The Mahabharat - part 2
(Part 1: http://myths-epics-and-culture.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-recounting-of-mahabharat-part-1.html)
So, the Kuru dynasty now has 3 heirs. Dhritirashtra, the blind and eldest price, is disqualified from being king due to his disability. Pandu is the next in line, and he becomes king. Dhritirashtra is a noble character, but he cannot help but be somewhat jealous of Pandu. Vidura, the half-brother, is also disqualified on account of being born to a maid. All three are legally the children of Vichitravirya, although none of them are biologically his children.
Pandu ascends the throne, and marries Kunti, a princess from a nearby kingdom. Kunti is fated to give birth to 4 children, the great Karna, and three of the Pandavs.
Kunti - who bears the children of the gods
Kunti’s story is in itself worthy of a book. She is one of the two central female characters of the Mahabharat. She is born as Pritha, the daughter of Shurasena, who is descended from an illustrious family. Her nephew is Sri Krishna (himself a god in human form and another central character in the Mahabharat). She is given to the king Kunti-Bhoja as a foster daughter, and is renamed Kunti, by which name she is known in the Mahabharat.
As a young woman and foster daughter of king Kunti-Bhoja, Kunti is given the exacting task of looking after the great rishi Durvasa as he is conducting a yagna under the kings hospitality. Rishi Durvasa is one of the most powerful and feared rishis in the land. He has a famously short temper and makes all kinds of unreasonable demands of his host. But Kunti manages to win over Durvasa by her dedication to serving him, and Durvasa teaches Kunti the mantras through which she can summon any of the gods and have a son with them, who will be just as illustrious as the god himself.
Kunti is now distracted by this knowledge, and the urge to use it. Does she have faith that the mantras will work, and is tempted by what they offer? Or is she curious if they will really work? Finally, Kunti gives in to the temptation, and, one day while experiencing the first rays of the glorious morning sun, chants the mantras and invokes the Sun God himself.
Nine months later, Kunti is an unwed mother to a radiant child, born with golden earring and a golden armor over his body that glows like the sun. Only Kunti and her trusted maid have knowledge of the child, and they bow to the pressures of society by abandoning the child in a basket to the river Ganga. The child is rescued by a charioteer (to the Kuru royal household itself) and his wife, and raised as their own son. The child is Karna, an undefeatable warrior, a man of great principle and humility, yet one who is torn by his own unknown past and the inevitable conflicts and contradictions that life brings.
Kunti keeps this secret with her until the end of the great war, and only then reveals it to her living sons, the sons that fought and killed their own brother.
Kunti then marries the great prince of the Kuru dynasty, Pandu, but tragedy befalls them.
The Pandavs - sons of Pandu?
Pandu - a great king and a war-hero. He goes on a great journey of conquest, reinforcing the superiority and dominion of the Kuru kingdom over much of the land. But one day, while on a hunt, Pandu accidentally shoots a sage in an intimate act. The sage, with his last breath, curses Pandu that he will die if he is intimate with any woman. Is this just a story concocted to protect Pandu’s inability to have children? Whatever the reason, Pandu sinks into despair at his inability to father successors to the throne, and abdicates his throne and goes into the forest to live like a hermit. He is accompanied by his two wives, Kunti and Madri. Knowledge of the reasons for Pandu’s sudden departure are not know to anyone, maybe outside of Bhishma. But there are rumors and innuendo.
Living as a hermit, Pandu is still unable to come to terms with his inability to have children. Kunti offers a solution. She tells Pandu of her secret ability to have children by invoking the gods, although she does not tell him about her first son, Karna. Pandu gives Kunti permission to invoke the law of niyog (remember Pandu himself was not the biological son of the Kuru clan, although this was unknown to him).
Kunti now invokes Dharma (the lord of judgement) and has a son with him called Yudhishtir. She invokes Vayu (god of wind and the spiritual father of the mighty Hanuman) and has a son called Bhim. She then invokes god Indra, and has a son with him called Arjun. Pandu also asks Kunti to use her ability on behalf of Madri, his other wife. Kunti does so, and Madri invokes the Ashwini Twins, and has a son with each, called Nakul and Sahadev.
