By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

The only neutral parties in the war were: Dhritarashtra’s younger brother Vidura, the ex-prime minister of Hastinapura; Krishna’s brother Balarama; and King Rukmi, the brother of Krishna’s wife Rukmini. 

When Krishna abducted Rukmini according to her will, he defeated Rukmi. Ever since that, out of shame, Rukmi never returned to his father’s kingdom. He created another capital called Bhojakata and started ruling from there. 

Rukmi heard about the upcoming war and marched with his army to offer help to the Pandavas. His ulterior motive was to get closer to Krishna his brother-in-law. 

Knowing Rukmi’s selfish attitude and arrogance, the Pandavas refused his help. Furious, Rukmi went across to the Kaurava camp and offered to help them. Since he went to the Pandavas first, Duryodhana also rejected his offer to help. With rejection from both parties, Rukmi returned to his capital, suffering dishonor.

Both armies pitched their camps opposite each other, leaving a vast land in between. Now they needed to find an auspicious day to do a special puja to the Goddess Kali to ensure a victory. Duryodhana went to Grandsire Bhishma seeking advice on this matter. 

Bhishma advised there was no better astrologer than the Pandava prince Sahadeva, so to ask for his help in finding the best day for the ceremony. As Sahadeva is dedicated to righteousness, Bhishma believed that he would help Duryodhana with his unreasonable request. 

Duryodhana silently went to the Pandava camp that night to seek Sahadeva’s help to find an auspicious day. Sahadeva welcomed Duryodhana wholeheartedly. Duryodhana, motivated by his greediness, spoke anxiously, praising Sahadeva’s expertise in astrology. Then he asked him to find him an auspicious day for Kali puja to ensure the Kaurava victory. 

Sahadeva offered to help Duryodhana without reluctance, pulled out his Almanac and looked for a good day. After some calculations, Sahadeva said that the following new moon, which fell on the day after, was an auspicious time to perform the puja and to commence the war, as that would surely give Kaurava the desired victory. 

Duryodhana left the Pandava camp with great joy, thanking Sahadeva profoundly. He was so certain that the war was already won. This event shows that not even Duryodhana had any doubts about the Pandavas’ innate nobleness.

First thing the next morning, Krishna and the rest of the Pandavas were told about Duryodhana’s visit with Sahadeva. Krishna pretended to be surprised and acted to show his dissatisfaction. Yudhishthira, on the other hand, embraced Sahadeva and praised him for upholding dharma even though it might cost them their lives. 

Then he turned to Krishna and asked for his guidance and support. 

Krishna knew that Yudhishthira would embrace Sahadeva for his righteousness. Krishna also instructed Yudhishthira to get the Brahmins to worship the sun and the moon that same day, as well as to perform rituals pertaining to the new moon instead of on the day after as per Sahadeva’s calculations. Yudhishthira and the Pandavas obeyed Krishna’s request and had the Brahmins do their rituals on that very same morning. 

Seeing this, the Sun God Surya and the Moon God Chandra were very confused. They were troubled by Krishna’s actions and decided to come down to earth to ask him why he was encouraging the Brahmins to do this on the wrong day. When Krishna was confronted by Surya and Chandra, with a big smile on his face, he asked them, “When does the new moon occur?”

Surprised by Krishna’s question, they answered simultaneously, saying, “When the sun and moon come face to face together, that is the day of the new moon, as the moon cannot be seen at all. It appears invisible from earth.” With a big laugh, Krishna said, “You mean when you both come together, that is the day of the new moon, right? Here you are both together standing right in front of me. So, the new moon day is today, not tomorrow!” 

The Sun God and the Moon God were confused at this straight definition. They both were taken by Krishna’s wits.  That’s when they realized that he created this plan to help the Pandavas. They then departed to their respective abodes.

Duryodhana was furious to hear about this incident. He was so angry that he decided to send Shakuni’s son Uluka to the Pandava camp to mock them. Uluka was to deliver a message to Yudhishthira saying that the Kaurava army is ready to face them, under the great command of Grandsire Bhishma. 

In his message, he insulted the Pandavas, calling them cowards and calling their wife Draupadi a common woman. He also insulted Krishna, calling him a sorcerer. After hearing Duryodhana’s insulting message, Uluka departed with an uncompromising message from the Pandavas and Krishna to Duryodhana.  The devastating epic war, as reported in the Mahabharata, was about to start.  

In Hastinapura, Sage Vyasa appeared in front of King Dhritarashtra. King Dhritarashtra was very anxious about what was going on the battlefield. Seeing this, Sage Vyasa asked if the king would like to witness the war. If so, Vyasa could grand the king divine vision. 

Dhritarashtra refused the offer, saying that it would be too difficult for him to watch his own families fighting and killing each other. But he was still interested in knowing the events on the battlefield. So he said he wouldn’t mind if someone could narrate all that was happening there for him, so he could be informed. So Vyasa blessed Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra’s minister, with clairvoyance, so that he could see the battlefield right from the palace and inform King Dhritarashtra of all the happenings.

In the battlefield, Grandsire Bhishma was sitting on a silver chariot with white horses. His armor glowed like silver in the morning sun. He cheered the Kaurava army with encouraging words, saying to them to fight whole-heartedly, motivating them to walk in the path of their ancestors. He reminded them that either victory or heaven stands before them. The gate of heaven will be wide open for those soldiers who care less for their lives, so to fight with all their might and die a hero.

A true soldier never shows their back on the battlefield, fighting to their last breath. Death by a weapon is a soldier’s honor. Bhishma asked them to fight with joy, so to gain glory and honor.  These words really made an impact in the Kaurava army.  Encouraged by these powerful words, the Kaurava army marched with great confidence to the battlefield with shouts of victory and glory to Kauravas.

Each chariot of the warriors had their flag flying high and mighty. A flag is called a dhvaja, the symbol of a king or army that’s carried on a pole. Flags often depicted objects that represented the warrior’s skills, qualities, or affiliations. 

Bhishma’s flag was a palm tree with a cluster of five stars around it, which symbolized his extensive knowledge. The symbol on Guru Drona’s flag was an altar covered with deerskin, with a kamandala (yogi’s water pot) and an archery bow on top, depicting him as a brahmin warrior. 

Kripacharya had a humped bull on his flag. Ashwatthama’s had the figure of the magnificent tail of a lion. Duryodhana’s had a serpent representing strength. A golden moon with planets around it was in Yudhishthira’s flag. Bhima’s chariot bore a flag with a gigantic lion in silver. Arjuna’s flag had Hanuman, representing his basis for victory, a boon by Lord Hanuman himself. The flags flying all over battlefield announced the greatness of the warriors on it.    

The following were the strengths of both the armies.  Each army consisted of several divisions, called akshauhinis.  Each of them had a particular number of ratha (chariots), gaja (elephants), thuraga (horses), pathathi (foot warriors and soldiers).  An akshauhini or division included 21,870 chariots and chariot riders, 21,870 elephants and elephant riders, 65,610 horses and horse riders, and 109,350 foot-soldiers, in a ratio of 1:1:3:5.  Therefore an akshauhini will consist of 218,700 soldiers.  

The Pandavas had 7 akshauhinis while the Kauravas had 11 akshauhinis.  In essence, nearly 3.94 million warriors and soldiers took part in the great Kurukshetra War.  Each akshauhini was under a commander or a general, apart from the Commander in Chief, who was the head of the entire army.

During the war, the weapons included: the bow and arrows, the mace, the spear and the sword.  In each of the armies, these weapons were chosen by the warriors and soldiers as their primary weapon.  Mainly the bow was chosen by Arjuna, Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Abhimanyu, with the mace chosen by Bhima and Duryodhana. The spear was chosen by Yudhishthira and Shalya, and the sword by Nakula, Sahadeva, and Uluka to name a few of the warriors.

Many military formations were used throughout the 18-day battle.  At various times during battle, the Commander in Chief of either army ordered special formations, called the vyuhas.  Each vyuha had a specific purpose: some were defensive while others were offensive. 

Each formation had its specific strengths and weaknesses. Each formation required a particular number of ratha (chariots), gaja (elephants), thuraga (horses), pathathi (foot warriors and soldiers) placed in strategic positions.  The following is the list of all the vyuhas used during the battle, each with a short description.

• Krauncha Vyuha — heron or crane formation
• Makara Vyuha — crocodile formation
• Kurma Vyuha — tortoise or turtle formation
• Trishula Vyuha — trident formation
• Chakra Vyuha — wheel or discus formation in concentric circles. This is a critical vyuha that mattered during the war, with details coming later
• Kamala Vyuha or Padma Vyuha — blooming lotus formation
• Garuda Vyuha — eagle formation
• ⁠Oormi/Urmi Vyuha — ocean formation, resembling the ocean’s waves
• Mandala Vyuha — galaxy formation
• Vajra Vyuha — diamond or thunderbolt formation
• Shakata Vyuha — box or cart formation
• Asura Vyuha — demon formation
• Deva Vyuha — divine formation
• Soochi Vyuha — needle formation
• Sringataka Vyuha — horn formation
• Ardha Chandraakara or Chandrakala Vyuha — crescent/curved blade or crescent moon formation
• Mala Vyuha — garland formation
• ⁠Sarvatobhadra Vyuha – meaning “safe on all sides,” a kind of a square array formation, in which the troops face outward in all directions.

More to come…

1. Krishna taking Rukmini https://in.pinterest.com/pin/853924779339300621https://in.pinterest.com/pin/853924779339300621/
2. Sahadeva https://us.idyllic.app/gen/sahadeva-mahabharata-hero-511410?highlighted=1863847
3. Sun God Surya & Moon God Chandra https://www.ramana-maharshi.org/ravi-another-name-for-the-sun-god-surya/ https://www.ramana-maharshi.org/chandra-the-moon-god-and-lord-of-the-night/https://www.ramana-maharshi.org/chandra-the-moon-god-and-lord-of-the-night/
4. Uluka & Duryodhana https://indus-meetindus.blogspot.com/2016/04/uluka-messenger.html
5. Bhisma https://dharma.werindia.com/pitamaha-bhishmas-fall-a-paradox-of-greatness/
6. Battle dhvajas (flags) Images by S. Hancherow/Canva
7. Krauncha vyuha (Crane formation) http://www.artofkarthik.com/stories/2017/8/29/mahabharata-war-2nd-day
8. Akshauhinis (divisions) of armies https://www.gathertales.com/en/story/the-legend-of-the-battle-of-kurukshetra/sid-404

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Both Arjuna and Duryodhana were in the room with Krishna, asking for the support in the war.  

The choices were clear, Krishna would provide his army to one of them and his moral support and guidance to the other. But the question is, who gets to choose first?

Duryodhana was eager to go first, so he emphasized that he arrived earlier than Arjuna, thus he should get to choose first.  

