Author: Richard Wilson
Illustrator: Frank Pape
Year: 1914
Source
Duryodhana objects to Yudhishthira being named king of his own realm, so he prepares for war. In Virata's court, the Pandavas deliberate. Krishna's brother Balarama advocates for making peace, but Satyaki, a great warrior of Krishna's clan, calls for war. Drupada argues they should seek allies while also appealing to Duryodhana for peace. Krishna goes on a peace mission to Dhritarashtra. Krishna's appeal moves Dhritarashtra, and Drona also argues for peace, but Duryodhana insists on war, and his decision is absolute.
When the great armies first meet on the battlefield, Arjuna hesitates to attack as enemies his own uncle and cousins and also his teacher Drona. Krishna persuades him to obey Duty (Dharma), and Arjuna agrees.
The great and aged warrior Bhishma leads Duryodhana's armies and they have the advantage on the first day. On the second day, Arjuna and the Pandavas rally, and Duryodhana threatens to replace Bhishma with Karna. Bhishma tells Duryodhana that the gods are not on their side because their cause is not just, but he still fights boldly, to Arjuna's dismay. Yet Arjuna beats off all attacks, and the battle continues. On the next day, Bhima slays many of Duryodhana's brothers but he barely escapes with his life. And so the battle goes on.
Fighting for the Pandavas was Shikhandin, who had been born a woman but transformed into a man, a warrior destined to bring about Bhishma's death. Bhishma would not fight someone who was born a woman, and so he lowered his guard when meeting Shikhandin in battle, and at that moment the Pandavas shot him full of arrows. Bhishma does not die right away, however, and instead lies on a bed of arrows, surrounded by the princes of both sides who weep for him.
Before he dies, Bhishma urges Duryodhana to make peace, but Duryodhana refuses. Karna later visits Bhishma, and Bhishma reveals that Arjuna is his brother; the charioteer who raised him was only his foster father, and Karna was in fact the first-born child of Kunti, Arjuna's own mother. Even so, Karna is still determined to kill Arjuna.
Drona replaces Bhishma as general of the army, and he vows to capture Yudhishthira. Arjuna has sworn not to attack Drona except to save Yudhishthira, so Drona's attack on Yudhishthira fails and the Pandavas all fight bravely. Duryodhana grows angry at Drona and threatens to replace him with Karna. Drona says he will do his duty, promising that either he or Arjuna would die that day.
Drona's son Ashwathaman is a great warrior also, and one of the war elephants has the same name. Bhima kills the war elephant, and when Drona hears that "Bhima has killed Aswathaman," he despairs, thinking his son is dead. Drona asks Yudhishthira if the news is true, and Yudhishthira replies that the elephant Ashwathaman is dead, although Drona hears only that Ashwathaman is dead. Draupadi's brother (Dhrishtadyumna) then rides up and, seeing his own father dead on the battlefield, he kills Drona. Karna will command Duryodhana's army next.
Duryodhana is confident that, unlike Bhishma and Drona, Karna has no secret love for the Pandavas. Karna and Arjuna face each other in battle; the result is a draw.
The next day, Karna vows that either he or Arjuna will die that day, and he asks to have Shalya, the king of Madra, as his charioteer. But first he encounters Yudhishthira, and the two of them fight. The result again is a draw, and Karna awaits Arjuna.
After a brief quarrel, Yudhishthira and Arjuna apologize to one another, and Arjuna rides out to face Karna. Karna manages to break Arjuna's bow, and according to the rules of war, Arjuna asks for a respite to obtain a new weapon, but Karna continues his attack. In the midst of that attack, he repairs his bow. As Arjuna launches his own attack, Karna's chariot wheel sticks in the ground, so Karna begs Arjuna for a respite. Arjuna lets Krishna decide, and Krishna says no respite will be given. Karna and Arjuna continue to fight, until finally Arjuna shoots the fatal arrow, and Karna falls down dead upon the field.
Even after Karna's death, Duryodhana vows to carry on the war. He puts Shalya in command. When Yudhishthira kills Shalya, Duryodhana flees into the forest near a lake. [In the traditional version, Duryodhana uses supernatural powers to hide inside the lake itself.]
When the Pandavas find him, Duryodhana vows to kill them all. Bhima says that he is the one who will kill Duryodhana. They fight with maces, and Bhima knocks Duryodhana to the ground unconscious.
The Pandavas then race back to their camp, having learned that Drona's son Ashwathaman has killed their own sons. When Duryodhana comes to, he sees Ashwathaman standing there. Ashwathaman explains that he has killed all the sons of the Pandavas. Duryodhana then dies.
This was the end of the war. Pritha (Kunti) revealed to the Pandavas that Karna was also her son, and that Arjuna had thus killed his own brother. The Pandavas therefore mourned over Karna and all their other losses, and Yudhishthira acknowledged Karna's strength and skill, and "so the story ends in reunion of heart if not of life [and] in pity for the conquered rather than in boastful triumph over their fall."
No comments:
Post a Comment