by Kotru, Umesh
Chapter-14
War Becomes Inevitable
By this time the twelve year period of exile of the Pandavas was drawing to an end and before the beginning of thirteenth year of living incognito, it was becoming obvious by the day to both the parties and their sympathisers that a deadly fratricidal war after one year was inevitable. On behalf of Duryodhana, Karna had gone on digvijaya and subjugated all the important kingdoms of Bharatavarsha and brought in untold wealth to fill the Kauravas’ coffers. For the Pandava side, Indra had succeeded in taking away Karna’s special assets of divine armour and earrings from him, thus weakening him considerably in relation to Arjuna.
Despite Duryodhana’s spies being on their heels, the Pandavas managed to slip into their pledged anonymity for the thirteenth year of exile. They chose Viratanagara, the capital of Matsya Desha (ruled by King Virata), for this purpose and eased their way into King Virata’s palace one by one in disguise and with new identities to spend the last year of their exile. Towards the end of exile, Bhimasena managed to kill the formidable general, Keechaka of King Virata as retribution for trying to molest Draupadi. It was rumoured that a Yaksha had killed him as no human being could do what had been done to his body. Nobody including the Kauravas could help being intrigued at his mystery-laden death. They smelled a rat and decided to investigate. Susharma, the king of Trigata (a powerful ally of Duryodhana), who had suffered the most at Keechaka’s hands, also sensed an opportunity for revenge and prevailed upon Duryodhana and Karna to attack the Kingdom of Virata and weaken the Pandavas’ prospective ally. The proposal of weakening the kingdom of Virata and steal its huge reserve of livestock was too tempting for the Kauravas, including Bhishma and Guru Dronacharya, to ignore. Consequently the invasion took place and Kauravas succeeded in snatching King Virata’s cattle. A sari-clad Arjuna, in his improbable disguise as a eunuch, defeated the entire Kaurava army, including Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Ashvatthama and Duryodhana. He snatched the clothes of all these mighty heroes who fell unconscious in the battlefield, besides bringing back the stolen livestock. [The clothes were a special trophy he had promised to the young Virata princess for dressing her dolls!] Bhishma and others instantly recognised the sari-clad warrior as Arjuna after having witnessed the skill displayed by him. Despite their embarrassing defeat, Karna and Duryodhana were elated, assuming that the cover of the Pandavas had been blown and they were now pledge-bound to undergo another cycle of exile. Much to their chagrin, Bhishma did the required calendrical calculations and informed them that the period of actual exile had ended successfully for the Pandavas and there was no valid ground for a repeat exile.
There were celebrations in Viratanagara when it became known that the Pandavas had successfully completed their incognito living during the thirteenth year of their exile. All their allies and relatives like Drupada, Shri Krishna and others, along with their families flocked to King Virata’s palace to meet them. Shri Krishna was accompanied by the great Yadava heroes like Balarama, Satyaki and Kritavarma, along with the sons of Draupadi. Subhadra’s son Abhimanyu also came along, resulting in gala family celebrations, which culminated with the marriage of Uttaraa, the daughter of King Virata, with Abhimanyu.
The dust over the celebrations had barely settled when it was realised that the time for action to ensure justice for the Pandavas had arrived. Consequently a meeting of all the allies was held in the grand hall of King Virata’s palace. It was presided over by King Drupada by saying, “My friends and colleagues, as you know the exile of my sons-in-law has ended. You are also aware how badly they have been treated by their cousins and how their kingdom was snatched away by dubious means. I know that nothing much can be achieved by harping on the past except to learn a few lessons so that the past mistakes are not repeated. Although, like all of you, I also would like to avoid a war that is bound to lead to total destruction and all round misery, yet I feel the same is inevitable. Despite the presence of virtuous men like Bhishma, Vidura, Dronacharya and Kripacharya in the Kaurava court, nothing much can be expected from Hastinapura so long as the king himself is blinded by his paternal bias for Duryodhana. Under the circumstances we have to evolve a strategy to ensure that the Pandavas get speedy justice.”