Krishna replied with a smile, saying, “Of course, you did arrive earlier than Arjuna. But when I woke up, I saw Arjuna first, as he was standing at my feet right in front of my face. In addition, as you know, it is customary that the younger ones have the right to choose first before the elders.”  Saying this, Krishna turned to Arjuna and asked him to choose first. 

Krishna also went on and on about the military strength and bravery of the mighty Yadava army, at the same time reminding Arjuna that Krishna himself would not take part in the war. He would only give his moral support and guidance. So he asked Arjuna to take his time to decide whether he wants just him, Krishna, who was not going to take part in the fight, or if he wanted his mighty army.

As soon as Krishna stopped speaking, Arjuna, without a blink of an eye, said, “Oh mighty Krishna. I want you and only you. All that I want is you to be with me in the war, not your powerful army. Without you they are nothing for me. You are all that I need.” With an approving smile, Krishna gave his promise to Arjuna to always be on his side.

Hearing this, Duryodhana was surprised and delighted, thinking how foolish Arjuna was, not to ask for the mighty Yadava army. He was relieved and full of joy for receiving Krishna’s army. Without even thanking Krishna, he rushed back to Hastinapura to share this wonderous news. 

The Kauravas were very pleased with Duryodhana’s choice, except for Vidura, Grandsire Bhishma and Guru Drona, who understood the consequences of Duryodhana’s choice.

Krishna’s brother Balarama decided not to participate in the war at all, as he couldn’t choose one party over the other. He decided to adopt impartiality and went on a holy pilgrimage to avoid taking part in the war. Thus, Balarama got himself out of this epic bloody war.

The news of the war reached the ears of Shalya, the king of Madra Kingdom. He was the maternal uncle to the Pandavas, as the brother of Queen Madri, who was the second wife of the late King Pandu. Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Madri, who had become “sati,” meaning she threw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.  

King Shalya immediately gathered his powerful army and started marching towards Upaplavya to join the Pandava army. The news of Shalya’s army marching towards the Upaplavya reached Duryodhana’s ears. He decided to somehow get King Shalya and his army to fight on his side. He immediately devised a plan to win over King Shalya in whatever ways he can. 

With the help of Shakuni and Karna, he ordered his men to facilitate Shalya’s soldiers and serve them in every possible way when they passed through their area. Shakuni and Karna made sure of that. Their army kept the tents ready even before Shalya and his army arrived.  They were ready to provide food, refreshments and other services. 

When King Shalya arrived, he thought this was his nephew Yudhishthira’s work. Delighted by all this hospitality, Shalya asked the men to thank their king. He also asked in what way he can help their king? Promising whatever their King might ask, Shalya said he would deliver. 

Poor Shalya was devastated to learn that the people who served him were none other than Duryodhana’s servants. Shalya was astounded, but he was compelled to fulfill his promise. He regretted his poor judgment. 

Of course, Duryodhana wanted Shalya and his army to join the Kauravas. With a heavy heart Shalya agreed, but told Duryodhana that he had to go visit his nephews, especially after what they have gone through for so long. Shalya said it was his duty as an uncle to visit them and comfort them on their misfortunes. 

When Shalya arrived at Upaplavya, all the Pandavas were so delighted to see him. They were thrilled about his visit and found comfort in his presence and kind words. They were so joyous, thinking that their uncle’s massive army could be a game changer for them. But their happiness didn’t last long, as Shalya explained to them how he was tricked by Duryodhana to fight the war on the side of the Kauravas. 

The Pandavas couldn’t believe what they were hearing. They were shocked and heartbroken to hear about what took place. Shalya was embarrassed and remorseful about what had happened.  He apologized for his mistake. He was so willing to help them in anyway except fighting for their side. The thought of Shalya fighting along with the Kauravas itself brought agony to all of the Pandavas, especially Nakula and Sahadeva. 

Accepting the situation as it is, Yudhishthira had a request to Shalya. He humbly asked Shalya that, if there would ever be a situation during the war that he becomes close to Karna, for Shalya to praise Arjuna in order to infuriate Karna. Yudhishthira requested Shalya to keep telling Karna of the glory of Arjuna. Yudhishthira said that this itself would take care of the loss that they were incurring due to Duryodhana’s cunningness.

In preparation for the war, the Pandava army was divided into seven divisions. Each division had a General: Drupada, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, Shikandi, Satyaki, Sekithanan, and Bheema. Now it became time to decide the Major General for the entire army. So they started discussing about it, with many names suggested. Some of the names suggested were Virata, Drupada, Dhrishtadyumna, Shikandi. 

At the end Krishna was consulted. His choice was Dhrishtadyumna, which happened to be Arjuna’s choice as well. So King Drupada’s son Dhrishtadyumna was officially appointed as the Head of all Generals. He was the right choice as he was full of rage toward the Kauravas for insulting his sister Draupadi and sending her and the Pandavas to forest for thirteen years. His blood had been boiling for revenge for thirteen long years. When his appointment was announced the whole army made loud noises in appreciation. The elephants started to trumpet. All sorts of delightful instruments were played. It was indeed a celebration.

In Hastinapura, there was no question about who the Major General for the Kaurava army would be. Grandsire Bhishma was named as the Major General in no time. Because of the vow he had taken, Bhishma didn’t have a choice but to fight with the Kaurava army in favor of the Hastinapura kingdom. 

Bhishma agreed to be the Major General, commander in chief for the Kaurava army with two conditions. He said to Duryodhana, “Listen Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra’s sons and Pandu’s sons are the same for me. Even though I am fighting with the Kaurava army, I will only kill the Pandava soldiers, I will not harm the five Pandavas at any cost. They will remain safe in my watch. The second condition is that Karna will not be allowed to enter the battlefield as long as I am in command.” 

Bhishma gave the reason why Karna was not allowed to fight alongside him, that Karna never showed any respect to Bhishma or his opinions. Duryodhana was not too happy about this. But when Karna learned about this condition, he consoled Duryodhana and said he would never ever fight as a warrior in the Kaurava army while Bhishma was in command anyway.  

Duryodhana didn’t have any choice but to accept both Bhishma’s and Karna’s demands. The Kaurava army started to march towards the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Once both armies arrived at the battlefield of Kurukshetra, a code for the war was discussed and established. Both sides were expected to uphold the principles of dharma, righteousness, duty and integrity. Time limits were set. Fighting must begin at sunrise and end at sunset. At night, there should be no battles engaged at any cost. The troops could be friendly with each other after sun set.

In a duel, both warriors must have the same weapons and be on the same type of mount. One in a chariot could fight only with one who is in another chariot. If one is on a horse, he could only fight another on a horse. You could only fight with someone who is well as equipped as you. No one should attack a person who is bare handed. 

Multiple warriors may not attack a single warrior. Protect the ones who surrender; no harm should be done to them.  Do not injure or kill the ones who are leaving the battlefield. One should always strike an opponent only after warning him. They should never strike without warnings.  

Do not attack those who carry weapons, supplies or other war material to the battlefield. Any medical personal should not be harmed while roaming in the battlefield or helping the wounded.  Honor the campsite where the wounded soldiers were treated. 

Both armies took their pledges to abide by the code of the war. Promising to respect the rules by indulging in a fair and moral battle. 

More to come…

1. Arjuna, Krishna & Duryodhana https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3980424855308327&id=498424850175029&set=a.755043321179846
2. Duryodhana & King Shalya https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/11/king-shalya-makes-alliance.html (Collection from Victoria & Albert Museum)
3. King Shalya https://playranbhoomi.com/blogs/news/how-big-were-the-armies-in-the-mahabharat-war
4. Krishna, Dhrishtadyumna & Pandavas https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/the-commander-in-chiefs
5. Nakula & Sahadeva https://openart.ai/community/kAgIVR1CJZJY2n5z3W0c
6. War about to begin https://indus-meetindus.blogspot.com/search?q=Kurukshetra+War+Day+1
7. Bhishma https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/47/05/1b470559c991a18638952226676bbc50.png

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Krishna returned to the Pandavas and explained the situation in Hastinapura.  He also delivered Kunti’s message about the war.

Kunti wanted Yudhishthira to always uphold justice, while not giving up on his rights. She had also mentioned not to forget that he is a Kshatriya and that his brothers are his supports. If peace efforts fail, he must not fear to fight to preserve his rights.

She also instructed Krishna to tell the Pandavas that all her blessings are always with them. She sent a message specifically to Draupadi as well, saying that the disgrace done to her will be duly justified to her satisfaction.

Yudhishthira became discouraged due to the failure of the peace talks. His hopes for peace were totally erased. It was now time to start preparing for the war. For this they must build an army.

In the meantime, Kunti was in Hastinapura, not knowing how to accomplish what Krishna had asked her to do. She decided to confront the situation to the best of her ability. She planned to visit Karna.

She dreaded the consequences of the war. She knew that Drona would not kill her sons because they were his favorite disciples. Grandsire Bhishma would not kill his own grandsons no matter what. The only other person who had the ability, since Vidura was not going to take part in the war, was her eldest son Karna. 

So, her fear was all about Karna, who had been a loyal friend to Duryodhana and had supported all his evil deeds all along. He considered Arjuna to be his arch enemy and had vowed to kill him.

By visiting Karna, she thought she could persuade him to change his mind and to join his own brothers, the Pandavas. For this, she had to reveal who she is to Karna. This was very hard for her as she had been hiding this secret all these years. Now she wanted to reveal it to prevent her sons from killing one another.

While battling with her inner conflicts, she decided to move forward and visit Karna. She went to the riverbanks of Ganga where Karna usually did his morning prayers to the Sun God. When she reached the riverbanks, she saw Karna praying, standing in front of the sun. He was immersed in a deep meditation with his eyes closed.

She stood right behind Karna’s back to be shielded against the blazing sun. Karna stayed in his meditative state until he felt the warmth of the rising sun on his face. When he opened his eyes slowly, he felt that someone was standing right behind him.

He turned around, looked closely at the woman who was standing behind him and realized that it was none other than Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, the Queen of the late King Pandu. He immediately gave his salutations to her and greeted her formally, then asked how he could serve her.

In a feeble voice, full of tears in her eyes, Kunti revealed to Karna that she was his birth mother.  She said to him, “Karna you were never the son of Radha. You are the son of Kunti. You are my son, my first born. You were born before my marriage, from a boon by the Sun God. The five Pandavas are your brothers.

“Because of my fear of social disgrace, I did an unthinkable, unjust action to you. Now it’s time for the world to know who you are. It’s time for you to join your own brothers. You have lived under the influence of the Kauravas, making you an enemy to your own brothers. Now it’s time for you to join your brothers and defeat the Kauravas. You will be the heir to the throne and your five younger brothers will be at your command.”

Karna couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All along somehow, he had known that he was a kshatriya, even though he was raised as a simple charioteer. He confessed that his longing desire to be a kshatriya had come true.

Hearing the word, “my son” from Queen Kunti filled his heart fully. Yet he could not hide from the fact that his own mother set him afloat in the river Ganga. It was his foster mother Radha who gave him the mother’s love, affection and care which brought him up to who he is now. So, he asked Kunti why she was revealing the secret to him now. What does she want from him?

