Scene 1
After Arjuna's victory over King Drupada, the people of Hastinapur are excited about who is going to be the future king. Their favorites appear to be Yudhishtra and Arjuna, much to Duryodhana's and Karna's chagrin.
Vidura reminds that Dhritarashtra that it was time he makes an announcement about the coronation of the next king. Dhritarashtra announces he is already contemplating on the coronation and would announce it soon, and the crowd thronging the court cheer Yudhishtra and Arjuna. Dhritarashtra
: Why are they reacting this way even before I announce the name of the future king?Vidura
: That only goes to show that the people of Hastinapur are already clear about their choice of the new king.Shakuni
: It is monarchical form of government not people's republic that governs Hastinapur. So only the king gets to decide.Vidura
: A king must respect people's opinion. And the prince of Gandhara must speak only when asked by the king.Karna intervenes to put forward Duryodhana's claim to the throne as the eldest son of the ruling Emperor. Kripacharaya denounces his uncalled-for intervention despite his being a nobody with unknown origins. Kunti looks troubled, Duryodhana's rises to support his friend but is reprimanded by Bhishma. Karna goes out of the court to avoid further trouble.
Dushasana then restarts the debate stating why Duryodhana is the right choice, being the eldest of Dhritarashtra. Vidura explains that Pandu was declared the Chakravarthi, and it was because of his magnanimity that he forsook the kingdom and went to the jungles, and hence his son, Yudhishtra should be declared the king. Shakuni says Gandhari conceived first and so Duryodhana was the eldest, but Vidura counters citing the scriptures saying only the birth date should be considered, which made Yudhishtra the eldest. Yuyutsu, Dhritarshtra's son through a dasi, concurs with Vidura's views and is ridiculed by Duryodhana that the two had banded together because both of them were the sons of a dasi woman.
Dhritarashtra asks the elders in the assembly to give their opinions. Kripacharya says that as the foster son of their grand father Shantanu, he held both Pandavas and Kauravas with the same affection and hence could not take sides. Drona as well as his son declare their allegiance to the ruler of Hastinapura. Bhishma expresses similar sentiments saying he had given up the rights to the crown and with that the right to royal decisions, and he would be faithful to obey the orders of the Hastinapur king.
With no consensus reached on the issue, Dhritarashtra tells the courtiers he needed time to decide and that he would announce his decision soon.
Scene 2
Drupada, the king of Panchala is unable to eat or sleep peacefully. His mind keeps enacting the humiliation he faced when chained to a chariot and dragged before Drona. The kingdom he received from Drona was nothing but alms; had he been punished it would have been easier for him to handle, but it was demeaning to accept the kingdom as a gift from his adversary. He then hands over the kingdom to his younger brother and leaves the palace.
Scene 3
Duryodhana comes to meet his parents. He asks his father who the emperor of Hastinapur was. Dhritarashtra replies it was his brother Pandu who was crowned the emperor and Duryodhana asks him softly, was it not because of his blindness, and says he understands the emotional turmoil this must have caused in him. He then asks him why he didn't simply declare Duryodhana as the crown prince: after all, he was the king. Dhritarashtra says except for Vidura, nobody was prepared to give their opinion, and this rankled him.Dushasana says the Pandavas should be killed, and that was the only way the problem could be solved. But Gandhari wouldn't hear of this, and speaks highly of the sacrifice Pandu made so willingly.
Shakuni a enters the scene and asks for a private audition with the king. Then he tells him he had heard the conversation between him and his sons. He then says Dushasana's suggestion was not wrong at all. The king should understand that Pandavas had to be out of their way for Kauravas to retain power.
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