THE MAHABHARATA: A Modern Rendering, Vol 2 (2 page)
Read THE MAHABHARATA: A Modern Rendering, Vol 2 Online
Authors: Ramesh Menon
ONE
WITH DHRITARASHTRA AND GANDHARI
BOOKS TWELVE AND THIRTEEN
SHANTI PARVA & ANUSASANA PARVA
1
BOOK FIFTEEN
ASRAMAVASIKA PARVA
BOOK SEVENTEEN
MAHAPRASTHANIKA PARVA
BOOK EIGHTEEN
SWARGAROHANIKA PARVA
BOOK FIVE
UDYOGA PARVA
AUM, I bow down to Narayana, the most exalted Nara and to the Devi Saraswathi and say
Jaya\
The morning after the wedding, all the kshatriyas gathered in Virata’s sabha to discuss their other purpose. Being elders Drupada and Virata sat at the head of that council; beside Drupada sat Balarama and Satyaki. Yudhishtira and Krishna sat next to Virata. Draupadi’s sons were there, five young lions, with their fathers and uncles: Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Krishna’s sons were there, too, Pradyumna and Samba. Abhimanyu sat between Arjuna and Krishna.
The sabha got underway. At first, there was some polite chat, mainly about the wedding. When everyone had taken his place, Krishna rose to speak and silence fell.
The Dark One said, “There is no one here who does not know that perfidy sent the Pandavas into exile; we all know about the game of dice and how Shakuni cheated Yudhishtira. Yudhishtira lost his kingdom, his wealth, his army, everything he owned, not on the field of battle but at a low game where he never stood any chance of winning. Thirteen years the Pandavas and Draupadi spent in the wilderness like beggars.
Though Yudhishtira could have crushed Duryodhana in war and taken back what was his, he never did so. Though many of us urged him to take arms against his cousin and promised him our support. As kings yourselves, you might imagine the ordeal of the Pandavas and their queen in the wilderness. Now their exile is over and the sons of Pandu are back with us. We have met here today to decide what they should do next.
For myself, I urged Yudhishtira thirteen years ago to kill the Kauravas and take the entire Kuru kingdom. Duryodhana and his brothers deserve to die for what they did. Yudhishtira is a man of dharma; not for me would he abandon what he thought was just. Even now, after all that he and his family have endured, this saintly man speaks only of peace. He speaks of dharma still.”
Krishna paused and you could hear the morning breeze murmuring in the trees outside, for the silence in that sabha. He resumed, “We know nothing of what Duryodhana intends. I, for one, feel he will never give anything back to his cousins: that, already, he is preparing for war. But Yudhishtira insists we must ask him formally if he will return half the Kuru kingdom; half only, though to my mind the whole kingdom belongs to the Pandavas, since Pandu conquered most of the lands the Kurus rule today. Yudhishtira does not want war. He does not want bloodshed, but peace.
I think we should send a messenger to Hastinapura and ask for half the kingdom. But first, let us hear what the rest of us have to say.”
Krishna sat down, unaccustomedly solemn today and for once, unsmiling. After a moment’s pause, Balarama rose. Wearing resonant blue silk, he towered over the sabha. “My brother has spoken impartially. He spoke of Yudhishtira’s dharma and, I am happy to note, said little that disparaged Duryodhana.”
Krishna had some idea of what was coming. His brother could hardly resist taking a different position from him, if for no other reason than that it was different.
Ponderously, Balarama continued, “Krishna says the Pandavas want only half the Kuru kingdom. Now this is noble of them and I think Dhritarashtra’s sons should be grateful. It is just the course to take to avoid a war. I agree that we should send an honorable messenger to Hastinapura to ask for half the kingdom.”
Krishna was a little perplexed; his brother seemed to be endorsing every word he himself had said. Balarama was only warming up. “The messenger should go to Hastinapura with his mission clear in his mind: to pacify Duryodhana. He must greet Bheeshma, Dhritarashtra, Drona, Aswatthama, Vidura and Kripa decorously.”
There was some murmuring at this. However, Balarama went on, impervious, “He must speak respectfully to Shakuni and Karna and be the soul of courtesy to Duryodhana and his brothers. He must submit Yudhishtira’s plea humbly in Hastinapura.”