With tears running on her cheeks, Kunti explained that the fear of the society kept her from telling the truth to him and the world. But the feelings and love she had for him never changed. She emphasized that the rest of the Pandavas were his younger brothers and that she couldn’t bear the thought of Karna killing his own brothers before her very own eyes.

She complained to him that Duryodhana refused to accept any peace attempts and the war was imminent. Duryodhana never listened to his father nor the elders.  Because of this, the war was going to be brutal. So she again emphasized the importance of Karna joining his brothers in the war.

Hearing this patiently, Karna said, “I believe you when you say that you are my mother, but many others also have in the past said it and failed the test.  The shawl that I am wearing now is the shawl I was wrapped in when my parents found me floating in Ganga. This will burn anyone who wears it, except for my mother. Would you mind going through the test?” 

Kunti nodded and took the shawl and wore it with tears running down her face.  Nothing happened, so she passed the test, verifying that she was Karna’s biological mother.  Karna fell on his knees and touched Kunti’s feet, with tears running down his face, giving his pranams to his newly found mother. 

Kunti embraced him and gave her heartfelt blessings to him. But Karna’s face was filled with mixed emotions — boundless joy, yet full of sorrow. Joy that he had found his mother and sorrow that he was not going to be able to fulfill his mother’s first wish.

Karna said, “Mata, I cannot betray Duryodhana. It is my duty to repay my debt to him even if I must sacrifice my life fighting by his side. How could I not do that when he’s the one who saved me from many situations where I was disgraced and looked down upon.

“When Kripacharya forbade me to take part in the competition, Duryodhana made me the king of Anga. How could I ever repay him for such generosity? He gave his friendship to me and I to him. What you are asking from me is something unthinkable. I am extremely sorry I cannot comply with your request. Is there anything else that I can do for you?”

Hearing this from Karna, Kunti’s heart was filled with despair. She was shaken by Karna’s loyalty & love for Duryodhana. She was heartbroken; all her hopes were crushed.  She looked miserable.

When Karna saw this, his heart was broken as well.  Refusing his birth mother’s request was not something he wanted to do. He was hurt that he was hurting his mother’s feelings. So he decided to console his mother. He asked again if he could help her in any other way except joining the Pandavas in war.

Kunti, being a Queen herself, was able to get herself together. She gained strength and asked Karna not to use the Nagastra Astra (Bow of the Serpents) on Arjuna more than once. Karna not only agreed to that, but also promised that he would not kill any of his brothers except Arjuna.

He said to Kunti, “as the fight between Pandavas and Kauravas is unavoidable, one of us is certainly going to die. It would be either Arjuna or me. You will continue to have five children whether he dies or I do.”

Hearing this consoled Kunti somewhat. Full of emotion and gratitude, she embraced Karna closely and said, “What must happen will happen.” She had no words to thank him for promising her that he wouldn’t kill four of his younger brothers.

Karna also had a request to ask of Kunti. He asked for a boon from Kunti that, if he were to win the war, for her to announce that he is her first-born. But if he were to die, she would hold his head in her lap and announce to the whole world that he is her son. Until then it should remain a secret. Kunti, full of tears, agreed silently and left with a heavy heart.

Both the Kauravas and the Pandavas started to build their armies, preparing and strategizing for the inevitable upcoming epic war. One of the most important tactics was to make alliances with powerful kingdoms. Kings from all over the land started their journey to join one of the armies, according to their preferences and allegiance.

The Yadavas were considered one of the powerful armies in the region. Due to this, both the Kauravas and the Pandavas wanted their support in the war gravely. Therefore, both Duryodhana and Arjuna came to Dwarka to ask for Krishna’s help in the war.

Duryodhana arrived first and found that Krishna was enjoying his afternoon nap. As he was asked not to disturb Krishna, Duryodhana sat on the bed by Krishna’s head. While waiting for Krishna to wake up, Arjuna walked inside the room with the same intention. As Arjuna adored Krishna with utmost respect, Arjuna went and stood near Krishna’s feet.

After some time, Krishna woke up. His eyes fell on Arjuna first because he was standing at his feet. Krishna was delighted to see Arjuna and greeted him, asking for the reason for his visit. Duryodhana immediately jumped in,  saying that he was the one who arrived first and the reason for the visit was to ask for Krishna’s help in the war. Only then Krishna noticed Duryodhana who was sitting on the bed beside his head. Krishna smiled and greeted Duryodhana too.

Arjuna then humbly stated that he was there to seek Krishna’s help in the war as well.  Krishna smiled and said that they were both very dear to him, so he will help them both. This confused both Arjuna and Duryodhana.

Seeing their confusion, Krishna told them that he and his mighty army (Narayani Sena) would fight on different sides. He continued, saying that he himself would not take part in the war. He will provide his army to one of them and his moral support and guidance to the other.

Now the question is who gets the mighty Yadava army and who gets Krishna, his guidance, and his support? Most of all, the question is who gets to choose first.

More to come…

1. Krishna & Yudhishthira
   https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/mahabharata-english-summary/d/doc1345406.html ↩︎
2. Kunti
   https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/9d/5e/e69d5efa68afe01d6601817af9d30205.jpg ↩︎
3. Kunti & Karna
   https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/karnas-generosity/ ↩︎
4. Karna
   https://snowcandy-huang.tumblr.com/post/109979697242/fanart-of-karnamahabharatby-snowcandy ↩︎
5. Kunti and Karna
   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3581338325216984&id=498424850175029&set=a.1589226197761550 (Painting by Giampaolo Tomassetti) ↩︎
6. Nagastra Astra (Bow of the Serpents)
   https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WB0VL2 ↩︎
7. Pandavas planning war strategy
   https://www.scoopwhoop.com/life/italian-painter-mahabharat/#.iil1u5vfq
   (Painting by Giampaolo Tomassetti) ↩︎
8. Duryodhana, Krishna & Arjuna
   https://sandeepa.in/2020/03/10/senyodyoga-parva-lord-krishna-offering-help-to-both-duryodhana-and-arjuna-chapter-7-slokas-1-39/ ↩︎

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Yudhishthira accepted King Virata’s apology, but King Virata was not satisfied at all.  He decided to give his kingdom to Yudhishthira, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Yudhishthira accepted the Matsya Kingdom, then gifted it back to King Virata, saying a gift should not be refused.  King Virata accepted the kingdom back.  

Then King Virata requested Arjuna to take his daughter Uttaraa’s hand in marriage.  Arjuna respectfully rejected the request, saying that he had been Uttaraa’s teacher and it is not proper for a teacher to marry his student. But Arjuna also was keen to keep an alliance between the families and suggested that he could accept Uttaraa as bride to his son, Abhimanyu.  Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Subhadra.   King Virata was overjoyed by the proposal and the engagement was finalized between Abhimanyu and Uttaraa.

A date was set for the marriage and Abhimanyu was invited to Viratanagar, along with King Drupada, Dhrishtadyumna, Balarama, Krishna and other Yadava Warriors.  On the auspicious day, the wedding took place with all the religious rituals.  After the wedding, the Pandavas started living in the Matsya Kingdom, in Upaplavya.  

At that point, Duryodhana sent a messenger to the Matsya Kingdom saying that the Pandavas had broken the incognito condition, as Arjuna had revealed himself before the deadline. He demanded that the Pandavas go back to twelve years of exile and one year of incognito.  Yudhishthira sent the messenger back, asking Duryodhana to get the correct information from Grandsire Bhishma and the talented astrologers in Hastinapura.

As Pandavas had fulfilled the conditions of the last game of dice successfully, due to the efforts of Krishna and King Drupada, a gathering of kings was called at Viratanagar to discuss the issue. Duryodhana returning the Pandava’s kingdom needed to be discussed.  

At the gathering, Krishna opened the discussion and outlined all the atrocities Duryodhana had done to the Pandavas. He described from their childhood through to the worst that had happened thirteen years back, cheating Pandavas of their kingdom with the help of Shakuni’s loaded dice.  It was followed by Panchala King Drupada’s speech where he seconded what Krishna said and requested the guests to uphold the justice by getting Pandavas what they deserve.  

But then Balarama got up and said that he didn’t agree with everything Krishna and King Drupada said. His view was that Yudhishthira made a mistake by willingly playing the game of dice and putting the kingdom at stake.  He continued, saying that Duryodhana had all the rights to the gambled kingdom, and it would be up to him to give back Indraprastha if Yudhishthira went and begged for it.  

Outraged by Balarama’s words, the Yadava warrior Satyaki spoke.  He was appalled that Balarama considered a loaded dice game to be legit.  He said, “Dishonesty and covertness was written all over the invitation for the Pandavas to play the game of dice.  It was all designed to take away their kingdom, which was well planned and executed by Duryodhana and Shakuni.”  He then reminded everyone that all the games were nullified except the last one, which they lost, where they had to go into exile and incognito.

After a long debate, the overwhelming majority reached the decision that Pandavas were the rightful owners of the Indraprastha kingdom.  They also decided to send a messenger to Hastinapura on behalf of the Pandavas, to request King Dhritarashtra to return the Indraprastha kingdom to Yudhishthira.  

It was also decided that the Pandavas and their allies should prepare for war, to fight for righteousness if the peace request fails.  King Drupada’s family priest Sanjay was chosen to be the peace messenger.  

Sanjay arrived in Hastinapura and visited King Dhritarashtra. Sanjay presented the Pandava’s case. Dhritarashtra knew it was the right thing to do. He was also of the opinion that a war with Pandavas will not result in advantages to the Kauravas.  He could hear Bheema’s vow to tear Dushasana’s chest to drink his blood, and to smash Duryodhana’s thigh so Draupadi could tie back her hair.  Dhritarashtra called on Vidura for advice.  Vidura voiced the same, to give back the kingdom, which is what the Pandavas deserved.

The next day, Sanjay came to the court of Dhritarashtra.  After Sanjay presented his case to settle the issue with Pandavas peacefully, all the elders, including Dhritarashtra, Grandsire Bhishma and Vidura, concurred with Sanjay.  

Angered, Duryodhana got up and said that if it was his fate to go for war, he would have great support: Grandsire Bhishma had vowed to fight for Hastinapura, Guru Drona, his friend Karna, his allies and his brothers would defeat the Pandavas with ease.  Karna voiced the same opinion. Grandsire Bhishma’s replied with harsh words, saying people should know their place in a court, so Karna left the court in a rage. 

After this, Duryodhana declared his final intention, saying he would not spare even a needle point piece of land to the Pandavas, let alone a part of his kingdom.  Hearing this, Gandhari got up and poured her heart out to her son to get him to reconsider his decision. But Duryodhana ignored her.  King Dhritarashtra and Gandhari dismissed the court and left for the palace with a very heavy heart, knowing what would be going to happen.

