The hall had fallen silent. The scent of jasmine and camphor drifted through the air. On the stage sat under the soft light the storyteller wearing a spotless white dhoti, his forehead marked with stripes of vibhuti. He adjusted the microphone, cleared his throat once, and spoke in that calm, resonant tone that balances the weight of wisdom with the ease of banter — the way only a seasoned upanyāsakar can. He looked around the hall, his gaze sweeping slowly and deliberately over the audience — as if to say, “Listen well... what follows is not just a story...” “Karma, my dear listeners, is like a shadow that refuses to fade. You may walk in sunlight, hide in a cave, or sink into the sea — it follows, unseen, waiting for the next dawn. No act is ever lost. It moves — from father to son, from serpent to sage, from forest to flame. Only with the touch of grace — only when the Divine decides — can that chain be broken. And today, we speak of one such karma — born in fire, car...

Storytime : 1 The sun had risen and set over Kurukshetra eight times. Each day, blood was spilled. Each night, hopes dimmed. And now, on the ninth day, the war dragged on — without resolution, without momentum. Victory for the Pandavas? It felt distant. Fading. The tide refused to turn. Bhishma stood like a mountain, unshaken. His arrows tore through the Pandava ranks with merciless precision. Arjuna, the hero of many battles, stood irresolute. Where was his prowess in archery gone? His heart was caught between reverence and duty. How could he aim at Bhishma — his grandsire, his mentor? And yet, how could he not? Krishna watched with a frown. His silence was heavy. He had vowed not to fight. But vows mean little when dharma itself is bleeding. Bhishma’s fury grew. Duryodhana’s harsh words — “You are partial to the Pandavas” — had sealed the last cracks in his kind heart. The love he once held for Arjuna had receded, buried beneath duty and wounded pride. The Pandava army was crum...

Gandhari decides to transfer to Duryodhana the power she has gained through strict adherence to pativrata dharma and harden his body to be as strong as a diamond. She asks Duryodhana to come naked before her, after taking bath in the morning. Krishna comes to know of Gandhari's plan. He takes the form of Dushala and appears before Duryodhana. Dushala tells Duryodhana that it is disgusting that an adult should appear naked before his mother and advises him to cover his loins with a banana leaf. Gandhari, who has kept her eyes covered ever since her marriage, now opens her eyes. She gazes at Duryodhana starting from his head and lowers her eyes gradually. The light from her eyes make Duryodhana's body very strong. When her eyes rest upon his mid region she is shocked. She scolds Duryodhana for not following her instructions. Now Durdhana's body is left with portions vulnerable to attack. Duryodhana tells about Dushala's advice. Just then, the real Dushala comes and denie...

Shakuni tells his sister to bless Duryodhana with victory. As she has divinity in her, her blessings are sure to fructify. Gandhari, being righteous in thoughts, is only able to say "Dharma will be victorious". Duryodhana asks her in frustration, "is that invisible and unseen dharma more important to you than your own son who is standing right in front of you?" Gandhari says she believes the invisible dharma she adheres to will protect him day and night. Duryodhana leaves in despair. Shakuni is proud of his sister's moral rectitude, but she ought to think of her son's predicament as well, he advises Gandhari before leaving her. Krishna asks why the Pandavas didn't display much emotion as compared to Duryodhana over Karna's death. Yudhishtra replies that they were too stunned to react. What is upsetting to Yudhishtra is why Kunti didn't reveal it to them earlier. Krishna tells the Pandavas the story how she became an unwed mother and how she was ...

After Karna's failure in using Nagastra, another calamity falls on him. His chariot's wheel sinks into the ground. Karna remembers the curse that a bereaved Brahmin father lays on him when his arrow accidentally kills the son. The brahmin had cursed Karna that his chariot wheel would sink into the earth when he was in battle, leaving him helpless. At this critical juncture, Shalya deserts Karna and goes away. Karna gets off the chariot to pull the wheel out of the ground. On Krishna's exhortation, Arjuna shoots an arrow at Karna while he is trying to extricate the wheel from the slushy ground. Karna asks Arjuna to give him time. Krishna tells Arjuna that it is the most opportune time to kill Karna without any compunction about the impropriety of attacking an unarmed man. So Arjuna continues to shoot. Karna now attempts to use Brahmastra, but is unable to do so. Again another of the curses working its magic – Parashurama cursing that Karna forget the mantra when he needs ...

