coil.” Arjuna ran aer Krishna and implored him not to deviate from his pledge to be unarmed in this war. e sun set in the west. e weary warriors suspended the day’s struggle.
4
That night Krishna and the Pandava brothers called a council and
reviewed the war situation. Nine days struggle had not brought forth any tangible result other than the destruction of countless warriors on either side. Without vanquishing the grandsire the war would not come to an end. Krishna could do it but he should not, taking his pledge into consideration. Arjuna had vowed to vanquish the veteran. at decision remained unachieved. Prior to the break of war Bheeshma had told Yudhishtira: “I am resolved to ght for Duryodhana. But the war will reveal your uprightness. You will get back the empire.” is prediction indicated his genuine interest in the welfare of the Pandavas. e best course therefore was to ask Bheeshma himself about the ways and means of vanquishing him. With this deliberation they moved on at midnight to the camp of the grandsire.
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Bheeshma received Krishna with veneration. His lial love for the Pandavas was self-evident. Perhaps he knew it was the last earthly contact with those grandsons. ey presented their case pointedly. Arjuna said: “Grandfather, I am determined to defeat you. But I nd it impossible. Please tell me how I may achieve my purpose.” Bheeshma said: “ Krishna and Arjuna alone can kill me. Krishna can kill me even when I am armed. But Arjuna can kill me only when I am unarmed. I am endowed with unlimited powers But my arms will fail me when a woman or eunuch chooses to ght with arms against me.” “In those good old days, in a swayamvara in Kasi, I carried away by force three princesses named Amba, Ambika and Ambalika to become the queens of our Kuru House. Aer being brought to Hastinapura Amba the eldest said she had already mentally given herself away to the king Salva. erefore with proper escort I sent her to Salva. But he refused to accept her who was won by another king. en she came back to me with her tale. I refused to accept her on the ground that she was devoted to somebody else. is Amba had a grudge against me thinking that I spoilt her career. She made penance to Siva and obtained a boon to kill me. She took rebirth as the daughter of Drupada. en she became a boy now called Sikhandi. I was avoiding this Sikhandi these nine days. Make him ght with me tomorrow. My arms will fail in his presence. Let Arjuna ght standing behind him. en I will be defeated. May you inherit the kingdom and live in peace.” is clue and benediction gave new life to the Pandavas. ey returned to their camp and slept in peace.
5
The tenth day of the great war dawned. e Kauravas had arrayed the asura vyuha; the Pandavas had arrayed the deva vyuha. With Sikhandi in the forefront the Pandava forces marched Bheeshma was well protected on all sides. So was Sikhandi too. Seeing this effeminate warrior Bheeshma’s anger was roused, but he contained himself. Sikhandi attacked Bheeshma. Counter-attack from the other was not possible. Bheeshma’s bows were broken by Arjuna, his javelin was
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smashed and his mace shattered. Bheeshma was helpless because of the presence of Sikhandi. Arjuna simultaneously warded off the arrows of the enemies and rained his arrows on the grandsire who informed Dusasana that his body was proof against the arrows of the other warriors. Not an inch of space on his body was le unpierced by Arjuna’s arrows. Bheeshma fell from the chariot causing awe in the minds of all the warriors on either side. e war was stopped for the time being. He was the great son of Ganga, came on earth to sanctify it. He was as pure as purity itself. e sacri ce that he made for his parents was immense. His renunciation of the earthly pleasures was spontaneous. Duty for duty’s sake found its explanation in him. He who defeated Parasu Rama met with defeat now for the rst time. It was so because the cause he championed was ignoble. Wickedness does not triumph even when supported by a deity of Bheeshma’s calibre, is the lesson for humanity. Bheeshma made that sacri ce for the good of mankind. Bheeshma fell, but he did not die. Time was not auspicious to cast the body. Because sun was still in the southern path. A few days more and it would change to the northern path. He had decided to retain the body till then According to a boon he had received from his father he had command over death. at boon was utilized now. e fallen body of Bheeshma did not touch the earth due to Arjuna’s countless arrows bristling all over it. But the head of that wounded warrior was drooping. He called for a pillow. e kings ran hither and thither and brought a few cushions. Bheeshma smiled seeing them. He asked Arjuna for a tting pillow. at grandson manipulated three of his arrows on the Gandiva in such a way that their butt ends got into the earth and the sharp points stood vertical. Bheeshma’s head was made to rest on them. As a kshatriya Bheeshma had a bed of arrows on the battle eld. ree pointed arrows provided by Arjuna served as pillow. Bheeshma felt thirsty. He asked for some drinking water. e princes brought it in a pitcher, but it was not acceptable. He gazed at Arjuna. e grandson took the hint. He sent an arrow piercing into the
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earth Pathala Ganga gushed out to quench the thirst of her son. Gangaputra was happy.
6
Bheeshma called
Duryodhana by his side and persuaded him thus: “You have seen how it has been possible for Arjuna to bring Ganga water from the nether world. No other human being can do it. Arjuna knows the weapons of all Gods including Siva and Vishnu. Nobody can vanquish him. Reconcile with him. Let all enmity end along with my death. Give back Indraprastha to the Pandavas and earn their friendship. Otherwise you, your brothers and your forces will all be wiped out. Before I breathe my last, I give you this warning. What I say is for your good.” Duryodhana remained silent. He did not relish the counsel of the grandfather. His feeling was that the grandfather did not serve him whole-heartedly. As medicine tastes bitter to the dying man, Bheeshma’s advice was unpalatable to the incorrigible Duryodhana. Applying yoga dharana, Bheeshma detached his mind from the wounded body and remained in super- concious state. Karna came to see Bheeshma in the dead hours of the night when nobody was awake. Shedding profuse tears of torment he touched the feet of the pain- stricken grand old man. Bheeshma in grave undertone: “Who is he that wets my feet with hot tears?” Karna in choked voice: “I am Radha’s son Karna, despised by you, for my rude behaviour. I crave your forgiveness.” Bheeshma: “I only curbed your calumny about the Pandavas who did no harm to you.” Karna: “My love for Duryodhana prompted me into that indulgence.” Bheeshma : “ But you are not Radha’s son You are a divine child of Kunti. e Pandavas are your younger brothers.”
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Karna : “ Krishna revealed it to me at Hastinapura. But then, grandfather, how did you probe into this mystery ?” Bheeshma: Long ago, Narada divulged it to me and to Vidura. He had directed us to keep it hidden until the proper time came.” Karna: “I pray to you to keep it hidden until I lay down my life ghting for Duryodhana.” Bheeshma : “By revealing your origin just now, you can put an end to this unwanted war.” Karna: “I beg of you to desist from it. My pledge is to surrender my all in the service of Duryodhana. I care not for life. I care not for kingdom. I vow to die for Duryodhana. at is the only way to express my gratitude to him.” Bheeshma: “Your attitude is noble. In valour you are on a par with Arjuna. In origin you are super human, in chivalry you are a kshatriya, in gi and benevolence you are superb, in character you are spotless. In friendship you are unparalleled. In self sacri ce you are awe-inspiring. I love you. May you achieve your great object in life. May you attain the state of the perfected ones. “e grandsire gently rubbed the head and face of Karna and gave him permission to part. q
7. DRONA PARVA 1
The fall of Bheeshma created a void in the Kaurava forces, which looked like herds of sheep without the shepherd. Karna who was keeping aloof these ten days now started moving about in his chariot. All the warriors looked up to him for leadership. But Karna advised Duryodhana to crown Drona the commander-in-chief. He being the preceptor of many princes, would be unanimously accepted the leader. Whereas all the kings being of equal competence, discontent would set in if one of them was selected. Duryodhana appreciated the prudence of Karna. Drona felt honoured in being made the leader. He offered Duryodhana a boon of his choice. e cray king requested the preceptor to capture Yudhishtira captive before sunset. His evil design was to make the Pandava play at dice again, to defeat him in that game and to drive him into the forest. War could be averted that way. Drona agreed to this trick though half¬heartedly. e spies of the Pandavas could easily pry out this secret. Forthwith they communicated to the other camp. Arjuna did not mind Drona
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joining the enemy camp. But he could not forgive his master stooping to this treachery unbecoming a warrior, unbecoming a brahmana. Drona came down in the estimation of Arjuna. Precautions were taken to protect Yudhishtira. At the commencement of war Drona arrayed the Kaurava forces in sakata vyuha the form of a vehicle. In order to combat with it, the Pandavas resorted to krauncha vyuha, the bird form. e con ict was dastardly. Deeds of valour were in evidence on either side. Abhimanyu outshone the others in duels. Ghatotkacha did prodigious performances. Drona was determined to capture Yudhishtira. He made a tremendous onslaught in the direction of his expected victim. He trampled down all opponents and was at the point of seizing Dharmaraja. e Kaurava forces made piercing shouts of victory thinking that the person was captured. at apart, in the nick of time Arjuna had arrived on the scene. Terrible was the battle that ensued. Arjuna seemed the embodiment of fury. He routed the enemy forces on all directions. Drona was humbled. e sun sank in the west abashed of Drona’s base design. Terrible was the war on the twelh day. On the previous night Susarma the king of Trigartas and his four brothers took an oath to slay Arjuna or to die in that attempt. eir decision resembled the modern suicide squad. It was in those days known as the samsaptaka vow. In response to that challenge Arjuna moved southward unwillingly leaving his eldest brother behind under the protection of Satyajit, the brother of Drupada. e ght between Arjuna and the Trigartas was formidable. Arjuna did away with four of the enemy brothers. Susarma alone escaped death. e major portion of their army was wiped out. When the surviving feeble force started scattering away, Susarma reminded them of their vow to die. So thery rallied again only to be swept away by a gale of the weapons of Arjuna. is done the hero was now free to give his attention elsewhere. e main scene of ght was where Drona took the lead. He pushed forward to the spot where Yudhishtira was stationed. It was his intention to capture the Pandava king. Dhrishtadyumna saw into the design of Drona and intervened. e preceptor knew that some day he was to die
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at the hands of this man. So he avoided his death-dealer and moved elsewhere. In the meanwhile, Durmukha a brother of Duryodhana advanced and fully engaged Dhrishtadyumna. Drona took advantage of this development and moved towards his prospective captive. But Satyajit was strongly defending the king. e duel between him and Drona was ferocious. Satyajit was slain. Several other princes of importance were also slain. Drona was at the point of capturing the king. Duryodhana had sent the elephant squad to attack Bheema. Testing a herd of elephants was just a play to Bheema. He discharged showers of arrows which pierced the beasts in vital parts and created fury and confusion among them. ey ran pell-mell trampling on the Kaurava forces. At this stage Bhagadatta the celebrated warrior rode into the array on his renowned elephant called Supritika. is development spelt danger to the Pandava forces. Supritika recognized Bheema as its arch enemy. It smashed Bheema’s chariot into pieces. at hero jumped out of the chariot with agility. e animal caught hold of him with its trunk and tried to pound him into paste. But he cleverly slipped from its clutch and took shelter under its belly. at was not all. e vulnerable parts of the elephant are all in that part. Bheema went on pricking and harassing the plumpy creature. It whirled round and round both to escape annoyance and to trample on the bulky man to death. “Bheema is dead” was the clamour that rent the air. e Pandava army rushed to seek revenge on Bhagadatta. But his clever elephant managed to destroy the chariots of Satyaki and Abhimanyu, one aer another. Bhagadatta was seated on the neck of Supritika and raining arrows and javelins on the Pandava army. It seemed as if it would not be possible to resist the enemy any further. Arjuna saw into the predicament of the Pandava forces. He rushed headlong before Bhagadatta and furiously fought with him and his valiant elephant. Seeing this sudden change of situation the army picked up courage. Supritika had to endure the torture in icted by Bheema from below and it had to charge on the enemy in the front. Its strength was failing. erefore Bheema shot out like a lion causing surprise and delight to the Pandava forces. Arjuna’s arrow pierced into the heart of
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the elephant. It stood still for a while and fell dead with a thud. Another arrow despatched Bhagadatta to the other world. Drona almost succeeded in taking Yudhishtira captive, because all the warriors who chose to protect him were slain. Just then Arjuna appeared on the scene and fought ferociously with Drona until he retreated. His commitment to capture Dharmaraja had not materialized on the second day also. e Pandava forces were in high spirits while the Kaurava forces were dejected.