Even before King Drupada had settled in his seat, an angry Satyaki rose from his seat and proclaimed, “Friends, as you all know, hatching plots and intrigues are second nature to the Kauravas. How many times have they tried to kill the Pandavas? We should not forget the poisoning of Bhimasena and the burning of the house of lac at Varanavata, where even Maharani Kunti was not spared as an intended victim. Given such nefarious conduct by our enemy, I would suggest an immediate attack on Hastinapura. We should take the Kauravas by surprise and put an end to the evil machinations of Duryodhana and his evil coterie, including Shakuni, Duhshasana and that Suta Putra Karna who always brags about being the greatest warrior of all. Don’t expect any justice from the Kuru elders as they are wedded to the throne of Hastinapura, even if it is occupied by the devil himself. Otherwise the tragic events in the dice hall just before the exile of the Pandavas would not have taken place.” The views expressed by Satyaki were endorsed by the younger lot of warriors like Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi and Kritavarma, besides all the Pandavas, with the sole exception of Yudhishthira.
Shri Krishna and Balarama tried to apply balm before the proceedings could continue. Yudhishthira, who was Dharma (the deity) personified, vehemently opined that dharma (righteousness) be given a chance by sending a peace emissary to the Kaurava court. This principled restraint of his eldest brother did not find favour with Bhimasena, who hotly contested the view. He said, “Brother, we should not expect dharma and justice from the evil Kauravas. To my mind, this peace process is doomed even before it begins. For me the only things remaining to be done are to fulfil my pledge of breaking Duryodhana’s legs, drinking Duhshasana’s blood and washing Panchali’s hair with the same. Don’t you see that she has not combed her hair for the last thirteen years in anticipation of that revenge?”
After the outburst of Bhimasena, Shri Krishna got up and said, “Although I do see the points made by Satyaki and Bhimasena, yet I endorse the view expressed by King Yudhishthira. History should not brand us as warmongers. I would now appeal to the wisdom and experience of King Drupada to evolve a strategy which appeals to all present here in the hall.” King Shalya (brother of Madri, the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva), also endorsed the views expressed by Shri Krishna. King Virata, all the Yadava chieftains and other allies present in the assembly agreed to give peace a chance before considering the option of war; though inwardly, everybody could clearly see the writing on the wall.
When all views had been expressed, a thoughtful King Drupada rose from his seat to address the assembly. He said, “Friends, I present a two-pronged strategy for your consideration. One is to send a very capable messenger to Hastinapura who will plead the Pandavas’ case and try to extract a deal most suitable for them and thus avoid war. But we should not sit idle awaiting the result of this peace process, which may or may not succeed. Hence concurrently with the despatch of our emissary to Hastinapura, we should send messengers in all directions to contact our friends and invite them to join the war on our side. To King Virata I would request to allot us land and other necessary resources needed for accommodating the kings and their armies who arrive here to join our war effort. Last of all, I suggest the name of my Rajpurohit (royal priest), as the messenger to Hastinapura. He is very capable and I have full faith in him. If the above strategy is acceptable to you, I will brief him and send him immediately to the Kaurava court.”
From the reaction of the audience it was evident that the strategy spelled out by King Drupada was acceptable to all. Shri Krishna got up and addressed the assembly by saying, “Friends, my respected brother Balarama agrees with me when I say that this is the best plan that could have been evolved under the current circumstances. Before concluding our meeting for today, I request King Drupada to suitably brief his mess
enger and despatch him to Hastinapura as soon as possible. In the meantime King Yudhishthira can send his messengers to all his allies to secure their allegiance and participation in the war effort. All well wishers of King Yudhishthira may also depart to their respective capitals to organise their armies for the impending battle. I too will take this opportunity to take your leave and depart for Dvaraka along with brother Balarama and the other worthy Yadava heroes tomorrow.”
