Karna barges angrily into his palace and throws off his bow and the quiver of arrows. His wife Bhanumathi is shocked when Karna narrates the deep shame he felt when Bhishma relegates to him the lowly position of Ardharathi. Bhanumathi is furious to know that Duryodhana doesn't support Karna against Bhishma and she threatens to demand an explanation from Duryodhana. Duryodhana, who has come to meet Karna along with Shakuni, intervenes and lets Bhanumathi vent out her anger. Then he offers to make Karna a Maharathi and says the two would lead the battle and others would be free to join if they so desired. Karna is touched by the gesture, but he clarifies that it was far more important to him that Duryodhana's victory in the battle is more important than the disgrace that he has to endure, to which he had anyway got accustomed to.
Duryodhana, Dushasana, Yuyutsu — Dritarashtra's son through a dasi, and Vikarna — the virtuous son of Dritarashtra, come to seek their parent's blessings. Dritarashtra wishes them victory in the war. Gandhari, however, asks with a trembling voice if there is a way to avoid the war. Then she tells Duryodhana that though she would love to wish her sons a resounding victory, she can only say 'let the righteous be victorious'. Duryodhana explains the justice in his stance. Pandavas had lost in the wager and went to the forest as per the agreement and similarly they had been spotted just before the period of incognito exile had ended, which meant that they should go into exile once again. Instead, they chose to declare war, which was not at all justified. Since the Kauravas had been just, the victory would be theirs.
Yuyutsu and Vikarna see some merit in Gandhari's thoughts and they too favour rapprochment. Dushasana is incensed and Duryodhana tells both of them to leave. Vikarna says it is his duty to guide his brothers, but he would never desert them.
Shakuni advises Duryodhana to seek the blessings of Kunti and Vidura.
Dritarashtra raps Gandhari for not uttering the benediction of victory for Duryodhana, but instead asking him to give up war. He says it always shamed him when everybody like Vidura, Bhishma and even Kunti reminded him that the Hastinapur throne was given to him by Pandu as a charity. He always wanted to obliterate this shame for once and all, and the war had given him that chance. He has even thought about possible outcomes of the war. If they win, he wouldn't mind giving Pandavas a part of the kingdom. Then he asks Gandhari, wouldn't she now wish them victory. Gandhari still persists: victory belongs to the righteous.
Duryodhana asks Kunti to bless him with victory. Kunti too repeats the same benediction as Gandhari. Duryodhana and Dushasana ask Vidura to forgive them and participate in the war. Vidura declines and tells them that he has planned to go on a pilgrimmage with Balarama. On Duryodhana's request, Vidura blesses that the victory would accrue to Hastinapura.
Krishna goes to Karna's residence. He tells Karna that he has made a mistake by staying away from the war, which is a rare opportunity to showcase his valour and blot out the ignominy of being called the 'suta putra'. He tells that every kshatriya considered it an honor to participate in the war, like for example Rukmi who went to Duryodhana to join the Kaurava army and on being refused, went to the Pandava army. Unfortunately for him, even the Pandavas rejected him. Karna admits that it is a mistake to take offence at Bhishma's words and vows that he wouldn't fight so long as Bhishma is on the battle field. Krishna reminds him that Bhishma has the boon of death by choice and would not embrace death until Hastinapur becomes secure.
Comments
Post a Comment