AJAYA - RISE OF KALI (Book 2) (62 page)

Oil was poured over Carvaka and lit. The priests chanted
mantras
as they burnt the man who had spent a lifetime tirelessly working among the people. Finally, Krishna turned his head. His eyes widened in horror at what was happening. He rushed to save the Maharishi but stopped short when he heard Dhaumya say, “Carvaka was a Rakshasa, he burned in the fire of Brahmin wrath.”

Krishna whipped out his
Sudharshana,
his eyes blazing at the Guru. But Dhaumya whispered in his ear, “Fire purifies. The Rakshasa is lucky, unlike the Nishada you killed with a stone. Carvaka has achieved
moksha.”
Ekalavya’s face flashed in Krishna’s mind. If only he had killed Samba instead of committing such a heinous crime. He stood paralysed, looking down at Carvaka’s charred body. The Maharishi’s fists were still closed in defiance.

“Hare Krishna!
The Lord has restored
dharma
and killed evil. Bow to the Lord,
avatar
of Vishnu. Pray to him for your
moksha,”
Dhaumya shouted, prostrating himself at Krishna’s feet. There were murmurs as the dazed crowd watched the group of priests prostrate themselves at Krishna’s feet. Then, one by one, they too, fell to their knees and shouts of
‘Hare Krishna’
filled the air.

Aswathama could see the future of his country unfolding before him. He stood up warily. His friend was dead and he had achieved nothing. Their dreams had vanished, leaving only blood and tears.

“Did he mention me before he died, Aswathama?” The Brahmin blinked away his tears, unable to answer Bhanumati. How could he tell her that Suyodhana had spoken only of Karna...and him. “Tell me, Aswathama. Did he say anything at all?” Bhanumati gazed into Aswathama’s face, then her shoulders drooped. “No...no... of course, he did not. It was always Karna...only Karna. The day the Suta entered Suyodhana’s life, he was cursed.” Lakshmana’s sobs mingled with those of Draupadi mourning her sons, but Bhanumati stood in silence. She had no more tears left to shed. There was no meaning left to anything.

Aswathama began to laugh. The priests stopped their chanting to stare at him. The Brahmin laughed as if he would die of mirth. “You fools! You poor, stupid fools!” he gasped, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Suyodhana was a fool, Karna was a fool, and all you Pandavas are fools. You, Krishna, you too are a fool, as am I. Can you not see, as clear as the sun in the sky, that all of us have lost? If you have any sense left, think… who has won?”

“He has gone insane,” Yudhishtra said in a shocked voice.

Aswathama faced Dhaumya. “Wise man… you are the only wise man here. You have won, Guru. May the likes of you multiply and bless this country.” Aswathama bowed and then turned to the others. “Fools, all of us! Think who has won this war of
dharma
… Think and think again until you understand. Oh my poor foolish countrymen!” He stood beside Suyodhana’s body and whispered in despair, “Oh, you King of fools!” Aswathama wept.

Yudhishtra walked to the stricken Brahmin and reached out a hand to touch him, but Aswathama turned and fled into the forest. His words and mocking laughter would echo over time.

*****

78
   
T
ASTE
OF
D
HARMA

BHANUMATI LEFT THE HASTINAPURA PALACE
for her childhood home immediately, once the funeral rites for her husband were over. Gandhari and Kunti’s repeated pleas to remain had no effect on her.

Bhishma died on the day
Uttarayana
began. He remained conscious to the end and tried to warn Yudhishtra about Dhritarashtra. He also advised him how to rule without fear or favour. On the day of
Sankranti,
Gangadutta Devavrata Bhishma departed his earthly body. Yudhishtra performed the last rites for the Pitamaha of the Kurus.

On the night of the funeral, Kripa came to pay his respects, risking capture. Yudhishtra asked his forgiveness for the war, surprising the maverick Guru. The usually cynical Kripa broke down at this gesture from a man whose son he had helped murder. Yudhishtra requested Kripa to accept the position of
Rajaguru,
to guide him in the days ahead. Kripa bowed his head in acquiescence, humbled at last.

They found Vidhura sitting heartbroken near Bhishma’s funeral pyre. Yudhishtra lifted up his uncle and took him to live in the palace.

While immersing the ashes of Pitamaha in the Ganga on the third day after his death, Yudhishtra was overcome by grief and guilt. In his despair he attempted suicide, but Bhima and Arjuna restrained him. It took Krishna the better part of the day to focus his mind on the nuances of
dharma
and rule according to the tenets of the
smritis.
But the next day dawned with the shocking news that Yudhishtra would not assume the kingship. Instead, he went to see Vrishali, Karna’s grieving widow. Yudhishtra asked her for Karna’s eight-year-old son, Vrishaketu, the only survivor in the next generation of Kurus, as the next successor. But the priests decreed that Vrishaketu was ineligible as the son of a Suta mother. Heartbroken, Yudhishtra brought Vrishaketu to live with him, instructing Arjuna to turn him into a great warrior, as befitted the son of Karna. By evening, Yudhishtra had announced that Dhritarashtra would remain King.

Later that night, an anguished Gandhari asked Dhritarashtra why he had accepted his nephew’s generous offer. How could he rule in peace when Suyodhana was dead? The old King gave a bitter laugh that frightened Gandhari. The nobility he had displayed at their sons’ cremation had vanished, in its place stood an angry old man with Shakuni’s cunning and Suyodhana’s determination.

The next day he called for Dhaumya, to discuss matters of state. The Guru was sceptical when he arrived to see the King. Everything had gone wrong for the Guru after the war. Instead of a furious rebel-like Suyodhana, whom it was easy to accuse of
adharma,
he found Yudhishtra, the man he had nurtured and announced as the epitome of
dharma.