After dispersal of the assembly, Drupada went to his chambers in King Virata’s palace and summoned his Rajpurohit. After ensuring that nobody was within earshot the king said, “Purohitji, I am sending you on a very important mission and a lot will depend on your handling of the Issue. Don’t interrupt me till I finish. Besides pitching for peace in all sincerity, you have to stay at Hastinapura for as long as possible on one pretext or the other.” The Purohit replied, “Your highness, I understand the first part of your instructions clearly. I assure you that I will try my level best for justice to the Pandavas. What I don’t understand is why to extend my stay at Hastinapura.” King Drupada continued with a smile, “Purohitji, so long as you are there Duryodhana’s mind will remain occupied. He will ensure that the elders don’t sue for peace as long as he is present in the court. Obviously he will not seek help from other kings from outside Hastinapura for some time. That will give us time to bring them over to our side.”
Simultaneously, King Yudhishthira initiated follow-up action on the decision to despatch messengers to all kings, inviting them to join the Pandava camp in the coming war. Trusted messengers of King Virata, carrying personal letters from Yudhishthira, were despatched on swift horses to deliver the messages to the concerned kings. Regarding their most trusted ally, the Yadavas, Arjuna went personally to Dvaraka to formally convey Yudhishthira’s request. At the same time, spies of Duryodhana were constantly relaying the happenings in Viratanagara to him. As soon as the news of Arjuna’s departure was received, Duryodhana also rushed to Dvaraka. Both of them reached Dvaraka almost simultaneously. At that time Shri Krishna was taking rest on his bed. Duryodhana was the first to enter his bedroom and occupied a seat near the head of Sri Krishna’s bed. Arjuna followed him and remained, in the manner of a devoted supplicant, standing with folded hands at the foot of the bed. After sometime Krishna woke up and saw Arjuna first. While getting up his eyes fell on Duryodhana sitting at the head of the bed. He greeted both of them and said, “Welcome to my city. May I know the purpose of this sudden visit?” Before Arjuna could speak Duryodhana said, “Brother Krishna, as you know a war is going to be fought between us the Kauravas and the Pandavas soon. You are related to both of us and I have come in your presence before Arjuna. Being the first one to call upon you, I would request you to side with us.” Shri Krishna replied, “No doubt you came first here, but I saw Arjuna before I saw you. Moreover he is younger to you. As such he has the first right to speak.” On hearing these words, Duryodhana turned pale with apprehension but did not give expression to his thoughts.
Sri Krishna continued, “But since both of you came simultaneously I have decided to help both of you. On one side will remain my Narayani Sena while on the other I will be all alone. I will not take up arms and will not fight. You have to choose between the two options. Since Arjuna is younger I will give him the first choice.” Duryodhana’s heart missed a beat or two which turned into relief the moment Arjuna chose the unarmed Shri Krishna. After leaving Shri Krishna’s palace Duryodhana went to Balarama who, professing equality towards both parties, declined to help either. Thereafter he approached Kritavarma who agreed to fight on his side along with his huge army. Meanwhile Arjuna requested Shri Krishna to become his charioteer, to which he readily agreed.
When the messengers of Yudhishthira reached the kingdom of Madra, they received a warm welcome from its King Shalya. He immediately left for Viratanagara with a well equipped army to join the side of the Pandavas. When Duryodhana heard about this, he went personally to arrange special hospitality for Shalya and his army all along his route to Viratanagara. Shalya was highly impressed and decided to help the side which had done so much for his comfort, though he did not yet know who the gracious host was. On reaching his destination, the first thing Shalya did was to thank Yudhishthira for extending the fabulous hospitality to him en route. When the truth was revealed, he decided to fight on the side of Duryodhana, though with understandable reluctance, because Madri’s twins were his own nephews. But before he left for Hastinapura he told Yudhishthira, “Son, I am sorry for not fighting on the side of my natural allies. I will never forgive myself for making a reckless promise of siding with the king who had made extensive arrangements for my comfort while coming to this place. I hope you will forgive my indiscretion.”
Yudhishthira replied, “Mamaji, you are aware that we have been at the mercy of fate all along. Now it is clear that you are not destined to fight on the side of dharma. But before you leave, allow me to make one request to you.” “Short of asking for my life, you can ask anything, my son,” replied Shalya. Yudhishthira began, “Mamaji, you are aware that Duryodhana banks heavily on Karna’s ability and, knowing your skill with horses, will most probably ask you to be his charioteer in his battle with Arjuna to counter Sri Krishna. I request you to agree to his proposal. While driving Karna’s chariot you may then constantly discourage Karna so that he begins to doubt his own competence. Simultaneously, you please go on praising Arjuna so as to totally discourage and demoralise Karna. This is my humble request to you.” Shalya left for Hastinapura with his army after promising to do Yudhishthira’s bidding.