Sanjay came back from Hastinapura and reported what had transpired at the Kaurava court.  He said the outcome was that the peace mission had failed. Hearing this, Yudhishthira’s hopes melted away, though he had been ready to settle for anything for the sake of peace.  

He turned to Krishna, asking for his help to make a decision in that difficult situation.  Krishna said that, as a last resort, he personally would go again to Hastinapura as a peace messenger and do all his best to avoid the war.  Despite Yudhishthira’s fears for Krishna’s safety, Krishna went to Hastinapura to make one last attempt to prevent the imminent bloodshed.

When Krishna arrived in Hastinapura, he didn’t go to visit King Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana. Instead, he went to Vidura’s house to meet his aunt Kunti, who was the mother of the Pandavas.  Krishna refused the invitation from the Hastinapura palace and had dinner at Vidura’s place and had a long chat with Kunti.  This made Duryodhana very angry.  Was this intentionally done by Krishna?  Of course, nothing happens otherwise.  

Vidura possessed a bow named “Govardhan.”  It was a bow from Lord Vishnu himself.  It was said with, with that bow, Vidura didn’t have a match in archery —not even Grandsire Bhishma, Drona, Arjuna and Karna were a match for him.  So Krishna needed to make sure that Vidura would not be a part of the war which was coming.  

The next day when the court of Hastinapura convened, the peace messenger Krishna entered the court with Vidura, the chief minister for Dhritarashtra.  Duryodhana was angry with Krishna, who had come as a messenger for the Pandavas. In his opinion Krishna disrespected them by not accepting their invitation to the palace. 

Duryodhana attacked Vidura for no reason.  He condemned him for not respecting the court and for coming to it with the messenger of their enemy.  The argument was so intense that Duryodhana insulted Vidura by calling on his low birth, having been born to a servant girl. At the end, Vidura took his powerful bow, Govardhan, and broke it into two pieces, vowing not to support Duryodhana and the Kauravas in the future in any way. He left the court, amidst Dhritarashtra begging him to stay.  

After that incident, Krishna got up and requested the portion of the kingdom that was the Pandava’s to be returned to them, as the exile and incognito from the game were completed successfully.  Duryodhana rejected it outright.  

Then Krishna requested five villages to be given to the Pandavas to satisfy them.  Duryodhana said as earlier that he would not give even a needle point piece of land to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra and the other elders were in disbelief that Duryodhana would not even spare five villages to the Pandavas.  

Several people in the court tried to convince Duryodhana but failed. At last, Krishna rose and said the next meeting between them and the Pandavas will be in the Kurukshetra field of war.  

On the way back to Upaplavya, Krishna stopped at Vidura’s place to say goodbye to his aunt Kunti. Kunti sent a message to her son Yudhishthira to not to let go of his rights and righteousness, and that if peace has failed, not to hesitate to go to war.  

Before leaving, Krishna met Kunti in private and inquired about her first born.  Kunti was shocked that Krishna knew about this, as no one except her friend and her trusted maid knew about it.  With a heavy heart, Kunti told the story (Krishna Avatar – Part 16).  

After she finished, Krishna told her that the basket that she set afloat on the waters of the Ganga River, with the baby wrapped in one of her sacred cloths, had reached Hastinapura. A charioteer named Adhiratha and his wife Radha found the baby, and that the baby was none other than Karna, the arch enemy of Arjuna.  Kunti was taken by the words of Krishna, which ascertained what she had always doubted. She always had a soft corner for Karna. 

Krishna said to Kunti that she needed to go and visit Karna.  Krishna continued, when the war comes to reality, Karna would be a key part of it. He added Karna was the only person who had the ability and the vengeance to kill the Pandavas. The others like Bhishma and Drona, even though had the ability, they would not have the heart to do it.  

When visiting Karna, Krishna wanted her to ask Karna to join the Pandavas.  If he would refuse, then she should ask him not to use the “Nagastira” (Bow of the Serpents) on Arjuna more than once.  If she would get that promise from Karna, the Pandavas may be saved from being killed. 

Krisha returned to the Pandavas with Kunti’s message about the war.  Yudhishthira became grim upon hearing the message.  

More to come…

1. Balarama, Satyaki & Krishna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duryodhana#/media/File:Sri_Krishna_as_Envoy.jpg
2. Kaurava court discusses the return of kingdom to Pandavas https://chandrasnotes.blog/2022/06/12/mahabharata-in-365-days-day-145-the-kaurava-court-discusses-the-much-alive-pandavas/
3. Duryodhana https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/not-a-needle-point-of-land/.
4. Sanjay, Krishna & Pandavas https://www.amrita.edu/news/strategical-silhouette-of-an-extraordinary-peace-mission/
5. Krishna as peace messenger https://mythologicalstories.net/gathering-allies-preparing-for-the-great-war-of-kurukshetra/
6. Baby Karna & Kunti https://sanatandharmaa.com/kunti/

By Nirooshitha Sethuram

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

In Hastinapura, Duryodhana was sure that it was Bhima who killed Kichaka. He wanted to invade King Virata and the Matsya Kingdom to expose the Pandavas.

Knowing if he brought that as the reason at the hall of the elders, they would never agree to attack the Matsya Kingdom. So he cunningly presented it as expanding their kingdom when the Matsya Kingdom was weak without its protector, Kichaka. His plan worked and the decision was made to attack King Virata.

At that point, Susharma, Duryodhana’s friend and the ruler of Triart was with them in the hall, visiting them. He was willing to help with the attack and requested half of Matsya Kingdom after conquering it. As Duryodhana’s goal was to discover the Pandavas, he would take anyone’s help at that point, so he agreed to it. The plan was for Susharma to attack King Virata from the south and for Duryodhana to attack from the north.

The next day, the day before the end of the Pandavas’ incognito, Susharma attacked the Matsya Kingdom from the south and was advancing very fast. Without Kichaka, King Virata felt helpless and afraid.

But Kanka assured his help to the king, saying he knew a few others who could help him in the war: Vallabha, Dhamagranthi, and Tantripala, the other Pandavas, except for Brihannala as he was in disguise as a eunuch. Trusting Kanka, as he had been a trustworthy companion for the past year, the king ordered chariots to be given to the four of them.

The four brothers joined King Virata and his army to engage Susharma in the south of the kingdom. Susharma never expected such stiff resistance from the Matsya army, after they had lost Kichaka. Fierce battle broke out.

Susharma played a trick and captured King Virata. When the Matsya army came to know of the capture of their king, they were disorganized and lost heart. Kanka called on Vallabha and told him to recoup the army and recover King Virata. Vallabha gained control of the disorganized Matsya army and attacked Susharma.

King Virata was tied to Susharma’s chariot.  From a far distance, Vallabha broke the chariot. Both Susharma and King Virata fell on the ground. King Virata reaped full advantage of the situation by snatching the sword from Susharma and fighting the enemy ranks, making his way back to his own army. After which Vallabha defeated Susharma’s army.

Susharma fled the battlefield, but was captured by Vallabha in no time. When Vallabha was going to behead Susharma, Kanka intervened and set him free with a warning. No one from Susharma’s army recognized Yudhishthira and his three brothers, not being familiar with them because their kingdom of Triart was far away.

While the four brothers, King Virata and his army were in the south, Duryodhana attacked the Matsya Kingdom from the north. It was the last day of the Pandavas’ incognito. When news of the attack came to the palace, only the young prince Uttara was in the palace with his mother, Sudeshna. Though Uttara, no doubt, was a brave prince, he didn’t have a charioteer.

As prince Uttara and Queen Sudeshna discussed the matter, Sairandhri suggested getting help from Brihannala, as she had seen Brihannala being a charioteer to Arjuna in the past. Though Uttara didn’t fancy a eunuch being his charioteer, hard situations needed hard decisions so Uttara requested Brihannala to be his charioteer.

With blessings from his mother, Queen Sudeshna, prince Uttara and Brihannala went to the north to meet Duryodhana’s army, which included Grandsire Bhishma, Guru Drona, Kripacharya, Karna, Dushasana and Ashwatthama. Karna was on a rampage. His army had already captured a vast territory and thousands of milk cows in the process.

When prince Uttara and Brihannala reached the battlefield, seeing the great army of Hastinapura, prince Uttara got cold feet. And rightfully so, as he saw some of the greatest warriors of that era. He instructed Brihannala to turn the chariot towards the city. On the other hand, Arjuna (as Brihannala) had seen many battlefields. With his arch enemy Karna in the opposite side, Arjuna had been waiting for such an occasion.

He could not reveal himself until sunset as it was the last day of their incognito. He tried to persuade the prince to engage with the Hastinapura army, so he could continue the war after sunset. He explained to Uttara, that it would be a disgrace to any Kshatriyas (warriors) to show his back in the battlefield. He said that everyone would mock him and brand him a coward.

While this discussion between Brihannala and prince Uttara was going on, on the other side in the army of Hastinapura, Bhishma and Drona said they could not take up arms against a eunuch.  Drona was watching the eunuch closely and got very suspicious, saying to Bhishma that the eunuch’s behavior was like that of Arjuna. Overhearing this, Karna got angry and said that he didn’t care a fig for who it is, but to fight.

Hearing the conversation, Duryodhana intervened and asked Karna to be calm, as it would be best if Arjuna revealed himself to break the incognito, which would send them back to exile for another thirteen years according to the conditions from the dice game. As usual, Karna listened to his friend and kept quiet. Duryodhana and Dushasana were laughing joyfully that the incognito was going to fail. Bhishma was repeatedly saying the incognito period was ending with the sunset, but Duryodhana was not bothered about it.

On the other side, Brihannala was concerned, but not upset about the laughter he heard in Duryodhana’s army. He merely had to wait until the sun was below the horizon. He continued to persuade prince Uttara to take up his bow and arrows and fight the enemy army. At a particular point, prince Uttara took his bow and shot an arrow, but it fell a few feet from his chariot. The mocking laughter from the enemy army increased, though Bhishma and Drona were worried as they would not fight a eunuch. And if the eunuch were really Arjuna, then he would destroy the whole of Duryodhana’s army.

With the mockery coming from the enemy, prince Uttara jumped out of his chariot and ran towards the forest outside the battlefield. Brihannala followed Uttara and caught up with him in the forest. Brihannala explained to Uttara who he really was and calmed him down. Uttara was not yet convinced, but Brihannala took him to the tree where the Pandavas had hidden their weapons. Brihannala pulled out all his shiny weapons, including the Gandiva, his bow, and Devdutta, his conch.

This cleared away all of Uttara’s doubts. He bowed down to Brihannala and requested to excuse him for his behavior. Brihannala asked Uttara to be his charioteer for the coming war with Duryodhana’s army waiting in the battlefield. Uttara whole-heartedly and joyfully agreed. By this time the sun had gone below the horizon. Brihannala took his conch and sounded it, followed by the sound of the Gandiva.