“Guru Dhaumya, I wish to make amends for the conduct of my dead sons. I do not wish their souls to reside in the netherworld because they have been cursed by Brahmins. I wish to give gifts to one lakh Brahmins and would like your advice, Guru.”

Dhaumya could not believe what he heard. Why was the King behaving in such an uncharacteristic fashion? Was this the same man who had insisted that all the dead be cremated together, irrespective of caste? Since he was offering gifts, it would be prudent not to refuse. “The light of
dharma
has shone on you, my King. May Sakra and the other Gods in heaven bless you.”

The King bent to touch the Brahmin’s feet. Then he summoned Yudhishtra and announced his decision, saying it was required to ensure the peace of the departed souls. Yudhishtra merely bowed and walked back to his chamber, depression clouding his mind.

When Dhritarashtra returned to his own chambers, he laughed aloud and told Gandhari, “I will empty the treasury. They have taken me for a fool but I will defeat Krishna and the others at their own game. Only
my
son will rule this land! Your brother Shakuni was a genius, Gandhari. I sometimes hear him speaking to me.”

“You will bring disaster again to the Kuru race,” Gandhari said grimly. Her husband laughed mirthlessly in answer.

***

Soon, the treasury was empty as thousands of cows, horses and gold coins were gifted to the Brahmins who came from far and wide to accept the hospitality and generosity of the Kurus. When Yudhishtra spoke to the King about the reports of starvation, deaths and rioting in the distant parts of the country, Dhritarashtra called the astrologers and showed great concern when they predicted grim times for Bharatavarsha. He ordered more gifting of cows and wealth to the Brahmins, basking in their praise and secretly laughing at the men he was making fools of. The priests and astrologers advised a
Aswamedha Yagna.
Sacrificing a horse was the only way to ensure prosperity. Dhritarashtra called his son, the merchant Yuyutsu, and asked him to fund the
yagna
as his patriotic duty. Yuyutsu replied that he was ever on the side of
dharma
and advanced a huge sum, accepting the assets of the country as collateral.

The horse ran through the war-ravaged vassal states of Bharatavarsha. The imperial army followed, crushing those who refused to surrender, and taking huge ransoms from the rest. Arjuna led the war of conquest, bringing death and destruction once again to an already devastated country. Vrishaketu accompanied his uncle in this journey of plunder. The King ensured that whatever was brought back was immediately distributed among the Brahmins, so that the treasury remained empty. Hastinapura fell into greater and greater debt to his son Yuyutsu.

Vidhura left for the forest, disgusted. Kripa, the pragmatist, bided his time, amused at the turn of events. His sister, Kripi, Drona’s sorrowing wife, died. It was left to him to perform the rituals, as his nephew Aswathama had long vanished. No one knew where the accursed Brahmin had gone.

Events took a turn for the worse when the sacrificial horse entered the borders of Sindh. Sushala had been grooming her son, Surutha, to take revenge for Jayadratha’s death. Despite the best efforts of the many Gurus who came from every corner of Bharata, Surutha had remained a weakling. The relentless pressure from his mother turned him into a nervous boy who worried perpetually about failure. When Arjuna’s imperial army entered Sindh, the Pandava wished for a truce. He had no wish to plunder his cousin’s land, and Arjuna hoped to convince Sushala to return to Hastinapura with him.

But disaster awaited the great warrior. As the Hastinapura army entered the city gates, Sushala chided the cowering boy for hiding in his room and not fighting Arjuna like a Kshatriya. Surutha reluctantly left his chamber and mounted his horse. He made a dash towards the imperial army as Sushala watched with pride from the palace. Arjuna blew his conch to welcome his nephew. The horse carrying Surutha panicked and the boy was thrown from his saddle. He broke his neck as soon as his body hit the ground, dying instantly. Arjuna had unintentionally brought disaster to his cousin’s family again. The warrior retreated with a heavy heart, more confused than ever about the Great War, when he had killed so many of his kin. The
Gita
made less and less sense to him as life unfolded.

Gandhari’s words came true. Dhritarashtra’s wily manoeuvring had brought disaster to the Kuru clan. Finally, shattering his last dream of only his son sitting on the throne of Hastinapura, a son was born to Uttara, Abhimanyu’s young widow. Bitter and angry, he pined for Suyodhana, locked in his chamber. He emerged to create more havoc by emptying the treasury, giving away more and more gifts and performing rituals with pomp. Uttara and Abhimanyu’s son, Parikshat, grew up not knowing what the future held.

When Dhritarashtra finally decided to relinquish the throne, he ensured Yudhishtra would not succeed him by naming Parikshat as his heir. He spoke to Yudhishtra at length on the merits of going to the Himalayas in search of inner peace. He also discussed with Dhaumya the virtues of taking Kunti with them when he and Gandhari left for
vanaprastha.
Dhaumya was delighted. He was getting a boy of barely sixteen as King, who could be easily manipulated. He could then impose his rules without check. The priest listened to Dhritarashtra, well aware of the King’s inner motivations, and said unctuously that he would attempt to prevail upon Yudhishtra to undertake a pilgrimage for peace and on Kunti Devi to relinquish court life.

When Dhaumya left, Dhritarashtra sat alone for a long time, contemplating the final blow he had dealt Pandu’s sons. The revenge he was taking in the name of his slain sons could not have tasted sweeter. Not all battles were fought on the battlefield with swords and maces. When Gandhari tried to talk to him that night, he turned away and feigned sleep.

*****

79
   
V
ANAPRASTHA