Karna's Wife (27 page)

The little prince had wanted to see the new baby. He was a quiet, solemn boy, unlike the endearing, animated Abhimanyu, Arjuna and Subhadra’s son. He stared at the baby for a long time, then went out quietly to play in the garden. Uruvi saw him soon sitting on the bench, playing with his ball, and she marvelled how this soft-spoken, taciturn little fellow was the boisterous Duryodhana’s son. Lakshmana was fair, almost pale, and very grave for his age. He never ran about noisily like other boys and only played solitary games.

Bhanumati noticed Uruvi staring at her son. ‘He is such a good boy,’ she sighed, the pride and joy unmistakable in her voice. ‘Coming back to your question, Uruvi, if I know my husband well, he has gone there to trouble the Pandavas—and not for any stock checking,’ Bhanumati replied dryly. ‘Dwaitvana is very close to where they are now. My husband would be most happy if he were to actually see them suffering. He wants to gloat, that’s all! Oh, why does he do that? He has heard the curse of Sage Maitreya and yet he couldn’t care less!’ cried Bhanumati. ‘He has Indraprastha and a chunk of the Pandavas’ kingdom. He need not burn any longer with jealousy and yet he pursues them with such cruel relentlessness.’

Uruvi decided it would be wiser to remain quiet. She watched her pacing the floor and wondered how this lovely princess of Kamboja had agreed to become the Kuru queen. The bubbly younger sister of the first queen of Duryodhana, who had died at a young age, she was selected by Guru Dronacharya as the next bride-to-be for the crown prince of Hastinapur. Her father, the King of Kamboja, readily agreed because the guru was his friend. Uruvi was amazed at the way the young princess had adapted to her life as the queen of one of the most disliked kings of the kingdom. Probably that was why Bhanumati tried to be extra nice to everyone, trying to make up for her husband’s unpopularity. She had a compelling desire to be liked and was very sensitive about the impact she had on others. She lavished affection on everyone, but Uruvi suspected that the fear of rejection lingered in her. Uruvi had noticed the look of uneasiness in Bhanumati’s eyes when her effusiveness was often reciprocated with a cool slight. This reaction was ironical, considering that Bhanumati, as the queen, could either reject overtures of friendship or condescendingly confer favours to a selected few. Uruvi recalled one instance when Bhanumati gave Vrushali a cold brush-off, showing she could be mean to the underdog. Vrushali had been instantly dismissed and not considered worthy of Bhanumati’s time, Uruvi recollected wryly, so it was surprising that she had accepted and acknowledged Karna as part of her coterie. Right now, the Kuru queen seemed to be disturbed and Uruvi knew it would be best to allow her to do most of the talking, especially when it concerned Duryodhana, a subject she didn’t like to discuss anyway.

Bhanumati was pacing in the room like a caged tigress. ‘He hates the Pandavas so much that it’s as normal as breathing to him. When it comes to them, the evil in him is never satiated—it keeps fermenting to poison him and all those around him. He turns into a monster, a sadist—he enjoys the unhappiness he causes them and likes to watch them suffer,’ she asserted. ‘Uruvi, would you believe me when I say that otherwise he’s a normal man getting on with life? He is a fabulous father, a benevolent king, a brave warrior—he is so good and kind to most people, but he abhors the Pandavas with a passion! And his hatred is so bigoted that he cannot tolerate anyone favouring them either. That’s why he keeps clashing with people like Bhishma Pitamaha, Guru Dronacharya and Vidura.’

Was that why Karna showed his dislike for the Pandavas as evidently as Duryodhana did? Was that Karna’s way of impressing Duryodhana? Bhanumati’s next words took away her doubts about Karna’s integrity. ‘You and Karna fail to understand him because you measure him according to your own high moral code,’ she said. ‘In fact, the only person who can dare to defy Duryodhana is Karna. He is the only person Duryodhana genuinely respects—and that is because Karna always speaks his mind unhesitantly and fairly. He does not mince his words,’ she remarked. ‘Karna has won battles for him yet my husband thinks only of keeping the Pandavas in misery. Karna is not greedy for a kingdom or wealth, but Duryodhana is. As a mighty warrior, Karna conducted the victorious digvijaya for Duryodhana, not for himself but for his friend. But even after he has won an entire empire for him, is Duryodhana happy? He will always yearn for that share of the Pandavas and more. He loathes his cousins—that’s ingrained in him and nursed further by his Uncle Shakuni. They haunt him and he will hunt them down—he won’t rest in peace until he can find a way to destroy them.’