These sounds created a huge commotion in the opposing army. Again, Duryodhana jumped up in joy saying that the Pandavas had broken the incognito condition, as Arjuna has revealed himself. Bhishma and Drona again said that the incognito period was achieved with the sunset. Duryodhana got angry and said that he will not return their share of the kingdom whether the incognito period was successfully completed or not.

Their army was very nervous, as they knew Arjuna would come out with a heap of vengeance. And they were correct. Arjuna in the form of Brihannala, came out firing arrows all around, with Uttara being his charioteer. As Arjuna’s appearance was that of a eunuch, Bhishma and Drona would not take up their bows to fight.

Arjuna noticed that Duryodhana was missing while the others were engaged in the fight. He saw Duryodhana moving the cattle they captured towards Hastinapura. Arjuna shot an arrow, sammohasatra, which made them all faint, so he could pursue Duryodhana and recover the cattle.

Karna was following Duryodhana, so he met with Arjuna in the form of Brihannala. A duel began between them. With the fury Arjuna had, he broke Karna’s bow and made him flee the area. Then Arjuna caught up with Duryodhana, defeated him too, recovered the cattle from him, but Duryodhana escaped.

Leading all the cattle to safety and hiding the weapons under the same tree, Brihannala and Uttara headed back to the palace. At the palace, the Matsya army and the other four Pandavas with King Virata had already returned from the south, victoriously defeating Susharma’s army.

When Uttara went to his father to tell the great news of defeating the Hastinapura army, he found his father in an angry mood and Kanka with a bleeding forehead. Uttara knew something had gone wrong. King Virata was so glad to see his son and congratulated him on his victory.

Though Uttara was happy to hear his father’s praise, he was more worried about Kanka’s bleeding. So, he asked his father as to what had happened. King Virata said that Kanka had said that Uttara would be safe because Brihannala was with him.  But that made King Virata angry so he flung the dice at Kanka, injuring him. Virata couldn’t understand how Kanka could put Brihannala, a eunuch, above the prince.

Then the King said, “Now tell how you won the war and defeated the Hastinapura army.” Prince Uttara, with a sad voice, said to his father that Kanka was correct, that it was Brihannala who defeated the Hastinapura army. Then he continued, saying they really were the Pandavas, who had been hiding in Matsya kingdom, serving in various ways.

He continued, saying that Kanka was none other than Yudhishthira.  Vallabha, Brihannala, Dhamagranthi, and Tantripala were Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva respectively.  And Sairandhri was none other than Draupadi. Hearing this, King Virata got very disturbed and pleaded to Kanka (Yudhishthira) to forgive him for what he did in haste without full knowledge.

More to come…

1. Shusharma https://www.craiyon.com/search/Susharma-Chandra%2C-mythical-warrior-king-of-Trigarta-in-royal-armor-on-a-battlefield-with-sunset-backdrop ↩︎
2. Susharma Captures King Virata https://www.booksfact.com/puranas/worlds-first-suicide-squad-lead-susarma-mahabharata.html ↩︎
3. Villabha, Susharma & Kanka https://www.booksfact.com/puranas/worlds-first-suicide-squad-lead-susarma-mahabharata.html#google_vignette ↩︎
4. Karna captures cows & territory https://mymahabharatblog.wordpress.com/2017/10/03/chapter-24-year-of-disguise-matsya-under-attack/ ↩︎
5. Karna & Duryodhana https://myhindulife.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/karna-duryodhanas-friendship-or-at-least-what-i-think-of-it/ ↩︎
6. Brihannala & Uttara https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/defending-matsya/ ↩︎
7. Arjuna https://avid-archer.com/arjuna-legendary-archer-indian-mythology/ ↩︎
8. King Virata, Prince Uttara & Pandavas https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/secrets-revealed/ ↩︎

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

The yaksha was fully satisfied with Yudhishthira’s answers, so he asked him to choose one of his four brothers to be brought back to life. 

Without a lot of thought, Yudhishthira said he chose Nakula. The yaksha was surprised by Yudhishthira’s answer and questioned him. “By picking Bhima you would have obtained strength, or by picking Arjuna you would have the greatest archer beside you. Why did you pick Nakula?” 

Yudhishthira respectfully replied, “We are five brothers, sons of Kunti and Madri. Out of Mother Kunti’s three sons, I am still alive but both of Mother Madri’s sons are lying dead. I would want one of Mother Madri’s sons to live. That is the dharma for my father Pandu’s children.”

The yaksha was yet again very pleased to see Yudhishthira upholding righteousness. He said, “Oh Yudhishthira, I admire your virtuous thinking. You are a great soul. With your greatness you have conquered my heart. You have overcome all the obstacles that were put in front of you in your life. From this day onwards you shall be known as Dharmaraja. I am reviving all your brothers, for your selfless virtuous qualities.”

With this blessing, all four Pandavas came back to life. Yudhishthira was overjoyed to see his brothers alive again. He hugged them all with delight and thanked the yaksha for giving them back.

 The yaksha then revealed his true form. He was none other than Yama Dharmaraja, Yudhishthira’s father, Lord of Dharma and the ever-righteous God of Death. To test Yudhishthira’s integrity, he had devised the poisoned lake, also taking the form of the stag which took the Brahmin’s churner and igniting rod.

Yama handed the churner and igniting rod over to Yudhishthira and blessed them all to successfully complete the thirteenth year of living in disguise, untraced. 

He directed the Pandavas to go to the kingdom of Matsya, to be safe and untraced there for their thirteenth year incognito. The Pandavas happily returned to Draupadi and handed the churner and igniting rod over to the brahmin who was so thrilled to receive them.

It was time for the Pandavas to say goodbye to the brahmins who were living with them, to go into their thirteenth year incognito. Yudhishthira thanked them for their loyalty and full support throughout these past twelve years. He was lost for words with his heart full of gratitude and sadness for departing them. He humbly asked them for their blessings. The elder brahmin Dhaumya advised Yudhishthira to stay focused in his path of righteousness as always and blessed them to be victorious.

The prior advice from Krishna and the later advice from Yama Dharmaraja made it easy for the Pandavas to decide to go to the Matsya Kingdom. Together with Draupadi, they devised a plan to approach the king of Matsya Kingdom, Virata. He was married to Queen Sudeshna. Prince Uttara and Princess Uttaraa were their children. 

The Pandavas discussed seeking various jobs to serve the king in the palace so that they would stay close to each other. They knew they neither could be seen together, nor could they do what they were good at. They had to depend on their secondary ability in order to disguise themselves well. This was very hard on Yudhishthira’s brothers. The thought of Yudhishthira , such a mighty king, especially after performing the Rajasuya Yaj~na, now going in disguise to serve another king brought tears to their eyes.

On their way to the kingdom, they dug a pit under a tree and buried all their weapons. Yudhishthira disguised himself as a brahmin named Kanka, to serve the king as an adviser. He played dice with the king and discussed politics, astrology and scriptures. He claimed that he had a good relationship with Yudhishthira. In the past twelve years, Yudhishthira had trained himself in the game of dice as he was so bad at it when he played in Hastinapura. He wanted to be ready if there was another such occasion. Therefore, it was now his second strength. 

Bhima took the name Vallabha to serve as the royal cook, as he had been fond of culinary arts from his youth. To entertain the king, Vallabha occasionally participated in wrestling matches. Arjuna didn’t need a secondary ability as he became Brihannala, a eunuch serving in the queen’s palace. He taught music and dance to Princess Uttaaraa and her friends. In this way he used the curse from Urvashi to his benefit. 

Nakula in the name of Dhamagranthi, training and looking after the horses in the royal stables. Sahadeva as Tantripala worked at the royal cowshed, taking care of the king’s cattle, protecting them from disease and attacks from wild animals. Draupadi as Sairandhri became Queen Sudeshna’s companion and personal maid. No one knew their true identity.

With Shakuni’s help, Duryodhana was trying to create a plan to locate the Pandava brothers during their thirteenth year. If found, the Pandavas must repeat the thirteen years all over again. This would be the ideal solution for Duryodhana, so he would not need to give the half of the kingdom to Yudhishthira after the thirteenth year. 

Duryodhana sent hundreds of spies in search of the Pandavas to all the friendly kingdoms. The news from the spies did not reveal any information. Eleven months went by without any progress in getting information. Desperate, Duryodhana and Shakuni went beyond the nearby kingdoms, expanding their search in far kingdoms.

They collected information about these far kingdoms, finding that the Matsya Kingdom was going through several improvements, both in relations with their neighboring kingdoms as well as the living standards of its citizens. This made them think the Pandavas could be hiding in the Matsya Kingdom. Duryodhana and Shakuni planned a trip there.

Meanwhile, in the Matsya Kingdom, the Pandavas and Draupadi blended in very well with the royal workers. They had only one more month to go before the end of their thirteenth-year incognito. At that point, Kichaka returned to the kingdom after a long absence, having been engaged in wars with some of the kingdoms. Kichaka was Queen Sudeshna’s brother, serving as King Virata’s commander-in-chief.

Kichaka had immense influence in the kingdom. He was a great warrior and acted as if he was the king. King Virata was very weak, depending on Kichaka in many ways. One day, Kichaka came across Sairandhri at his sister’s palace. Her beauty attracted him so much that he desired to have her for himself. She said that she was married and was protected by powerful gandharvas, who would kill anyone who troubled her. Kichaka continued to harass her and pursue her, thinking that after all she was just a servant. 

All his many attempts to get her failed, so he sought his sister’s help to get Sairandhri. She advised her brother against the idea. He refused to accept it and poured his heart out to her about wanting Sairandhri. Feeling sorry for her brother, Queen Sudeshna sent Sairandhri to her brother’s palace, asking her to bring some items from there for a festival that was to be held on the next day. 

Seeing Sairandhri in his room made Kichaka lustful. Using the opportunity, he harassed her more forcefully. She refused him again so he attacked her. She fled to the royal court for her safety, but Kichaka followed her, abusing and kicking her in front of the king. No one dared to oppose him, but he could not go beyond that as it was in the royal court. 

Distressed, Draupadi took the risk to reach out to Bhima for help. Bhima consoled her and was full of fury, ready to bring an end to Kichaka. But, remembering their situation, together they devised a plan. Bhima told her to act as if she was consenting to Kichaka’s advances and make him come to the dancing chamber in the night without anyone else knowing. Sairandhri acted as planned and asked Kichaka to come and meet her that night at the dancing chamber alone. 

Kichaka was delighted to hear this and anxiously came to the chamber that night. When he entered the chamber, he saw Sairandhri waiting in the dark. He didn’t know that it was Bhima, dressed in Sairandhri’s clothes. Kichaka was too drunk to see the differences. He went close to Sairandhri to embrace her passionately. Before he realized what was going on, Bhima gave him a big blow. Kichaka was thoroughly confused. Before he could comprehend what was going on, his resistance was no match to Bhima’s aggression. Bhima killed him and left his body in the dancing chamber.

