The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of a spectacular Day Seventeen at Kurukshetra wherein Karna is engaged in a fierce battle with Arjuna. We’ve seen that Karna’s son, Virochana was killed earlier by Arjuna and with this fury, Karna is going full throttle on Arjuna. In return, Arjuna is also not an easy person to be countered, as both of them exchange several “Asthrams” upon each other. The war goes on for several hours unabated, even as a war of words breaks out between Indra and Surya Bhagawan, as both their sons are fighting against each other. Finally Bhagawan Brahma has to intervene and broker peace between the two great Devatas. The battle goes on and on, even as Bhagawan Krishna is just a mute spectator till this moment. However, as Bhagawan starts feeling that enough is enough, He decides to unleash His divine “Leela” here. He starts bringing Karna’s previous “Karma-Phalam” onto the battlefield where he himself is going to get trapped. We shall witness how this is going to unfold, but in the meanwhile, Ashwatthama is keenly observing what is going on. Even though he’s not involved directly in the confrontation between Karna and Arjuna, he is quite concerned about what’s happening. Hence, he rushes to Duryodhana and decides to have a chat with him. 

Reaching Duryodhana’s vicinity, Ashwatthama says to Duryodhana thus, “Oh my dear Duryodhana! Look at what is happening! All your brothers are dead now. Almost three-fourth of our army is destroyed and we do not have enough ground force to handle the situation. The lone warrior who is fighting for us at the moment is Karna. Going by what is happening between Karna and Arjuna, it seems to me that it is only a matter of time that Karna is also going to breathe his last! Hence, Duryodhana! I feel that this is the most appropriate time to call this war off! Let us go to Bhagawan Krishna and seek His refuge. Even now it is not too late. If Karna is also gone, we will not have anybody with us for the rest of the future. We’ve lost all key people like Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, Ducchaasnana, etc. What more do we have to lose? So let us go and broker peace with Bhagawan Krishna and Yudishtra and bring this war to a halt!” 

Ashwatthama continues further thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Even now it is not too late. As per Bhagawan Krishna’s request, please give Yudishtra atleast five villages from your kingdom. This is the simplest solution that we have in our hands right now. Oh Duryodhana! Please do not underestimate Bhagawan Janardhana! He is an epitome of compassion. You might think that He would get angry upon you if you negotiate at a time when you’re on the losing side. Yudishtra will definitely accept your request and he is also an epitome of “Dharma”. If you are ready to broker peace, both Bhagawan Janardhana and Yudishtra would be extremely happy. Oh Duryodhana! Please think calmly – If you give one piece of your kingdom to Yudishtra, it doesn’t mean that you will lose your position and power. You can also be a king and at the same time, Yudishtra can also be a king. Both of you can rule your respective kingdoms separately without any hiccups. Oh Duryodhana! If this war continues further, the rest of our scanty relatives will also die. There are very few people who are remaining with us right now. If we stop this war now, we can atleast protect their lives!” 

Saying thus, Ashwatthama tries to convince Duryodhana to call a truce! Now the ball is in Duryodhana’s court! Is he going to pay heed to Ashwatthama’s timely advice and intervention? Or, is he going to still continue with the war and satisfy his ego? Let us wait till the next episode to continue this important conversation between Duryodhana and Ashwatthama! Stay tuned! 🙂 

We are at a crucial juncture of Day Seventeen at Kurukshetra wherein several of Duryodhana’s brothers including Ducchaasana are killed by Bheemasena single-handedly. As this happens on one side, Arjuna is taking on Karna in a marquee battle with both of them trying to neutralize each other with several “Ashtrams”. In the meanwhile, Arjuna kills Karna’s son, Virochana, which sends shockwaves to Karna as it happens right in front of his eyes. As Karna weeps bitterly, Arjuna taunts him with his son Abhimanyu’s killing, wherein all the key Kaurava warriors plotted against him in an “Adharmic” way. As Arjuna recalls the past thus, Karna’s fury increases several folds and he launches a scathing attack on Arjuna with several “Asthrams” back to back. A huge battle between the duo ensues, as the Devas (Celestial Beings) gather all over the skies to watch this spectacle unfold. On one hand, Karna is “Surya-Putra” (Son of Surya Bhagawan) and on the other is Arjuna, who is “Indra Putra” (Son of Indra) trying to take on each other! The entire world comes to a standstill as this war takes place!

Thus, Karna attacks Arjuna with several “Asthrams” and Arjuna counters Karna with equivalent “Asthrams”. Both of them are in a savage resolution to finish each other off on this day somehow. If Karna comes up with the “Vaarunaasthram”, Arjuna counters it with the “Aagneya Asthram”. If Karna comes up with any kind of “Sarpa-Asthrams”, Arjuna counters them diligently with the “Garuda-Asthram”. On the other hand, if Arjuna comes up with the “Indra-Asthram”, Karna successfully counters it with the “Brahma-Asthram”. If Arjuna comes up with the “Mohana-Asthram”, Karna successfully neutralizes it with the “Jhimbhana-Asthram”. Thus, on Day Seventeen, an unprecedented war breaks out at Kurukshetra with both Arjuna and Karna attacking each other fiercely. This kind of intensity on the battlefield was not there when Bhishmachaarya and Guru Dhronachaarya were present. However now, the real zeal from these great warriors emerges, which makes them go for the kill! 