Meanwhile as planned King Drupada’s Rajpurohit went to Hastinapura and presented himself in the Kaurava court. He received a warm welcome and Bhishma praised the peace efforts. He reminded Dhritarashtra about all the atrocities committed by the Kauravas against the Pandavas, right from their childhood. He also brought his attention to the ignominy faced by Draupadi in the very hall they were sitting in and how the Pandavas, after being deprived of their throne were sent to exile by Shakuni’s trickery. He explained that after completing their exile, the Pandavas only seek restoration of their kingdom and their demand was in line with dharma. While the discussion on the proposal was going on, Karna got impatient and intervened by declaring that Duryodhana will not give even one half of the kingdom to the Pandavas. The best course for the Pandavas shall be to return to the forest for spending rest of their lives there; or else face a war and perish at his hands. This uncalled for interruption infuriated Bhishma who said, “Karna, when will you learn to behave in presence of elders? You are not competent to accept or reject the peace proposal. It is high time that you stop bragging about your prowess. I will not remind you about your earlier defeats. But I was a witness to the latest debacle in Viratanagara, in which Arjuna defeated the entire Kaurava army and managed to snatch our clothes. You could not save even your own brother who got killed by Arjuna.” King Dhritarashtra also got annoyed and rebuked Karna. After that the Rajpurohit was sent back with due honour and dignity and assured that Sanjaya (King Dhritarashtra’s chief charioteer and adviser), would go to Upaplavya (the township in Matsya Desha, where the Pandavas were camping), to deliver his response to the peace proposal.
When Sanjaya did finally arrive in Upaplavya, he conveyed a strangely convoluted proposal which seemed to favour neither peace nor war. By implication it asked the Pandavas to reconcile to the fait accompli and revert to life in forest. Sanjaya’s words seemed to be an essay on ethics and morality, except that it was applicable to the Pandavas only. With the conclusion of Sanjaya’s message, there was all round shock as the Pandavas realised that they were effectively being asked to forego their claim to the throne. This brazen attitude of Dhritarashtra angered even Shri Krishna who said, “Sanjaya, your king seems to have forgotten Kshatriya Rajadharma. Your message leaves us with no option but war. It is sad that the Kaurava elders do not see the writing on the wall. When the Pandavas left for exile their kingdom was a sacred trust with
your king. You have betrayed that trust for which you will face the consequences. Restoration of the kingdom of Pandavas would have washed away some of your sins. Duryodhana is a fool who is led astray by the evil advice of Karna, Shakuni and Duhshasana. Do you remember when Karna called Draupadi a prostitute and directed her to shift to Duryodhana’s chambers as his Dasi? All this adharma was happening in front of the king and elders of the Kaurava court, but nobody had the guts to stop the abominable events. By rejecting the peace proposal the time to pay the price for their evil deeds has arrived. You convey this message to the king and tell him that I will come personally to make a last attempt at peace. If that attempt fails, an all out war which will spare none will surely break out”
With the return of Sanjaya, the excitement in Hastinapura reached a feverish pitch. Everybody was eager to know the response of the Pandavas to Sanjaya’s peace mission. It was a packed court which heard Sanjaya when he commenced giving graphic account of everything that happened in Viratanagara. He conveyed Arjuna’s message to King Dhritarashtra regarding Karna, whom he had promised to kill in battle. Sanjay also said, “Your highness, Arjuna was very bitter about your peace proposal and threatened to wipe out the entire Kaurava army. He has asked Duryodhana not to rely on the Suta Putra Karna whose job is only to brag about his expertise and lead him further astray with his evil schemes and intrigue.” Sanjaya also informed the gathering about the impending arrival of Shri Krishna as a peace emissary and about Krishna’s warning that in the event of the failure of this last peace mission, outbreak of hostilities was round the corner.