The next morning, everyone was shocked to see Kichaka murdered. When the queen asked Sairandhri about her knowledge of the incident, she told the queen and everyone else that her gandharva husband had killed Kichaka, as she had already warned. 

Everyone feared Sairandhri after they learned about this. Queen Sudeshna was afraid to keep her as a maid, but Sairandhri requested to let her stay for a few more days, which would complete the thirteenth year incognito. Queen Sudeshna was too scared to refuse her request and agreed to keep her until then.

The news of Kichaka’s murder reached Duryodhana and Shakuni. Only a few people could kill Kichaka. Their suspicions increased. They were pretty sure that the Pandavas were in the Matsya Kingdom.

More to come…

1. Yaksha & Yudhishthira https://www.esamskriti.com/e/Spirituality/Philosophy/Yaksha-Prashna~-An-Encounter-between-Dharma,-the-father-and-Yudhishthira,-the-son-1.aspx

2. Yama Dharmaraja & Pandava brothers https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/the-yakshas-episode/

3. Map of Matsya Kingdom https://chandrasnotes.blog/2022/03/29/mahabharata-in-365-days-day-137-appointment-of-dhaumya-as-purohita-of-pandavas/

4. The Pandavas’ disguises in King Virata’s palace https://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/tales-from-the-mahabharata-the-thirteenth-year/

5. Shakuni & Duryodhana developing plan to find Pandavas https://picryl.com/media/shakuni-consolating-duryodhana-09e322

6. Kichaka https://www.quora.com/Who-was-kichak

7. Kichaka & Sairandhri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kichaka

8. Bhima kills Kichaka https://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/tales-from-the-mahabharata-the-thirteenth-year/

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Sage Durvasa agreed to Duryodhana’s request and decided to go visit the Pandavas and Draupadi in the forest. He always loved to test people. 

To fulfill his word to Duryodhana, Durvasa headed towards Kamyaka forest from Hastinapura. He and his disciples arrived at the Ashram late in the day, after all the Pandava clan had finished their meals for the day, including Draupadi. 

Not only had she eaten, but she also cleaned the wish-fulfilling bowl bestowed by Surya, the Sun God, and put it away. The Sun God granted Yudhishthira a boon by giving an inexhaustible vessel called “Akshaya Patra” to be given to Draupadi.  Akshaya Patra will produce the food in any quantity desired at every meal and become empty only after Draupadi has taken her own meal, to fill up the next day once again. 

Yudhishthira and the Pandava brothers were shocked and puzzled to see the sage visiting so late in the afternoon. They invited them wholeheartedly. When Draupadi saw Durvasa and his disciples, her heart ached as she had already eaten and washed the wish-fulfilling bowl. She was bewildered about how to serve them. 

She heard Yudhishthira say that they were going to the river to take a bath and refresh themselves before coming for a good meal. Now Draupadi had a real problem! She was desperate. She was thinking of ways to get some food. 

After the sage and his disciples left for the river, the five brothers joined her in brainstorming the solution. Remembering Krishna, Draupadi told the Pandavas that only Krishna could help them.  She then thought of Krishna deep in her heart. She prayed to Krishna, pleading to him to save her from the predictable anger of Sage Durvasa, to avoid them getting a curse from him. 

Her desperate calling reached Krishna’s ears. There he was, right in front of her smiling. Confused and full of fear, Draupadi started to describe her desperate situation, unable to find words to describe it. Krishna stopped her from talking. He asked for food, saying that he was very hungry. 

Draupadi exclaimed, saying that it is not the time for jokes as she continued trying to explain the situation. Krishna asked her to bring the cooking vessels to him. She told Krishna that she had already washed and put the vessel away for the day.  She didn’t even have a single grain left to feed him or the sage and his disciples. But as Krishna insisted again and again, she brought and handed the vessels over to him.

To her surprise, Krishna scraped the bottom of the pot and got a bit of greens along with a single grain of rice. Holding the grain in his hand, he said that it would not be enough to fulfill the hunger of the sage and his disciples, therefore he was going to eat it so that his hunger is fulfilled. He said a prayer and ate the single grain of rice with full satisfaction. 

He then told her that he was fully satisfied and for Bhima to invite Sage Durvasa and disciples for the meal.  At first, Draupadi was embarrassed that she hadn’t washed the pot well.  Recovering from it, she wondered how Krishna was going to provide the meal for the sage and his disciples.  But, trusting Krishna as always, Draupadi requested Bhima to go bring the guests. 

When Bhima went to the riverbank, he was astonished to see the sage and disciples burping after their bath as if they had a big wholesome meal. They indeed excused themselves to go along with Bhima to the Ashram, as they were too full to eat. Of course, through his yogic powers, Sage Durvasa knew the reason for them suddenly feeling full. He apologized for not returning to the Ashram and blessed the Pandavas for them to have success in completing their time in exile in the forest, plus the year afterwards where they had to live in disguise untraced, and then to regain their kingdom. He also told Bhima to convey his regards to the other visitor who was at the Ashram.

Time passed. Only a few more days remained for the Pandavas to finish their twelve years of exile. One day a brahmin who was passing through Kamyaka forest came to the Pandavas seeking help. He said that his churner and igniting rod that he had for making his yaj~na fires had been taken by a stag. He explained that he hung them on a tree, but a stag rubbed against the tree, so they fell and got caught in its antlers. The frightened stag ran away with them. He requested the Pandavas to find and return them to him. 

The Pandavas set off looking for this stag which disappeared magically into the forest. They searched around for hours with no success. Exhausted, the Pandavas sat down under a tree to rest. They were all both hungry and thirsty. 

Nakula was asked to bring some water to quench their thirst. When he went in search of water, he spotted a beautiful lake with crystal clear water. He was so happy and went closer to drink some water, hoping to take some back for his brothers as well. When he was just about to drink the water, he heard a strange voice saying, “If you want to drink the water from this lake you have to answer all my questions.” 

Nakula simply ignored the voice as he was too thirsty and started drinking the water. In no time, he fell dead on the ground. As Nakula didn’t return, Sahadeva decided to go look for him. He met the same fate as Nakula. 

Arjuna went in search for them and found them lying dead without any injuries to their bodies. Puzzled, Arjuna started shooting arrows reciting mantras, but the strange voice said that those arrows are not going to be of use. It requested Arjuna to answer his questions and drink the water or else he will attain the same fate as his younger brothers. Arjuna too refused to answer and drank the water and fell dead. 

Yudhishthira sent Bhima, who saw his three brothers’ fate and thought this must be a demon’s work.  Yet he decided to quench his thirst before he could battle the demon. He was asked to answer the questions by the voice, but he too didn’t comply and met the same fate.

Yudhishthira was puzzled and worried about the delay in them returning. He decided to go look for them himself. He was shocked to see all his brothers lying beside the lake, breathless. At first his heart sank and tears started rolling down. Then looking at their bodies more carefully, he realized that there was no injury. They looked as if they were sleeping. There were no signs of any enemies’ attack. He wondered if the lake was poisonous. 

As he was reaching down towards the water, he too heard the same strange voice saying not to drink the water until he answered all the questions, as the lake belonged to him. The voice also said that his brothers drank the water without answering the questions and met their end. “Do you wish to suffer the same fate?” it asked Yudhishthira.  

Yudhishthira happily agreed to answer the questions. He humbly said, “If you claim this lake to be yours, I am happy to satisfy you, by answering your questions to the best of my knowledge. Please kindly show yourself to me.”

A yaksha (nature spirit) appeared in front of Yudhishthira and started with some simple questions, then continued with more difficult ones. 

Here are some questions that were asked and answers from Yudhishthira.

What brings out the sun every day?

Brahman.

What is more important than the earth itself?

Mother.

What is higher than the heavens?

Father.

Who is the best mate/companion for a man?

Wife.

Who is the best friend of man?

Patience.

What is faster than the wind? 

The mind.

What is the most valuable possession? 

Knowledge.

What is the greatest happiness? 

Contentment

What is ignorance?

Not knowing one’s duty.

What is the highest dharma? 

Not to injure any of the living – ahimsa, non-harming.

What is that must be controlled and restrained?

The mind.

What must be renounced to make a man wealthy?

Desire.

What is man’s greatest invisible enemy? 

Anger.

What must be renounced to make a man delightful?

Pride.

Losing what makes one rich? 

Greed.

What is truly amazing in this world?

The fact that day after day everyone sees deaths occurring, yet all feel that they will never die. Everyone goes about their life as if they are going to be here forever.

What is real knowledge?

Knowledge of Self, God.

The yaksha was greatly pleased with Yudhishthira’s answers. As he was fully satisfied with Yudhishthira’s answers, he decided to revive one of Yudhishthira’s brothers. He asked Yudhishthira to choose one out of the four brothers, who were lying dead. Who would Yudhishthira pick?

More to come…

1. Draupadi with Akshaya Patra https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/divine-dinners-by-moses-jesus-hindu-saints-draupadi
2. Krishna, Draupadi & Pandavas https://lightofgodhead.com/logstaging/durvasa-muni-visits-the-pandavas
3. Sage Durvasa https://www.spiritualbee.com/posts/why-is-tantric-knowledge-kept-hidden-durvasas-hasty-boon
4. Lake https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/hand-drawn-flat-design-lake-scenery_20006025.htm#query=lake%20cartoon&position=7&from_view=keyword&track=ais_user&uuid=38b2acbd-9e3a-4186-8dc0-63841866371f
5. Yudhishthira finds brothers https://pragyata.com/yakshas-lake-and-the-fire-drill
6. Yaksha asking questions of Yudhishthira https://nirvandiaries.com/yaksha-prashna-stories-from-the-mahabharata
7. Yaksha, Yudhishthira & 4 dead brothers https://storysangam.com/mythology-stories-yaksha-prashna

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Once a brahmin priest, who was a scholar in Vedas and who exceled in penance and discipline visited the court of King Dhritarashtra. The king greeted him with respect and offered him a seat. 

While they were talking, the brahmin revealed that he had seen the Pandavas in the forest. He went on describing the details, explaining the hardship they were living under. Hearing about the condition of the Pandavas, Dhritarashtra’s heart ached and tears fell from his eyes. 

The brahmin continued, saying that even with all the hardship, the eldest of the Pandavas, Yudhishthira, with his severe penance had acquired boons not only from the sages on this earth but also from the celestial beings. Bhima had gotten new physical strength and power as blessings from Lord Hanuman. Arjuna, because of his austere penance, received Pashupata Astra from Lord Shiva, and he also got incomparable weapons from Indra. 

The brahmin added that Nakula & Sachdeva along with Draupadi were stronger than ever before in their hearts & minds. He also mentioned how all the rishis and yogis were visiting them and, most of all, Krishna himself was visiting them quite often.