As this war happens at an entirely different level of intensity altogether, there is no respite from either of them for a long time! However, the war has to come to a logical conclusion at some point in time, isn’t it? This is where Bhagawan Krishna silently swings into action. Till this moment, He is just a mute spectator to what is going on between the two of them. Now as Bhagawan Krishna slowly starts thinking that “enough is enough”, all sorts of bad omens start reflecting in front of Karna. At the same time, all good omens start reflecting in front of Arjuna. Here, Sage Vyaasa narrates an important point – If a person’s death comes closer, there will be several ways through which all kinds of negativities will enter into him / her. For instance, when someone advises us in a constructive manner, we will not be able to comprehend it. Our ego will come in the front and stop us from paying heed to their advice. Secondly, even if we might have enormous thinking power and shrewdness, when it comes to the time of death, all this will be compromised! Even if we could have consulted some experienced people before making crucial decisions, our mind will not allow us to do so. In such ways, the “Mrithyu Devata” will start playing her role when the time of demise for a person comes closer, and this is exactly what happens in Karna’s case as well. 

At this moment, all the Maharishis and Veda-Pandits praise Arjuna and motivate him further. All of them say to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! Till now you’ve done a great job! Please go ahead! Today you will earn the tag of being the best warrior in this world, who stood by the cause of “Dharma”!” In the meanwhile, there is a war of words going on between Surya Bhagawan and Indra. While Indra boasts in front of Surya Bhagawan that his son Arjuna is going to win over Karna today, Surya Bhagawan gets offended. At this time, Bhagawan Brahma intervenes and says thus, “Oh Devas! Please be sure that Arjuna is going to win this war! I know that Surya Bhagawan will be offended by this, but this is for the cause of “Dharma”. If Karna ends up winning, “Dharma” will be on the losing side, and the very purpose of Bhagawan Krishna’s incarnation will be defeated! Oh Indra! Oh Surya Bhagawan! Please remember that day when all of us went to Bhagawan Vishnu to request Him to incarnate. He has obeyed our request, and it is our duty to support Him in whatever way possible!”

Saying thus, Bhagawan Brahma pacifies both Indra and Surya Bhagawan. In the meanwhile, the army on both sides have started reducing considerably. Foot soldiers are continuously losing their lives in thousands, and the same is the case with animals like elephants and horses. This is quite dangerous for both sides, as this war has been continuing for seventeen long days now! Sensing this innate danger, Ashwatthama goes to Duryodhana and is going to talk about something very important. So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall wait till the next episode to see what Ashwatthama is going to tell Duryodhana! Stay tuned!  

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the culmination of the brutal battle between Bheemasena and Ducchaasana, wherein the latter was mutilated in front of Duryodhana and Co. In retaliation to this, Duryodhana sends ten of his brothers to take on Bheemasena, however, with the mood of intense aggression in which Bheemasena is in, he’s not going to spare anybody who comes in front of him on the seventeenth day at Kurukshetra. All the ten brothers are single-handedly killed by Bheemasena within minutes, as none of them are able to match the brute muscle power of Bheemasena in the battlefield. With this, ninety-nine brothers of Duryodhana are killed and Duryodhana is now left all alone to defend himself. On the other end, we’re witnessing the Karna-Arjuna battle side-by-side wherein Karna is trying his best to contain Arjuna. However, with so many things happening on the other side, Karna’s attention gets diverted and he appoints Virochana to continue the fight with Arjuna. 

Moving on further thus, Virochana continues the battle with Arjuna and we’ve seen that Arjuna kills Virochana very easily! Virochana is no match to Arjuna’s expertise in archery and with this, Karna too has lost his son. Of course we’ve seen this during our earlier episodes as well, but it is worth mentioning here because all these battles on the seventeenth day are happening simultaneously. Now we shall see this trail of events in a bit more detail. As Karna turns his attention towards bringing back the Kaurava army which is under immense panic, Arjuna and Virochana engage themselves in a brief battle and Arjuna straightaway kills Virochana with his sharp arrows! This happens within just a few minutes after Karna leaves that spot. Listening to the loud cry of Virochana, Karna is in a huge spot of bother. On one hand, he has the duty to bring back the army to its original shape, whereas on the other hand, his son is in danger! What does Karna do here? He quickly goes back to see what happened to his son, however, by the time he reaches the spot, Virochana breathes his last! 

As Karna sees this happen in front of his two eyes, he bursts into unconsolable tears! This is a very sad moment as Karna loses his son right in front of his eyes. As Karna laments his son’s death, Arjuna gives him a befitting reply thus, “Oh Karna! What are you crying for now? This is the same kind of cry I had when my son Abhimanyu was killed by all of you! Atleast, I killed Virochana as per the “Yuddha-Dharma”, but what did you people do to my son Abhimanyu? You had killed him with a vicious plan. Guru Dhronachaarya ordered everyone to hit Abhimanyu from his back. Is this the way an “Aachaarya” should behave? The moment he did this to Abhimanyu, Dhronachaarya lost the position of being an “Aachaarya” then and there! One of you destroyed Abhimanyu’s bow. One of you destroyed his sword. One of you broke down his protective shield. All of you teamed up to brutally murder Abhimanyu when he was completely weaponless and when he had fallen on the ground, didn’t you? Oh Karna! You were rejoicing on that fateful day when my darling son was killed, weren’t you? Now it is your turn to cry!” 