2
Duryodhana became furious because of the reverses suffered by
his army. He approached Drona with anger and ejaculated: “O, you adorable brahmana, you are not true to your word. You did not care to capture Yudhishtira though you were so close to him. Perhaps your intention is different from your promise.” Drona was cut to the quick. But he refrained himself. He said: “Time and again I am telling you that I am unable to overwhelm Arjuna. No god or man can defeat Krishna or Arjuna. Tomorrow you please draw Arjuna away and I assure you I shall do a great deed of valour.” e proposed plan was agreed upon. At dawn on the thirteenth day Susarma and his surviving samsaptakas challanged Arjuna to ght. As a warrior he was obliged to accept the challenge. According to the plan of the foes he was drawn away to the south. Drona arrayed the Kaurava forces into padma vyuha or the lotus formation. Yudhishtira feared that it was impregnable and at the same time dangerous. It would annihilate almost the entire Pandava forces. Abhimanyu submitted to his uncle that so far his father Arjuna had taught him to break open and penetrate into that formation but not yet the strategy of extricating oneself out of it. Yudhishtira persuaded his nephew somehow to create an opening in the enemy array. e best of their own warriors would in ltrate along with Abhimanyu and shatter the entire array. en the question of extricating themselves from the knotty array would not rise. e brave lad agreed to the plan and forced his way in. But unfortunately he alone could penetrate into the
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formidable padma vyuha. e entry got blocked behind the gallant youth. Jayadratha was there to prevent the other Pandava heroes from gaining access into the human fort. All day long they fought ferociously but Jayadratha held them at bay. Long ago this Jayadratha was humiliated by the Pandavas when he tried to carry away Draupadi from their forest asrama. He prayed to Siva and got a boon to successfully combat with the Pandavas excluding the valiant Arjuna. at boon became ful lled on this occasion. Abhimanyu found himself alone in this lotus array of the enemy. He did not mind it. He wanted to do away with as many warriors as possible. Along with their annihilation the barrier that kept him bound would automaticaliy disintegrate. at was his calculation. He vehemently fought against the chariot warriors. ey fell dead like trees in a hurricane. e chariots were all shattered to pieces. e chariot horses were all mangled beyond recognition. e elephants were all turned into heaps of esh and bones. e foot-soldiers perished like moths in blazing re. Abhimanyu looked like Subrahmanya dissolving the demons. Seeing the boy-hero wrecking his army Duryodhana became enraged and rushed headlong to slay him. Abhimanyu was delighted to get at the king himself and started subduing him. e other warriors ran and rescued their king with great difficulty. at king’s son Lakshmana challenged the Pandava boy and got killed by him. Dusasana in rage drove into the eld and offered battle to the impetuous boy. e duel between the two was long and acute. Dusasana was struck senseless in his chariot. e charioteer drove away in haste to save his life. Karna attacked the boy next only to be repulsed miserably. Unusual was this defeat of Karna causing demoralization in the rank and le of the army. “e valour of this boy Abhimanyu is superior to that of his illustrious father Arjuna,” exclaimed Drona to Kripa. Duryodhana overheard this compliment and got terribly annoyed. “is acharya is disloyal to us. Instead of doing away with this villain he is extolling him to the skies and thereby cowing down the valour of our men,” blurted Duryodhana. e king’s reprimand had its effect. Now six of the Maharathikas or mighty warriors- - Drona, Aswat- thama, Kripa, Karna, Brihadbala
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and Kritavarma made a combined attack on the lad Abhimanyu, quite contrary to the then war regulations. e young boy fought with all of them desparately and defeated them. It was a marvellous feat. Karna feared that all of them would be slain. He asked Drona the way put. e acharya admitted that in the face to face ght they would all be destroyed. e foul ght from behind the back of the enemy was the only solution. Accordingly Karna resorted to the base method of standing behind Abhimanyu and cutting off that boy’s bow with an arrow. at was the meanest act in the entire career of Karna. Abhimanyu turned back to see who that villain was. Just then Drona slaughtered the horses yoked to Abhimanyu’s chariot. At the same time Kripa killed the two charioteers of the boy opponent. A more shameless act than these on the part of the two acharyas cannot be conceived of. e teen aged lad was treacherously deprived of arm and vehicle. e defenceless boy was then vehemently attacked by the six mighty heroes of the Kaurava army. e boy was still resourceful. He jumped out of the chariot with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He could have easily done a few at least to death. But treachery again Drona from behind the back discharged a few sharp arrows and cut the hilt of the sword of the dauntless youth. Similarly the sneak Karna shot his arrows from behind and shattered the boy’s shield to pieces. By foul methods Abhimanyu was rendered absolutely defenceless. e famous Maharathikas turned now into treacherous murderers. e boy fell dead, the smile on his sweet face still lingering. e venerable Drona and his comrades like savages round the victim. e darling of Subhadra, the favourite of Krishna, the replica of Arjuna, the chip of old block, the gem of the Pandava line, the embodiment of chivalry, the hope of the country had been killed by foul means, to the eternal ignominy of the Kauravas. Yudhishthira was stunned to hear of the end of Abhimanyu. He felt he was personally responsible for the loss of that valiant lad. He wished to die rather than wage the war. At that juncture Vyasa appeared on the scene and enclosed him depicting death as the counterpart of life. Viewing life and death with equanimity the hero had to play his part.
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Arjuna returned victorious over the Samsaptakas. Even while returning he had a premonition of some calamity. e sorrowful camp could not readily communicate to him the sad news. On hearing it Arjuna sank in swoon. e position of the stoical Krishna was no better. He was visibly moved. It took them sometime to reconcile themselves with the tragedy. Arjuna could get a clear account of all that took place on that day. Jayadratha made the slay of Abhimanyu possible. erefore Arjuna pledged: “Before the sun sets tomorrow I shall kill Jayadratha. If I fail to kill him I swear I shall enter re holding gandiva in hand.” en he twanged his bow gandiva Krishna blew his conch. e combined terrible noise lled the atmosphere. e earth trembled. e Pandava camp threw off its cloak of grief. e gloom vanished.
3
The terrible pledge that Arjuna had taken was communicated to Jayadratha by the spies who pried about vigilantly. Hearing it Jayadratha became unnerved. He thought of running away to his country. But all of the allied warriors dissuaded him from doing so. ey all jointly planned to protect him. eir success in saving him would lead to Arjuna’s selfimmolation. e fourteenth day of the great war dawned. e Pandava camp bristled with plan for the day. All the warriors joined in the determination Arjuna’s oath ought to be materialized, at was their decision. Krishna’s grace was invoked. Satyaki was to protect Yudhishthira. e others marched to the front. Drona had made a combination of Suchimukhu vyuha, Padma vyuha and Sakata vyuha. Unique was this array. It was impregnable to gods themselves, what to speak of the human beings. Durmarshana, one of the hundred sons of Dhrtarashtra charged forward with a huge army. ‘Where is Arjuna, spoken so highly of by people? I shall smash him in no time.” is was the boast of this prince. Arjuna’s chariot dashed forward. His gandiva rained piercing arrows. Durmarshana and his army were driven away in great confusion. Dusasana got enraged when he saw his brother being repulsed so easily. is brother was not only noted for wickedness, but he was also valiant. He marched with an army and offered battle to Arjuna. But it was no
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effect. Almost all his men were slain. Ultimately he withdrew shamefully defeated. Arjuna met Drona and gave him a brief battle as a mark of homage. en he moved on. Several kings encountered him. ey were either slain or driven away defeated. Duryodhana got annoyed when he saw Arjuna progressing towards Jayadratha. So he hastened to Drona and accused him. ‘’Instead of arresting Arjuna’s movement at the start, you have allowed him to move towards the Sindhu king. Helping the Pandavas seems to be your motive. Acharya, I made a mistake in relying on you.” Drona reprimanded : “ King, you are making a thoughtless and unworthy remark. My plan is to lead Arjuna away from here. When all go away and Yudhishthira remains alone I want to capture him. “ Here is my magic armour. When you put on this, no weapon can pierce you. With this armour on you please attack Arjuna.” Duryodhana was immensely pleased with this statement and with the armour that he had received. He pursued Arjuna in hot haste. For the rst time the cousins met face to face in con ict. ey fought ferociously. Arjuna’s arrows hit Duryodhana but fell down effectless. Charmed armour was the cause of it, understood the former. So he changed the strategy. Arjuna did away with Duryodhana’s horses, charioteer, chariot and his bow in quick succession. en he discharged needle-like shas which pierced Duryodhana just on the parts uncovered by the magic coat. Unable to bear the pain the man ed away for life. Krishna now blew his conch sending a thrill in the hearts of the eight heroes that stood arrayed to defend Jayadratha. Arjuna fought with the foes in all fury. On the other front Satyaki ferociously attacked Drona and held him at bay. e duel was a sight for the devas. e former smashed a number of bows successively picked up by the latter. Drona was unable to shoot a single arrow. Finally when he succeeded in discharging his secret darts, Satyaki rendered them ineffective with countershas. e ght was long drawn. Drona shot agni astra. Satyaki nulli ed it with vuruna astra. Finally Dhrishtadyumna came to relieve the weary Satyaki.
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It was at this juncture that Yudhishtira heard the report of Krishna’s conch, but he did not hear the twang of Arjuna’s gandiva. erefore he asked Satyaki to hasten to help Arjuna against a number of warriors But Satyaki submitted that Krishna had ordered him to protect Dharmaputra against Drona. Aer a deep thought Yudhishtira insisted on Satyaki’s going to help Arjuna. In his stead Bheema and Dhristadyumna were there to protect Yudhishtira Satyaki obeyed the orders and went. Yudhishtira’s anxiety increased nding that Satyaki had not returned. So he asked Bheema also to hasten to help Arjuna. Bheema was to make a lion’s roar if he found Arjuna alive and safe. Now Dhrishtadyumna was the sole bodyguard of the Pandava king Bheema pushed through the Kaurava forces like a lion among the inferior animals. Drona objected that without his permission the other should not move. Bheema said: “Formerly you were our preceptor and so we respected you. Now you are our enemy.” e mighty man then translated his words into action. He smashed Drona’s chariot into fragments. He killed eleven of the sons of Dhrtarshtra.. He routed the army of the Bhojas. He trampled down the enemy forces and reached the scene where Arjuna was ghting with Jayadratha. Seeing the brother full of mettle Bheema made the lion’s roar. Krishna and Arjuna supplemented his shouts. Yudhishtira was pleased to hear their yells of joy. e arrival of Bheema and Satyaki at the main front was timely. e strain on Arjuna was minimized to that extent. e engagement had got itself divided into three sectors—Bheema in con ict with Karna, Satyaki in con ict with Bhoorisravas and Arjuna in con ict with Jayadratha, the third being the most important. Bheema and Karna fought ferociously. e anger of the former against the latter was vehement because of his vindictiveness towards the Pandavas. Karna suffered from the loss of chariots and other disadvantages now and then. Duryodhana sent batch aer batch of his teeming brothers to relieve Karna. But not a single one among them returned alive. Bheema according to his pledge was slaying them in war. He could have done away with Karna as well. But that act was reserved for Arjuna.