By now, there were loud noises of dissent in the sabha and Krishna glanced at Arjuna with a twinkle in his eye. Balarama held up his hands to silence the protests. He said, “Duryodhana must not be provoked or antagonized, or all hope of peace will be lost! For, let me tell you, Duryodhana was not solely to blame for what happened. What about Yudhishtira’s part in the gambling? Should an emperor gamble away everything he owns, his brothers and his wife? There is no excuse for what Yudhishtira did. He was foolish.
I have heard the Kauravas repeatedly tried to persuade him not to play. But he would not listen to them.”
A shocked silence had fallen. No one spoke out of respect for Krishna and for Balarama himself. Balarama mistook the silence for approval, while his brother sat smiling openly now.
Balarama ploughed on. “Yudhishtira is a notoriously bad dice-player. Yet, he must play. There were a hundred players in Hastinapura as bad as himself. Why did he choose to play Shakuni, who is the best player on earth? Yudhishtira is obstinate. Repeatedly, Shakuni beat him, but he would not stop. Again and again, Shakuni asked him if he hadn’t lost enough. Yudhishtira would not accept defeat. He played on, until he had lost even himself.
But how can Duryodhana or Shakuni be blamed if Yudhishtira insisted on losing everything he had to them?” He paused. He was not a natural speaker and fumbled for words. Yudhishtira had grown tense, but managed a rueful smile from time to time. Most of the sabha realized why Balarama was speaking like this: he had certainly heard a very special version of the game of dice from Duryo-dhana, whom he still doted on.
Quite oblivious of the effect his words were having, Balarama continued, “And since Duryodhana cannot be blamed for what Yudhishtira brought upon himself, we must be careful that our messenger speaks in a conciliatory manner to the Kauravas. I say we must prevent war at all costs. Our messenger must be a soft-spoken man, a master of diplomacy.”
Yudhishtira still said nothing, but the line of his jaw was tight and there was hurt in his eyes. Balarama had not finished, but before he could say any more Satyaki jumped up in rage, “A man’s words mirror his heart! There have always been both brave men and cowards in this world and all men are one or the other. Why, both types are found in the same family. From the same tree, grow branches that are either fruitful or barren. Yet, O Balarama, I am not as upset by what you say as by the silence of these others that let you speak without protest. Your foolish words are like arrows in the Pandavas’ hearts and you still haven’t finished!”
Satyaki had a powerful voice and he was an orator when roused. “I don’t see how anyone can think for a moment that Yudhishtira is to blame for what happened in Hastinapura thirteen years ago. And I cannot bear to listen to you accuse this saint among men, as casually as you do. How, my lord, do you say Yudhishtira had any choice in the game of dice? As a kshatriya could he refuse to play? Did they play in Indraprastha, where the game might have been fair? Isn’t it clear the game of dice was a plot hatched by Duryodhana and Shakuni?”
Satyaki was shaking and drew a breath to calm himself. “And now, hasn’t Yudhishtira served every last day of his exile and some more besides, from what I hear? Why should he send a humble messenger or a conciliatory message to that monster? Isn’t this the Kuru kingdom we are talking of, most of which Yudhishtira’s father conquered and his brothers much of the rest? Why should Yudhishtira beg for it? Why should he be anxious about annoying Duryodhana?
Balarama, even if Yudhishtira were in the wrong, there is no need for him to placate Duryodhana; and Yudhishtira is far from being in the wrong. To keep his word he has spent thirteen years in the jungle. You will not find another man like him on this earth; he is as noble as Rama was.
Since you exonerate Duryodhana so completely, I ask you to consider the message Dhritarashtra’s son sent from Hastinapura. We have seen Arjuna before the ajnatavasa was over. You must go back into exile for another twelve years.’ Do you say, Balarama, this is what a loving cousin does?
You have a unique picture of what happened in Hastinapura on the day of the gambling: one so far removed from the truth that it is laughable. You never mentioned how Vidura begged Duryodhana to relent and return the Pandavas’ kingdom to them. But your favorite sishya would not! Was it part of Duryodhana’s dharma, also, that Draupadi was dragged into the Kuru sabha and Dusasana tried to strip her naked? My lord, there must be some limit to your fatuousness!”
Satyaki turned to Yudhishtira, “Send me as your messenger to Hastinapura. I will speak to that devil in the only language he will understand: the tongue of burning arrows. I will bring him to your feet, Yudhishtira, or I will kill them all, the cowards!”