As Arjuna says thus, the sadness in Karna turns into immense fury. He gets up on his feet quickly and replies to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! If you’re really a fighter, you should have fought with me straight and won over me. Rather, you decided to do a cowardly act of showing your prowess to an innocent small boy. This doesn’t prove that you are a great warrior. If you really have the guts, come for a one-on-one fight with me and prove yourself to the world. By the end of this fight, either you or me will be alive in this world!” Saying thus, Karna dares Arjuna for a “Dvandha-Yuddham” (Physical fight). As this happens, Arjuna too takes up the challenge immediately, as he was also waiting for this moment. Now Karna and Arjuna come face to face for the grand finale! As both of them approach each other’s vicinity, all the Devas queue up across the skies to witness this marquee battle between the two extremely powerful warriors. On one side, Arjuna’s supporters including Bhagawan Krishna are motivating him to “go for the kill” against Karna. On the other side, Karna should have also received the same motivation, isn’t it? Everyone in the Kaurava army did motivate Karna, except one person! This person is none other than King Shalya! As usual, King Shalya started his demotivating accord. 

Now the marquee battle begins and this Arjuna-Karna fight is happening at a different level altogether! On one hand, Karna is playing and toying with several “Asthrams” effortlessly, even as Arjuna is strong enough to neutralize all of them. In turn, Arjuna also employs several “Asthrams” on Karna, only to be neutralized by the latter easily! This is a great battle that is going on with each other, which even stuns Bhagawan Krishna! He perhaps had underestimated Karna’s exceptional brilliance on the battlefield till this moment. As the battle gets more and more intense between the duo, Bhagawan Krishna, in a bid to motivate Arjuna further, drives the chariot forward, thus reducing the distance between the two of them. Both of them are in s savage resolution to kill each other on the seventeenth day and for today, let us understand up to this point. We shall continue this marquee battle into the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bheemasena ruling the roost over the Kaurava army as he brutally mutilates Ducchaasana’s body in front of Duryodhana and the others! As he does so, he roars in anger saying that this would be the fate of everyone else in the Kaurava army from now onwards, including Duryodhana and it is only about time that it starts unfolding! As this is being narrated by Sanjaya, King Dhritarashtra fumes with extreme anger and frustration of losing one of his most dearest sons and also by the way he was killed. As he does so, King Dhritarashtra also laments that there’s no “Dharma” left in this world as Bhagawan Krishna Himself supports such a cause! For this, Sanjaya gives a befitting reply to expose King Dhritarashtra’s hypocrisy wherein he was silent all through when the gambling game and Draupati’s molestation happened in open public, and now he’s talking of “Dharma” when his own son is being subjected to brutal treatment. How can this suffice? “Dharma” should be the same for everyone, isn’t it? Saying thus, Sanjaya slams King Dhritarashtra for his “double standards” when it comes to “Dharma”. 

Moving on further, as Ducchaasana’s mutilation and subsequent events happen on the Kurukshetra battlefield, Duryodhana faints on his chariot itself upon seeing all this unfold in front of his eyes! As Duryodhana falls thus, his charioteer and all the other brothers surrounding him come to his rescue and bring him back to normalcy. Yet, Duryodhana could not bear the pain of losing his dear brother Ducchaasana. Hence, with intense fury he looks around to check who is around him. He has his ten brothers remaining and orders all of them to launch a scathing attack on Bheemasena and corner him from all directions. Duryodhana instructs his army to back up all his ten brothers and asserts to his brothers that Bheemasena should be finished at any cost! Obeying Duryodhana’s words, all his ten brothers come with swords and other key weapons towards Bheemasena. A huge war breaks out between the two camps once again. Bheemasena is already fuming with extreme anger and with this act from Duryodhana, his anger only increases further and further. Upon seeing ten people coming towards him to launch an attack, Bheemasena decides that he would take on all of them single-handedly. He asks all his army men and other key warriors to stay away. Bheemasena stands like a tall pillar and allows all the ten people to come towards him. They launch a scathing onslaught against Bheemasena, who defends all the ten of them with ease! As the battle progresses thus at a brisk pace, Bheemasena successfully neutralizes all the ten brothers of Duryodhana – Once again in front of his eyes! 

As this happens, Duryodhana couldn’t believe his eyes! All his brothers are dead – Ninety-nine of them! Now he’s the only one remaining! Upon seeing this, Bheemasena fumes with extreme anger once again thus, “Oh Duryodhana! This is how “Karma” hits back! On that fateful day you made fun of Yudishtra, insulted and abused him in front of everyone, just because he did not have anybody to come to his rescue, didn’t you? On that day you had all your brothers, your uncle, your father, etc. backing up your “Adharmic” acts. Now where are all of them? You’ve been left stranded like this today and this is how I’ll ensure that you’ll pay for whatever you’ve done to us till now!” Saying thus, Bheemasena dances with joy and on the other hand, the entire Kaurava army is in a great panic! The army group that surrounded Ducchaasana till now, starts to run away in panic, owing to the fear of Bheemasena destroying all of them at once! 