Yudhishtir is destined to be the upholder of Dharma, the wise king, the one who always speaks the truth. (Almost always - as we will see in the great war, all ideals are compromised.) Bhim is the strongest of men, a whirlwind that none can match in physical contest, especially with a mace. Arjun has the brightest divine spark and is perhaps the greatest archer and warrior on the earth (Only Karna is a match for him, and they are destined to confront each other in the great war). Nakul (the most handsome of the Kuru dynasty) and Sahadev (the wise) make up the five Pandavs - the descendants of Pandu, whose biological father is unknown to everyone but Kunti and Pandu.
Pandu and his family are still living as hermits. But one day, Pandu is tempted at the sight of Madri having a bath in the lake, and the curse comes true and Pandu breathes his last. Madri, either out of guilt or despair, also immolates herself on Pandu’s funeral prye. Kunti is left with the five Pandavs in the forest. She comes back to Hastinapur with the five small children, the heirs of Pandu.
The Kauravs - sons of Dhritirashtra and Gandhari
After Pandu abdicates his throne and goes to live as a hermit, Dhritirashtra ascends the throne, with Bhishma, his uncle, and Vidura, his half-brother, as advisors.
Dhritirashtra and Gandhari are anxious to have children, so they may claim the throne of Hastinapur ahead of any offspring of Pandu. (Remember Dhritirashtra is the eldest son of the Kuru dynasty, but as he is blind, his younger brother Pandu ascends the throne). Gandhari has an unusual pregnancy. It lasts for two years, (during which Yudhishtir is born to Kunti, thus becoming the eldest of this generation). At the end of two years, Gandhari gives birth to a lifeless form of flesh. She is horrified, but the rishi Vyas, who has blessed Gandhari to have a hundred sons, takes the lifeless flesh, cuts it into 101 pieces and puts them in jars of ghee. After two more years of waiting, the jars are opened, and the Kauravs are born (100 brothers and 1 sister). What is the meaning of this mystical birth of the Kauravs?
The first Kaurav born is their leader, Duryodhan (dur = malevolent or difficult, yothana = warrior), followed by Dusshasan, and then the rest of the brothers and one sister.
When Duryodhan is born, all the animals around the royal palace begin to wail. This is a sign of great misfortune, and Vidura (Dhritirashtra’s half-brother) advises Dhritirashtra to sacrifice his first child in order to avoid a great misfortune. As Vidura says “The scriptures clearly state that for the good of the clan an individual can be sacrificed, for the good of the village a clan can be sacrificed, for the good of the country a village can be sacrificed and for the development of the soul, even the earth can be sacrificed.”. But Dhritirashtra and Gandhari refuse.
Duryodhan and his brothers also become great warriors. Duryothan especially is an expert at the art of mace, and so from childhood, he is on a inevitable collision course with Bhim, his cousin and the other great mace expert.
The princes of Hastinapur - the rivalry develops
So now there are one hundred and five princes of Hastinapur - the one hundred sons of Dhritirashtra, and the five of Pandu, the children of Kunti. They receive all the royal benefits, including training in the martial arts by Dronacharya - a legendary guru, of whom more later.
As the princes grow up, it becomes clear that the five Pandavs have a special spark. Duryodhan, although a great warrior and possessed of great physical strength, still cannot best Bhim. Arjun is a great archer, and a favorite of Drona. The Kauravs are constantly beaten in contests, and a rivalry starts to develop between them. Bhim in particular takes pleasure in wrestling with many of the Kauravs, and defeating them handily.
All the princes learn in the great school for martial arts in Hastinapur. The school accepts many students, not just the royal family. But Drona is the teacher for the princes only. One of the students enrolled in the school is a boy called Karna, the son of a royal charioteer. He sees at first hand the special treatment afforded the royal princes, and especially the love Drona has for Arjun. In stark contrast, Karna feels ignored and invisible. The only member of the princes that even talks to him is Duryodhan, the eldest of the Kaurav princes.