Hearing all this from the brahmin, Dhritarashtra’s mood changed from sympathy to fear & worry. Karna and Shakuni also heard all this, along with Duryodhana. Duryodhana got angry and really wanted to humiliate and insult the Pandavas while in their unfortunate circumstances. He decided to get permission from his father to go witness the suffering of the Pandavas. This was something he had been wanting to do for a very long time. As he knew his father would not allow him to humiliate or insult the Pandavas, he had to devise an alternate plan.

Duryodhana told his father Dhritarashtra that they wanted to visit the village near the forest where the Pandavas lived. They were going to inspect a cow farm which belonged to the Hastinapura kingdom. As the King was afraid of them going so close to where the Pandavas lived, it took a lot of convincing to get the permission.

The three of them along with other Kauravas went to the forest. They brought men and women in fine clothing and jewelry, hoping that it would provoke the Pandavas and Draupadi. They first came across a serene stream and decided to refresh themselves by taking a bath in it. But they were not the only ones in the stream. There were some Gandharvas, celestial beings, including their chief Chitrasena, already there having a nice time. 

That was disturbing to the Kauravas. Duryodhana demanded that the Gandharvas leave. They ignored Duryodhana and refused to leave. So the Kauravas ended up fighting them, only to lose badly. Karna was insulted so much that he ran away. The Gandharvas defeated the Kauravas and imprisoned them, including the men and women who came along with them.

The Pandavas heard the news about Kauravas’ capture from the soldiers deserting the Kauravas. Bhima was so delighted to hear the news, thinking that the Gandharvas had done what he had been wanting to do so badly. But Yudhishthira advised Bhima and Arjuna to go save them, as it’s their dharma to be there for their family. 

So, the Pandavas gathered the Kaurava soldiers who had scattered and went to war with the Gandharvas. Chitrasena’s anger vanished as soon as he saw the Pandavas, especially Arjuna, his beloved student. He respected the Pandavas’ request to release their family members. Per their wish, Chitrasena released the Kauravas.

Yudishthira advised Duryodhana to stop doing unkind acts in the future. He sent Duryodhana and the others back to Hastinapura, lovingly asking them to convey his best regards to the elders and other family members. Duryodhana was terribly humiliated by this incident and felt miserable. He was so angry.  He couldn’t accept that the Pandavas rescued him and his family from the Gandharvas. He didn’t want to live with this disgrace. But after Karna, Shakuni and the other brothers convinced him otherwise, they all returned to Hastinapura.

Later one day, when the Pandavas had gone out hunting, Jayadratha was on his way to Hastinapura and saw Draupadi in the forest. Jayadratha was the King of the Sindhu Kingdom, married to Duryodhana’s sister Dushala. Jayadratha was struck by the beauty of Draupadi. Not knowing who she was, he sent a soldier to inquire about her. After knowing who she was, he invited her to come live with him, mocking her situation with the Pandavas.

Draupadi was furious about this request and refused harshly, telling Jayadratha to leave the ashram immediately. Filled with lust, Jayadratha kidnapped her. He forcibly pulled her into his chariot and drove away. Draupadi screamed so loudly that those who were nearby heard the cry and ran to rescue her, but the chariot drove away fast. 

When the Pandavas reached the ashram, they heard about the incident from those who were nearby. They immediately went after Jayadratha. Jayadratha’s army was no match for the angry Pandavas. When Jayadratha saw Bhima and Arjuna approaching, he did his best to save his life by pushing Draupadi out of the chariot. Seeing this Bhima got furious and captured Jayadratha in no time. 

They took him to Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira asked Draupadi to decide the punishment for Jayadratha, reminding her that he was the husband of their cousin Dushala. Even though she was filled with rage and bitterness, Draupadi valued Yudhishthira’s comments and asked Jayadratha’s head to be shaved, leaving only a few clumps of hair. The punishment was carried out according to her wish and Jayadratha was let go to return to his kingdom.

Jayadratha was too ashamed to go home to his family and remained in the forest. He did intense austerities and meditation on Lord Shiva, seeking a boon to take revenge on the Pandavas. Pleased with his deep tapas, Lord Shiva appeared before Jayadratha. Jayadratha asked Lord Shiva to give him a boon to defeat the Pandavas and their army in a battle. 

As Lord Shiva had already given a boon to Arjuna that he couldn’t be defeated, Shiva altered the boon that Jayadratha asked. Lord Shiva said that Jayadratha could resist the other four Pandava brothers for one day of the battle. With no other choice, Jayadratha accepted the boon and went home. After getting the boon, he forgot the fact that he was the one who wronged them in the first place. 

Duryodhana, inspired by Yudhishthira’s Rajasuya Yaj~na, always wanted to perform one himself. But the brahmins and the elders didn’t agree with his idea. So instead, he planned to do a different special yaj~na. All the rishis and sages visited the kingdom to attend this yajna. With Karna’s dedication and loyalty, Duryodhana successfully finished the yaj~na. At this ceremony, Karna made a promise to Duryodhana that he would kill Arjuna in war. He vowed to give up eating meat and alcohol until then. It is also believed this is when Karna took the vow of giving as well. By this, he became the benevolent King of the age.

One fine day, Rishi Durvasa visited Hastinapura with his many disciples. Knowing the sage’s hot temper, Duryodhana didn’t want to be cursed, so he served Durvasa at his best to please him. The sage was delighted by Duryodhana’s service and asked him to request a boon. Duryodhana cunningly requested the sage to visit the Pandavas in the forest. Of course, the reason behind this request is that he was hoping that this was a great opportunity to bring downfall to the Pandavas. Knowing the sage’s temperament, Duryodhana was thinking it would be hard for the Pandavas to serve and satisfy the sage and his many disciples with their limited resources. 

Duryodhana also requested that the sage visit the Pandavas late in the afternoon. This was to make sure that Draupadi had taken care of everyone, so she would have nothing to offer to the sage and his disciples. The ill mind of Duryodhana was such that, instead of getting blessings from the sage, he was scheming to cause harm to others.  

Sage Durvasa agreed to Duryodhana’s request and promised to go visit the Pandavas and Draupadi in the near future.  Duryodhana was happy that his plot to bring downfall to the Pandavas was working.  He hoped that they would be severely cursed by Rishi Durvasa.

More to come…

1. Brahmin priest https://www.bardaionline.com/religion-culture/brahmin/2011/11/20
2. King Dhritarashtra https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Dhritarashtra.jpg
3. Chitrasena of the Gandharvas https://www.facebook.com/104289227956814/photos/a.112341960484874/146032953782441/?type=3
4. Yudhishthira advising Duryodhana https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/duryodhanas-humiliation
5. Draupadi being kidnapped by Jayadratha http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RtUxUYEE7k0/TCf5_1lG91I/AAAAAAAACno/bojrLGnVaKg/s1600/24890_384907723735_171041283735_3934194_7637117_n.jpg
6. Jayadratha https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/jayadratha-seeks-revenge
7. Rishi Durvasa https://hindutempletalk.org/2023/08/17/durvasaa-sage-of-wonder-and-fury/amp

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

After visiting many sacred places of pilgrimage and listening to wonderful stories, the Pandavas reached Badrikashrama, located on the way to the holy mountain Kailash. This is the place where the great rishis Nara and Narayana performed their austerities. 

The Pandavas decided to stay there at Badrikashrama for some time, as it was near the time for Arjuna’s return from mountain Kailash. The forest in the area was lovely, full of flowers with many different colors. As Draupadi was enjoying it all, she found a beautiful fragranced flower which had been blown by the wind from the north. 

Caught up by its beauty and smell, she asked Bhima to find the place where the flower came from so he could bring her more flowers of that kind. She wanted to offer them to Yudhishthira. To fulfill her desire, Bhima went into the forest full of enthusiasm. He walked like an elephant who was rampaging the forest. The birds started to flee in fear.

Bhima came across a big old monkey sleeping in the middle of a banana plantation, with his tail stretched across the forest path. To wake the giant monkey, Bhima shouted like thunder and stamped his foot on the ground. The monkey opened its eyes and said to Bhima, “You look like a decent man, but you are behaving like someone who is less than a layman. Why are you disturbing the creatures of this forest? This is not the righteous way.” 

Angry, Bhima exclaimed that he was in a hurry, telling the monkey to move away and give space for Bhima to move forward. The monkey replied saying that he was too tired and half asleep, so he simply couldn’t move. But he gave permission for Bhima to jump over his tail. 

Bhima replied that, if it was a young monkey, he would have jumped over it just like Hanuman jumped over the sea. But, as it was an elderly monkey, it would be disrespectful to do that to an elderly being. So the monkey gave permission for Bhima to move his tail to make way. Since he was an old monkey, Bhima decided not to give too much importance to it and disrespectfully used his left hand to lift his tail. To Bhima’s surprise, he couldn’t move the tail even an inch. He then used his right hand with no success. Puzzled, he then tried with both of his hands to move it, but failed big time. Bhima was in disbelief at this defeat, being unable to move an old monkey’s tail.

Therefore, Bhima realized that this was not an ordinary monkey. So he surrendered to the monkey and accepted his defeat. He introduced himself as one of the Pandava brothers and bowed, asking humbly, who was the monkey? The monkey said that he was the son of the wind God Vayu and of Anjanaa Devi. 

He added, “Just earlier, you were talking about Hanuman, right? I am he. I am the servant of Ram and you are my brother.” Hanuman showed his true form to Bhima and embraced him. Bhima experienced that the hug by Hanuman gave him the strength that was no match for anyone. 

Hanuman blessed Bhima with a boon saying that every time Bhima would roar in the battlefield, Hanuman’s voice will be heard in that too. That would give strength to the Pandava army while giving fear to the Kaurava army. Also, Hanuman promised to be in the flag of Arjuna’s chariot. He also blessed Bhima with a lot of strength and love. 

Hanuman also warned Bhima that the place that he was wandering, in search for the flower, was not a safe place for him to be. The reason why Hanuman came to Bhima was to warn him about it. Hanuman showed the way to the flowers that Draupadi wanted, which were from Lord Kubera’s garden. Bhima thanked Hanuman dearly, and happily went to collect all the flowers that Draupadi wanted. After facing some challenges at the garden with the guards of Lord Kubera, Bhima was able to collect the flowers. 

The Pandavas stayed in the Badrikashrama area as planned, awaiting Arjuna’s arrival. At last that great day arrived. There was a chariot shining with light, beaming from heaven. It landed near their Ashram. Arjuna jumped out of the chariot and bowed at the feet of his elder brothers with great respect, then embraced the younger ones with affection. 

Draupadi and the brothers were delighted to see Arjuna. He was wearing the crown given by his father Lord Indra, and he was adorned with jewelry along with all the weapons that had been gifted to him. He started telling them all the stories about the blessings from Lord Shiva and his stay at Amaravati, the abode of his father. 

Yudhishthira was very much interested in knowing all about the weapons that Arjuna received and how they could use them. When Arjuna started sharing the knowledge about them, Maharishi Narada appeared. He warned Arjuna that these weapons were not to be trifled with. They can be used only when dire need arises. They must be used with extra caution. He also reminded all of the reason why Arjuna was chosen to go to heavens to learn them. Narada told Arjuna to keep the knowledge within himself, without unnecessarily sharing it with anyone. This knowledge could be dangerous if anyone who is not suitable for the task hears about it and if ever would try to use them. 