As all these unforeseen happenings take place on one side of the battlefield, Karna is still busy, engaging with a one-on-one fierce battle against Arjuna! This is where Karna’s attention turns towards these unfortunate happenings to Duryodhana and his son Vrishasena takes over. Appointing Vrishasena to take care of Arjuna’s onslaught for a while, Karna goes in pursuit of all the army men to make them come back to the battlefield and fight for Duryodhana’s cause. It is during this brief time period of Karna’s absence in the main battle area, Arjuna kills Vrishasena. Thus, if we look at the sequence of events, the Karna-Arjuna battle and the Bheemasena-Ducchaasana battle take place simultaneously. During the past few episodes, we’ve seen the Karna-Arjuna battle progressing briskly with Vrishasena’s demise and now we’ve seen the Ducchaasana-Bheemasena battle wherein Bheemasena has killed the latter, along with ten other Kaurava brothers in front of Duryodhana’s eyes! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall once again turn our focus towards the marquee Karna-Arjuna battle and witness what happens next in that! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bheemasena unleashing his entire fury upon Ducchaasana and plundering him on the ground! This happens on Day Seventeen at Kurukshetra wherein Bheemasena and Ducchaasana involved themselves in an intense battle with each other. As both of them came in front of each other, all those bad memories of Draupati being molested came flashing in Bheemasena’s mind, even as he was reminded of his own pledge of killing Ducchaasana by his own hands! Thus, enraged with immense anger, Bheemasena was in a savage resolution to take on Ducchaasana single-handedly. Ducchaasana too was determined to fight it out, however, the raw muscle power of Bheemasena was in no match to Ducchaasana’s strength. Eventually, unable to bare Bheemasena’s relentless onslaught, Ducchaasana had to succumb, but the story wasn’t over there itself. Bheemasena seeked revenge by brutally amputating both the hands of Ducchaasana, roaring aloud that these were the same hands which dragged Draupati by her hair and molested her in open public! Unable to bare the extreme pain of losing both the hands, Ducchaasana breathes his last then and there! 

With this, Bheemasena roars with anger with a deafening sound, which brings the entire Kurukshetra battlefield to a halt for a minute or two! Duryodhana is stunned to bits, and so is Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna as well! Everybody looks at Bheemasena with a lot of fear, as his fury is unending at the moment! Even as the entire battlefield focuses on Bheemasena, he is now going to do a very ghastly thing which is about to shock everyone even more! As Ducchaasana falls on the ground dead, Bheemasena bends down and tears open Ducchaasana’s chest! Unable to withstand this brutality, blood starts gushing out of Ducchaasana’s body and with this, Bheemasena roars once again thus, “Oh Ducchaasana! Oh Duryodhana! The crime that you had committed against my wife isn’t something that you can scrape through with! Now is the time for you to reap the effects of your crime! Ducchaasana is over! Now it is the turn of Duryodhana to face the wrath next! I shall not let you get away so easily!” 

Saying thus, Bheemasena takes a handful of blood from Ducchaasana’s chest and starts drinking it in front of everyone, which stuns people even more! Drinking thus, Bheemasena says – “Oh Arjuna! Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Oh Shalya! Oh Duryodhana! This blood of Ducchaasana tastes so sweet for me, just like the taste of nectar! This blood of Ducchaasana has a special sweetness and taste, which I would not get in any other drink in this world! Oh Duryodhana! Look at your condition now! Ninety-eight of your brothers have died! Only two of you – Sudarshana and yourself are still alive! Whatever happened to Ducchaasana and the remaining brothers of yours, will happen to you as well! The time is not far away! Oh Duryodhana! I might not be an expert in archery like Arjuna or anyone else here! I might not be an expert in employing “Asthras” like Ashwatthama and Arjuna! All I know is to fight through muscle power! Oh Duryodhana! If you really want to win over me, put down your weapons and come and fight with me head-on!” 

As Bheemasena roars like this with immense anger, the Kaurava army starts shivering with fear then and there! Nobody knows how to counter Bheemasena’s intense fury at the moment! Upon seeing Ducchaasana being brutally murdered and mutilated like this, Duryodhana faints in his chariot itself! He becomes unconscious – Primarily because he has lost his very close brother Ducchaasana, who stood with him at all times till this date. Also, Duryodhana couldn’t stand the way in which Bheemasena mutilated his brother’s body after killing him! Upon hearing this from Sanjaya, King Dhritarashtra shrieks aloud with utter shock and frustration! How can Bheemasena indulge in such unethical warfare of mutilating someone brutally in front of the entire army? He fumes with anger, even as Sanjaya continues his narration thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! It is now too late for all these lamentings! This was bound to happen anyways! Only time was under question! Had your sons Duryodhana and Ducchaasana not involved themselves in that heinous crime of molesting Draupati, this situation wouldn’t have come! Oh King Dhritarashtra! You never opened your mouth when Draupati and the Paandavas were publicly insulted for no fault of theirs! But now why are you raising your voice and shouting against Bheemasena? So if your son commits a mistake, you wouldn’t ask him, whereas if someone else’s son does, you will have a problem, won’t you? Stop this hypocrisy first and come to terms with reality!” 

