Mahabharata – For Those Who Have Not Read It!

Mahabharata is an Indian epic that symbolizes the huge collection of knowledge that was passed down the ages. The story ends with the great battle of Kurukshetra where all but the protagonists die. It may appear like an epic for peace, but in reality it is a glorious saga of war, destruction, death and vengeance. In it are embedded hundreds of stories that form a guideline for the way of life led by the erstwhile kings and queens, most of them being imaginary. In addition, it also talks of the ways and means of society and Vedic culture.

Shantanu, the king of Hastinapura, ends up marrying the beautiful river goddess Ganga, who mothers Devavrata, also known as Bhishma. Shantanu takes Satyavati, mother of Vyasa, in marriage, promising her that her son will be the king. Though Shantanu hesitates to accept it, thinking of Bhishma, Bhishma himself promises on behalf of Shanthanu that he will not accept the throne and the sons of Satyavati alone will be king. Shantanu has two sons with Satyavati. Unfortunately, both of them die within a short span of time.

Satyavati asks her elder son Vyasa to father children through Ambika and Ambalika, the widows of one of her dead sons Vichitravirya. Ambika gives birth to a blind child, named Dritharashtra, while her sister Ambalika gives birth to a pale skinned child Pandu. A third child is born to a worker girl (a maid) in the household of Satyavati through Vyasa, named Vithura.

Dritharashtra, because of his blindness, becomes ineligible to take the throne, and his step brother Pandu becomes the king. Pandu was cursed to die if he approached a woman for a sexual relationship.

Pandu’s first wife Kunti gets a boon from a rishi, which helps her bear children and thus she gives birth to the Pandavas. These are five in number. Three of them were born to Kunti while Nakula and Sagadeva were born to Madri. Before getting married to Pandu, Kunti tries to test her boon, and gives birth to Karna. She abandons him, putting him in a basket and letting him float in the Yamuna, fearing ignominy.

Madri, Pandu’s second wife, borrows Kunti’s secret and gives birth to the twins Nakula and Sahadev.

These five brothers are the Pandavas and the heroes of the story. They share a common wife, Draupadi.

King Pandu dies after mating with his second wife, and his brother Dritharashtra becomes the king. This time, they accept him though he is blind, in lieu of Vidhura who is of common blood. Dritharashtra and his wife Gandhari have a hundred children, the Kauravas. Duryodhana is the eldest of them.

Both the Pandavas and Kauravas grow up with a dislike towards each other. The Pandavas, with their physical strength, positive attitude and good deeds, become popular among the subjects of the country. On the other hand, the Kauravas are portrayed as jealous and wicked. In the story, however, there is hardly any mention of the good deeds done by the Pandavas, or by the Kauravas.

The eldest Kaurava, Duryodhana, teams up with his younger brother Dhuchasana, a close friend of Karna (the Pandavas’ stepbrother) and maternal uncle Shakuni to shun the Pandavas and chase them out of their kingdom.

They challenge Pandavas to a game of dice, and defeat them with treachery. The Pandavas lose everything, including their wife Draupadi, to the Kauravas.

The Kauravas impose a 12-year exile followed by a year of anonymity on the Pandavas. During this period, the Kauravas make several attempts to kill their cousins but the Pandavas escape with the support of their maternal uncle, Lord Sri Krishna.

After completing their 13-year exile, the Pandavas seek to regain control of their part of the empire. But their cousins refuse to concede, leading to the great war of Kurukshetra.

The war lasts for about 18 days in the fields of the Kuru clan and so the name Kurukshetra. The holy Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita, told by Krishna to Arjuna, evolved during this episode.

The Pandavas win the war with the support of Krishna but the victory comes at a very heavy cost. They lose all of their relatives, sons and grandsons in the huge war. Only the Pandavas remain along with Krishna and the blind king Dritharashtra. Of course, the ladies of the clan remain alive to moan the death of their loved ones!

Many stories, over the ages, have been written and spoken about by men of all hues. Here too, I present my perception of how events could have unfolded, as the great Mahabharata was played out!

Krishna’s Curse

1.

“Sanjaya,” Dridharashtra called out.

It was the first day of Uttrayana, the winter solstice. Almost, two months had gone by since his son Duryodhana had met his end at the hands of Bhima. Dridharashtra could almost feel the impact of the mace on his son’s thighs. The pain that had swept through Duryodhana, had also gone through the arms of the blind man, creeping up to his heart!

Tears welled his eyes every time he thought about it. He grimaced every time, as if he had suffered the pain himself. The dead feel the pain but once. Whereas the living, feel the pain every time they think of it.

He heard the soft steps approaching him and immediately recognized that it was Gandhari. He could recognize everyone around him from the way they walked. The gait differed. The pressure on either foot differed. He always spotted a new person in the room with ease and élan. He was even able to identify which direction they faced; he knew when they turned from one side to the other. The pressure that the legs exerted on the ground was audible to him. He could sense it as if he had some kind of vibration sensor installed under his skin.

Following the steps of Gandhari, he could hear the firm steps of Sanjaya.

“Gandhari, is Sanjaya coming behind you?”

“Yes, my Lord!”

Though her words sounded normal, the voice that uttered them was not so normal. There was a tinge of sadness that brought back all the memories she harboured, of her one hundred sons in a rush. The palace used to be noisy, full of fun and frolicking. Where have they all gone? No language on this earth could ever record a mother’s deep sense of anguish at the loss of her beloved children.

A wordless lump filled her throat and obstructed it from making any statement or even uttering a syllable, whenever she thought of it! Not one, not two! One hundred of them! She remembered the day on which all one hundred of them were born. After all, Duryodhana was just hours ahead of the others and came to be the eldest of the lot.

As children, they were pretty noisy like everyone else. How much fun they had had! She remembered the rainy days when she sat with them, with ambers of fire burning in the wood stock, telling them stories of their great grandfathers. How they had lived and how they had ensured that their cattle were safe in the country. Nobody, she had said, nobody else in this vast green earth would dare touch the cattle owned by the people of Hastinapura.

She remembered the fun they had with Dritharashtra. He had the habit of taking a nap in the afternoon, soon after a sumptuous lunch! The children would climb on him…as many of them as possible, on top of him, while he snored away luxuriously. They would try to feel the loud and warm breath that came out of his nostrils and mouth. They would try to lift his large hands with their baby arms. Dritharashtra used to allow his hand a free fall. Every time two or three of the little ones jointly lifted it up, they’d get caught under the weight of his arms! They would cry for help. Immediately, three or four of their brothers would join them. And together, five kids or more would try to lift his arms so that those caught underneath could be released!

How wonderful and harmless those days were! Today, as if some clueless demon just wished them away, they were all gone. Not even a single one was alive to give her consolation. With tears welling her eyes, she walked up to her husband as he waited for Sanjaya to arrive.

Sanjaya wished his king and master.

“O king of kings! Let the Lord of the Himalayas bestow upon you all the pleasures on earth!”

“Sanjaya, why do you say this? What pleasure do you think is going to please me? I am waiting for Yama (God of Death) to come and take me away. Why do you say this? I am already very sad! You make me sadder.”

After a pause he said, “Come near me and sit down.”