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Dhrtarashtra heard the war news from Sanjaya and became more and more depressed. e reporting minister pointed out that the catastrophe was his own creation. Bhoorisravas was guarding Jayadratha against the attack of Arjuna. At that time Satyaki arrived there almost exhausted due to his devastation of the Kaurava forces. Still he was prepared to lay down life in the service of Arjuna. When Bhoorisravas saw Satyaki he abandoned his duty and rushed against him to avenge an old family rupture. e ght between the two was terrible. Both of them had lost their horses, charioteers and chariots too. ere was a hand to hand ght. Satyaki became exhausted and fell down unconscious. Bhoorisravas held him by the hair and placed his foot on the chest of the fallen enemy. at was how he was to seek revenge. Not being satis ed with that act, he raised the sword to chop off the head of the swooned Satyaki. Just then Arjuna discharged an arrow which cut off the right hand of Bhoorisravas. His hand with the sword fell on the ground. Bhoorisravas accused Arjuna thus: “I thought you were a noble brother of the virtuous Dharmaraja. Now you prove yourself wicked by intervening in my duel with another enemy.” Arjuna rejoined: “Yesterday you were a party to my defenceless young son being killed. Today you expect me to be a witness to your beheading my defenceless ally in swoon. And you claim this is not wickedness.” Bhoorisravas hung his head with shame. With his le hand he spread out his arrows on the ground and sat in meditation on that seat to drop the body while in yoga with Paramatman. Satyaki gained normalcy in the meanwhile. He suddenly seized the sword from the severed hand of Bhoorisravas and cut off his head ignoring his being in meditation. Arjuna did not like this rash act. Satyaki stated: “ When this man insulted me by placing his foot on my chest, I resolved to kill him if there was life le in me. I have carried out that decision. I feel I have done the right thing. People may view my act as they like.” ere was no time to be wasted on this minor issue. Jayadratha was to be slain before sunset. Krishna and Arjuna hastened to that major
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issue. e former took up his Panchajanya and blew the rishabha note. In response to it Krishna’s own charioteer Daruka brought his chariot to the war front. Satyaki got on it and attacked Karna. Arjuna held Aswatthama at bay and gained access to Jayadratha. Jayadratha was rather envious of Arjuna’s performance. He asked Drona: “Master, you taught archery to all of us alike. But I note extraordinary force beaming from Arjuna. No other disciple of yours including Aswatthama has that irresistible power. Wherefrom does he derive this superhuman prowess?” Drona said: “Arjuna’s austerity is the secret of his eminence. Siva and Indra were amazed at it. No other disciple of mine has tapped at this source of strength. It is his tapas that makes him foremost.” e battle that ensued beggared description. Jayadratha was no ordinary foe. He was a hero of extraordinary prowess. Arjuna had to put forth his maximum effort. e ght was strenuous and nerve- racking. e setting sun was sliding towords the horizon. Still the life and death battle raged. A few minutes more and Jayadratha would be saved and Arjuna would have to perish according to the pledge. At this critical juncture Krishna hid the sun with his yoga power and created dusk. Jayadratha thanked the sun god for his quick disappearnce, relaxed his struggle, lied up his head and peeped westward. “Shoot.” ordered Krishna and removed the darkness. e golden disk of the sun was still an inch above the horizon. e pasupada astra shot by Arjuna ashed carrying Jayadratha’s head in the sky. Krishna’s further order: “Don’t let the head fall on the ground. Make it sail in the air and settle on the lap of Vriddhakshatra now in deep meditation.” e feat of archery performed by Arjuna was a marvel to the spectators. Jayadratha’s severed head moved gently like a feather and rested on Vriddhakshatra’s lap. Aer meditation he pushed it to the ground without scrutinizing what it was. When it fell on the earth Vriddhakshatra’s own head burst into a hundred fragments. is Vriddhakshatra was the father of Jayadratha. When the son became all powerful he entrusted the kingdom of Sindhu to him and went into the spiritual life. By intuition the austere father came to know that his son would be slain by a world renowned warrior. As a compensation for it he obtained a boon that who-soever made his son’s
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head fall on the ground would have his own head smashed into a hundred fragments at boon had its effect on himself. It was so because Krishna was the only person who knew about that secret death-trap. He saved Arjuna from it by this strategy. Krishna, Arjuna, Bheema, Satyaki and others blew their conchs in victory. Dharmaraja understood that his brother had redeemed his pledge to slay the Sindhu king. When the comrades returned to the camp Yudhishthira was beside himself with joy. He warmly embraced Krishna and said: “You are the saviour of Arjuna from the dilemma into which he has been put.”
4
Duryodhana walked to Drona’s tent with a drooping heart. He was all along thinking lightly of Arjuna. Now he was forced to revise his opinion. He said: “My master, look at the destruction caused to our army by Arjuna.He has annihilated seven Akshauhinis and a number of kings who fought to gain the empire for me. My assurance to Jayadratha is falsi ed. I am indebted to all those who have laid down life for my sake. I will kill the Pandavas and avenge their loss. Failing that, I shall be killed by them and join my friends in heaven. Now or never” So saying Duryodhana marched into the battle eld. Drona was pained to see his king in misery. He said: “Duryodhana, do not be distressed. I shall do my utmost I shall not remove his armour of mine until your enemies are exterminated. Either that or I die in my attempt.” e acharya also marched into the eld. e war of the fourteenth day did not stop at nightfall. It waged more vigorously at night than in the day. e two armies clashed in the dark. Drona fought furiously. So did Duryodhana. Bheema emerged to save his army and to end the enemy forces. “Yudhishthira also came out and fought. e darkness added horror to the carnage. It seemed as if the day of destruction had come. Bheema was busy in killing as many sons of Dhrtarashtra as he could lay hold of. He crushed them to death as though they were big-sized bugs. e aged Drona had now become a young warrior again. He fought as one possessed by the deity of destruction. Wherever he moved
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he le behind a trail of dead bodies. e duel that he chanced to wage with Yudhishthira was formidable. Both of them were equally valiant Night warefare was a novelty known to neither of the contending forces. But because of the increase of fury they spontaneously indulged in it. Distinguishing between friend and foe became impossible at a stage. en they resorted to the use of torches prevalent in those days. Myriads of the oil fed and cloth wound in ammable sticks were burning bright all over the dark eld. In this setting the friend and foe could be easily made out. It added to the vigour of the midnight battle. e yell of the warriors pierced in all directions. e battle between Aswatthama and Ghatotkacha was aweinspiring, e latter was actually superhuman both in structure and in action. He employed hidden methods of warfare. Strangely enough the former proved himself equal to the situation. He held the demon at bay, His prowess at its zenith was witnessed by the warriors on either side. During the last stage of the banishment of the Pandavas into the forest a signi cant event took place in the city. Indra, the god father of Arjuna, knew of the divine origin of Karna, and of his having been born with natural ear rings and armour that made him invincible. He also knew of Karna’s vow to gi away his possessions to whomsoever that asked for them. He knew of the inborn enmity between Karna and Arjuna. So Indra wanted to deprive Karna of the protection providentially provided. He came as a mendicant and asked for the ear ring and the amuletic armour. Karna agreed to give them away provided Indra gave him in return his all powerful and inescapable lance known as Sakti. e exchanges were effected though not to the satisfaction of Indra. Karna’s pledge was ever to give and never to get anything as gratis.en why did he ask? While Still an immature girl Kunti begot Karna by invoking Surya, the sun god. at god appeared before Karna and advised him in advance against Indra’s plan to deprive him of his natural armour. As directed by his father, Karna claimed from Indra his formidable lance which could be used but once only. Death by it was inviolable. Karna treasured it to kill Arjuna. e midnight war was waging ceaselessly. In the midst of it Karna and Kripa picked up a petty quarrel. “I am determined to slay Arjuna,”
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said Karna Kripa ridiculed, “You are an empty boaster Arjuna is protected by Krishna. You cannot kill him.” Karna faired : “ You are a scum among the brahmanas Withdraw that statement; or I will chop off your tongue.” Aswatthama intervened: “What my uncle says is correct. Karna, you are vainglorious and rude to my uncle. You deserve to be slain.” Duryodhana noted that the brahmana group was not loyal to the core. But he was prudent enough to hide his views. He pleaded with all the three of them to put an end to internal dissension and to concentrate on routing the enemy. Arjuna thought of encountering Karna; but Krishna prevailed on him to have the duel in day time and not at night. Ghatotkacha was deputed instead. is mighty son of Bheema attacked Karna in particular and the Kaurava forces in general. It seemed as if he would wipe out the entire enemy forces before daybreak. Karna fought with him furiously. But Ghatotkacha’s maya tactics were too much for him. Weapon aer weapon he employed. Form aer form the rakshasa son of Bheema assumed and annulled the power of each weapon. Now on the earth, now in the sky, now visible nowhere—but his onslaught was going on ceaselessly. e army complained that it would be over in no time if Ghatotkacha was not done to death instantly. Karna’s entire hope was pinned on Sakti the gi of lndra. He preserved it to destroy Arjuna. But Providence had nulli ed that fond hope. For, Duryodhana pathetically presented the grave situation to Karna. And he in response discharged that Sakti on Ghatotkacha. It did its job and returned to Indra. Ghatotkacha fell dead. He knew the end that was coming upon him. So he sprang in the sky as a mighty mountain and fell heavily on the battle eld crushing one Akshauhini of the Kaurava army. e fall of Ghatotkacha created varying feelings in various people. Karna became gloomy because his dream of destroying Arjuna was snapped. e Kauravas were happy because of the prevention of the further destuction of their forces. e Pandavas were overtaken by grief
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over the loss of a son as precious as Abhimanyu whom they have already lost. Krishna was glad at heart because Arjuna was saved.
5
The eenth day battle started with all vehemence. It raged with all fury. e signi cant part of it was the ght between Drona and Arjuna. Apparently it was terri c to behold. It seemed as if Drona wanted to nd out the attainments of disciple in the use of innumerable weapons. Arjuna seemed to employ them all for the review of the master. Aer a long and nerveracking engagement they parted to ght with the other warriors. Drona fought with unabated energy. He spread fear and destruction in the Pandava forces. His relentless attacks were on the distinguished men of the Drupada lineage. He was bent upon wiping them out of the face of the earth. His plan was to employ the brahma astra ultimately. at would devastate the Pandava forces completely. Krishna intuited it. He said: “O Arjuna, this Drona cannot be defeated by adhering to the war regulations. Some kind of strategy requires to be employed. He is inordinately attached to his son. If he hears bad news about Aswatthama he will become unnerved and will lay down arms.” Presently a host of distinguished rishis descended on the earth from heaven and addressed Drona: “Your earthly career is already over. Being absorbed in warfare you are overstaying here. Put an end to it and depart heavenward.” But Drona wanted to linger a little more and sweep away the Pandava forces. Bheema appeared before Drona and scolded him downright. “You are the vilest brahmana born on the earth. Abandoning your sacred and harmless spiritual career you have taken to the ghting vocation of the kshatriya. Food problem characteristic of brutes has driven you into this depravity. Because of greed of wealth you have taken sides with the wicked. Like a heartless butcher you are slaying the fellow beings.” Neither the whisper of the heaven-residing rishis nor the insulting rebuke of Bheema could divert Drona from his determined action. He went headlong with it.
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ere was a famous elephant employed by the Kaurava force. Aswatthama was the name of that elephant. Bheema spotted it but and dealt a death blow on its head with his mace. at enormous animal reeled and fell dead. Bheema roared, “I have killed Aswatthama.” is statement came piercing into the ears of Drona. He stood bewildered. “Could it be true?” he thought. Yudhishtira would never tell a lie for any reason whatsoever. Drona approached him to nd out the truth. In the meanwhile Krishna prepared Yudhishthira to give the answer to Drona. When enquired Dharmaraja was to say, “e elephant Aswathama is killed by Bheema “Consent to it was given. e bewildered Drona came and raised the question. Yudhishthira replied emphatically. “e elephant Aswatthama is killed by Bheema.” But in his bewilderment Drona did not hear the rst two words, ‘e elephant.’ He only heard “Aswatthama is killed by Bheema.”Drona became dazed. “My son is slain. I am no more interested in life.” So saying he dragged his body to the chariot, threw the bow and arrows aside and sat in meditation to cast off the body. With a sword in hand Dhrishtadyumna dashed towards Drona and chopped off his head. While the head rolled on the ground the real self in Drona ascended into the Beyond.
6
The fall of Drona was an irreparable loss to the Kauravas. e army lost its morale and started retreating. Duryodhano became dejected. He lost all hope of killing the Pandavas. ey on the other hand became more spirited.Victory, they were sure, was theirs. When Aswatthama came to know of the tragic end of his father, he became infuriated. He cursed Yudhishthira for creating confusion in the mind of Drona, his father. He pledged to put an end to sinner Dhrishtadyumna. He swore he would destroy the Pandavas and Krishna too with his Narayana astra which had no parallel on earth or in heaven. Addressing Duryodhana he said, “You will see consternation today. e Pandavas are not going to escape death. You will in a few hours be the unrivalled monarch of the world.” is pledge of Aswatthama put new life in rank and le of the Kaurava army. ey blew their conchs and trumpets and marched to the war front.
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is sudden change of situation caused surprise in the Pandava camp. e apparently disintegrating enemy forces were found marshalled again into an aggressive army. ey noted that it was Aswatthama who infused new life into the otherwise waning remnants. And this young warrior was not one of the ordinary species. He was the chip of old block. erefore the Pandavas became alert. Aswatthama was all rage. He came to avenge the destruction of his beloved father. He came and straight away employed the peerless Narayana astra It played its part by splitting itself into as many missiles as there were men in the enemy force. And each missile assumed the required power to crush the man at its disposal. It meant the total annihilation of the enemy in no time. Krishna alone understood the crisis. He ordered the entire army to lay down arms. ey obeyed. He ordered the entire lot to lie prostrate. ey obeyed. Millions of missiles oated in the air effectless. Equipped with arms Bheema alone stood erect. He had not obeyed orders. He meant to ght to the nish. A deadly weapon waited before him to do its job. It was an in nitesimal aspect of the Narayana astra. Krishna hastened to the spot. He persuaded Bheema to throw down the arms if he intended to survive the Kauravas. He asked him to lie prostrate if he believed in strategy. Bheema behaved as ordered e Narayana astra withdrew and vanished. is phenomenon was a puzzle to Duryodhana. He anticipated the annihilation of the enemy. Just the opposite of it took place. He persuaded Aswatthama to employ it again. “If I commission it again, it will kill me and all of you,” was the dejected reply given by Aswatthama. e angry and agony-tortured Aswatthama now ared up on Dhrishtadynmna and dragged him into a duel. e ght went on vigorously for a long time. Arjuna intervened. “You seem to be intent on displaying your prowess. If you have reasons to be deadly angry with us, we also have reasons to be deadly angry with you. We know of your affection for the sons of the king Dhrtarashtra and of your hatred for the sons of Pandu. If you are really as powerful as people speak of you, I would like to ght with you and see your valour.”
