Hearing the death of the mighty Karna,
King Drithirashtra and Queen Gandhari were grief struck. Weeping for the death
of Karna who was her only hope for Duryodhana to be alive and victorious, Queen
Gandhari said unto her King– “O King, the final defender too has finally
reached heaven, trying to protect your son. As predicted by the mighty
Pithamaha, Dronacharya and Vidhura, our last and final hope too has dimmed. All
those that you have heard so far is because of all the sins you and Duryodhana
have done to the Pandavas. For our son, the mighty Karna has died opposing his
brothers! Radhey and Adhiratha have raised a good son but look at the way, the
King and Queen of great Hastinapur raised their sons! We are going to be insulted
till the end of the world as the worst parents. We are also being responsible
for the death of the high souled people like Pithamaha, Dronacharya and Karna.”
Filled with fretfulness, Queen
Gandhari fell unconscious. The daughter-in-laws of the King and the Queen, who
were nearby, took her to her bed.
With no words to console the King,
Vidhura and Sanjaya stood looking at the King, whose aimless eyes were fixed on
the night sky, engulfing the grief in his heart.
Taking a deep breath, the King spoke –
“Sanjaya, tell me what happened in both the camps after Karna’s death.”
In the meantime, hearing about his
friend’s death, Duryodhana came to the place where Karna rests, pierced by the
golden shafts of Arjuna. Witnessing Duryodhana depressed, Arjuna and the other
sons of Pandu were filled with joy. Arjuna was looking splendid with his
Gandiva in his hands. Witnessing Karna lying dead, Yudhistra, relieved of his
fear, felt like he was newly born. Bhīma
was embracing Arjuna now and then, feeling proud on Arjuna’s achievement. Nakula
and Sahadeva stood enjoying their victory against the Kauravas. Krishna…stood
there in silence, not enjoying or participating with the Pandavas in
celebrating but with his eyes fixed on Karna. Krishna’s tears rested in his
eyes, waiting for Krishna’s permission to leave the eyes.
“O Karna! Trying to save my life, you
have given your life!! Where will anyone get a friend like me?! Arjuna, who
considers himself as greatest archer has slain you only when you were unarmed?
Consider that as a shame to him and as an example to prove your immeasurable
mightiness, my friend. In fact, you are mightier and talented than Arjuna, my
friend. You died proving that you are mighty. Without you, I have no interest
on the throne. Without you, I have no hope to even fight anymore, O Karna. I am
deprived of the ray of my life which is you Karna. You are my only refugee.
What will I do now?” – cried Duryodhana.
Though Arjuna was raged on hearing
Duryodhana’s words, he did not speak a word, trying to grasp the truth in it.
While the Pandavas were enjoying the moment beholding Duryodhana crying, the
cry of a women in the battlefield moved their hearts. The voice seemed familiar
to them. Confused, they looked at each other and looked at the direction from
where the voice was approaching towards them.
“O my dear Son!” – crying aloud from
her heart, Kunti came running towards them, crossing all the slayed warriors
and steeds in the battlefield.
Baffled, Yudhistra grabbed his mother
and spoke – “Mother, calm down. Arjuna is alive. Karna is only slain by our
mighty Arjuna. There’s none who can defeat Arjuna.”
“My son is dead! My son left me…My son
is dead!”-crying out aloud, Kunti, removing herself from Yudhistra’s hands,
fell on the ground holding Karna in her hands.
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| Kunti crying for her son Karna! |
Looking at Kunti, even Duryodhana was
stunned, unable to understand what was happening, just like his cousin brothers,
the Pandavas.
“Mother! Karna is only slain. Your
son, Arjuna is alive. I am right here! You must be confused.” – addressed
Arjuna, trying to compose Kunti.
“No…No… my son is lying dead! My
son…Karna… the eldest of you five…my son, Karna…my son…!”- Tears and the burden
of truth in her heart choked her words. Kunti, with teary eyes, explained the
truth and her conversation with Karna before war.
Shocked on hearing Kunti’s words,
everyone stood wordless. Duryodhana, the first to regain his senses, looking at
his friend with expressionless pale eyes wailed – “O Karna! You are son of
Matha Kunti!?!? You fought against your brothers, for my sake!? For a friend,
you stood against your family?! Just because I am your friend, just because, I
had eyes on the throne, you remained silent and died fighting for me!? Karna…
this war and devastation would not have happened if you had told me who you
really are. I, myself, would have crowned you as the King! How will I ever be
able to repay you? How will I be able to rule or even live? O friend!”
Felt ashamed for not being aware of
the heart of Karna, Duryodhana wept and ran away from the battlefield.
Mortified on losing his brothers, his seniors and now his friend, all because
of his greed for the throne, Duryodhana hid himself beneath the waters of Lake Dvaipayana.
