The War Game's Peacemakers - Page 2

Beautifully described the subtle nuances Madhuri.U are a wonderful writer.Loved every bit of the story

Viswasruti, your parallel between a war game and actual war, with kṣatriyas never quitting either one, is fascinating. In Mahābhārata, likewise, Duryodhana wants Droṇa to capture Yudhiṣṭhira alive in war so that he can be defeated in dyūta again and the Kaunteyas will follow him into forest exile again (Droṇaparvan 11.17):

satya-pratijñe tv ānīte punar dyūtena nirjite

punar yāsyanty araṇyāya Kaunteyās tam anuvratāḥ

Ironically, it is Karṇa who captures Yudhiṣṭhira alive six days later, and promptly releases him, ruining Duryodhana's opportunity for victory.

Unfortunately, we don't know what exact game dyūta was in Mahābhārata. It involved stakes called glaha (parallel to the word graha for spoils of war) and multiple dice called akṣa. The outcomes of dice-throws may have inspired the names of the four yugas of society: Kṛta (Won), Tretā (Triple Gone), Dvāpara (Double Another), and Kali (Ruin). The game board and chess-like pieces in your story may not have been invented until much later, but they allow you to narrate an engaging scene of Karṇa getting carried away with Duryodhana's wife.

You are following the TV versions of Mahābhārata by making the war a response to insults to/by Kṛṣṇā Draupadī, and focussing on sin and Kṛṣṇa's divinity as the reasons why Duryodhana can't expect to win. Your Karṇa's assertion that claiming the kingdom after losing it in dice is unethical, against royal tradition, and immoral is diametrically opposed to Mahābhārata's concept of dharma, which expects a kṣatriya never to accept defeat. Karṇa from Mahābhārata, who went to war even after his dream convinced him that the enemy would win, would never talk like your Karṇa.

Instead of mentioning these ideas offhand and not developing them, you could keep the story's theme of war strategy in focus with the arguments that Duryodhana hears at this juncture in the Saṃskṛta text of Mahābhārata: the Pāṇḍavas and their supporters are mightier warriors than Duryodhana and his supporters (who have lost every battle so far), and if Duryodhana doesn't give in, he'll lose. The speeches in Udyogaparvan are almost entirely about placating powerful enemies, not about right and wrong.

Your readers may be interested to know how some details in your story compare to the critical edition of Mahābhārata's Saṃskṛta text.

1. Did Kṛṣṇā Draupadī make fun of Duryodhana when he visited the sabhā built by Maya? The text doesn't say so. Maybe she wasn't even there. It was the Kiṃkaras (Rākṣasa caretakers assigned by Maya) who laughed at Duryodhana, while Yudhiṣṭhira ordered fresh clothes for him, and then Bhīmasena, Arjuna, and both the twins mocked him (Sabhāparvan 43.6-7):

jale nipatitaṃ dṛṣṭvā Kiṃkarā jahasur bhṛśam

vāsāṃsi ca śubhāny asmai pradadū rāja-śāsanāt

tathā-gataṃ tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā Bhīmaseno mahā-balaḥ

Arjunaś ca yamau c'obhau sarve te prāhasaṃs tadā

2. Did Kṛṣṇā Draupadī decline to marry Karṇa due to his low caste, and ask him not to participate in her svayaṃvara? The text doesn't say so, and any objection is moot because Karṇa did participate and failed to bend the bow (Ādiparvan 179.4-5):

yat Karṇa-Śalya-pramukhaiḥ pārthivair loka-viśrutaiḥ

n'ānataṃ balavadbhir hi dhanur-veda-parāyaṇaiḥ

tat kathaṃ tv akṛt'āstreṇa prāṇato durbalīyasā

baṭu-mātreṇa śakyaṃ hi sajyaṃ kartuṃ dhanur dvijāḥ

Of course, you are free to tweak these details, just as you can say that a couple "relaxed on the comfortable chariot seats" on an unpaved road through a dense forest.