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Aswatthama accepted the challenge of Arjuna. ey fought and displayed their valour. It was a sight for the warriors of either side. Aswatthama became ruffled. He wanted to do away with Arjuna. He invoked astra aer astra and discharged it against Arjuna and his army. His attack with astra against Arjuna was justi able. But his use of the mystic weapons against the army was irregular. Arjuna counteracted all his mystic weapons. His extraordinary feats were all exhausted. In disappointment Aswatthama with-drew from the battle eld. When Aswatthama was all alone soaked in grief Vyasa made his appearance there. He asked the sage: “My lord, how is it that the Narayana astra that I discharged became inffective?” Vyasa replied: “at astra is all powerful against an opposing enemy. e more the enemy resists it the more it assumes power. It becomes malignant to the wicked. But it becomes benevolent to those who lay down arms and prostrate before Narayana. Narayana and Narayana astra are one. Further Krishna and Arjuna are Narayana and Nara come on earth to protect dharma and to punish the wicked. Krishna knows of the way of the Narayana astra. So he asked the Pandava forces to submit before it. When Krishna is there to protect the Pandavas who can harm them? ‘ “Your father, Drona, has gone to the highest heaven. So there is no need for you to mourn. Go to the camp and rest in peace” is statement brought some consolation to Aswatthama. At sunset the day’s con ict came to an end. e Pandava warriors went to rest with the satisfaction that things were shaping favourably to them. Whereas the Kaurava warriors were rather gloomy. e loss of Drona was felt much more acutely than fall of Bheeshma. q
8. KARNA PARVA 1
Enormous was the man-power that was staked and sacri ced. Mighty men like Bheeshma, Drona and Jayadratha bad fallen. Youthful brothers, kith and kin and kings had laid down their lives. e major portion of the vast army had been wiped out. e prospect of victory was remote. Still the greed for conquest had not abated. It was on the increase. Duryodhana wanted to vanquish the Cousins. e ways and means for it remained to be reviewed. e war council was called at night. e surviving warriors assembled and discussed. Aswatthama’s views were endorsed. He stated: “We are still not in dearth of valiant warriors. Any one of us assembled here is competent to take up the commandership Karna in particular is eminently quali ed for it. His inborn traits and the training that he has received put him on a par with the fallen grandsire and the slain guru. Both of those elders had some partiality for the Pandavas. It was excusable in their cases. Whereas Karna is all hatred for the Pandavas. He is dedicated to the service of Duryodhana. ings are therefore bound to take a better turn with Karna as the commander.” Duryodhana was delighted to follow the suggestion of
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Aswatthama He requested Karna to take up the leadership; and he willingly agreed to do so. He was formally installed as the third commander of the Kaurava army. Duryodhana hoped he would soon be the undisputed monarch. e sixteenth day war was about to commence. Karna had his army arrayed in makara vyuha. It was insigni cant in size compared with what it was two weeks back. Dhrishtadyumna had the Pandava army arranged in chandra vyuha. It had also become very small in size. e two armies clashed and the battle resembled what took place on the rst day. Karna’s gallant move drew the attention of all. He seemed the replica of Bheeshma. e royalty in him spoke for itself. And it made the Kauravas forget the loss of Bheeshma and Drona. Almost all the warriors on either side got themselves entangled in duel warfare. e selection of the opponent was to match both the prowess and the weapons employed. Casualties were more or less equal on either side. But morale was on the ascent with the pandavas and descent with the Kauravas. Nakula offered battle to Karna. e latter responded with a derisive smile the ght began. At the very start both of them cut the bow of each other. ey renewed their bows. Nakula lost his second bow also. en his horses fell. His charioteer also perished. Nakula now stood on the ground He unsheathed his sword only to have it smashed by the enemy. Nakula’s shield also was broken. en he lost his mace too. He became helpless. Karna’s taunting smile tortured him to the core. He took to his heels. But Karna chased and trapped him in his bow. e victim felt mortally humiliated. e victor, however, paci ed and advised him to retreat in martial spirit. He could have killed Nakula but spared him keeping in mind his promise to his mother Kunti. Elsewhere Yudhisthira and Duryodhana encountered and fought ferociously. ey roared like lions and discharged arrows incessantly. Prolonged was the con ict between them. It seemed as if both of them were unconquerable. Towards the fag end Yudhishthira discharged a deadly dart which made Duryodhana stagger. One more missile of that type and the enemy would be killed. But the assailant thought of the vow
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taken by Bheema to kill him. So he spared Duryodhana and withdrew. At sunset the day’s struggle also came to an end.
2
Duryodaaua was not satis
ed with the battle that was fought all the day long. Karna could have easily slain Nakula. Instead he carried on a mock ght. What the others did were more or less of the same calibre. But the king was prudent enough not to complain. He chose to cajole Karna. He pleaded: “Killing Arjuna is the deciding factor. With his death all problems are solved. Karna, you alone can do it. Please pay heed to it My fate is in your hands.” Karna was moved by this appeal. He responded: “Lord, I swear I kill Arjuna tomorrow, or perish in my attempts to do.” is decision made, they went to sleep. But Karna could not get a wink of sleep. He had a premonition that it was his last night on earth. On the morrow he would die. And he was quite prepared for it. He went to Duryodhana again and presented his case “I feel I am superior to Arjuna in every respect. But his prevalence over me is all due to Krishna’s clever charioteering. If you can somehow revail on Salya to charioteer for me, I shall be fortunate. My victory will be certain.” Duryodhana acted early in the morning on the following day on the sagacity of Karna. Unceremoniously he fell at the feet of Salya and implored him to take up the consequential responsibility of charioteering for Karna. Salya’s rst reaction was adverse. He ared up that crowned monarch like himself was not to charioteer to a petty charioteer’s son like Karna. Duryodhana pleaded the urgency of the case. He pointed out that Salya was the only king superior to Krishna in the science of charioteering. is comparison tickled the vanity of Salya, so he agreed to function as such. But he also imposed one condition. He would vehemently criticise Karna whenever he went wrong. erefore there was constant dissension between the two on petty matters. e grim battle commenced. Yudhishthira engaged Duryodhana. Arjuna drew Aswatthama into con ict. Fight among them was going on vigorously.
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Dusasana was moving gallantly here and there. He came by Bheema by chance and made on all out attack on him. e Pandava brother chuckled because the opportune time had come to seek revenge to his heart’s content. He gave scope to the assailant to come out with the best of his prowess. e retalialion was mild to start with. In other words Bheema pretended defence. For every ten missiles shot out by Dusasana, the defendant would discharge four or ve darts only. e Kaurava brother was gaining spirit. He hoped to distinguish himself. But all the while Bheema was recollecting the wickedness perpetrated by the other. e wrath within him was rousing. When it reached the zenith he sprang on Dusasana like a lion on a lamb. e death grip on the shoulders held the despoiler of Draupadi’s modesty helpless to the core. e weapons of war fell down automatically from his hands. He stood gazing at the assailant Bheema’s face emitted re, eyes sparkled, moustache bristled up and the lips quivered. Bheema roared with rage. It reverberated all over the battle eld. He charged: ‘You wretch, thirteen years back you molested the modesty of Draupadi in the open court. I waited for the day of revenge. Many of those who revelled in your shameful act are here now witnessing your ignominious destruction.” With a lightening speed Bheema knocked Dusasana on the ground. He fell heavily on his back. Bheema stamped his foot on the neck of the fallen foe. He announced, “Now I give you a torturing death that you deserve. is is the hand that held Draupadi by her long tresses and dragged her violently to the assembly of the wicked men.” So saying he wrenched out the right hand of the enemy from the trunk and ung it into the battle eld. “is is the other hand that helped in publicly disrobing Draupadi.” So saying he twisted out the le hand and ung it away among the enemies. en he broke open the heart of Dusasana and quaffed in revenge a handful of his warm blood. He roared and danced for joy. And that was the end of the wicked Dusasana.
3
It was the plan of Karna to defeat the Pandavas and to kill Arjuna. He requested Salya to drive his chariot to the presence of Yudhishthira. While conceding to his request Salya went on praising the Pandavas and damping the spirit of Karna. He was obliged to put up with that dissonance in order to avoid tension.
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Yudhishthira and Karna met in battle. Both of them were eager to meet and ght. Yudhishthira fared well at the start. He could put the enemy in repeated discom ture. But in the end Karna gained the upper hand. He could easily vanquish Dharmaputra. But for obvious reasons he refrained from doing so. He was satis ed with merely hurting him. Karna drove his chariot to where Arjuna was. e two mighty warriors met aer all. Both of them were world famous archers. ey were intent on killing each other. e war between them was therefore decisive of the history of the land. e challenge between them was for an unaided duel. Before the battle commenced Karna had a brief talk with Salya’ “I am con dent I shall win the war. If, however, I happen to be slain, what will you do, O my great charioteer?” Salya was very considerate at this juncture. He said: “ere is no reason why you should be defeated. If you be killed I shall surely slay both Krishna and Arjuna and thus avenge your death.” is statement pleased Karna very much. A parallel dialogue was going on between Arjuna and Krishna. “What will you do if I be killed?” was the question raised by Arjuna. ‘’Your being killed by Karna is as impossible as the earth being destrayed by him. If he kills you I will kill him and Salya too,” was the assurance given by Krishna. Duryodhana had not yet recovered from the shock caused by the gruesome death of his beloved brother Dusasana. At that juncture Aswatthama intruded on him and said: “Duryodhana, please pay heed to my plea. Karna and Arjuna are at the point of a terrible duel. Karna is sure to be killed. at will drown you in greater grief. Pray, call off the war. e Pandavas will only be too glad to reconcile with you. Let Karna and Arjuna live as fast friends My dear friend, I want you to desist from destruction.” Duryodhana was pensive for a while. en he observed: “Aswatthama, all that you say are true. I realize them. But it is too late to retrieve. Aer seeing my beloved brother Dusasana being mauled to death in that manner, I cannot think of reconciliation. Karna is right. He says, there is no defence against tricks played on human beings by
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destiny. Aswatthama, I am grateful to you for your affection. But the war must go on to the last man.” Duryodhana saw to it that an army defended Karna. Simialrly the Pandava forces protected Arjuna. e army men on either side were all keen on witnessing the great duel between the two mighty men. e combat commenced. e rst stage of it was just a display of their talents. One broke the arrows of the other. is performance was an entertainment to the spectators. Aer a while they became serious. e one aimed an astra (mystic weapon) against the other. It was counteracted by another suitable astra. is same went on for sometime more. e ghting opponents alone knew the distinction of one astra from another. To the onlookers the feats sometimes entertaining and at other times harassing. Not only the terrestrials but also the celestials gathered up in the sky to see this marvellous ght. e two famous bows, vijaya and gandiva were strained to their utmost. e martial music made by their twang reverberated all over the battle eld and up in the sky. Karna wished he had with him that terrible and unfailing weapon called Sakti, given him by Indra. It was perforce employed on Ghatotkacha. e next best and most powerful weapon was the terrible naga astra, that serpent weapon. He unsheathed and aimed it at the neck of Arjuna. Salya advised him to aim it on the chest of Arjuna. Karna discountenanced the advice and stuck on his decision. “Arjuna, take leave of this world,” uttered Karna and discharged the deadly astra. It ashed like lightning. With bated breath the spectators stood still to see Arjuna’s head cut off. It was a tense moment! Krishna pulled the reins and gave the chariot a downward push. e result was that the horses knelt down and the chariot sank ve inches into the ground. e greater and the more desired result was that the naga astra could not cut the neck of Arjuna. It just knocked down the crown he was wearing. Shouts of joy of the Pandava forces pealed deafening the ears. Karna’s heart sank. e only weapon that he hoped would kill Arjuna had becom futile. e dream of his vanquishing Arjuna had
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become empty. e dream of Duryodhana ruling the world vanished. Karna became frantic. He wanted to ght to the nish. e war of archery that he waged was vehement. Arjun’s valour was on a par with that of the other. e time for the destruction of Karna neared. Odds turned against him. A wheel of his chariot got stuck into the mire in the ground. e divine astras were off his memory according to the curse in icted on him by his guru, Bhargava. His Kavacha and Kundalas had been gied away. e all powerful Sakti obtained from Indra was employed on Ghatotkacha and lost. at was his plight. Arjuna’s arrows were piercing him Karna pleaded: “Arjuna, I now stand weaponless on the ground. Please give me time to extricate the chariot wheel from the mire. In the name of yuddha dharma—war chivalry—I make this request to you.” Now Krishna interposed. He said: “Karna you speak of dharma. Was it dharma that you dragged the inexperienced Yudhishthira into gambling with dice and plundered away his self-earned kingdom? Was it dharma that you molested the modesty of Draupadi in the assembly and induced her to marry the Kauravas? Is it dharma that you refuse to restore the kingdom to the Pandavas in spite of their having ful lled of all your vexing terms? Is it dharma that you stood behind Abhimanyu and deprived him of his weapons? Is it dharma that six of you mighty warriors jointly attacked that weaponless boy and murdered him ?” Karna hanged down his head with shame. He could not defend and justify his doings. Arjuna carried on the ght. Karna was constrained both to ght and to set right the sunk wheel of the chariot. e old Salya was hard put to it to defend himself against the incessant shas from Arjuna’s gandiva. Karna was bleeding profusely and perspiring in plenty. While in that plight he did not fail to shoot stunning shas at Arjuna. He was gallant both in offence and defence. In accordance with the divine dispensation Arjuna’s life preparation was to vanquish Karna. Time for that consquential act had come. But it was not without reverses. e string of the gandiva was repeatedly snapped by Karna. Because of the enemy’s onslaught the gandiva slipped from his hand. He was severely wounded. He staggered and swooned
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several times. Once or twice he was taken for dead. So oscillating was the strife between the two superhuman heroes. Krishna goaded Arjuna to put an end to this tit for tat duel. Arjuna took the hint. He invoked a divine astra. en he uttered: “If it is true that I am steadfast in my adherence to dharma, if it is true that I wage this war for a righteous cause, let this divine astra have its effect on Karna the champion of the wicked.” He discharged the weapon on the enemy. It emerged with a radiance. It moved slowly. It gave time to Karna to prepare himself. He understood. He quickly reviewed his earthly career. Death of the type that was approaching was the wage for the sin of backing up evil. He also understood that his sel essness stood him in good stead. e weapon severed his head. It rolled on the ground. e body also fell. A glow emanated from the remains and ascended slowly into the heaven.