“Karna is our brother!! Mother, if
Karna is our brother, he has the right to be the King. This whole war could
have been averted if you had informed us about this. All because of you… all
because of you...so many deaths, so many losses and pain in people’s hearts. Because
of your silence, I started this war and the world will blame me for all these
death! You are responsible for all this. I curse that no women in this world
ever can hold a secret in her heart.”- filled with pain, Yudhistra cursed and
cried looking at Karna.
“Madhava! You know all this and yet
you remained silent!? Now the burden and blame of killing my brother is on me!?
How will I be able to save myself from this burden? Why have you done this to
me?”- cried Arjuna.
“You killed him!? Arjuna…do you think
you are strong enough to slay Karna? You, individually, could have never
defeated him. For saving your life, your father, Lord Indra beseeched the
mighty protective armor from Karna. The one with which he was born. Then, your
mother, Matha Kunti made Karna to swear that he should use the Nagastra
only once at you and never against your brothers. A chariot rider cursed him
that, when Karna’s mightiness is needed the most in the battlefield to protect
him, his chariot’s wheel will plunge into earth. And most of all, Lord
Parasuram cursed Karna that he will forget the mantras to invoke the celestial
weapons. I pressed the chariot and protected you from the Nagastra.
Thus, we all made the mighty Karna as a simple man on earth and not a warrior,
so that you could kill him. The Karna you slew was not the mighty Karna known
to all. The one you killed indeed was only the Karna who was deprived of his
archery skills and incarcerated by fate. So, don’t think that you hold the
blame and burden. None of you could have defeated him when he is the best in
what he did. And here you are, like your brother, afraid of the blame the world will talk about
instead of your brother’s death and not knowing about the pain he and your
mother was going through all these days!?” – said Krishna, sounding like
thunder.
Seeing Arjuna and others lowering their heads
out of shame, Krishna, after a moment of silence, continued- “It’s all way of
destiny, Arjuna. Dharma should be sustained on earth. For that, you have to be
protected. It’s all fated. So, don’t take the burden to your heart and do what
should be done. Prepare for the final sacraments of Karna. Give him a peaceful
send off.”
Listening to Krishna’s words,
Yudhistra and his brothers carried out the final rituals of Karna. Arjuna cremated
his brother Karna, expecting a peaceful after life for Karna. The Pandavas then
proceeded to the camp for the preparations of next day’s war.
Meanwhile, in Hastinapur, Queen
Gandhari regained her conscious. She wept for being unable to save her sons.
While everyone gathered were trying to console her, she reminisced Sage Vyasa
and his words. Rising from her bed, she said to Sanjaya – “Sanjaya! Send a message this instant to my son or my
brother Saguni saying that I need to see Duryodhana before the sunrise.”
When the King enquired about the need,
the Queen explained, “I remembered Sage Vyasa’s words. He once told me that the
life I live with my eyes blindfolded is also like a yogic life and so all my
powers are in my eyes. With that power, I can even turn anyone to ashes or even
give life. I am going to transfer that power to my son, as a protective shield.
I can at least save one son of mine.”
Cheered on hearing Gandhari’s words,
the King sent message explaining the need for Duryodhana’s visit. Saguni, on
receiving the message, asked Aswathama to look for Duryodhana. Aswathama and
Saguni went looking for Duryodhana in places near to the camp. With the help of
the informers, they reached the lake where Duryodhana was hiding.
“Duryodhana! Friend! Come out of the
lake this instant. We have a battle to win.”- roared Aswathama.
“I have no battle to win. I have no
interest to win. There’s nothing for me anymore to fight or win. I lost
everything. I am an open target in front of the Pandavas. They can hit me or
even slay me, anytime.” – replied Duryodhana from beneath the lake.
“Duryodhana, think about Karna. He
fought for you. He wished to see you as the King. You, as a friend, have to
fulfill his wish. This is the right time to avenge the Pandavas. And you have
the right armor this time.”- Cheering, Saguni explained about the message he
received from Hastinapur. “So, get out of the waters and go see your mother
before sunrise. We have a battle to win, this time, for sure.”
Cheered in Saguni’s words, Duryodhana
came out of the lake and rushed in his chariot to the palace of Hastinapur. Krishna,
who was in his bivouac, came to know about this through his yogic powers.
Duryodhana reached the palace and went
to the chambers of his mother, Queen Gandhari.
“Remember Duryodhana! While you are
going to see your mother, you should be naked. Only then her powers will make
your body parts turn into indestructible and imperishable. You don’t need a
suit of armor anymore.” – Duryodhana remembered Saguni’s words and undressed
himself before entering the chambers.
Duryodhana then, hiding his hip unto
his thigh with banana leaves, entered her mother’s chamber. Bowing in front of
his mother, Duryodhana stood, waiting for her mother to remove the piece of
cloth she used to blindfold her eyes. Gandhari, thinking that Duryodhana is
naked, removed her blindfold. As she opened her eyes, her powers hit Duryodhana
directly. All her powers were transferred to Duryodhana’s whole body, except the
covered body parts. Seeking blessing from his mother and the King, Duryodhana
left for the camp, with new spirit and verve.
