Scene 1
Vidura and Bhishma are ready to go to the assembly convened by Vidura to read publicly the message sent by King Drupada. Just then a messenger comes with the news of the arrival of Duryodhana and others. Vidura and Bhishma hurry to the assembly, worrying what they had wanted to avoid has come to pass.
Scene 2
Duryodhana, Dushshasana and Shakuni arrive at the Hastinapur palace after Somadatta advises them not to go for war with Panchala. However, as they near the gate, once again Duryodhana is reluctant to enter the palace fearing criticism for having lost at the Draupadi Swayamwara. Shakuni explains that success and failure are part of a kshatriya's life and should be taken as teaching them a lesson, but the Kaurava brothers are not convinced. Then Shakuni tells them that people would talk of their failures as that constitutes an important event but if they could divert the court's attention with other matters, they could easily avert their attention from Kaurava prince's defeat. Shakuni advises Duryodhana to walk with vigor, pride and raised chest as though nothing had happened.
Scene 3
Krishna is romancing with Rukmini.
Scene 4
Hastinapur court. Duryodhana barges in angrily, followed by Dushshasana and Shakuni. He shouts that disgrace had befallen Hastinapur and that they must seek revenge. Drona asks Duryodhana when he had returned from Panchala and where Draupadi was, since they had heard that Kauravas had won at Panchala. Duryodhana is perplexed and looks at Shakuni who steps in saying what had transpired at Panchala was not a swayamwar, but a conspiracy hatched by Drupada to wreak vengeance on Hastinapur with which he had nursed enmity since the time of Vichitraveerya. They must immediately declare war on Panchala, else the haughty Panchala princess will have no respect for them. Drona and Kripacharya are bewildered by all these statements and ask them to narrate what had happened at Panchala.
Karna tells the court that he had participated in the swayamwaram for the sake of his dear friend only and on his insistence alone. At the swayamwar, Draupadi had humiliated him by calling him as the son of a charioteer and did not allow him to participate, though he could have easily done all that the Brahmana (who had won the contest) had done and could even outshine him. Since he had gone on behalf of Hastinapura, Karna says, it would be only appropriate for them to declare war against Panchala.
Kripacharya chides karna saying the swayamwara was only meant for Kshatriyas and he had no business to attend it. Karna is forced to sit down.
Duryodhana tells the court that Drupada had kept a very heavy bow that was impossible for anybody to lift and all kings failed at the contest. Karna could easily lift the bow and would have effortlessly hit the target but was stopped and disgraced by Draupadi. This was all part of the Drupada's grand conspiracy to take vengeance on Bhishma on Drona.
Bhishma and Vidura enter just then. Duryodhana requests that Hastinapura should go to war with Panchala, but Bhishma asks him to stay calm until Dhritarashtra arrives and takes a decision. Shakuni reminds Bhishma that he had once gone to fight with Drupad to release Vichitraveerya who was held captive by Drupada for having taken away his cows. He further reminds that Drupad had performed penances to beget Shikhandi who could slay Bhishma. Similarly, Drupada got Dhrishtadyumna as a son who would be able to kill Drona. These two reasons could suffice to go for war with Panchala. Vidura asks everyone to remail calm till Dhritarshtra could arrive and take a decision.
Duryodhana is happy that he could sway the attention of the courtiers away from his failures. Bhishma and Vidura exchange meaningful glances that they would not let Duryodhana's ploys for creating confusion work.
Just then, Dhritarashtra enters the assembly. Vidura informs him that he has a message from Panchala. Dhritarashtra is eager to know about the news from Panchala and asks Vidura to read it. Dhritarashtra is taken aback when Vidura read "Your sons the Pandavas are now my sons-in-law." After Vidura reads the message, Dhritarashtra asks if Pandavas are alive. Vidura confirms this and both Dhritarashtra and Gandhari are very happy about this. Then Dhritarshtra asks which of the news is true – whether the news of Kauravas winning the swayamwaram contest as Vidura had told him earlier or the message from the Panchala that says the Pandavas have won the contest. Vidura tells him both are true, since 'Kaurava' means one who is a descendent of the Kuru dynasty/clan and Pandavas are in that sense Kauravas too.
Dhritarshtra. Vidura asks about the decision to invite and honorably escort Pandavas to Hastinapura, and Dhritarshtra announces that this would be discussed in the next assembly.
The next day, Duryodhana condemns Pandava's marriage as shameful and their being unworthy of being brought to Hastinapur. Hot words are exchanged between Shakuni on one side and Vidura and Bhishma on the other. Shakuni calls Bhishma inept and old and Vidura as unworthy of speaking in the assembly. Vidura steers away from all slander and reminds the king that Pandavas had every right to the kingdom, being the sons of Pandu. Besides, the message from Panchala contained an indirect threat of invasion of Hastinapur by Panchala, if Pandavas do not receive what is rightfully theirs. Duryodhana protests saying he is not afraid of meeting Pandavas in a battle, and that he could easily vanquish them. Kripacharya reminds that Duryodhana had once tasted defeat by Drupada. Drona supports Bhishma's advice to Dhritarashtra to bring Pandavas. Karna harshly criticizes Drona, Bhishma and other people who support Pandavas, saying that these people receive their pecuniary benefits from the Kauravas yet malign them and are loyal to the Pandavas alone. Shakuni too casts aspersion on Vidura and calls him an ambassador of Drupada.
In the exchange of hot words, Vidura exposes Shakuni's misdeeds and his role in setting up Kanika to ill-advise yudhishtra and in the conflagration at Varanavata. Shakuni for his turn tells the assembly that Vidura has been instrumental in digging a tunnel that took Pandavas from Varanavata. He also tells that Vidura was the reason why Pandavas did not return to Hastinapura but roamed in forests and finaly went to Panchala.
Shakuni disparages Vidura as dasi's son. Vidura retaliates saying refugees from other countries wanted to establish their power in royal matters, and if the king heeded to their counsel, Hastinapur will slide down a downward spiral towards destruction.
Bhishma rises to defend Vidura's self respect and says Vidura is the son of Vyasa and the grandson of the emperor Shantanu. Nobody had the right to speak ill of Vidura, and if anybody spoke ill of his birth, Bhishma would never hesitate to kill him.
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