4
Strangely the chariot wheel resumed the normal position aer the fall of Karna. Salya drove it back empty and bere of the ag staff. It was late in the aernoon. But the sun also seemed bere of its brilliance. It seemed as. If the sun god was mourning the loss of his son. Salya depicted to Duryodhana the sorrowful happenings of the day. A duel of that type he said the world had never seen before, and perhaps never would see in future. It was destiny that took away Karna. Duryodhana was dazed on hearing of the fall of his friend. Life seemed purposeless to him. Craze for conquest and lordship over land le him permanently. He did not want to delay any further in this world. He resolved to join his friend in the other world. In the Kaurava camp it was all sorrow and dejection. Whereas in the Pandava camp it was all joy and merry making. Yudhishthira attributed their success to Krishna’s grace and protection. q
9. SALYA PARVA 1
Kripa had a personal and private talk with Duryodhana. He presented his disposition thus: “I love you and I want you to live. But if you prolong the war you will perish. e Pandavas are always conciliatory. Please reconcile with them and live long in peace.” Tears trickled down his cheeks as he spoke. Duryodhana expressed his position: “I have no doubt about your love for me. All those that loved me have laid down their lives in order to wrench the kingdom for me. Now if I reconcile with the Pandavas I will be traitor to my departed friends. I must die and join them. Secondly I shall never be a shadow of my cousins. When Yudhishthira was the Yuvaraja he outshone me. So I managed to oust him. When he founded Indraprastha he outshone me. And I succeeded in dethroning him. No alliance with the Pandavas is ever possible.” us ended the interview immaterialized. e eighteenth day of the war dawned. Duryodhana asked Aswatthama if he would be the commander. He suggested that the proper course would be to make Salya the commander. He was the eldest among the able warriors and
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he was greatly devoted to Duryodhana. No existing man equalled him in prowess. Duryodhana accordingly approached Salya and submitted to him with folded hands: “You please be our commander and lead us to victory.” Salya readily agreed. He said, “I have pledged to Karna that if he happened to fall I would avenge his death by killing Krishna and Arjuna. I shall either ful l my promise or die in my attempt to do so. I shall therefore be the commander of your army.” Yudhishthira hesitated hearing of this development at the Kaurava camp. Salya was no ordinary hero. Vanquishing him was well-nigh impossible. Krishna also averred it. But he suggested a counter-measure. Yudhishthira was to ght against Salya. e Dharma of the former alone could subdue the force of the arms of the latter. All other strategies would be utterly futile. e passive Pandava agreed to take up arms. Scanty were the surviving armies. e extensive Kurukshetra had become almost desolate. e teeming millions of military men have all perished by mutual slaughter. With the remaining squads Salya arrayed the best possible vyuha. e Pandava camp also arranged its forces in patterns best suited to the situation. e ght began. Yudhishthira attacked Salya. But the counter-attack was stronger. Bheema came to the help of his brother and rendered Salya devoid of chariot. He retreated and advanced again in another chariot. en he started slaughtering the Pandava forces right-and-le. It seemed victory was his. e Kauravas hoped he would win. Yudhishthira became suddenly a changed warrior. He looked like the god of death. His own men were amazed at this turn of event. He xed his thought on Krishna and took up a terrible javelin. He threw it violently at the chest of Salya. It pierced through and protruded behind too. Salya fell dead as blood was gushing out. e army became confused and ran pell-mell in all directions. Duryodhana infused courage into them and took up the lead. He fought valiantly against the Pandavas. His surviving few brothers were all out exerting their utmost. Bheema availed himself of this opportunity to exterminate them all one by one. Barring Duryodhana all the other ninety nine brothers had been despatched.
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Sakuni the expert at dice was now constrained to take up arms. He appeared in the eld. His son Uluka accompanied him. Sahadeva fought with Sakuni and Nakula with Uluka. e ght was formidable. Nakula killed Uluka according to his pledge. e death of his son infuriated Sakuni. He fretted, fumed and fought for a while. en he tried to run away; but Sahadeva would not let him escape. He impeached: “You scoundrel, you are the originator of all these heinous crimes. ose that exulted in your wicked gambling are all exterminated. Duryodhana will soon join them. I cleave your sinful hands rst and then kill you.” e youngest Pandavas acted as he avowed thirteen years ago at the gambling hall. Sakuni the evil genius lost his dice-expert hands rst and his cray head next.
2
Duryodhana looked round the battle
eld. No friend was seen anywhere. Kurukshetra bore a deserted appearance. He thought he was the solitary survivor. Vidura’s predict, “You will be the cause of the destruction of the entire kshatriya race” came to his mind. His weary body was burning as if put into re. He had nothing in his possession except his mace. He walked and came across the cool Dwaipayana lake. He waded into it and sat to cool his body. e Pandavas were disappointed that Duryodhana escaped destruction and therefore the war was incomplete. But a band of hunters came and told them that their enemy was comfortably seated within the Dwaipayana lake. It was evening. e Pandava warriors including Krishna hastened there and spotted out the arch enemy. Yudhishthira: “Duryodhana, I thought you were a genuine kshatriya. But like a coward you are hiding yourslf to save your life unmindful of the hosts of heroes who sacri ced their lives for your sake.” Duryodhana: “Yudhishthira, please talk not nonsense; I am here just to refresh my body. Having lost all my brothers and friends. I have no more desire for kingdom. I mean to gi it to you and retire into the forest for penance.” Yudhishthira: “Ignoring the advice of the elders you were not prepared to part with ve needle-points of land that actually delongs to
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us. Now you have the impudence to gi that kingdom over which you have no right. If you claim it is yours, I mean to kill you and conquer it from you. Please note I am a kshatriya. I do not accept gi from anybody; much less from an enemy like you.” Duryodhana: “I shall kill all of you and thus pay the debt I owe to my friends who have laid down their lives for my sake. But I am without arms and without armour. I have no chariot. You are all righteous warriors. You should not attack me when I am at a disadvantage.” Yudhishthira: “By a foul means you deprived that little boy Abhimanyu of all arms. When he was defenceless six of your mighty warriors jointly hacked him to death. You did not think of righteousness then. You, the perpetrator of that heinous sin, deserve to be tortured to death inch by inch. But we shall not act yourwise. We shall supply you with all the arms that you want. Individually we shall ght with you. If you manage to kill any one of us, the other four will voluntarily retire into the forest. You will then enjoy the unrivalled kingdom.” Bheema interposed and said: “Duryodhana, I have killed all of your brothers and I am avowed to kill you in particular. Please give me mace ght.” Duryodhana said: “I have been long longing to have a mace ght with you. Mace is my only arms now. If you are chivalrous, rip yourself of the armour and the other weapons and “ ght with me on the ground. Because I have no chariot.” e terms were agreed to and the ght began. It was in accordance with the code of mace ght. e display was exceedingly delightful. ey were well matched and the ght developed into a deadly duel. It seemed as if there was no end to the battle. Bheema was powerful, but Duryodhana was skilful. Krishna hinted to Arjuna that unfair ght was to be resorted to if Bheema meant to regain the kingdom. Arjuna forcibly stroke his own thigh when Bheema’s gaze was directed towards him. e ghting brother took the hint. As Duryodhana was jumping up nimbly in the air to avoid the blow dealt by Bheema, the latter deliberately delivered a deadly stroke on the thighs of the former. e thighs were broken. Duryodhana fell crippled on the ground.
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It was foul to beat below the waist. No chivalrous warrior would approve of it. Bheema knew it, but he was bent on a foul ght in order to rouse up the wrath of Duryodhana. He kindled it by jumping wild with joy. Duryodhana accused: “Fie upon you that have resorted to this dastardly wickedness. You are a beast, not a warrior.” Bheema retorted: ‘’Was it a virtue on your part when you served me with poisoned food? when I was thereby lying unconscious you tied me fast with wild creepers and threw me into the river. Was that act virtuous? You plotted to burn us alive in the lac mansion at Varanavati. Was that attempt virtuous? You usurped our self-earned empire by dragging us into the deceitful game of dice. Was that venture virtuous? You made us slaves through that game and humiliated us in the assembly. You delighted in disrobing us and in making us stand like menials. Was it virtuous ? Not only did you molest the modesty of Draupadi by having her dragged indecently into the assembly, but you did also insult her by exposing your thigh to her and by demanding her to serve you in your harem. You depraved the dignity of the Kuru House through that barbarous act. It was then that I pledged to smash your thighs. I also pledged to put my foot on your head.” So saying Bheema planted his foot on the prostrate Duryodhana. Yudhishthira rebuked Bheema for this rash act and apologized to the fallen cousin for this violence. He pointed out to him that the tragedy was all self-sought by him. But Duryodhana de ed; “In the prime of my youth I have enjoyed the empire, power and pleasure to the full measure. I succeeded in depriving you of all kingly privileges. Now I go to the heaven of the heroes veera swarga-to enjoy the same in the company of my friends. You vegetated so long in the world. You vegetate further and taste what is le over by me.” Duryodhana’s mettle was such that his waywardness seemed virtue to him. e Pandavas then proceeded to Duryodhana’s camp and occupied it as a mark of victory. Krishna then directed Arjuna to alight from the
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chariot taking all the weapons along with him. Krishna also vacated it. Hanuman who was adorning the ag suddenly disappeared. In a trice a ame consumed the chariot and the four white horses. A small heap of ash only was le behind. Arjuna wondered what this miracle was about. Krishna explained that the divine weapons discharged by the great personalites like Bheeshma, Drona and Karna on the chariot and the horses had their effect immediately aer the three divine persons abandoned the vehicle. Arjuna was perturbed over this great loss. But Krishna explained that everything in the universe perished aer its partircular function was over. So also every individual quitted the eld when his assigned work was over. Krishna next advised all the warriors to sleep that night on the outskirts of the enemy camp. And they did accordingly. Yudhishthira requested Krishna to proceed forthwith to Hastinapura and console Gandhari. is was a magnanimous act. It had its soothing effect on the bereaved and heart-broken mother. Incidentally Dhrtarashtra also was consoled. It was pointed out to him that no other course of action was possible in the situation brought about by Duryodhana. q
10. THE SAUPTIKA PARVA
The lingering death to which Duryodhana was exposed had its desired effect. He had occasion to review his career. He who was a mighty monarch attended on by kings, ministers and servants was now mortally wounded and thrown on bare ground, forlorn and uncared for by anybody. His unlimited army and the galaxy of warriors had all vanished like a dream. He tried to kill his cousins by foul means. His own karma had rebounded on him. He obtained what he deserved. ese thoughts were crowding into his mind. Unexpectedly Aswatthama, Kripa and Kritavarma appeared before the dying Duryodhana. ey heard of his tragedy and hastened to the spot. e pathetic sight moved them visibly. Fate could not be averted, was the response made by the tormented king. Aswatthama burst into a rage. He blurted : “Uttering the meanest lie, the Pandavas disabled my father and killed him. Resorting to a foul means they have crippled my king. I take an oath now, my lord, that tonight I kill the Pandavas. I have no rest till I do away with them.” is pledge pleased Duryodhana. He had water brought and crowned Aswatthama the commander. But he had no army to command. He and his two comrades stole into a wood adjoining the Pandava camp and laid in ambush till midnight. When all were dead asleep in the Pandava camp, Aswatthama entered in and massacred them wholesale. Dhrishtadyumna in particular was tortured to death because he was the slaughterer of Drona. Draupadi’s ve sons born of the ve brothers were also done to death.