Meanwhile, King Balram reached the
bivouac of Krishna, returning from his pilgrimage tour. He came to know about
Krishna’s strategies in defeating the mighty Pithamaha, Dronacharya and Karna.
He, through his yogic power, came to know about Krishna’s act in the Palace of
Hastinapur.
“Krishna! Don’t you feel that you are
being partial to the Pandavas?” – asked King Balram.
“Brother!
It’s war. A war fought for dharma to be sustained. My strategies are not for
vanquishing Duryodhana but to sustain dharma. And Duryodhana and his warriors
are in its way.So, it affects them. You can’t call it as partial. I do pity for
Duryodhana and his followers. I gave them the chance to choose, I also gave
them the liberty to choose sides. What they face is because of the result of
what they chose. I care for everyone but I take special care of those who
surrender unto me, irrevocably. Call it partiality but they have surrendered to
me and it’s my responsibility to take good care of them. The Pandavas
surrendered to me and it’s my duty to protect them, no matter what. Especially
for Draupathi. All this I do to redeem her honor is no match to her devotion
and surrender to me, amidst all those mighty warriors and her husbands in the
court room. I can never repay to that surrender and trust. That blind belief,
hope and surrender is all I seek.”- replied Krishna.
“I
know, brother. But, all your strategies are favoring the Pandavas to win. You
tricked Pithamaha, Dronacharya and Karna, those undefeatable mighty warriors.
Though on an argument, you can say that their death is the result of the sins
they did, why are you playing tricks on a mother’s love? Moreover, the Pandavas
should win, for once, using their talents. All they do is only fighting while
you take care of the strategies. I know that you don’t care being called as
trickster in the battlefield but as your elder brother, on behalf of our
parents, I expect my brother to be remembered for his generosity and not only for
his political tactics. I would like to ask you this as a favor. For once, let
the Pandavas gain their victory by themselves. Don’t play any tricks in the
battlefield. With you by their side, I know that the Pandavas’ victory is
assured. But for once, let them make steps to reach the fruit of victory. Else,
the people will lose hope in the mightiness of hard work and skills. I ask this
as a favor from my brother.” – said King Balram.
Thinking
for few moments, Krishna looked up at his brother and said, “For once,
tomorrow, the Pandavas will do everything in the battlefield using their
strategies to earn victory. I assure you that I will be only a charioteer
tomorrow.”
In the meantime, reaching the camp, Duryodhana
tested the mightiness of his hands, shoulders, stomach and chest using
different weapons. Feeling more energetic, Duryodhana roared- “The end of the
Pandavas starts with tomorrow’s sunrise. I am invincible!!!”
Saguni, Salya and Aswathama cheered
for Duryodhana.
“O King, you are going to be our line
of defense tomorrow. Bhīma
is going to die in your hands tomorrow, unable to accomplish his vow. The
battle will end tomorrow because of your mightiness.”-cheered Aswathama.
“O friend! You are right! I am waiting
to see that mighty Bhīma
in a combat. You take care of the rest of the army and I will deal with the
Pandavas. Let’s slay our foes before sunset, tomorrow. Well, for tomorrow’s
war, Aswathama, tell me whom shall we address as the generalissimo?”- asked
Duryodhana.
Aswathama replied instantly – “O King,
make King Salya, the ruler of Madra as the commander of your army. His prowess,
fame, battling strategies and skills are well known by every Kshatriya and
non-Kshatriya. His art of war is unique and undeniably exceptional. None can
match to his prowess when he is raged.”
Accepting Aswathama’s words,
Duryodhana turned towards King Salya and said-“Uncle, your time has come to
lead my army towards victory. I am glad to have such an intelligent and skilled
warrior as my generalissimo. I would like to offer you the commander-in-chief
of my army. Kindly accept my offer and protect us. Lead my forces to victory.”
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| Duryodhana..invincible!!! |
King Salya, the ruler of Madra answered
– “Duryodhana! O King, I serve for you in this war and it’s my duty to accept
your command. I will do everything that you ask me to accomplish in this
battle. I will do everything I can to ensure your victory or die trying.”
Hearing King Salya’s words, Duryodhana
cheered and said – “O King, slay the foes in the battle tomorrow. With you as
the leader of my army, the Pandavas and their friends are going to rush towards
the gates of the heaven in no time. My victory tomorrow is certain.”
“O King, I assure you that the world
will tomorrow behold my prowess, my skills, my strength and the mightiness of
my weapons.”- replied Salya.
Duryodhana then addressed King Salya as the
commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. The warriors roared in support and joy.
Cheerful and energetic, they played various musical instruments. The warriors
then, with a cheerful heart retired for the day, with new energy and power to
battle and win.
Very good writing in the service of the Krishna.
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