Distraught, Bhanumati spread her arms helplessly. ‘Oh, Uruvi, I loathe his wickedness and his warped insecurity! He seems to be insatiable when it comes to the Pandavas. Karna has handed him great power—he is the emperor today. Yet, he wants to watch the poor Pandavas in their misery—a misery he inflicted on them. Initially, I dismissed it as the usual jealousy found in most families, but it’s a mounting paranoia with him. He has done every evil deed possible—he even tried to kill his aunt and his cousins, usurped their throne, humiliated Draupadi in the worst possible way—could he stoop lower? What else am I to bear as his wife, Uruvi? I hang my head with shame but he has no sense of shame or remorse whatsoever when it comes to the Pandavas. He is a demon whom no one can stop—not even Karna! Who can I say all this to, except you?’ she cried, wringing her hands in restless frustration.

‘Stop torturing yourself.’ Uruvi tried in vain to calm the other woman. ‘We are both suffering the same pain.’

‘No!’ she protested fiercely. ‘Don’t ever make the mistake of comparing Karna with Duryodhana! Karna is too noble and whatever you consider he is doing wrong is for the sake of his friend. In fact, he is one of the few good men here and don’t ever forget that, Uruvi. He might be making all the bad choices but he is a righteous man. He is keeping a promise he pledged to himself. He might be Duryodhana’s closest confidante but he is not like him—and you know that. He is guided—you can call it misled perhaps—by his strong sense of loyalty.’

‘And that’s going to be his ruin,’ Uruvi finished quietly. ‘He knows it but he will remain loyal. I have realized well enough now that you cannot advise a person who stubbornly believes that he is right though he knows, rationally, that he is wrong. Bhanu, we have to live with it. We cannot change our husbands any more than we can alter what is happening around us. We think we can, but that again, is extreme optimism. The only power we seem to hold is on ourselves—we can but modify ourselves. And the sooner we do it, the better for all of us,’ she added tiredly. Seeing the grim look on the other woman’s face, Uruvi chaffed lightly, ‘And hey, are you defending Karna because he’s the best sparring partner you can get to play your game of dice?’

The harshness on Bhanumati’s face melted away at Uruvi’s words. ‘Oh yes, I do! He is the best in the game, and yes, he is my favourite person too, besides being the best-looking man in the kingdom right now!’ she grinned wickedly. ‘And though I know you don’t approve of their friendship either, he is the best thing to have happened to Duryodhana. Duryodhana loves him more than he does anyone else, probably even more than himself or Lakshmana! If there is one good quality in my husband, it is his deep, genuine love for Karna. He considers him more than a friend, Uruvi. And he trusts and loves him completely.’

Uruvi got up restlessly. It was her turn to get agitated. ‘Karna is Duryodhana’s best weapon against the Pandavas,’ she heard herself arguing, even though she had been trying to avoid doing so. ‘If a war starts between the cousins—and you know very well that it will, once the Pandavas return from their exile—Karna is Duryodhana’s biggest hope for victory. He knows that the only one who can fight Arjuna—the most powerful of the Pandavas—and defeat him is Karna. It’s self-interest not friendship.’

‘Like everyone else, you don’t like my husband much,’ sighed Bhanumati with a rueful smile and added, ‘But both of us have seen to it that it doesn’t come in the way of our friendship—and neither should we try to break theirs. It would be futile. But please, Uruvi, understand that the bond between Karna and Duryodhana is too intense, their friendship is unique.’