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Aswatthama and his two comrades returned in the morning to the spot where Duryodhana was sinking. ey boasted they had butchered the entire enemy camp while in sleep, barring the ve Pandavas,Krishna and Satyaki who were away providentially. e slaughter gave the dying Duryodhana supreme satisfaction, He applauded the heroic act of Aswatthama and breathed his last. e sad news of the slaughter of the entire Pandava forces, of the Panchala princes and the sons of Draupadi was carried to Yudhishthira. He became stupe ed. So became the other brothers. e victors of the war were no better than the vanquished. Draupadi was hastily brought to the scene of tragedy. Seeing the remains of her beloved sons she collapsed. Her loud lamentation rent the air. Even birds and beasts responded to it and remained astound. Overnight she had lost all her brothers and sons. She gathered herself together and declared: “I hear that wretch Aswatthama cannot be killed. Either he must be slain or deprived of the gem on his head and humiliated. Until then I shall not eat.” Bheema hastened immediately in search of Aswatthama. But Krishna and Arjuna knew that his prowers and weapon were not sufficient to assail the all powerful son of the late acharya. erefore all the three of them made a joint search for the treacherer. Aswatthama who was hiding behind Vyasa on the bank of the river Ganga got terri ed at the approach of the three mighty heroes. He invoked the all powerful brahma astra in a bit of grass and discharged it for the destruction of the entire Pandava line. Krishna knew of it and urged Arjuna to discharge the same weapon to counteract it. Now Narada and Vyasa intervened with their spiritual power to save the world from their destructive forces. At the admonishment of those two sages Aijuna withdrew his weapon, but Aswatthama did not know the process of withdrawing it. He was frightened beyond his wit by the magnitude of his atroctity. His astra was charged with the power to kill all the unborn children of the Pandavas. But by the grace of Krishna the son of Abhimanyu in the womb of Uttara was saved from destruction. e sages and Krishna were terribly angry with Aswatthama. ey rid him of the jewel on his head at act amounted to killing him. He was forced to wander the world forlorn and uncared for. Krishna and the Pandavas hurried back to the camp, gave the jewel to Draupadi and consoled her stating that all of their pledges had been ful lled. Dusasana’s blood was quaffed, Duryodhana’s thighs were smashed and all the Kauravas were dispatched. Draupadi became paci ed. q
11. STREE PARVA
Hastinapura
was the scene of sorrow. Women, boys and girls were wailing for their kith and kin fallen in Kurukshetra. King Dhrtarashtra was drowned in woe. He was almost paralysed. Sanjaya and Vidura tried their best to console him. e outspoken Sanjaya said that the blind king had himself to blame for the carnage. When it was predicted he was passive, but when it became actual he collapsed. Dhrtarashtra admitted his in rmity and inefficiency. Finally Vyasa came and infused some courage and consolation into him. He advised the mourner to go to the eld of battle, cremate the remains of his sons and perform the funeral rites. e mournful procession made its move from the city to the cremation grounds. Over thirteen years back Draupadi walked weeping to the forest by that high way. en she prophesied that the bereaved women of Hastinapura would in time do likewise. at prophecy came true now. Women of the royalty and of the commoners commingled in their movement. Calamity annulled their social differences. During the fourteenth year of their banishment the Pandavas returned to
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Hastinapura on a different footing. ey who were driven out as destitutes returned as the vanquishers of the wicked and as the righteous conquerors of the kingdom that was their own by birthright. ey did not covet it but gained it on principle. e duty of the Pandavas at Hastinapura was to get themselves reconciled with their angry and anguished uncle. Vyasa had already paci ed Dhrtarashtra and advised him to view the Pandavas as his own sons. Krishna rst introduced Yudhishthira to the blind king. Half heartedly he embraced the eldes nephew. Next came Bheema’s turn. Hearing that name the old king became infuriated Krishna foresaw it. So he presented to the blind king an image of Bheema which tiie late Duryodhana kept with himself for fostering enmity. Dhrtarashtra hugged that image with such a violence that it pulverized then and there. e king also fainted and fell on the ground. Sanjaya revived him. His anger now turned into bitter remorse. He regretted his sinful action. Krishna then explained how he saved Bheema from the death grip of the wrathful uncle. e spite being zzled out, true affection dawned in the mind of the uncle. en he tenderly caressed all the ve nephews as his own. Harder was the task for the Pandavas to get themselves reconciled with Gandhari their aunt who had lost all her hundred sons in the war. Her rage against Bheema in particular was volcanic, because he was the sole slayer of all of them. She was likely to curse the Pandavas. erefore Vyasa went in advance to Gandhari and paci ed her. She admitted that the war was courted by her sons. eir destruction therefore was inevitable. She could not however reconcile herself with Bheema’s foul actions. He drank the blood of his cousin Dusasana. He fatally disabled Duryodhana by resorting to an unfair method. Bheema prostrated and confessed: “Mother, I am guilty of your charges against me. I beg your pardon for the same. But if I had done these very acts fourteen years ago in the assembly hall, you would have approved of them. But my brother’s vow then imposed restriction on me. In order to ful l my pledge to the humiliated Draupadi I sucked Dusasan’s blood and spat it out unknown to the others. I was avowed to kill Duryodhana by smiting his thighs that insulted Draupadi. It was impossible to slay your son by fair ght. No warrior could ever do it. Such was his might I smote him by unfair
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means to achieve my pledge. I pray that I may be forgiven “is appeal had its soothing effect on Gandhari. Krishna appreciated Bheema’s prudence. All the ve brothers paid their homage to their aunt. When Draupadi was announced to the blindfold Gandhari both of them burst into wailing. e same was their plight. e war rendered both of them sonless. ey drew consolation from each other. Finally the brothers met their mother Kunti aer fourteen years of separation and paid their homage. It was a scene full of pathos. “All of your grandsons are wiped out” uttered Draupadi and burst into sobs. It was a case of grief meeting grief. Vyasa now gave the spiritual eye to Gandhari to see into the aermath of the gruesome war. Shocked by what she saw she narrated them all to Krishna. ey were all cases of women pathetically crying over the losses of their husbands. She accused Krishna of indifference to the war-cloud that was gathering. He could have averted it if he had cared to do so. According to her Krishna was therefore solely responsible for the total annihilation of the armies and kings on either side. She cursed Krishna to meet with the same fate aer thirty six years. e entire family of the Vrishnis would be destroyed by mutual ght. Krishna responded: “ Mother, you earned some merit by devotedly serving your husband. You have spent that merit by spelling curse on my clan. I accept it with gratitude. e Vrishnis are invincible, Still they have to vacate this world somehow. Let your curse have effect on them and let them perish by mutual slaughter as did your family erstwhile. I welcome that end. “Mother, I have not been indifferent to the Kuru family. I tried my best to save it. Your indifference, your husband’s indifference and your sons’ wickedness are responsible for its annihilation. Now you please pick up courage and reconcile yourself with the catastrophe that has overtaken the Kuru House and the allied kingdoms.” e cremation of the remains of the slain in the war took place on a large scale, supervised by Vidura and Sanjaya. Dhrtarashtra, Yudhishthira and the others proceeded to the bank of the river Ganga.
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ey wore simple clothing taking the obsequies into consideration. Gandhari, Kunti and Draupadi accompanied them. e dismal party had its dip in the river. e funeral oblations to the dead were duly offered. Kunti had her life and death ordeal now. She painfully revealed to Yudhishthira the mystery that Karna was her rst born child and as such the eldest brother among the Pandavas. e stunning information caused a stir in the mourning group. Karna was treated rudely by his brothers; but he did not mind it. He came to know laterly who he was. But he suffered it to be kept a secret so that he might serve his friend Duryodhana to the end. Such a tragic hero was he. is startling information was imposed on the Pandavas by their own mother at a psychological moment. eir feeling of estrangement was transformed into that of lial brotherhood. Oblations were offered to Karna the eldest brother whom circumstances kept separated when he was alive. q
12. SANTI PARVA 1
It was a fairly big concourse that had camped on the banks of the river Ganga. e stay there prolonged for one month. e obsequies were performed with devotion for such a long time. But as the rites were taking place Yudhishthira became increasingly pensive. e cause for it was very simple. Mankind had been massacred mercilessly. It was all for the sake of power, pomp and glory. Acquiring kingdom that way was barbarous. Karna’s career and its end were pathetic. He kept himself incognito so that he might serve his friend Duryodhana to the end. He behaved magnanimously with his own brothers while they went on taunting him thinking that he was a chario teer’s son. oughts of these unfortunate happenings harassed Yudhishthira. He therefore preferred forest retreat to reigning the empire. Narada, Vyasa and a few other rishis came to congratulate Yudhishthira. But they found him in need of consolation. ey pointed out that war with all its concomitants was unavoidable on earth. He who fought shy of it was un t for life. e man of understanding braved it. A king was to subordinate personal
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griefs and betake to the discharge of public duty. He belonged to the people and not to himself. Counsel to this effect clari ed his understanding to some extent. Gradually he threw off the mantle of sorrow. Yudhishthira pleaded his innocence of statecra and appealed to Vyasa to enlighten him on that science. But the sage put it to him that he was always preoccupied with the sacred and as such his knowledge of the secular was very limited. He added that Bheeshma was the one person well versed in that lore. at grandsire was the repository of knowledge sacred and secular. He had acquired them from several eminent sources. It was worthwhile for Yudhishthira to inherit them all before it was too late. Krishna endorsed this view and advocated approaching that yet living temple of wisdom. Yudhishthira was now neither depressed nor jubilant. He was calm and concerned with the public welfare. He consented to be crowned. A month of mourning was over. From the river bank to the city the royalty moved. Dhrtarashtra’s state carriage moved rst. It was followed by that of the king Yudhishthira. e other carriages formed the train. e citizens gave the royalty a warm welcome. Krishna escorted Yudhishthira to the magni cent coronation hall. According to his oath he installed Dharmaraja on the throne of the Kuru House. It was a simple and imposing ceremony. Krishna had the satisfaction of ful lling his cherished oath. Dharmaraja solemnly declared that he would piously serve his uncle and the people.
2
Bheeshma the grandsire was still retaining his mortal coil waiting for the auspicious northerly course of the sun. e immediate duty of the Pandava brothers was to get themselves roconciled with him. Together with Krishna they gained access to his august presence on the bed of arrows in the battle eld. Krishna presented himself rst. Mutual greetings took place solemnly. en followed the great dialogue. Krishna: “Yudhishthira is afraid of approaching you because he is the cause of the destruction of mankind in multitudes.”
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Bheeshma : “l am not free from that taint if it may be termed so. Let the child come to me.” Yudhishthira: “Grandsire, I do not want to ascend the blood stained throne. I would rather retire into the forest and perform penance to expiate my sin.” Bheeshma: You did not seek the war. It was imposed on you. You weeded out the wicked. What you did was kshatriya merit and not sin. I fought for the wicked. Still the wicked did not win. It perished as it ought to. ough I championed the wicked I am not tainted because I have no sel sh motive. “You ascend the throne not for personal power and pomp but to discharge the public duty. Shouldering responsibility is a greater austerity than retreating into the forest. Be a bene cent king. at is my charge to you.” Yudhishthira bowed in obedience. Krishna: “Grandsire, I want you to enlighten Yudhishthira on dharma in its entirety.” Bheeshma: “Lord, who is a greater authority than you on this subject? How shall I talk about it in your presence? Moreover my memory fails me. Bodily pain is an obstruction. I am preparing to quit it.” Krishna: “Venerable one, I invigorate your memory and put you above body-consciousness. Your wisdom should not be lost to the world. You will be immortalized through this discourse. Your utterances will be on a par with the Vedas.” Yudhishthira’s queries and Bheeshma’s enlightening replies cover the major portions of the Santi and the Anusasana Parvas. A life time perhaps is not sufficient to study and digest them (ere are also some discordant interpolations budded not only in these dialogues but also in other places in the Mahabharata. e intelligent reader can easily spot out and discard them as irrelevent.)