In Mahābhārata, Karṇa gloats to Duryodhana in anticipation that Kṛṣṇā Draupadī will feel loathing when she will be seen wearing bark-and-hide clothing by Duryodhana's finely clothed plural wives (Āraṇyakaparvan 226.20):

suvāsaso hi te bhāryā valkal'ājina-vāsasam

paśyantv asukhitāṃ Kṛṣṇāṃ sā ca nirvidyatāṃ punaḥ

However, when Duryodhana lies dying, he thinks of only one attractive, wide-eyed wife, whom he calls Lakṣmaṇa-mātṛ (Lakṣmaṇa's mother) and who will surely go to ruin soon (Śalyaparvan 63.37):

nūnaṃ Lakṣmaṇa-mātā'pi hata-putrā hat'eśvarā

vināśaṃ yāsyati kṣipraṃ kalyāṇī pṛthu-locanā

Likewise, Gāndhārī mentions that Duryodhana used to be fanned by women (plural, probably śūdrā courtesans, not kṣatriyā wives; Strīparvan 17.13), but in contrast to Gāndhārī's descriptions of other dead warriors each being mourned by plural women, she only describes one wide-eyed, altar-shaped wife with complexion like the inside of a white lotus, Lakṣmaṇa-mātṛ, in dead Duryodhana's arms and lap, falling on his chest, brushing him with her hand and kissing her dead son Lakṣmaṇa, and wiping their faces (Strīparvan 17.23-29):

prakīrṇa-keśāṃ suśroṇīṃ Duryodhana-bhuj'āṅka-gām

rukma-vedī-nibhāṃ paśya Kṛṣṇa Lakṣmaṇa-mātaram

nūnam eṣā purā bālā jīvamāne mahā-bhuje

bhujāv āśritya ramate subhujasya manasvinī

kathaṃ tu śatadhā n'edaṃ hṛdayaṃ mama dīryate

paśyantyā nihataṃ putraṃ putreṇa sahitaṃ raṇe

putraṃ rudhira-saṃsiktam upajighraty aninditā

Duryodhanaṃ tu vām'orūḥ pāṇinā parimārjati

kiṃ nu śocati bhartāraṃ putraṃ c'aiṣā manasvinī

tathā hy avasthitā bhāti putraṃ c'āpy abhivīkṣya sā

sva-śiraḥ pañca-śākhābhyām abhihaty'āyat'ekṣaṇā

pataty urasi vīrasya Kuru-rājasya Mādhava

puṇḍarīka-nibhā bhāti puṇḍarīk'āntara-prabhā

mukhaṃ vimṛjya putrasya bhartuś c'aiva tapasvinī

Today's audience might feel uncomfortable with the way Gāndhārī describes her daughter-in-law's body parts (buttocks, altar-shaped waist, thighs) and how Lakṣmaṇa-mātṛ used to sit on Duryodhana's lap and enjoy nestling in his arms, but the authors of Mahābhārata didn't seem to think it was impolite for an old woman to take pride in her middle-aged son's sex life.

One of Duryodhana's wives was a princess of Kaliṅga; she passed by him at her svayaṃvara, so Duryodhana abducted her to Hāstinapura with Karṇa's support (Śāntiparvan chapter 4). 

Karṇa himself has plural wives thanks to Adhiratha, as he tells Kṛṣṇa (Udyogaparvan 139.10):

nāma me Vasuṣeṇ'eti kārayām āsa vai dvijaiḥ

bhāryāś c'oḍhā mama prāpte yauvane tena Keśava

Gāndhārī describes Karṇa's plural wives mourning him together (Strīparvan 21.6):

sametāḥ puruṣa-vyāghra nihataṃ śūram āhave

prakīrṇa-mūrdha-jāḥ patnyo rudatyaḥ paryupāsate

One of Karṇa's wives, the mother of his sons Vṛṣasena and Suṣeṇa, is aware of his ācārya's curse that caused his wheel to sink, and Gāndhārī describes her kissing Karṇa's dead face (Strīparvan 21.10-14):

