Scene 1
Eight years later... on the banks of the river, the royal guru is teaching the three royal princes: Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura. Bhishma is standing near them and queens Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika are sitting and watching the proceedings. Sivai(Vidura's mother) is also present there.Guru
: Today Bhishma is going to test your intelligence. All of you are no doubt intelligent; but I believe Bhishma won't test merely your bookish knowledge but your out-of-the-box thinking.Bhishma
: Dear children, I have no doubt about your skills in education. But presence of mind, independent and lateral thinking are factors that distinguish one person from the other. I am going to begin the test: are you all ready?The princes chorus their readiness.
Bhishma
(Holding a sieve in his hands): This vessel will help only the person shrewd enough to understand the subtleties and nuances of the situation. Who will come first?Dhritarashtra
: I am the eldest and so I will come first.Bhishma
: I am impressed with your self confidence. Take this.(He hands over the sieve and Dhritarashtra feels the vessel with his hands and snickers.)Dhritarashtra
: It is a mere sieve. And you said it was some kind of magical vessel.Bhishma
: Whether it is magical or not depends on how you look at it. Now here is the test. You know there is a vessel full of water here. You have to use this sieve to transfer water from the vessel to the vessel near it. There is no hurry. Think deeply and then act.Dhritarashtra
: What? Fill water with this sieve? How is it even possible?Bhishma
: Why don't you try? Don't give up without even trying!Dhritarashtra
: I know the vessel is full just by hearing the sound of water. It is going to be a futile attempt.Bhishma
: So what is your answer for my question?Dhritarashtra
: This vessel full of holes cannot hold water and cannot be used to transfer water.Bhishma
: You are clear about your answer. That is good in a way. Pandu, are you ready for the test?Pandu steps forward. He fills and takes the leaking sieve to fill the other vessel, but soon tires of the inordinately long time required for the effort to bear fruit.
Bhishma appreciates Pandu's hard work, which he says, would always yield fruits.
Finally Vidura steps in. He is lost in thought for a minute.
Vidura
: I can fill the other vessel with this sieve, but I need some time for that.Bhishma
: Great! How much time?Vidura
: Till the water in the first vessel cools and becomes ice.Bhishma
: You have understood the subtleties of the test. That's good. Dhritarashtra and Pandu, you need not despair. Both of you have your individualities. Dhritarashtra, you have no confusion in your mind. You are very clear and fast in your decisions. This is an important quality for a king. Pandu, your persistence impresses me very much. This is important in a kshatriya. You fight till the very end. Vidura, you accomplish your task using your intelligence. This shows his distinctive approach to problem solving. Keen intellect is another needed virtue in a king. So all of you are winners of this test.Scene 2
Ambika and Ambalika are serving food to Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Each of them believe her son had the right answer and deride others approach. Bhishma is looking on at their squabble. Dhritarashtra gets angry when Pandu passes snide remarks about his not taking part in the test and throws a mango fruit at him. Vidura fields the fruit and jokingly remarks he got a fruit to eat owing to their fight. His smile at their petty fight brings a smile on Vidura's face, and this irritates Ambika and Ambalika, and they insult Vidura by passing insinuations about his social status as a maid's son. Vidura apologizes about his smile and diffuses a tense situation by using humor. Bhishma, who is watching the proceedings with concern is relieved and is happy with Vidura's approach.Scene 3
Satyavati is heading the session at the Hastinapur court, about to discuss the discontinuation of worship at the Durga temple where a woe-begone priest has stopped performing the daily worship, unable to come to terms with the loss of his daughter. The queen has invited Sage Vyasa to preside this session.Vyasa
: Your beloved, only daughter has died as a result of small pox. Why should you stop the worship at the temple? Why should you lose faith in god?Priest
: After the grief, I am unable to concentrate on worship.Bhishma
: The worship you offer is a service to the society. You cannot stop the temple worship.Vyasa
: Do you consider Durga Devi to be the cause of your daughter's death?Priest
: My daughter has dies on account of 'Ammai'. Don't we call Durga Devi as 'Ammai'?Vyasa
: Be calm. Your attachment to your daughter has made you speak like this. Is it right to deny the existence of the goddess you have worshipped for so many years? Is she really your daughter?Priest
: What kind of question is that? She is my daughter!Vyasa
: You mean you created her fully?Priest
: I don't understand your question!Vyasa