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A few tenets are pithily put here for re ection: (1) Destiny is potent; but self-effort can modify it. (2) Truth is all powerful. e adherer to truth is never a failure in life. (3) He who wants to be successful in life should practise self-control, humility and righteousness. (4) Man should be neither too so nor too stiff. He should adjust himself to circumstances. (5) Weakness is no virtue. It breeds many evils. (6) Compassion should be combined with stern discipline. (7) Tolerance of irregularity promotes downfall. (8) Life rusts in indolence; it shines in industry. (9) Hatred engenders poison. (10) Love is constructive and all powerful. It reclaims the fallen ones. ese instructions given to a model king are applicable to all aspirants on the path of progress. e major part of the dialogue was then devoted to the path of emancipation or release from the wheel of birth and death. q
13. ANUSASANA PARVA
This book or division deals elaborately on the philanthropic activities. It speaks of the glory of the great God, Siva. It tells that rishihood is to be recognized on merits and attainments. Parentage is also taken into account by the way. Bheeshma ended his immortal and marvellous discourse. His mastery over the body consciousness was amazing. He remained in trance un l the war was over. en he delivered his sublime message. He comforted Yudhishthira and Dhrtarashtra. He sat erect in meditation. e arrows dropped away from his radiant body. He prayed to Krishna to permit him to quit the world. Krishna blessed him. As Bheeshma the Atman ascended celestial owers were showered and celestial music was heard from above. Dhrtarashtra and the Pandava brothers were visibly moved by the loss of the head of their family. ey cremated the body with the due rites and consigned the ash to Ganga in conformity with usage. Ganga Devi assumed form and received the ash with sorrow written large on her face. She re ected: “Years ago I gave this son to Santanu. e lad was trained to excellence,
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enlightened to omniscience and armed to invincibility. I expected superhuman achievements from him. But he seems to have closed his career insigni cantly.” But Krishna corrected Ganga the fond mother of this hero. He explained the truth to her this wise: “Your son Devavrata became Bheeshma or the man of extraordinary deeds. His career on earth has been exemplary. Dharma found its explanation in him. As a character he was superb. He utilized his divine powers to the service of the wicked and thereby proved to the world that it was not possible for Bheeshma even to protect the bad. Tacitly he hastened the destruction of the wicked. His self-sacri ce went to its zenith in this respect. He bequeathed his wisdom to the proper posterity. Above all he enthroned the virtuous. ere is no parallel to Bheeshma on earth or in heaven.” Ganga now became proud of her son. She received him and restored him to his Original State, he being one of the eight Vasus in heaven. q
14. ASWAMEDHIKA PARVA
It was difficult for Yudhishthira to reconcile himself with the carnage that had taken place. But the true plan and purpose of life as explained by Krishna and Vyasa had its toning effect on him. He stirred himself up to his kingly duties. e performance of the aswamedha Yajna or the horse sacri ce became imperative. Vyasa insisted on it. Purposelessly assimilated wealth was claimed by force from the subordinate kings and chieains. Arjuna was entrusted with this all important campaign. Symbolic of this great undertaking, he was leading a spirited horse in all the domains. Opposers of this project obstructed the movement of the horse. en they had to be subdued. But Arjuna did not meet with opposition from anywhere. He gathered the major portion of the required materials from the region north of the Himalayas. e aswamedha Yajna was performed on a large scale. e rishis and the rulers were invited from far and near. e details of the ceremony were gone into in accordance with the injunctions in this respect. e poor and the needy were provided with their wants. e new projects were ttingly nanced.Redistribution of the locked up wealth was the motive of the sacri ce in order to multiply and prosper. e Yajna took place quite in accordance with the lore. e participants were all immensely pleased. ey declared in one voice that Yudhishthira’s sacri ce was unparalleled. Just then a mongoose entered the sacri cial theatre. Strangely, half of its body was golden and the other half, of its natural ash colour. at creature rolled on the sancti ed ground and declared to the assembled dignitaries that they were concious or unconcious liars. e holy
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men pleaded, they were not concious liars and asked the mongoose for the clari cation of its statement. e mongoose spoke: “Sometime back there was a terrible famine in a nearby territory. People were dying of starvation. A teacher, his wife, son and daughter-in-law were dragging on a wretched life due to privation. But teaching, his swadharma, did not stop on that score. When the famished family was fainting with hunger a devoted pupil procured a small quantity of our for his teacher. Four cakes were made with it and the family was at the point of partaking of them. Just then a hungry guest presented himself. He was received with the due veneration. e teacher offered his cake and humbly pleaded with the visitor to partake of it. e guest did so, but his hunger was aggravated. e wife came to the rescue and offered her share. e new comer’s hunger got kindled up more. e son surrendered his share. Still there was no appeasement of hunger in him. e daughter-in-law also dedicated her dole to the man in dire need. Now the man’s face was lit up with satisfaction. He helped himself to the available fourth cake, blessed the benign family and departed. Its self-sacri ce was spontaneous and ardent to the point of death. e devas in heaven witnessed this phenomenon with amazement. ey descended in a chariot, released all the four members of the teacher family from their famished physical bodies and escorted them to the Celestial Region free from hunger and thirst.” e mongoose continued: “I came out of my hole, entered the house where the cakes were prepared and rolled on the ground strewn with the remnants of the our cooked there. eir sanctity converted half of my body golden. I am in search of another equally great sacri ce in which the other half will turn golden. King Yudhishthira’s sacri ce has not produced the desired effect. So it is not as great a sacri ce as that of the teacher escorted to heaven.” ere was silence in the sacri cial hall of Yudhishthira tacitly admitting the superiority of the teacher’s sacri ce. Attitude was admittedly superior to action. Krishna and Arjuna spent sometime together visiting some of their old favourite resorts. ey recollected sweet memories of some of the bygone incidents. en Krishna expressed his intention to return to Dwaraka. It was long since he had come away to Hastinapura compelled by the war emergency. It was his plan to reinstall the righteous Pandavas on their ancestral throne. at act had come about happily. With reluctance those brothers gave Krishna a tting send off. q
15. ASRAMA VASIKA PARVA
With compunction Yudhishthira ascended the throne. He was actuated by the sense of trusteeship and not that of kingship. His rule was perfect. People felt themselves blessed under his paternal care and protection. Dharmaraja’s reign was the best because of the absence of the feeling of the ruler and the ruled. e kingdom was an enlarged family, the king being its head. Yudhishthira served his uncle, the blind old king, with all his heart and soul. His sole concern was to instil consolation and peace in the progeny wrecked and life-frustrated Dhrtarashtra. In contrast with the wayward late son Duryodhana the devoted nephew discharged the dual duty of holding fast to dharma and at the same time making the uncle believe that he was still the undisputed monarch of Hastinapura. e dutiful Dharmaputra succeeded in healing the mind of his revered uncle. Kunti and Draupadi in their turn served Gandhari with all devotion. e irony of fate was that they alone survived who were victimized to die. Finally they alone truly served the parents of the vile offenders. Dhrtarashtra had lived een years under the reverential care and royal protection of
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Dharmaraja. e wholesome atmosphere of this regime had reformed the aged and forlorn blind king. He became a man of sober and re ective mind. Bheema had in his own way contributed towards the reformation of the father of Duryodhana. He would occasionally refer to the hardships he had to pass through. at would compel Dhrtarashtra cogitate over a chain of connected incidents brought about by his wicked son. Penitence on those issues puri ed him to great extent. Dhrtarashtra called a council of his nephews and people representing the public. He explained to them the need for his retirement into the forest. A kshatriya should either lay down life in the battle eld or terminate it as a recluse in the wood. Deviation from this lore was derogatory. Decision was made to quite the city forthwith. Vidura, Sanjaya, Gandhari and Kunti were also to retire in tune with the usage. With great reluctance consent was given to this holy resolve. e party moved on drawing the admiration of the city. e asrama life was exemplary. Earthly concerns were all renounced. ought was switched off from the perishing world and on to the Persisting Reality. Meditation and prayer stood foremost. Dialogue with the holy men followed suit. ey strictly adhered to the spiritual practices incumbent on the eve of life on earth. ree years were very well spent in the adoration of the Maker. Exactly eighteen years aer the great war a forest re was rapidly spreading all round. Dhrtarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti sat in the meditation of the Absolute and allowed their mortal bodies to be consumed by re. us came about their glorious end. Vidura and Sanjaya retired into the Himalayas. q
16. MAUSALA PARVA
What one sows that one reaps. is is a
law of Karma. It applies to individuals, groups and to nations. A curse has its part to play in this connection. It is simply a catalyst. It gives force to the effect of Karma. Further it is a forecast. It indicates the sequence of the doings of people. e utterance of anybody and everybody cannot be a curse or benediction.e utterer ought to be a person of character and truthfulness. ere should be no trace of sel shness or base motive in that person. An impersonal and extempore statement made by such a one at a psychological moment turns out to be a forecast commonly called a curse or a boon. At the conclusion of the great war Gandhari walked round the battle eld at Kurukshetra accompanied by Krishna. She found that the entire Kuru House had been wiped out. Her complaint was that Krishna did not care to avert that catastrophe. In a rage she pronounced: “Krishna, the same fate will befall your Vrishni House.” With a smile Krishna listened to that verdict. Man may become superman. at ascension is wanted. But man should not develop superiority complex. at complex
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undoes his hard-earned merit. e Vrishnis started believing themselves superior to the other tribes. Vainglory and haughtiness marked them for their own. ree rishis came as guests to Dwaraka. It was the duty of the citizens to receive them with reverence. Instead, they had put up a patronizing attitude. ey wanted to test the sagacity of the sages. ey dressed the young hero Samva as a woman with child and took him to the rishis. “Will this woman give birth to a boy or girl?” was the naughty question raised by the disrespectful group. “He will bring forth a bar which will be the cause of the destruction of your race,” was the curse ung on the mirthful Vrishnis. e rishis abruptly le the place. e young men became alarmed. Samva did bring forth an iron rod. at phenomenon frightened them out of their wits. e young men ran to Balarama and Krishna and related their plight. e elder brother advised them to powder the rod and throw that dust into the sea. ey did accordingly, but while cutting the rod into bits, one bit escaped notice and remained on the sea-shore. ey thought the danger was averted and so they forgot about it. But Krishna alone did not forget it. He foresaw the consequences. Krishna’s rule of Dwaraka lasted thirty six years following the horrible war of Kurukshetra. is period is twice the number eighteen which is intertwined with the Mahabharata Krishna knew that his earthly advent was over. All that he was to achieve had been completed. Time was ripe for his withdrawal from the mundane existence. He had his mind xed on his Unmanifest State. e Vrishnis who were of the Yadava stock were rapidly deteriorating in their moral calibre. Inordinate sense indulgence became their wont. Ease and luxury were viewed as the gi to them by Providence. Pride and vanity were the norm with them. Sensuality the symptom of self annihilation rose rampant in them. e curse spelt by the rishis took shape. e iron powder scattered into the sea sprouted as reeds and became tall. e unnoticed bit of iron on the sea shore was by chance picked up by a hunter and converted into an arrow-head. e fatal time came.
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e Vrishnis went out for a picnic. ey became fully drunk. ere developed a brawl among themselves. It grew into a scuffle. It turned into a terrible carnage. e infuriated men uprooted the reeds and belaboured one another with them. Because of the curse of the rishis the reeds turned into deadly weapons. In no time the entire Yadava race became extinct. Balarama sat in meditation, cast off the body and returned to his Original State, the Sesha of Mahavishnu. Krishna calmly witnessed the carnage and walked into the wood, absorbed in the thought of his Original State. He felt the time had come for him to quit the ephemeral world. Feet exposed, he lay on the grassyground in yoga trance. From a yonder spot he looked like a deer taking rest. Krishna was invulnerable all over the body except the soles. At the soles alone he was vulnerable. His joint soles looked like the head of the deer. e hunter shot the arrow containing the spike made from the bit of the presaged iron bar. e weapon pierced into the body. Krishna le it to its fate and resumed his Divine State. Arjuna was sent for in advance to take charge of the surviving women folk. But Krishna had departed before he came. ough Arjuna dashed along to Dwaraka he could not arrive in time to meet Krishna, his cousin, comrade, friend and philosopher all rolled into one. Vasudeva the father of Krishna and the maternal uncle of Arjuna narrated the woeful tale of Dwaraka and then he also breathed his last Arjuna, made a diligent search, traced the bodies of Balarama and Krishna and had them cremated with due rites. It took him one week to wind up the affairs of the ruined city. Arjuna made the surviving women and children vacate Dwaraka. As the mournful multitude moved on, the sea swallowed up the city. And that was the end of Dwaraka, e refugees wended their way towards Hastinapura. Robbers on the way chose to attack the huge crowd of women and children escorted by one man. Arjuna laughed at the folly of the looters and warned them of annihilation. But the heedless highwaymen set about their evil purpose. Arjuna applied himself to gandiva and the
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other divine weapons. Alas! they would not function as was their wont. e world famous hero of the great war was now reduced into an ordinary archer. He could only partially protect the defenceless woman. Many of them with their belongings had been carried away captives. Arjuna’s pang knew no bounds. Suitable regions in various parts of the kingdom of Hastinapura were assigned to the rescued evacuees of Dwaraka. Rukmini and Satyabhama decided to retire into the forest and resort to austerity in order to hasten their emancipation from earthly life. Arjuna gained access to Vyasa and submitted his tales of sorrow: the Vrishnis had all fallen by mutual destruction; Balarama and Krishna had le this world; therefore it seemed empty to him; the mystery of mysteries was that his divine weapons had all vanished; no strength was le in him; he could not fully defend the refugees. In solemn voice Vyasa uttered: “Your mission on earth is over. So is the case with Krishna. e weapons have all returned to their sources. Now is the time for you and your brothers to depart.” q
17. MAHAPRASTHANIKA PARVA
All the ve brothers were of one mind. ey felt conjointly that their earthly exploits were over. Time had come for them to quit the world. ey installed Parikshit the son of Abhimanyu on the throne of the Kuru House at Hastinapura. Similarly Vajra the only Yadava prince who survived the carnage at Dwaraka was crowned the king of Indraprastha. Subhadra was to look aer both the princes. Yuyutsu the only remaining royal warrior of the Kuru line was to act as the guardian of the two princes. Kripa was to function as the preceptor to the two royal houses. e ve brothers and their wife Draupadi resolved to set forth from their earthly capital city to the heavenly abode. Attired as ascetics they moved in a le in the descending order of their age. Draupadi brought up the rear, but for a dog that followed them. e scene was very much like the one acted long ago when the Pandavas were defeated in a gamble of dice. e citizens felt dejected on both the occasions. Whereas the persons concerned were depressed on the rst occasion and delighted on the second as the accomplishers of their advent on the earth.