paśya Karṇasya patnīṃ tvaṃ Vṛṣasenasya mātaram

lālapyamānāṃ karuṇaṃ rudatīṃ patitāṃ bhuvi

ācārya-śāpo'nugato dhruvaṃ tvāṃ

yad agrasac cakram iyaṃ dharā te

tataḥ śareṇ'āpahṛtaṃ śiras te

Dhanaṃjayen'āhave śatru-madhye

aho dhig eṣā patitā visaṃjñā

samīkṣya jāmbūnada-baddha-niṣkam

Karṇaṃ mahā-bāhum adīna-sattvaṃ

Suṣeṇa-mātā rudatī bhṛś'ārtā

alp'āvaśeṣo hi kṛto mah'ātmā

śarīra-bhakṣaiḥ paribhakṣayadbhiḥ

draṣṭuṃ na saṃprīti-karaḥ śaśī'va

kṛṣṇasya pakṣasya caturdaś'āhe

s'āvartamānā patitā pṛthivyām

utthāya dīnā punar eva c'aiṣā

Karṇasya vaktraṃ parijighramāṇā

rorūyate putra-vadh'ābhitaptā

In the Saṃskṛta one-act play Ūrubhaṅga, attributed to Bhāsa, Duryodhana's two wives arrive with his son Durjaya when he is dying. Duryodhana consoles Mālavī because she is crying, but when he asks Pauravī why she isn't crying, she replies that she has decided to die with him.

The name Bhānumatī (radiant sunlike) for Duryodhana's wife comes from Bhaṭṭa-Nārāyaṇa's Saṃskṛta play Veṇīsaṃhāra, in which Duryodhana overhears Bhānumatī talking about a nakula (mongoose, which had just killed 100 snakes in her dream) ripping her bodice, and suspects her of an affair with Nakula. The name Vṛṣālī (row of bulls) for Karṇa's wife arose in the 20th century, surely inspired by the name of Karṇa's son, Vṛṣasena, and Karṇa's own nickname Vṛṣa.

Last comment: I liked your use of the epithet "Dharmaj" for Yudhiṣṭhira, meaning the one born of Dharma. The authors of Mahābhārata often invented such epithets for the characters, and you may have seen the epithet guessing game in the Mahabharat Katha private forum.

In whatever I have read about the Mahabharat, the focus has always been on the Pandava women and the predicament they face in the war when having to support their sons/husbands/fathers over their Kuru elders. Here you provide the alternative, where Shri Vrushali, Rajkumari Lakshmana and Rani Bhanumati, related to the key members in the Mahabharat (Duryodan, Karna) are aware about the the gravity of the circumstances and their consequences, yet have to abide by their dharm of supporting them. Also interesting how you subtly showcased how Rajkumar Lakshman is also growing up to think valour is about how many wars you win in the battlefield via bloodshed rather than how many wars you can win without it through friendship and humanity. 

Wonderful, thought-provoking piece! 👏👏👏

Originally posted by: dhun.laagi

In whatever I have read about the Mahabharat, the focus has always been on the Pandava women and the predicament they face in the war when having to support their sons/husbands/fathers over their Kuru elders.

I am shocked that anyone got this impression.

In the Mahābhārata text, as far as I recall, none of the Pāṇḍava women talks about such a predicament. Even when the sons/husbands are negotiating for peace, these women want war.

In Sabhāparvan, Āraṇyakaparvan, and Udyogaparvan, Kṛṣṇā Draupadī is clear and consistent about her goal: war and revenge against the extended family.

In Udyogaparvan, Kuntī exhorts her sons to fight. She talks of Pāṇḍu's respect for her, not her respect for elders; in fact, she says that she blames her father Śūra for giving her to Kunti Bhoja.

In Droṇaparvan, Subhadrā laments for Abhimanyu, and Kṛṣṇa consoles her that Jayadratha will die soon!

In Strīparvan, Uttarā laments for Abhimanyu without suggesting that she ever had a choice.