Saying thus, Sanjaya slams King Dhritarashtra, even as he continues with his narration further. So for today, let us understand up to this point. This seventeenth day is turning out to be extremely fateful for the Kaurava army and we shall continue with this discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a remarkable showdown between Bheemasena and Ducchaasana. As both of them come face to face with each other on the seventeenth day, a huge war breaks out between the duo. Bheemasena’s mind flashes back with all those treacherous memories of Drauapti’s insult and molestation by Ducchaasana and because of this, his anger increases manifold. With all his fury, he begins the fight with Ducchaasana, who also puts up a brave fight against him. Both of them start off with the “Gadhaa-Yuddham”, which slowly transforms into physical wrestling (“Dvandha Yuddham”). A huge wrestle ensues and both of them inflict fatal blows upon each other. Both Bheemasena and Ducchaasana are in a savage resolution to kill each other on this day itself and their level of attack is at a different level altogether. With several severe blows inflicted by Bheemasena with his brute muscle power, Ducchaasana falls on the ground unconscious for a while. However, he once again gets up on his feet and tries to attack Bheemasena, but since this is a long-haul fight, Ducchaasana slowly starts losing his strength. He becomes tired of Bheemasena’s gusty blows. 

Finally as Ducchaasana once again falls on the ground, Bheemasena is now quick to capitalize on Ducchaasana’s weakness. Last time when the same thing happened, Bheemasena allowed Ducchaasana to get up on his feet again by giving him time to recoup himself. However, this time around, Bheemasena isn’t going to allow this to happen! He immediately rushes towards the grounded Ducchaasana and stamps his chest firmly with his powerful right foot! As Ducchaasana tries to free himself from Bheemasena’s firm cusp, he raises his hands in the air to balance himself. However, Bheemasena is quick enough to catch Ducchaasana’s right hand and pulls it hard! While pulling his hand, Bheemasena roars in anger thus, “Oh Ducchaasana! This was the same hand which dragged Draupati on that fateful day, isn’t it? This was the same hand which pulled Draupati by her hair, isn’t it? Hence, is it worth it for this hand to be part of your body? Now let me show who this Bheemasena is! Today you will repent heavily for that grave mistake you had committed on that day!” 

Fuming thus with anger, Bheemasena increases his muscle power suddenly to an infinite level and dangerously pulls Ducchaasana towards him by his hand. Unable to bear this immense pressure, Ducchaasana’s right hand comes off his body! Now he is only left with one hand and because of this brutal amputation, Ducchaasana veils in acute pain, unable to talk a word back! Now, Bheemasena catches hold of the left hand of Ducchaasana and roars in anger thus, “Oh Ducchaasana! This was the same hand which removed Draupati’s saree on that fateful day, isn’t it? How can this hand be in your body so happily? Do you think you can get away from me so easily after the heinous crime that you’ve committed? Now face the music for what you’ve done!” Roaring with immense fury thus, Bheemasena once again applies enormous pressure on Ducchaasana’s left hand and effortlessly amputates it from his shoulder! With fury raging in Bheemasena’s face, he throws both the amputated hands of Ducchaasana on either side! 

As Bheemasena does so with anger, he once again drags Ducchaasana who is in unbearable pain right now. Ducchaasana is unable to even stand on his feet anymore! However, Bheemasena is in no mood to relent! He wants to ensure that Ducchaasana is killed as brutally as possible! Now he drags Ducchaasana towards him, inflicts him with severe blows on his head and chest and pushes him vigorously on the ground! As this happens, Ducchaasana falls on the ground with blood flowing from all parts of his body! His bones and muscles are broken into pieces within his body as he falls on the ground dead! As Ducchaasana breathes his last, Bheemasena lets out a huge roar of anger, with which the entire battlefield at Kurukshetra comes to a standstill! The Devas (Celestial Beings) who are eagerly watching all of these from above are stunned to bits! Bheemasena has unleashed a brute of his muscle power for the first time ever today and the world has witnessed one of the most cold-blooded murders of a hard core criminal! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this further in the next episode to see what Bheemasena is going to do next! Stay tuned! 

In the previous episode, we continued witnessing the proceedings of Day Seventeen at the Kurukshetra battlefield, wherein we were amidst two important and marquee battles going on simultaneously. The first one was between Arjuna and Karna, while the second one was between Ducchaasana and Bheemasena. Both these battles are extremely important, given the context of the entire Mahabharata story. While Arjuna is almost at the verge of killing Karna, we had shifted our focus to the other side wherein Bheemasena is daring Ducchaasana for a one-on-one fight! We’ve seen how Bheemasena taunted Ducchaasana by recollecting the pledge that he had made when Draupati was humiliated on that day of the gambling game. In return, Ducchaasana also retaliates saying that Duryodhana (his brother) had made a grave mistake by leaving the Paandava brothers alive after the gambling game was over. Thus, with both of them trading barbs against each other, an intense battle is about to begin between the duo. Bheemasena thinks that there’s no use of engaging in a war of bow and arrows with Ducchaasana, and instead decides that the only way to seek revenge against him is to go for a show of his raw muscle power! Thus, Bheemasena invites Ducchaasana for a one-on-one physical fight with the “Gadha”.