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e pilgrims moved eastward rst until they reached the sea. Arjuna carried his gandiva and the two inexhaustible quivers, being staunchly attached to them. At the sea-shore Agni, the re god, appeared before them and stated: “I obtained from Varuna, the sea god, this gandiva and the quivers for Arjuna to help me burn the Khandava forest. Since then he has achieved countless superhuman exploits with the aid of these weapons. Now he has no more need of them. So let him surrender them to Varuna.” e brothers endorsed the statement of Agni. Arjuna consigned the weapons into the sea. e last vestige of earthly attachment snapped out along with that act. e Pandavas then moved southward, southwest-ward and then northward thus circumambulating the holy land. Next was their entry into the Himalayas whose peaks were penetrating into heaven. Winding their way through the labyrinth of the valleys they emerged on the northern sandy stretch. Beyond was Meru, the king of the mountains. From there they were to ascend into heaven. At that stage Draupadi dropped down dead. Bheema addressed Yudhishthira and asked for the cause of the fall of that taintless lady. ough she loved all the ve husbands alike still she had a tinge of partiality for Arjuna. at was the cause of her fall, came the answer from Dharmaputra who walked without turning back. Aer a while Sahadeva sank down not to rise again. Bheema questioned about his fall. Sahadeva thought of himself superior to the others in wisdom. So he fell. at was the explanation. Nakula fell dead next. He thought highly of his physical beauty and that was the cause of his fall. Arjuna also died on the way. e explanation came forth. Ignoring the other warriors Arjuna wanted to be the sole destroyer of the enemies. at conceit brought him down. Aer a while Bheema exclaimed: “I am falling, O Lord! What wrong have I committed?” Without turning back Yudhishthira said: “Your boast of strength has brought you down.”
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e eldest was the only survivor. He progressed paying no heed to the dead. But the dog followed him. Indra’s chariot came down from heaven. Indra had come personally to escort Yuthishthira to heaven. He requested the pilgrim to get into the chariot. Yudhishthira: “My brothers and our faithful wife have fallen on the way. Leaving them in the lurch I shall not enter heaven.” Indra: “en why did you not turn back to render them relief?” Yudhishthira: “In that case I would have also fallen. e one progressing towards perfection should not look back longingly on what is relinquished. e mortal body is to be dropped. e immortal self alone is to be reclaimed. I am in search of my people the true selves.” Indra: “Your brothers and wife as the immortal selves are already taken into heaven. We want to honour you by escorting you there in your mortal body. is act is exceptional in your case.” As Yudhishthira chose to mount the chariot the faithful dog ran before him wagging its tail. e king expressed his desire to take the animal along with him. Indra: “Discord this unholy creature. It has no place in heaven.” Yudhishthira: “All creatures are holy to me. is dog has been depending on me. I shall not desert it on the way.” Indra: “In order to enter the kingdom of heaven and in order to gain access to your beloved brothers you shall have to eschew this dog.” Yudhisthira: “Deserting a dependant is not dharma. 1 shall readily forgo heaven and the company of my brothers. But I shall not for aught abandon this dog.” As the king was pledging this wise the dog became radiant and changed into the god Dharma deva. He pronounced: “I am proud of you my son. Once before I tested in the Dwaita vana your impartiality between the brother and the step brother. Now I tested your compassion
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to low creatures. You have immensely pleased me. Go with Indra to the heaven that you merit.” e chariot occupied by Yudhishthira le the earth, gracefully sailed in the sky and disappeared up above. e denizens of heaven thronged to see the strange happening. e terrestials usually become the celestials by shedding the mortal coil. But this was a case of retaining the mortal frame even while gaining access into heaven. Hence the crowd to sight the phenomenon. e new arrival took no notice of the waiting dignitaries. With anxiety written large on the face he searched for his beloved brothers reported to have arrived early. ey were to be found nowhere. q
18 SWARGAROHANIKA PARVA
Among the new arrivals in heaven it was
Duryodhana who rst arrested the attention of Yudhishthira most effectively. He who was to be condemned as a war criminal was instead installed as a king almost on a par with Indra. is state of affair was repulsive to Dharmaputra. Narada knew his reaction and explained it away as veera swarga, the heaven of the heroes, gained by that kshatriya only who fell ghting valiantly.
But Yudhishthira gave thought to the actual position of that individual belonging to his own family. Goaded by greed for the kingdom of others this villain fought treacherously. e wickedness that he resorted to was unpardonable. What was the purpose served by boosting him that way? en he stopped delving further into the affairs of Duryodhana. Yudhishthira showed anxiety to meet his brothers. e gods bade a heavenly messenger escort him to where his brothers and friends were. As the two moved on, the path became darker and yet darker. is environment became gloomy. ere was loathsome smell. ings were all lthy. e ground was slippery with blood. Air was unbearably hot. Sharp thorns obstructed the path. e bewildered king questioned the guide in regard to this abominable place. e celestial replied that it was a portion of hell and that they were to return thence.
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As Yudhishthira turned back piteous groanings broke out all round. Voices pleaded that he might stay more. His holy presence alleviated their agony. To the extent he stayed the victims received relief. e merciful king stood in campassion and enquired who they were that were suffering from the torture of hell. e response was from none other than Bheeshma, Karna, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva and Draupadi. e stunned king took sometime to regain normalcy. en he stated emphatically to the guide: “Go and tell your Lord that I do not care to return to his heaven tainted by the presence of the wicked Duryodhana. Together with my virtuous brothers I shall be in this hell allotted to us by the so called just kingdom of heaven.” Yudhishthira had hardly completed his statement when bothYama Dharma and Indra made their appearance there. e hell with its occupants vanished. It was just an illusion created for the momentary experience of the righteous king on earth. Without that experience his being processed in life was incomplete. It took place to rid him of the small sin of misguiding Drona on the battle eld. God Dharma said that he tested his son Yudhishthira for the third time. He who was Dharmaraja on earth proved himself the worthy son of Yama Dharmaraja of heaven. Neither the lure of heaven nor the torture in hell could make him deviate from the path of righteousness. Yudhishthira had immortalizd himself as an ideal king. Yudhishthira was from birth to death an exemplary character. Dharma found its expression in him. He was the friend of all and foe of none. rough endurance he won over all antagonists. Evil cannot be eliminated by evil, was his message in life. He was ever active. Whatever he did was for the good of all. Dharmaraja is ever the model for humanity. A bath in the heavenly Ganga turned Yudhishthira the man into a celestial. He was then escorted to his beloved ones. His brothers and Draupadi were already installed in heaven. eir company added to his bliss. Aer the enjoyment of a prolonged heavenly bliss some of them were to merge in the Absolute while the others were to be reborn on earth to work out their karma. q
NAMES IN THE MAHABHARATA Abhimanyu was the son of Subhadra and Arjuna. Adhiratha: e foster-father of Karna. Amba: e rst daughter of the king of Kasi, reincarnated as Sikhandi. Ambalika: e third daughter of the king of Kasi. She was the mother of Pandu. Ambika: e second daughter of the king of Kasi. She was the mother of Dhrtarashtra. Arjuna was the third son of Kunti by Indra. Aswatthama was the son of Drona. Baka was the asura killed by Bheema. Balarama was the elder brother of Krishna. Bhagadatta was an ally of Duryodhana. Bhargava or Parasurama was a foremost archer, the guru of Drona, Bheeshma and Karna. Bheema was the second son of Kunti by the wind god. Bheeshma: e rst son of Santanu. He is the chief character in the Mahabharata.
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Bhoorisravas was a Kaurava warrior. Brihadaswa was a sage who consoled Dharmaraja in the forest. Brihannala was the assumed name of Arjuna at Virata Chitrangada: e short lived brother of Bheeshma. Chitrasena was the guru of Arjuna in Amaravati, the capital of Indra. Damagranti was the hidden name of Nakula. Devavrata was the boyhood name of Bheeshma. Dhrishtadyumna was the son of Drupada and the elder brother of Draupadi. Dhrtarashtra was the blind king, the father of Duryodhana. Draupadi was the daughter of Drupada. Drona was the preceptor to the Kuru princes. Drupada was the king of Panchala. Duryodhana was the rst son of Gandhari. Dusasana was the brother of Duryodhana. Ekachakra was the city where the Pandavas lived incognito. Ekalavya: e hunter youth who became famous for his guru bhakti. Gandhari was the wife of Dhrtarashtra. Ganga was the rst wife of Santanu. Ghatotkacha was the son of Bheema and Hidimbi. Hidimba was the rakshasa killed by Bheema. Jarasandha was an enemy of Krishna. Jayadratha was the valiant king of Sindhu. Kanika was the cray minister to Sakuni, who advised the blind king to estrange the Pandavas.
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Kanka was the name incognito of Yudhishthira. Karna was born of Kunti by the sun god. Kichaka was the brother-in-law of Virata. Kripa and Kripi were the twin boy and girl. e former became a famous archer and the latter the wife of Drona. Krishna was the cousin of the Pandavas, his father and their mother being brother and sister. Kritavarma was a warrior of Duryodhana’s army. Lomasa was the sage who reported the welfare of Arjuna to the Pandavas while in exile. Maitreya was the sage who cursed Duryodhana to die in the battle eld, his thigh being smashed. Markandeya told stories in the forest to the Pandavas. Maya was an asura who built the council hall at Indraprastha. Nakula was born of Madri by the Aswins. Pandu: Younger brother of Dhrtarashtra, the father of Pandavas. Pritha also known as Kunti was the wife of Pandu and the aunt of Krishna. Purochana was the minister entrusted with the treachery of killing the Pandavas at Varanavata. Radha: e foster-mother of Karna. Sahadeva was born of Madri by the Aswins. Sairandhri was the pretended name of Draupadi. Sakuni was the brother of Gandhari. Salva was the friend of Sisupala slain by Krishna. Salya of Madradesa was the brother of Madri and therefore the maternal uncle of Nakula.
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Sanjaya was the minister of Dhrtarashtra. Santanu was the father of Bheeshma. Satyaki was a Vrishni chief who sided the Pandavas in the war. Satyavati: e second wife of Santanu. As a maid she begat Vyasa by Parasara. Sikhandin was the brother of Dhrishtadyumna and the son of Drupada. Sisupala was an enemy of Krishna. Subhadra was the sister of Krishna and the wife of Arjuna. Sudeshna was the queen of Virata. Supritika was the mighty elephant of Bhagadatta. Susarma was the king of Trigarta and an ally of Duryodhana. Tantripala was the concealed name of Sahadeva. Upaplavya belonging to Virata was the camping place of the Pandavas. Uttaraa was the daughter of Virata. Uttaran was the second prince of Virata. Valala was the name incognito of Bheema. Varanavata was the town where attempt was made to burn the Pandavas alive. Vichitravirya: e short lived second brother of Bheeshma. Vidura was the brother of Dhrtarashtra and Pandu. Virata was the king of Matsya. Vriddhakshatra was Jayadratha’s father performing austerity. Vyasa is the author of the Mahabharata. Yudhishthira was the rst son of Kunti by Dharma Deva aer her marriage with Pandu. qqq