Bits of life

S-24 Words-2000

and archer was her own son. The Pandavas saw her crying over the dead body of Karna and asked her the reason why she was sad about him.
She replied,
“He was Kaunteya.” It means Karna was the son of Kunti.
The brothers were stunned and felt extremely sorrowful that their mother did not reveal the truth about Karna’s birth till then. Dharmaraja was so unhappy angry that he cursed the women kind that from then on no woman would be able to hide the fact that she was pregnant.

Duryodhana was full of sorrow and he could not consoled at the departure of Karna his loyal friend and a great warrior. Only when Karna’s charioteer, the king of Madh, Shalya told him that he saw how Karna was killed by Arjuna when he was trying to get the wheel of his chariot out of the depressed earth. He said he would not be able to fight in the war that day because he wanted to lament for Anga Raj, Karna. Then on the spot, he made Shalya, the commander in chief of the Kaurava army.

When Pandavas wanted to perform the last rites of Karna, Duryodhana came in their way. He said that they had no right to do his funeral ceremony. Only he, Duryodhana as the loyal friend of Karna could do that. Only he had the right to perform the funeral rites.

Karna was a generous and charitable person. He gave anything people asked him. Once the chief of deities, Indra came in the guise of a Brahmin and requested him to give his armor and ear rings which were there when he was born. It was the Sun God that had given the child to Kunti. Kunti, if we remember was experimenting with the boon that the rishi Durvasa had given her. The moment she chanted the particular mantra, she had baby Karna in her arms and then she was completely bewildered. She was only fourteen and society would never forgive her for becoming a mother out of wedlock. She saw Karna had the natural golden armor and the golden rings in his ears.

To go back to Indra, Kunti had Arjuna by the grace of Indra. Indra knew that Karna was a greater warrior than Arjuna and in the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Arjuna would be easily defeated by Karna. So he went to Karna in the guise of a Brahmin and asked for arms. Indra asked for his armor and ear ornaments. Without hesitating, Karna tore the armor and the ear ornaments and gave them to Indra. His chest had become bloody because he had to forcefully tear the armor off. Such was his charity, such was his loyalty. It was also said that people Karna take birth on this earth only once in a long long time.

On the next day, under the command of Shalya, the Kaurava Pandava armies clashed. Shalya started fighting genuinely with the Pandavas. There was terrible combat between Shalya and Yudhishtar. Shalya got killed by Yudhishtar in the end.

In the meanwhile, Shakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryodhana, one of the few warriors left on the side of the Kauravas started shooting powerful and arrows and killed countless soldiers of the Pandavas. Nakula, who had vowed to kill Shakuni saw the havoc he was creating and ordered his charioteer to go in the direction of Shakuni, the king of Gandhar (the present day Kandahar in Afghanistan). They had a fierce fight and both were badly injured by each other’s weapons. Finally, Nakula was able to drive sword into the ribs of Shakuni and the old kind fell on the side of his chariot. Thinking he was killed, Nakula lay tiredly on the chariot. He was suddenly attacked by Shakuni and being alert, young and agile, Nakula got up and drove his sword right into the chest of Shakuni and killed him on the spot. Even before his death Shakuni could not help his cunning nature. Nakula thus was able to uphold his pledge.

Now it was the seventeenth day of the war. Gandhari, mother of Duryodhana stayed at his camp and even on this late hour, she advised him to make peace with the Pandavas. But Duryodhana replied that with Karna’s death there was no possibility of any peace pact with the Pandavas. He expressed his feelings saying that if his friend and philosopher Karna returned to life, he might have had a thought about peace. But with the death of Karna, and Dushasana, the question of peace did not arise. Then he asked for his mother’s blessings for victory in the war. But Gandhari declined his wish for victory. However, she had one more way to keep him alive. She asked Duryodhan to come to her after having a bath in the Ganges that night. She asked him to come to her exactly the way he was born.

Before Duryodhana approached his mother Gandhari after a bath in the river Ganga, Krishna paid a visit to her. She felt regretful that she had lost all her children except Duryodhan. She then cursed Krishna that just as her Kuru dynasty had come to an end, the yadava dynasty to which Krishna belonged will also die and end. When she cooled down Krishna told her that she was not the only one to lose children. Even Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas also lost her child. He went on to reveal to Gandhari that Karna was the eldest son of Kunti, not of Radha. He was Kauteya (son of Kunti) and not Radheya(son of Radha). The extraordinary quality of Karna, Krishna explained, was knowing he was the eldest brother of the Pandavas, he fought on the side of Duryodhana. Such was his loyalty to Gandhari’s eldest son. Now it was Gandhari’s turn to feel the sorrow that without ascertaining facts, she cursed Krishna. But now it was too late. She stretched her hands to Krishna as though she wanted to take back her curse. Krishna said that he wanted to touch her feet. But now if he touched her feet, she would be helpless and would bless him. But now that she had cursed him, he said he would just take her leave. Then he left her camp and was returning to the Pandava camp.