Thus, even as Karna and Arjuna were engaging in a fierce battle on one side, this Ducchaasana-Bheemasena showdown is also happening precisely at the same time! Both of them take their “Gadha” and advance towards each other with a savage resolution. A huge war breaks out between the two of them as they attack each other fiercely with the “Gadha” weapon. Bheemasena is a master at employing the “Gadha” and he inflicts several blows on Ducchaasana. However, Ducchaasana is also not in a mood to relent, and he returns these blows to Bheemasena with interest! Thus, the Gadha-Yuddham continues between the duo for a while with great intensity. However, at one stage, both of them realize that there’s no point in wasting time with this “Gadha-Yuddham”, because both of them have expertise and prowess in it. Bheemasena now quickly decides that the only way to kill Ducchaasana is to invite him for a physical fight, sans any weapons! In other words, the fight between Ducchaasana and Bheemasena has come down to the stage of wrestling with each other! Till now, we’ve never seen such a wrestling tactic being employed in these seventeen days of war by anybody. However, Bheemasena decides to show his raw muscle power to Ducchaasana today! 

Thinking thus, both of them put their “Gadhas” down on the ground and prepare themselves for the final showdown! An intense physical wrestling breaks out between the two. As anticipated, Bheemasena is extremely powerful with this and each blow that Bheemasena inflicts upon Ducchaasana speaks volumes of the frustration that had built within him for several years! With every blow that Bheemasena gives, each scene of that fateful day comes in front of Bheemasena’s eyes! It was this same Ducchaasana who dragged Draupati by her hair, isn’t it? As this thought flashes in his mind, Bheemasena gives a heavy blow on Ducchaasana’s broad shoulders. Now, the scene of Duryodhana inviting Draupati to sit on his lap flashes in Bheemasena’s mind! With this, the entire Kaurava camp had laughed sarcastically at the pitiable state of Draupati! While this flashes in his mind, Bheemasena inflicts a heavy blow on Ducchaasana’s face – The very face which was filled with laughter on that disastrous day! Now, the scene of Ducchaasana disrobing Draupati flashes in Bheemasena’s mind and with this, Bheemasena holds Ducchaasna’s hands tightly in his and lifts him up effortlessly! Now Bheemasena taunts Ducchaasana by saying that he’s going to pull off these disastrous hands from Ducchaasana’s body and upon doing so, he swirls Ducchaasana round and round and tosses him away to a far distance! 

Now this is the most decisive blow that Bheemasena has given, and from this, Ducchaasna is not able to even stand up on his feet once again! The way in which Bheemasena showed his prowess shocks Ducchaasana completely! He knows that his body is starting to shiver and is losing strength to fight further! However, Ducchaasna is not willing to give up any time soon. He once again gets up on his feet, manages to compose himself properly and launches a scathing attack on Bheemasena. Now it is Ducchaasana’s time to show his strength! He holds Bheemasena tightly in his arms and with all his frustration, inflicts a heavy blow upon his face and shoulders. With this, Bheemasena loses himself for a second, but quickly composes himself yet again! Thus, both of them keep inflicting heavy blows upon each other! However, at one stage, Ducchaasana is unable to give a match to Bheemasena’s relentless attack! Bheemasena is giving blow after blow upon Ducchaasana, which is completely unbearable! Thus, unable to withstand Bheemasena’s relentless blows, Ducchaasana falls on the ground! 

As Ducchaasana falls on the ground, Bheemasena is quick to capitalize! He places one of his feet firmly upon Ducchaasana’s chest portion, which makes him completely immobile! Ducchaasana is now completely under Bheemasena’s control! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion forward to witness what Bheemasena is going to do to Ducchaasana next! Stay tuned!

In the previous episode, we witnessed the continuation of the marquee battle between Karna and Arjuna on the seventeenth day at Kurukshetra. Both of them are extremely talented in several warfare and “Asthra” techniques as they exhibit their prowess against each other. At one stage, Karna is forced into the backfoot – Thanks to the curse received by the Brahmana Rishi, wherein his chariot gets trapped into a hole on the ground. This results in the breaking down of Karna’s chariot and he rolls over to the ground without any weapons in his hands. This is the time wherein Bhagawan Krishna asks Arjuna to hit Karna and kill him. But Karna is not very happy with Bhagawan Krishna’s instruction. He objects to it by saying that such an act is against “Dharma”. However, Bhagawan Krishna is quick to counter Karna’s words, recollecting similar acts of “Adharma” that he has been part of, either directly or indirectly. When Abhimanyu was killed in a similar way, Bhagawan Krishna asks Karna as to where did his “Dharma” disappear at that time? When Draupati was molested in the public courtroom, Bhagawan Krishna asks Karna as to what was his “Dharma” doing at that time? Similarly, by raising several questions back to back, Bhagawan Krishna scolds Karna for twisting the “Dharma” according to his whims and fancies. As this war of words are going on at one end, Bheemasena is on a rampage mode and is on a killing spree during the seventeenth day! He kills several of Duryodhana’s brothers in the war single-handedly! At one stage, Bheemasena spots Ducchaasana in the battlefield and at this moment, he recollects the pledge that he had made during that fateful day at the Hastinapura courtroom! 