They had been staying in Badrikashrama for a long time. It was already ten years. So they decided to finish their last two years of exile back in the Kamyaka forest. One day while looking for food, Bhima came across a huge serpent. Before he could do anything, the serpent coiled itself around him tightly with an intension of eating him. Bhima could feel himself losing all his strength. 

He decided to be brave at heart.  Without fear, he introduced himself, saying that he was Yudhishthira’s brother and asked why the serpent was holding him. The python replied saying, “My name is Nahusha. I am one of your ancestors. As I once insulted Agastya Muni, I was cursed by the great sage to become a serpent. I caught you with the intension of eating you. Now that you have mentioned Yudhishthira’s name, I cannot do that. I was given the boon by Agastya Muni that only Yudhishthira can break my curse by answering my questions. I have been waiting for him for so long.”

Meanwhile, Yudhishthira had been looking for Bhima and came upon the scene, shocked to find Bhima coiled round by a huge serpent. Yudhishthira stayed calm and inquired what was going on. Nahusha revealed himself to Yudhishthira, telling him about his curse. Yudhishthira paid his respect to his ancestor Nahusha and agreed to answer his questions. Some of the questions and answers are as follows…

Nahusha: “Who is a brahmin? What is his ideal?” 

Yudhishthira: “A Brahmin is one who possesses the qualities of truthfulness, virtue, compassion, penance and mercy. He is the conqueror of the senses. He doesn’t deviate from truthfulness. His dharma is to seek great knowledge and to impart that knowledge to others and that is the ideal of a Brahmin.” 

Nahusha: “Knowing what would make a human be omniscient?”

Yudhishthira: “Brahman is the source of the mystical universe. One who knows that Brahman thus becomes omniscient.”

Nahusha: “What is worth knowing?”

Yudhishthira: “Immeasurable God, who cannot be reached by any amount of land, time or material, but when reached, there is no rebirth, that God alone is worthy of knowing.”

Nahusha: “Who is a wise Brahma J~nani? What is the use of Brahma wisdom?”

Yudhishthira: “Attaining the Brahma wisdom is the ultimate goal of life, the pinnacle. A Brahma J~nani comes to know the truth, merging with the Oneness, by knowing he is not the body but the soul. He becomes beyond birth and death. He is not be affected by the pleasures and pains of this world. He is the wise Brahma J~nani. All people who come in contact with that Brahma J~nani progresses in moral and spiritual development.”

Yudhishthira answered all Nahusha’s questions and freed Nahusha from his curse. Nahusha started his journey to heaven and Bhima got all his strength back. The two brothers happily went back to the Ashram.

More to come…

• 1. Bhima & Draupadi https://www.quora.com/Why-did-people-feel-Bhima-loved-Draupadi-most-n-Arjun-loves-her-least
• 2. Bhima & old monkey https://www.templepurohit.com/bhima-and-lord-hanuman-a-story-from-mahabharatha
• 3. Hanuman https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hanuman
• 4. Arjuna https://www.wattpad.com/story/301777819-%E2%80%A2-arjun-%7E-soul-of-indra-%E2%80%A2-%E2%9C%94
• 5. Arjuna, brothers & Draupadi https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/arjuna-returns-2
• 6. Bhima, serpent (Nahusha) & Yudhishthira https://medium.com/@niranjana.dr/ajaagara-parva-yudhistiras-answer-to-the-caste-conundrum-4e4e233d6c13
• 7. Yudhishthira https://www.indianetzone.com/3/yudhisthir.htm

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

As Harishchandra’s son refused to leave his mother, he was sold along with his mother. Harishchandra hugged his son tightly to his chest, bursting into a stream of tears. His wife Chandramathi fell flat at her husband’s feet to get his blessings before departing. 

The cruel-hearted old man who bought them, without mercy yelled at them to follow his lead. Harishchandra watched them leave, in desperation unable to do anything. 

The sage Vishwamithra visited again and demanded the donation. Harishchandra happily gave all that he had from selling his wife and son. The sage wasn’t too happy with the donation and asked for more. Harishchandra didn’t have any other choice but to sell himself. He sold himself to a person who oversees disposing human remains. So, the great King Harishchandra’s duty was to burn off dead bodies. With this, he was not only able to settle all his debt, but also was able to lose his identity of being a great King.

Harishchandra carried out his new duty righteously, collecting the fees on time and giving it all to his master without missing a penny. After a while working at the cremation ground, one day around midnight Harishchandra found a woman half-clad, with her dead son on her lap. She looked completely exhausted as if she had been crying for a long time. 

She asked for help from Harishchandra to burn her son’s body as she didn’t have any money to offer for the services. As much as he wanted to help the poor woman, he couldn’t do it as he was merely a servant to his master.

The woman pleaded with Harishchandra, saying that she was a servant of a stone-hearted old man, who was very unkind, and she needed to get back to work before sunrise. Harishchandra looked more closely at her.  

Though he couldn’t see her face in the dark, he noticed the wedding necklace in her neck shining brightly, in contrast to all else that she was wearing and saying. He then demanded her to give the money, saying that she could get money with the golden wedding necklace she was wearing. 

The woman was so hurt by this. She screamed with a loud voice saying, “Why am I still alive? If this cemetery keeper can see my wedding necklace, that means my chastity is going to be questioned. It’s only my husband who can see this necklace, according to the boon I had when I was born.” 

Harishchandra immediately recognized that this woman in rags was none other than his beloved wife Chandramathi, and the boy lying lifeless was his son. He hugged his wife and the body of his son. He arranged a huge pyre, laying his son’s body on it. Harishchandra then told Chandramathi to go get the money from the master. 

Even though Chandramathi was quite sure that she would not get a penny from her boss, to satisfy her husband she started running towards the master’s home. On her way she saw a young boy’s corpse on the streets. Her heart went out for this boy, so she dragged him from the street and held him on her lap. 

Next thing you know, she was surrounded by royal guards.  She was accused of killing the son of the king of Kashi for the sake of his jewelry. The thieves had run away with the golden treasures, abandoning the corpse, while Chandramathi’s fate brought her to this trouble. 

Chandramathi was taken to the king.  As she was in shock, she couldn’t say a word. With the evidence totally against her, she was charged with murder and treason.  She was sentenced to be beheaded.

Chandramathi was taken to the cemetery by the royal guards. Harishchandra was called upon by his master and asked to behead Chandramathi. Harishchandra’s heart stopped for a moment. He could clearly understand the poor state of his wife. His hands trembled to even to hold the sword. He cried without knowing what to do. 

Chandramathi addressed her husband in a very firm voice and said to him to uphold the righteous and to be truthful. Not to give it away for the sake of her life. She was willing to give up her life for her husband’s truthfulness.

When Harishchandra was just about to perform his action, Vishwamithra interfered.  The sage said, “Oh king, why are you suffering like this? All you must do is refuse to do what you promised. I will give everything back to you.” He encouraged Harishchandra to lie to win his kingdom back. 

Harishchandra and Chandramathi fell on the sage’s feet.  They said that water purifies the body and truthfulness purifies the mind. That it is as precious as life itself, only that it is internal. For the sake of worldly life, we cannot give up on truth. Then they both got up and Harishchandra raised the sword to behead Chandramathi. 

The sword went right to her neck, but what a miracle! As soon as it touched her neck, it disappeared, instead turning into a beautiful garland full of fragrance. The devas were blessing them with flowers raining down from the heavens. The public was taken by this blissful scene. 

To everyone’s astonishment, their son Devadas stood as if he was waking from a deep sleep. Sage Vasishta was there, delighted to see Harishchandra and Chandramathi, and to witness the triumph of truthfulness.

Sage Vishwamithra was taken by all this and realized his mistake. He too blessed the couple, giving not only all Harishchandra had lost but also half of the powers of penance to the truthful king, as the sage had promised earlier. Harishchandra lived for a long-time, ruling Ayodhya righteously, continuing to be truthful. 

Before returning to the Pandavas’ story, I will share one additional story the Pandavas heard from the great sage during their time in the forest. 

Once, there was a noble and just king named Shibi. Born into a line of righteous rulers, King Shibi was known for his wisdom, courage and unyielding sense of justice. He was a descendant of the legendary Bharata dynasty. His father, King Usinara, was an equally revered ruler. 

King Shibi was married to a beautiful and virtuous queen. Together, they had several children who were taught the importance of upholding dharma and leading a life of righteousness. The royal family was greatly admired and respected by the people of the kingdom for their kindness, generosity and dedication to their subjects’ well-being. 

His fame spread throughout the world.  News of his magnanimity reached even the heavenly realms. Indra, Lord of Heaven, wanted to test King Shibi to see if he was as great as his fame suggested. So Indra and Agni, the God of Fire, came down from heaven to test the King.  

Agni assumed the form of a dove and Indra became a fierce eagle. Agni flew in front, fluttering his wings as if terrified with Indra following at a distance, as if in hot pursuit. They flew straight towards the king’s palace.

The frightened dove took shelter in king’s lap. As the King had vowed to protect those who seek shelter, even though in this case it was a bird, he decided to protect it. 

The king comforted the dove with peace-filled words and he was ready to face the eagle. The eagle flew in, demanding the release of the dove as it was his prey. The righteous king realized that he was in a dilemma. While protecting the dove, he must fulfill the eagle’s hunger. 

The eagle agreed to let the dove go if the king would offer equal weight of flesh from his own body, but without shedding a single teardrop. The King agreed to this demand. He called his guards and set up a scale where he placed the dove on one side and a large chunk of flesh from his right thigh on the left.

To his surprise the weight of dove was more.  He added more, but even after additional flesh was added, the weight of dove was more.  Even after cutting the whole of his right half of the body, the dove’s weight was not equaled.  

As he is man of his words, he decided to offer the left side of his body as well.  As he was about to cut the left side of his body, the eagle and the dove disappeared. In their places stood the Gods Indra and Agni.  The Gods granted the king many boons. King Shibi ruled righteously for many years.  After his death, he went directly to heaven to enjoy the fruits of his good deeds. 

More to come…

• 1. Vishwamithra https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=413677098670837&set=a.390684834303397

• 2. Harishchandra, Chandramathi & son https://openthemagazine.com/columns/the-dilemmas-of-harishchandra
• 3. Sage Chandramathi, son & Harishchandra https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1868747543429115&set=harischandra-and-chandramathiharischandra-purana-mayana-kandam-happenings-in-cre
• 4. Flowers falling from heaven Illustration by S.A. Hancherow
• 5. King Shibi, dove (Agni) & eagle (Indra) https://www.boloji.com/articles/7052/shibi-rana
• 6. King Shibi cutting flesh https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/king-shibihttps://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/king-shibi