She hated to admit it but Uruvi knew that Bhanumati was right. The friendship between their husbands was strengthening day by day. People admired it and considered it a comradeship to emulate. Even though Duryodhana was an emperor, they gushed, he never considered Karna his inferior. He would make the court poet and the street bards compose songs in praise of his friend and his great achievements. As if reading her thoughts, Bhanumati voiced them aloud. ‘Karna, as a king, warrior and friend of Duryodhana, is now an integral part of the court of Hastinapur, however much you resent it, Uruvi,’ she said quietly. ‘Why, Karna has won his friend, besides several kingdoms, even princesses! Like Bhishma before him, Karna brought home the princesses of Kashi as wives for Duryodhana. He seized the princesses while challenging the kings and princes to take them away from him if they dared. None of them could. Karna again helped his friend marry the princess of Chitragandha. She had rejected him at her swayamwara, but refusing to take no for an answer, my jilted husband had carried her away by force in the presence of other kings like Jarasandha, Sisupala, Dantavakra, Salya and Rukmi. They chased him, but Karna intervened and defeated them single-handedly. In fact as a token of his appreciation for Karna’s courage, Jarasandha gifted Karna a portion of Magadha.’

‘But again, was this action of Karna right? In the guise of helping his friend, what did he do?’ questioned Uruvi, righteous anger creeping back in her voice. ‘He kidnapped and helped to abduct these princesses, even though they were reluctant brides in the first place. How many more crimes is he going to commit in the name of his friend and for the sake of their great friendship?’

‘Duryodhana values Karna as a friend because he knows he is a better person than he is,’ Bhanumati continued quietly. ‘He admires his strength of character, his righteousness, his honesty and his loyalty. I need to tell you about one incident, which I haven’t revealed to anyone else. One day, Karna and I were busy playing a game of dice in my private room—and the fact that we were permitted to do so, shows how much Duryodhana trusts his friend. Karna, as usual, was winning the game, and though I am a good player, I am quite a bad loser. Just then, Duryodhana entered the room and I made a move to get up as is the custom. Karna’s back was towards Duryodhana, so he hadn’t seen him enter the room. He thought I was running away from the game and made a move to grab me. His hand tugged at my pearl girdle and it gave way, pulling my angavastra along with it. I was aghast and seeing my expression, Karna realized something was amiss. He turned around, only to see Duryodhana approaching us. But my husband wasn’t angry. Unfazed, he coolly picked up my angavastra from the floor and re-adjusted it on my shoulder, chatting casually all the while about this and that, as if nothing untoward had occurred! Which husband would react in such a way if he found his best friend and his half-attired wife, together in his bedroom?’

Uruvi, for once, found herself at a loss for words. Bhanumati had silenced her perfectly. She recalled that time-stopping, crystal-clear moment when she had realized Draupadi was in love with Karna. But to date, Uruvi was still not sure about Karna’s feelings for the Panchala princess. Was the jealous, resentful suspicion she nursed about Karna’s feelings for Draupadi warping her logical way of thinking? Had she allowed herself to surrender to unreason? Had she permitted an unwarranted doubt to twist into an irrational conviction? That was one question she dared not ask her husband—she was too afraid of the consequences for she knew Karna could never lie to her. She was not yet brave enough to hear her husband confess that he loved another woman, a woman who happened to be his arch-rival’s wife. Had his love for Draupadi turned into a lifetime bitterness? Oh, if only Draupadi had acknowledged her love for Karna publicly! She should have married him, instead of pining away for his love, that longing which had smouldered within him, turning into a vengeful hatred. It was her rejection of Karna as her suitor that had altered the course of events to come. Had she accepted him, there would have been no dice game in which she was gambled away and assaulted in the Raj Sabha.

The insult of Karna and the violation of Draupadi were symbiotic; they were inescapably entwined. Had Draupadi married Karna, there would have been no fear of war or the horror of the future annihilation. But where would have that left her, Uruvi told herself sourly? If Draupadi had married Karna, would he ever have appeared at her swayamwara? He would have been too happily married to the Panchala princess to consider an invitation to an unknown princess’ swayamwara! With a start, Uruvi realized that she was in a better position now than she imagined, for she would have been the one shrivelling away in the sadness of unrequited love. Draupadi may be pining for Karna, but withering in love she was not, Uruvi inferred with grim perception. She was, instead, stoking the fires of a horrifying conflagration that would burn all of them alive.

Not for the first time, Uruvi wondered if she had been fair to Karna…and to herself.