Moving on thus, as Bheemasena spots him, Ducchaasana tries to flee away from that place. However, Bheemasena decides that it is “now or never” as we’ve spent almost seventeen days without accomplishing the mission. How long should this war continue on and on without an end-result? Hence, Bheemasena decides that today should be the most decisive day and with this savage resolution, he proclaims loudly to Ducchaasana thus, “Oh Ducchaasana! Till now you’ve been escaping from my eyes! However, please note – Today will be the last day of your life on this earth! That fateful day when you’re going to be killed by me has come! So there’s no point in trying to escape from my sight. If you have the guts, come and fight with me. Do not run like a coward anywhere!” 

Bheemasena continues to target Ducchaasana and taunts him further thus, “Oh Ducchaasana! Today you’re trying to run away like a coward upon seeing me! However, did you try and run away when you had pulled Draupati’s saree on that fateful day? You did it with a lot of happiness, didn’t you? For all that you’ve done to my wife, you’ve to face the wrath for the same! Hence, if you have the courage as a “Kshatrya” warrior, I dare you to come and have a fight with me immediately!” As Bheemasena says confidently and tantalizingly thus, Ducchaasana gets infuriated and replies back thus, “Oh Bheemasena! After listening to all that you’re saying, I’m now feeling that we’ve made a big mistake! We should have killed all the five of you on that very day after the gambling game was over. We let you escape and you went to the forest as per our father’s order. We were anticipating that you will die in the forest during the thirteen-year period, however that did not happen. Now is the time to finish you off once and for all! Oh Bheemasena! Stop boasting about yourself! If you have the guts, come forward and pick up a fight with me. I’m not trying to run away like a coward as you’re trying to portray! Stop talking nonsense and show your prowess in action! Oh Bheemasena! Please understand – We’ve also not forgotten anything of the past, just like how you’re saying that you’ve not done so! Hence, let today be the decisive day as to who is going to have the last laugh!” 

Saying thus, Ducchaasana gives a befitting reply to Bheemasena’s taunts! As the war of words intensifies between the duo, they come dangerously close to each other. Bheemasena decides that there’s no point using the bow and arrow to fight Ducchaasana, as Bheemasena’s real strength lies in his raw muscle power! He decides to show his prowess to Ducchaasana by inviting him for a “Gadhaa-Yuddham” initially and then to escalate into a huge physical show of strength! As Bheemasena picks up his “Gadha” from his chariot and walks forward confidently, Ducchaasana also does the same! A huge marquee battle is about to begin between the duo, even as the Arjuna-Karna battle is still raging on and on! For this moment, we’ve slightly shifted our focus from the Arjuna-Karna battle, but we shall get back to it shortly. However, the raging topic now is the marquee battle between Bheemasena and Ducchaasana, which is important for several reasons. So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well! Stay tuned!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna coming to Arjuna’s rescue once again, as Karna’s “Naaga-Asthram” makes its way towards him. This “Naaga-Asthram” was aimed at Arjuna’s head instead of his chest portion and all Bhagawan Krishna had to do is to get down from the chariot and stand on the ground. As Bhagawan does so, the surface level of Arjuna’s chariot suddenly goes down and the “Naaga-Asthram” goes above Arjuna’s head! Thus, the “Asthram” got wasted as it did not serve the purpose. Karna had specially reserved this “Asthram” for killing Arjuna, however, the effort was completely thwarted with Bhagawan Krishna’s timely divine intervention. As this happens, Karna is now left powerless to defend himself. Even then, Karna puts up a brave show of strength towards Arjuna as he moves further. However, as we’ve seen earlier, Karna carries an unfortunate curse from the Brahmana Rishi, which is yet to come true, but time is getting closer for the same. 

Thus, as Karna advances further, his chariot suddenly gets caught amidst a bump on the ground and its wheels break down! This happens out of nowhere and that too, in front of Bhagawan Krishna Himself! Thus, as the chariot breaks down, Karna is about to fall on to the ground. He is weaponless at this moment. However, Bhagawan Krishna says to Arjuna upon seeing Karna thus, “Oh Arjuna! This is the right time for you to kill Karna! Go ahead and hit him with your sharp arrows!” As Bhagawan Krishna openly says thus, Karna’s heart breaks into pieces! This is a very sad and an emotional moment in the entire Mahabharata story – Karna, a noble person by heart is subjected to such a treatment, just because he had joined a wrong companionship. As Bhagawan says thus, Karna replies with a pained heart thus, “Oh Bhagawan! You’re an epitome of “Dharma” and you are saying these words! I’m weaponless and look at my current state! Is it “Raaja-Dharma” to hit a person when he is weaponless in the battlefield?” 

As Karna asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna quickly counters him thus, “Oh Karna! I’m very happy that you’re talking about “Dharma” atleast during the time of your death! You’re talking about “Raaja-Dharma” aren’t you? Where did the “Raaja-Dharma” go when Abhimanyu was killed when he was also weaponless? All of you surrounded the poor child and killed him against the same “Raaja-Dharma” that you’re talking about! So is the “Raaja-Dharma” different for you and for him? If killing Abhimanyu can be justified, this also is 100% justifiable! Moreover, when the gambling game happened on that day, you supported Duryodhana when he ordered Draupati’s molestation in public! Where did the “Raaja Dharma” go at that time? Didn’t you think of it then? You demanded Draupati to come and sit on your lap, didn’t you? Where did the “Raaja Dharma” go at that time? You insulted Yudishtra and humiliated him to such an extent with the help of Sahuni! Where did the “Raaja Dharma” go at that time? Oh Karna! Please do not twist “Dharma” as per your convenience! “Dharma” is the same for everyone, including you and me! It is your “Karma Phalam” that you are experiencing here on the battlefield at Kurukshetra!” 