: I will now ask in another way you understand. You were an instrument in her creation. But did you create all her organs is what I ask. Was it you who crafted various organs artfully in your wife's dark womb? Did you make the heart that was ticking there? Did you make make those beautiful eyes? Did you infuse life into that mass of flesh? Could you at least create her little finger? The goddess who created the entire universe has also created your daughter. Then who can you claim her as your daughter?Priest
: I still do not understand what you say.Vyasa
: Ok. The deity of Durga that you worshipped so long – who created that?Priest
: The sculptor, of course!Vyasa
: That sculpture would have reached the sculptor as a huge piece of rock. That sculptor would have kept it in a room and worked on that rock say for nine days and sculpted the eyes, arms and legs. Can that room claim ownership of that sculpture just because it housed it for some time? That sculpture rightfully belongs to the sculptor. Similarly, a baby doesn't belong to the mother who shelters it for nine months in her womb. It belongs to the god who crafted the body and gave it life. No one can claim ownership of any life created by God.Priest
: I may not be the owner of my daughter's life, but why should the god whom you extol should snatch away my daughter's life.Vyasa
: What you say about your daughter's life being snatched away isn't true. That's your imagination. She is still living somewhere. The sun that sets in the evening rises the next morning. That the sun sets or rises is only an illusion. The sun never sets or rises; it is always shining brightly. Your daughter's case is similar. Birth and death take place incessantly in this world. Only this body perishes, not the soul. Like the sun, your daughter would have entered and found life in another mother's womb. Losing your daughter brings you great grief, but for the soul of your daughter it is a great joy. No child can choose his parents and no parents can choose a specific child. That is solely decided by God. His action is never wrong. God has created the entire universe. You witness countless wonders in God's creation. Who created the beautiful flowers or the fluttering butterflies? God always shows kindness towards his creations. Will He be unkind to your daughter? Life goes on infinitely as a straight line. She would continue to be born, continue to do her duties and die. How does it matter where she is now? Isn't it enough she is doing well? The reason for the birth is to allow the realization of God. Till that end is achieved, there will be several births. If you contemplate on what I say, you won't be tormented by the loss of your daughter.Queen Satyavati
: I must thank the priest for bringing this case to Hastinapur court so that it could be held in my presence. I hope your confusion has been cleared. Not only were your eyes opened by Sage Vyasa's explanations, but mine too. Often I have been anguished by the incidents in my life. When my sons Vichitraveerya and Chitrangada lost their lives, only my eyes were drowned in sorrow, and I was dismayed finding Bhisma's and Vyasa's eyes dry. Only now, just now, do I understand why it was so, and my mind has been set at rest. (Hugs her grand children Dhritarashtra and Pandu)My grand children have been lucky to hear Vyasa's wise words at such a tender age. Even Hastinapur is lucky. Oh Bhattar (priest), those desirous of bringing about the welfare of their country should not worry about setbacks in their private lives. Similarly, even when beset with problems, you should never lock the temple and you should always be responsible for your duties to the public. Keep the temple open and perform the Durga Puja as desired by all the citizens. This is not my command but my personal request.The priest agrees and offers a benedictory prayer to the goddess.
Scene 4
Amba is meditating before the icy Shiva Linga in Kailasha and finally Lord Shiva appears before her. When asked what she wanted, Amba says categorically that Bhishma should die at her hands. Lord Shiva tries to reason with her, saying she brought on the deplorable condition she was in by not accepting the present and curbing revengeful thoughts from growing in her uncontrollably. He reminds her that Bhishma could not be killed until and unless he himself willed it. He advises Amba to give up thoughts of revenge and leave bringing about Bhishma's death to Himself. Amba is adamant in her wish. Lord Shiva then tell her she could not kill Bhishma in her present life ('janma'). But in her next birth she would certainly be able to do so.Amba drags herself out of the icy caves, feeling miserable. She does not want to live an empty life where her mission wouldn't be accomplished. She decides to end her life so that she could be reborn and be able to kill Bhishma as soon as possible.
Amba sees a few sages seated around a fire. Like some one possessed, Amba runs and jumps into the fire, shouting she would soon be reborn and take revenge on Bhishma.
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