On the way Krishna saw Duryodhana going to Gandhari’s camp. He saw that Duryodhana was nude. Krishna then came face to face with him and made fun of his appearance. Duryodhana replied that he was simply following his mother’s order. But Krishna said he was grown man and not an infant. He should not go completely nude before his mother. Duryodhana felt ashamed to go in that state before his mother. So he wrapped his middle in leaves and then entered his mother’s tent.

Gandhari asked him,
“Stand before me my son.”
Duryodhana stood before her as asked.

Then Gandhari told him,
“Son, now I am opening the bands on my eyes, and I am going to look at you.”
So saying, Gandhari took off the piece of cloth covering her eyes and looked at Duryodhana. Some rays of light from her eyes were directed to the body of Duryodhana for a few seconds. She realized that Duryodhana was not nude.

She asked him,
“Why didn’t you do as I asked you? Why were you not nude?”
Duryodhana replied,
“I thought it would be improper to appear completely nude before you mother.”
Then Gandhari told him,
“Dear son, when I looked at you I combined all my devotion to Lord Shiva, my dedication to duty and all my love for you. My looks therefore, are effective enough to make you a man of diamond hardness. Nobody can harm you. But the upper thighs are weak. That is because you have not followed my orders.”
Duryodhana reassured her,
“Don’t worry mother. Tomorrow in my fight with Bhima I am going to defeat him. I will make pieces of his body and will be victorious.”

The day dawned once again, the Pandava army marched to Kurukshetra, the battlefield. But on the Kaurava side there was no one confronting them. Dharmaraja wondered if Duryodhana had abandoned the battlefield. Krishna however, said that there must be some trick that Duryodhana was up to. He elaborated that Duryodhana was sure that he would lose the war. He had no warriors on his side. The Pandavas still had a number of warriors on their side. Even if there were no warriors on the Pandava side, they were five whereas on the side of the Kauravas now only four were left to fight. Those four were, Kripacharya, Kritavarma, Ashwathama and Duryodhana himself. While they were thus talking, a tribesman from the nearby forest came to them bearing some news. He told the Pandavas that he saw prince Duryodhana entering a lake. He took them along and showed the lake. After calling many times he responded. Only when Pandavas accused him being a coward, Duryodhana replied.

He said,
“hey, Yudhishtar! I am not afraid to fight with you. I do not fight like you do. You have used trickery to make my grandfather lie on a bed of arrows; you killed Drona and Karna by using illegal methods and by cheating. I am not a coward like you. But I am not interested in attaining the throne. Those who might have felt happy to see me on the throne are no more. My brothers, my uncle Shakuni and my dear friend Karna have gone away. What am I to do with the throne now? You can keep it. But I will fight with you not for the throne but to prove the fact that I am not afraid to face you.”

Then he came out of the lake and faced them. he went on ranting,
“I alone single handed can kill all of you. Come on, choose to fight. Either one of you or all of you can fight with me.”

Then Bhima the middle Pandava came forward. Dharmaraja asked Nakula to go and get his armor from the camp. Nakula went to Duryodhana’s camp where he met Gandhari, the mother of Duryodhana. and the mace fight started between the cousins. Duryodhana appeared to be the better as he was able to make many winning moves against Bhima. Then Krishna gesticulated with his hand slapping on the thigh, indicating that Bhima should beat Duryodhana on his thigh to kill him. Bhima understood the gesture and started attacking Duryodhana on his thighs. Duryodhan fell and died on the spot.

Balarama, the older brother of Krishna arrived from his pilgrimage and saw what was happening. He attacked Bhima for being an illegal fighter. In a combat with mace as a weapon, the rule was not to attack below the middle of the body. Krishna told him and countered him saying Duryodhana had long crossed the lines of legalities and rules. From the beginning he was using every trick available to displace Pandavas and make their kingdom his own. When he behaved unjustly, then no one had stopped him. Now when there was reason enough to kill him a big hue and cry was roused. With that argument Balarama kept quiet and went away from that place.

Duryodhana was alone on the ground. After some time Ashwathama, Kripacharya and Kritavarma arrived there wept over the injured Duryodhana. Before he died Duryodhana made Ashwathama his commander. Ashwathama decided to go by unrighteous path to kill his enemies. He crept into the battle camp of the sons of Pandavas. The five junior Pandavas slept side by side and their maternal uncle drishtadyumna was also present with them. In the middle of the night as a thief crept came in Ashwathama and beheaded them all and slipped away into the night.
On the next morning there was chaos when the deaths of the five princes and their uncle were discovered. They saw the mantle of