Duryodhan starts to develop his lifelong aversion and suspicion of the Pandavs from an early age. He is suspicious and scared of their prowess, and feels threatened by them. Later, as he becomes a young man and learns more about the family history, he is also convinced the Pandavs are not the sons of his uncle king Pandu.
As the rivalry between the Kauravs and Pandavs is considerably shaped by two other important characters: The guru Drona and Kunti’s first son, Karna. We must take a tangent to understand these two important and heroic figures, before continuing on with the main thread.
Drona - the perfect warrior and guru
Drona was born without ever being in the womb, the offspring of sage Bharadvaj. He grows up very poor, but as an ascetic he trained under the great rishi Parshuram, and gained perfect knowledge of the art of warfare as well as celestial weapons. Parshuram, who hated Kshatrias (warriors) always made anyone who trained under him promise him that he would never reveal his knowledge to Kshatrias.
Drona has a wife and son, but is very poor. His wife does not have milk for their son, and she asks Drona to go to his childhood friend, king Draupad. Drona, a very proud person, does not go to Draupad to ask for help, but instead reminds Draupad of their childhood vow to always share everything equally. King Draupad laughs and tells Drona “Do not bind me to some childhood promise. If you want it, ask for charity and I will help you.” Drona is greatly insulted, and vows to take revenge.
The opportunity presents itself when Drona is asked to be the tutor of the royal princes of Hastinapur. It is understood that a guru will be allowed to ask for a guru-dakshina (a payment for his teaching) when his teaching is complete, and Drona has revenge on his mind.
When Drona’s pupils, the one hundred and five princes of Hastinapur, complete their training, Drona asks for his guru-dakshina: The defeat and capture of king Draupada. His pupils, using their formidable skills of war and no doubt the formidable resources of the kingdom, carry out the task. King Draupad is brought before Drona, who now exacts his revenge by reminding king Draupad of their childhood promise, and splitting Draupads kingdom into two and taking one half. This act, while justified in Drona’s mind, in turn creates a desire for revenge in Draupada, and he later performs a great yajna (fire sacrifice) in order to give him children that could take revenge. Out of the fire sacrifice are born Draupadi (the daughter and future wife of the Pandavs) and Dhrishtadyumna, and they would both fulfill Draupadas wishes in the great war.
Drona trains all the princes, but after his own son, Ashwathama, he has a special love for Arjun. This is reflected in his teaching, and in a particularly poignant incident, the tale of Eaklavya.
Eaklavya - Drona’s great disciple
Eaklavya is a boy and an archer from the forest who has his mind set on being Drona’s pupil. But Drona turns him away, saying he cannot teach a low-caste the skills of a kshatriya. Eaklavya is bitterly disappointed, but he erects a statue of Drona near his hut and practices until he attains perfection with the bow and arrow. One day, Drona and his pupils are out on a hunt, and they come across a dog, whose mouth is full of arrows fired in such a manner that the dog is unable to bark, but is completely unhurt.
Drona is amazed, but also shocked. Even Arjun, the greatest archer on earth, could not understand how this could be done, let alone possess the skill to do this. The princes investigate and find Eaklavya. Drona asks Eaklavya who taught him archery, and Eaklavya says “It was you, Guruji - look over there”, and points to the statue of Drona overlooking his practice area.
Drona thinks quickly, and says “Yes you are indeed my student. As your guru, it is your duty to offer me guru-dakshina.”. Eaklavya is overjoyed on hearing Drona’s acceptance, he replies “All I have is yours, Guruji”. Whereupon Drona says “Give me your right thumb”. Without hesitation, Eaklavya takes a knife, slices off his shooting thumb, and puts it at Drona’s feed.
Arjun, a witness to the whole event, is shocked, and asks Drona about it later. Drona justifies his actions. “What would happen to society if the lower castes start learning the martial arts reserved for Kshatrias? I had to do this to preserve stability and social order."
Karna - the first son of Kunti
Karna - the subject of the great marathi epic “Mrityunjaya” (The death conqueror). Of all the characters in the Mahabharat, is there anyone with a more poignant story? Karna is possibly the only one in the Mahabharat who adheres to his dharma to the end.