These words from Bhagawan Krishna come like fierce arrows towards Karna! Even though Bhagawan Krishna sounds rude and angry upon Karna, we’ve seen earlier that He has a special corner for Karna, because of the fact that circumstances drove him into the path of “Adharma”. Meanwhile as this happens, Bheemasena on the other side is wreaking havoc with the Kaurava army single-handedly! He destroys several of Duryodhana’s brothers on this fateful seventeenth day and he slowly advances towards Ducchaasana. As Bheemasena sees Ducchaasana, all the courtroom events start getting rewinded in Bheemasena’s mind. It should be remembered that Bheemasena had taken a pledge that he would kill Ducchaasana, take the blood from his body and submit it to Draupati, only after which she would tie her hair once again! Thus, upon seeing Ducchaasana in the battlefield, Bheemasena decides that this should be the day wherein his pledge should come true! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall witness the fate of Ducchaasana and Karna in detail! Stay tuned!

In the previous episode, we were at a crucial juncture, wherein Arjuna’s life is at threat once again – This time from Karna’s powerful “Naaga-Asthram”. Both Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna did not anticipate this coming, however, Karna errs in his judgement and employment of the “Asthram”. King Shalya gives a cryptic advice to Karna to aim for Arjuna’s chest, however, Karna thinks otherwise – He wants to aim the “Asthram” at Arjuna’s head! Even though King Shalya repeatedly keeps telling Karna to change his decision, Karna’s ego overpowers his intellect and goes ahead to employ the “Asthram” towards Arjuna’s head. Thus, as the “Asthram” makes its way with a lot of poison emulating from it, Arjuna is stunned! He doesn’t have a counter to it and does not know how to get away from its track. Now, it is up to Bhagawan Krishna to spin yet another “Leela” to protect Arjuna. What does He do? Let us continue to witness! 

Moving on thus, as the “Naaga-Asthram” makes its way from Karna’s bow towards Arjuna, Bhagawan Krishna quickly comes to a conclusion – The only way to stop this “Asthram” from hitting Arjuna’s head is by lowering the surface level by a few inches! We know that the Kurukshetra battlefield is amidst the Gangetic plains and is almost on par with the sea-level only. Now Bhagawan Krishna has to take this particular segment of the battlefield below the sea-level, so as to bring Arjuna’s level down and the “Asthram” can pass over his head. So how does He execute this? Bhagawan Krishna suddenly stops the chariot and jumps out of it to stand with His divine lotus feet on the ground. The moment Bhagawan Krishna does this, Goddess Bhoomadevi immediately understands Bhagawan’s intent and thus, immediately pulls the ground downwards by a few inches! By doing so, the area surrounding Arjuna’s chariot goes a level down. However, the Asthram’s track cannot be changed anymore, once it has been released. Thus, the “Naaga-Asthram” passes over Arjuna’s head, plucking away his “Kireetam” (Cap worn by warriors) and saving him! Thus, by letting the “Naaga-Asthram” pass by without doing any harm to Arjuna, Bhagawan Krishna protects him with all His compassion! Arjuna escapes unscathed yet again! We’ve seen earlier that Bhagawan Krishna had protected Arjuna from several “Asthrams” and death traps like this during the past seventeen days. Thus, the point is very clear here – If we are surrendering unconditionally to Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet, it becomes His responsibility to protect us at all times. We do not need to worry about our protection. At times of danger, Bhagawan swings into action with His divine “Leelas” to ensure that nothing harms us. For this to happen, we as ardent “Bhaktas” of Bhagawan Krishna, should have faith upon Him. This is more important. 

Moving on thus, as this happens, Karna is stunned! He never anticipated that Arjuna would be able to escape the “Naaga-Asthram” unscathed! This was the last lethal weapon that Karna had in his possession and now this also has been neutralized! Now Karna realizes – King Shalya was perhaps right to say that he has to aim the “Asthram” towards Arjuna’s chest and not towards his head! Had he followed King Shalya’s advice, Arjuna would have been history by now, and perhaps, even Bhagawan Krishna wouldn’t have been able to do much to protect him! Thus, through this lapse of concentration, the curse that Karna had got from his Guru Parasurama earlier in his life had been partially fulfilled! We had seen this in our previous episodes – When Karna was being cursed by Parasurama, he had clearly mentioned that Karna would forget important lessons pertaining to warfare in the middle of the battlefield, and here at a crucial juncture at Kurukshetra, Parasurama’s curse comes true! 

Unfazed by this however, Karna makes a move forward and attacks Arjuna with several arrows non-stop. Even though Arjuna is trying to counter everything, he struggles to contain Karna’s aggression beyond a point. Both of them are extremely good warriors and they are showing their prowess upon each other in the marquee battle. Now, as Karna tries to make progress, he asks King Shalya to drive the chariot forward, closer to Arjuna. As King Shalya does so, the next curse from the Brahmana Rishi is now going to come true! So let us understand up to this point for today, and in the next episode, we shall witness how Karna had to falter once again in front of Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna! Stay tuned!