It is Gāndhārī in Udyogaparvan who tries to stop the war. In Strīparvan, she expresses grief for her sons and their dead enemies alike, and solidarity with Kṛṣṇā Draupadī as a grieving mother.

And Duḥśalā, when she finally speaks in Āśvamedhikaparvan, expresses frustration that her stupid husband made enemies that caused her son to die of fear as Arjuna approached their kingdom.

So, it was always the Dhārtarāṣṭra-side women who opposed the war but had to watch their menfolk dying.

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

I am shocked that anyone got this impression. So, it was always the Dhārtarāṣṭra-side women who opposed the war but had to watch their menfolk dying.

Thank you for educating me about this. I seem to have limited knowledge on the same, as you may have already guessed/noticed, and the sources I have read show more about the characters from the Pandavas side and help us to empathise with their struggles is what I wished to convey in my feedback. Please note I stated ABOUT the Mahabharat, nowhere have I claimed to have the read the BORI text itself or drawn any assumptions from it. However, how does any of this indicate that the Pandav women did not care about their Kuru elders at all? The quotes you mentioned seem to clearly be after the Pandavas had faced innumerable injustices and when the dharmyudh had become absolutely necessary to establish that jab paap ka ghadha bharta hai toh bhugatna bhi padhta hai. It had become their niyaati to fight that war, and for most in the family to die on the battlefield as warriors. The Kaurav side women being opposed was when they knew there was no going back, and they still wanted to safeguard their men despite their sins, yet their requests fell to deaf ears because ghamand had taken over the vivek of the Kurus. 

Originally posted by: dhun.laagi

However, how does any of this indicate that the Pandav women did not care about their Kuru elders at all?

Of course they cared, which is demonstrated by their actions in Āśramavāsikaparvan. I never said they didn't care.

The war was fought because honourable kṣatriyas needed a kingdom; their dharma was to protect their livelihood, either by negotiating with the enemy or by fighting battles. Throughout the speeches leading up to the war, the question every character addresses is: which dharma should we follow with this enemy? After so much harm and swearing revenge, is it honourable for the Pāṇḍavas to ask for a peaceful division of territory? When the Pāṇḍavas have always won every battle, should the Dhārtarāṣṭras, with the larger army, admit weakness by conceding to them? The conflict is between future survival and revenge for the past.

Despite what TV tells you, the war was not fought to punish pāpa in the modern sense of sin against morals shared by everyone. Almost everyone from both armies perished; were they all punished for sin?

The word pāpa in Saṃskṛta means unpleasant, with broader meanings than in modern languages like Hindi. Pāpa is not interchangeable with adharma (misconduct), anīti (bad policy), anṛta (deceit), or asat (dishonesty). When the Pāṇḍava-side characters say that their enemies have done pāpa, it simply means that their enemies have done harm to them.

Originally posted by: dhun.laagi

In whatever I have read about the Mahabharat, the focus has always been on the Pandava women and the predicament they face in the war when having to support their sons/husbands/fathers over their Kuru elders. Here you provide the alternative, where Shri Vrushali, Rajkumari Lakshmana and Rani Bhanumati, related to the key members in the Mahabharat (Duryodan, Karna) are aware about the the gravity of the circumstances and their consequences, yet have to abide by their dharm of supporting them. Also interesting how you subtly showcased how Rajkumar Lakshman is also growing up to think valour is about how many wars you win in the battlefield via bloodshed rather than how many wars you can win without it through friendship and humanity. 

Wonderful, thought-provoking piece! 👏👏👏

Mahabharat War is a dynastic conflict between cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura. During their growing-up stage, fortunes and Dharma swing both ways, but later on, the desire for the throne and supremacy take center stage.  

Draupadi and Kunti were impoverished in various ways, so they desired conflict. Kunti had to spend several years in exile after coming dangerously close to losing her children on multiple occasions. 

Women are still wondering, outraged, and seeking retribution because Draupadi suffered the greatest insult in the royal court!  

I want to draw attention to the ladies of the Kauravas side because they are sensitive and kind-hearted people who are aware that annihilation is imminent and who simply want to live in harmony with their families.