Before Karna can recover from the shock of his son's death, he hears about Dushasana's death. Brushing aside his rage towards Arjuna, Karna rushes to comfort Duryodhana. Duryodhana is woe-begone recalling how devoted and obedient Dushasana was, and carried out every command of his without questioning. The respect and love Dushasana had for Duryodhana was unparalleled. He was his veritable shadow. The gory sight of his brother's mangled body fills him with crazy fury. Gandhari cries out with inconsolable grief. She tells Kunti that she should have killed Dushasana the same day when he had disrobed and humiliated Draupadi. Her failure to do so has led to this tragedy. Karna faces Yudhishtra and blames him as the cause for the war. Had he not pledged Draupadi in the game of dice, the war would not have happened. He inflicts deep wounds on Yudhishtra, leaving him gasping and staggering. Remembering the promise he has made to Kunti, Karna spares Yudhishtra's life and tells h...

Karna is offering worship to Shiva. A young boy called Ashwasena appears and expresses his solidarity with him as both of them share a common cause: that of killing Arjuna. Ashwasena is Takshaka's son who had escaped from the fire that blazed through Khandava forest in which his mother had perished. Along with Duryodhana, Karna meets Kunti to seek her blessings. Krishna and Arjuna arrive at the same time. Kunti blesses all of them with long life. She asks Krishna in private if it is possible to save both Karna and Arjuna. Krishna asks Kunti if she is willing to reveal Karna's true identity to Arjuna but Kunti isn't ready. Arjuna chides Kunti for being self-centered. The seventeenth day of battle begins. Arjuna is eager to confront Karna, but Krishna counsels him to have patience. Karna requests Shalya to take him to where Arjuna is. Shalya uses every possible occasion to humiliate Karna and undermine his skill. In the meanwhile, Karna's son Vrishasena defeats Satyaki...

Duryodhana is confused by the barrage of accusations Shakuni lays on Karna. He is speechless, unable to affirm his faith in Karna, much as he would like to. After all, there is substance in Shakuni's questioning why Karna should gift away his kavacha kundala s to an unknown Brahmin. Does Karna value his own fame as a philanthropist over his loyalty to his benefactor and friend Duryodhana? Karna promises to kill Arjuna the next day. He has only one condition to be fulfilled. He needs a competent charioteer, the lack of which has led to his being taken to Nakula, instead of Arjuna, on the battlefield that day. Duryodhana is overjoyed. Karna desires the services of Madra King Shalya, whose horses are world renowned. Shakuni jeers with the remark that Shalya will like to associate only with nobles and aristocrats. Duryodhana is willing to negotiate with Shalya on his friend's behalf. Shalya is reluctant to accept Duryodhana's request. He then remembers what advice Krishna gave...

Yudhishtra is worried over Karna assuming power as a Kaurava war chief for the 16th day war. As usual, Bhima takes it lightly and Arjuna is over-confident of his prowess. Krishna provides the reality-check by reminding them of the deadly Nagastra that Karna possesses. Bhishma is happy to learn of Karna's rise as commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. He blesses Karna and asks him to carry on fighting without thinking of the outcome, as they cannot direct the drama unfolded by Time ('Kala'); they can merely witness it as a spectator. On the battle field, Duryodhana cheers up the army with the news of Karna being at the helm of affairs and Karna is given a rousing welcome. On the sixteenth day, Ashwathama fights with Drishtadhyumna and Bhima. Bhima kills a dozen Kauravas and then faces Vikarna. Bhima remembers Vikarna's lone voice berating Kauravas for dishonoring Draupadi at the assembly. He also remembers Vikarna's charitably sparing his life in the battle. Bhim...

Ashwathama hears the news about his father's death from Dushasana and rushes to the scene. He is distraught by the fact that Drishtadhyumna beheaded his father when he had thrown away all the weapons. He shoots the Narayanastra skyward with the aim of exterminating all the Pandavas. Krishna tells the Pandavas to throw down their weapons, recite Narayana mantra and seek refuge in Him. The Astra returns to Krishna without harming anybody. Krishna offers solacing words to Ashwathama that Drona willingly embraced death. Ashwathama protests that Drona was killed in a non-dharmic way. Though technically Yudhishtra did not utter a lie, the objective of his uttereances was to deceive Drona. Krishna explains that to establish Dharma, sometimes small deviations have be made to certain rules, but the noble end justifies the means! Shakuni tries a new angle to trap Pandavas. He says the Pandavas should accept defeat, because they had bowed to Aswathama. He asks Duryodhana to order imprisoneme...