Karna grows up the son of a humble charioteer. Even as a child, he sees the amazing power within him, but is unable to explain it. Why does he never get hurt when he takes the worst of falls? Why is he inexplicably attracted to the sun? Why is he so different from Shona, his younger brother (the biological son of the Charioteer)?
According to custom, as the eldest son of a charioteer, Karna should follow his fathers footsteps and become a charioteer. But Karna feels strongly drawn to be a warrior, to learn about the martial arts. His strength and raw ability convince his adopted father to take him to Hastinapur and enroll him into Drona’s academy, where the great Kuru princes are studying under Drona.
At the academy, Karna sees how the princes, and particularly the Pandavs, are treated. Drona is the teacher of the princes only, and he ignores the other students, even those that, like Karna, show great promise. The only person that acknowledges Karna is Duryodhan. Duryodhan is a rebellious youth, who is always questioning the conventions, and so is not bound by class and position and rank. Perhaps Duryodhan also sees Karna’s special innate talents, and is already instinctively thinking about his rivalry with the Pandavs.
Karna and Arjun - brothers and enemies
The time comes for the graduation ceremony of the princes. A great stadium is set up, and on the day of the graduation, it is filled with the citizens of Hastinapur, all eager to see their young princes in action. Drona presides over the ceremony, and around are seated all the great names of the Kuru empire. Bhishma, Dhritirashtra (the king), Vidura (the advisor) as well as Kunti and Gandhari, the queen mothers.
The princes put on a great display of all their battle craft. There is a spectacular wrestling contest between Bhim and Duryodhan, won by Bhim. Then comes the star of the show. Arjun rides in, a shining light with his famous bow, the Gandiva. He puts on a spectacular display, including his special skill, shooting by sound alone.
Suddenly, a young man, radiant with a golden light, bursts onto the field. He takes his bow, and repeats all the feats that Arjun just did with ease. Everyone is amazed. The elders of the Kuru family are also astonished. This young man of course is Karna, the son of the sun god himself. He is shining bright with his golden err-rings and impenetrable armor incasing his body like a suit of liquid gold.
Karna, who has waited years to show his abilities, now challenges Arjun to dual. As Arjun is preparing the accept, a disturbed Drona intervenes, saying “Only a prince and a Kshatriya can challenge the Kuru prince. Who is this person and how dare he even stand on the same ground as Arjun, let alone challenge him?”. The crowd now start shouting, asking Karna to reveal who his father is.
Karna is distraught and confused. Should he reveal that he is the son of a Lowly charioteer? But that means he cannot challenge Arjun, his enemy.
As Karna is standing helpless before a baying crow, suddenly Duryodhan comes to Karna and puts an arm around Karna. “What are these rules that judge a great fighter by his lineage rather than ability? Today I declare Karna to also be a king - the king of Anga”. Royal priests, coronate my friend Karna as the king of Anga at once.”
So Karna is now king, and able to challenge Arjun. As Karna and Arjun prepare to face off, a loud trumpet sounds, signaling the sun has now gone down, and an end to all activities in the sports arena. In the confusion, Arjun is crowned as a champion, and Karna has to leave without fulfilling his wish to confront Arjun.
Duryodhans support for Karna in front of everyone leaves a deep impression on the emotionally vunerable Karna. He declares his loyalty to the death to Duryodhan in a swell of emotion. And so Duryodhan gets his ace, the great Karna, born with the gold err-rings and the golden armor making him impervious to any weapon.
Over time, Karnas loyalty to Duryodhan would be tested, and always found to be unshakable, even when the truth of Karna’s true blood brothers is revealed.
A crack in the Kuru dynasty
Now the battle lines are drawn. Duryodhan’s open support and elevation of Karna to a king adds an important dimension to the Kaurav Pandav rivalry, which is now translating into almost open enmity.
The next part of the Mahabharat sees the Pandavs leave Hastinapur and build a shining new city, Indraprastha, the swayamvar and marriage of Draupadi (daughter of the humiliated king Draupada), the entrance of Krishna and a game of loaded dice that sends the Pandavs into 13 years of exile.
