Karna, not surprisingly, showed a marked aptitude for what was considered to be the pursuits of a Kshatriya. He did not wish to follow professionally in his foster father’s footsteps and longed to become an outstanding archer. He went to several noted gurukuls of the day but was turned away at each one because of his perceived lowly birth. Increasingly dejected, he decided to try a new tack. Parashurama, the formidable sage-warrior, believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu, was known for his intense hatred of the Kshatriyas. Karna went to him in the guise of a Brahmin and was accepted as a pupil.
The days in the gurukul were wonderful ones for Karna. His skills burgeoned under the watchful eye of Parashurama and the crusty, battle-hardened Brahmin veteran came to love the talented youth as his own son. Karna was taught the use of divine weapons like the Brahmastra, because and of his proficiency in the field and the great appreciation his Guru had for him.
Then, one fateful day, Parashurama was weary and decided to sleep away his fatigue. Karna affectionately placed his Guru’s head on his own lap as he slept under the shade of a tree. At that moment, Indra, being Arjuna’s father-benefactor, took the form of a venomous insect and stung Karna in the thigh. The pain was excruciating but Karna endured it manfully, not wanting to disturb his master. The wound started to bleed and Parashurama woke up when he felt the sticky blood. For a moment he stared in silence at his disciple and then the truth dawned on him. Parashurama addressed Karna coldly, ‘Who are you? You are no Brahmin, for only a true Kshatriya can bear such agony with such fortitude.’
Thus directly challenged by his Guru, Karna replied, ‘I am the son of the charioteer, Adhiratha. My intention was not to deceive you; my insatiable thirst for knowledge drove me to you in this guise. Pray have mercy on me.’
But the damage had been done. Parashurama was furious that he had been duped and unleashed his terrible wrath on the errant lad saying: ‘There can be no forgiveness for the likes of you. Deception was used by you to get what you wanted from me, but little good will your ill-gotten knowledge do you in the long run. Pay heed, O Karna of duplicitous nature, the Brahmastra will be ineffectual when you need it the most, for you will forget how to use it. Now get out of my sight.’
Karna was traumatised by these venomous words coming from the lips of his revered master. The terrible curse his Guru had pronounced hung over his head and cast a dark shadow over his future. And that future was made bleaker by yet another curse. Once, while practising his skill with arms near a Brahmin’s cottage, he caused the death of the Brahmin’s sanctified cow through an inadvertently released arrow. The Brahmin was outraged and rejecting Karna’s earnest appeals for forgiveness and permission to pay compensation and replace the slain cow with many others, he pronounced a fateful curse: ‘You killed a poor, defenceless creature today and you shall meet the same fate. Death will come to you when you are at your most vulnerable, with your chariot wheel stuck in a crevice on the battlefield.’
Thus, due to circumstances beyond his control, Karna’s fate was sealed. Nevertheless, being a deep believer in manly effort, he persisted in his single-minded drive to achieve excellence in the art of warfare – sustained only by the unconditional love of his doting foster-parents.
Duryodhana’s offer of friendship acted as a magic salve that rejuvenated his wounded spirit and he remained fiercely loyal to his friend till the end of his days. Duryodhana’s friends were his friends and his enemies became Karna’s as well. Karna came to nurse the heartiest loathing for the Pandavas in general and for Arjuna in particular. Even when he came to know the truth about his birth and parentage, he could not find it in his loyal heart to switch sides, and though his attitude to his other brothers softened, he remained steadfast in his desire to crush Arjuna.
7
Arjuna Wins A Bride
A few days after the tournament, Drona decided the time had come for him to have his long-desired revenge. He sent for his pupils and commanded them to capture Drupada, the King of Panchala, and bring him to the gurukul. Anxious to carry out his orders, the Kuru Princes set forth, bedecked in warlike regalia and armed to the teeth.
Duryodhana, his brothers, and Karna, rushed headlong into the attack. Seeing this, Arjuna held his brothers back and said, ‘Duryodhana and his cronies can never hope to capture the valiant Drupada with such an imprudent and blustering mode of attack. Let us wait for a strategic moment before jumping into the fray’. And so the brothers held themselves in check while Drupada pummelled Duryodhana’s forces into shameful retreat.
At the precise moment when the battle seemed to have gone Drupada’s way, Arjuna gave his orders. He recommended that Yudhishthira stay behind. Nakula and Sahadeva would form the rearguard and protect his own chariot, while Bheema would ride at his side. In this formation, the brothers charged into battle. Bheema tore through the ranks of the Panchala warriors, wreaking havoc with his mace. Arjuna made his way towards Drupada with relentless purpose, his sharp arrows thwarting those who sought to impede his progress. When he caught sight of the King, he wasted no time in letting fly his arrows with such precision that Drupada’s bow was shattered, his flagstaff severed in half and his charioteer and horses incapacitated. All this happened in the blink of an eye, and even as Drupada reached for another bow, Arjuna had leapt on to his chariot, holding his sword to the beleaguered monarch’s throat. Letting out a roar of triumph, Arjuna called out to his brothers.
Arjuna took his royal captive to Drona and humbly presented his gurudakshina. Drona took in the sight of Drupada standing before him, a prisoner of war, and noticed that the man who stood before him was a far cry from the haughty monarch of yore. He said to him, ‘Everything you own, including your life, belongs to me now. I wonder if you need a friend at this dire moment?’ Smiling ever so slightly, he continued, ‘You may remember a grievous injury you did to a certain good friend in the past and are perhaps repenting for your misdeed. But I am pleased to tell you that we Brahmins are not known to hold grudges. Willingly shall I return half of what was your Kingdom. You once told me that friendship is possible only between equals and I strive to repair the inequality that you perceived so that we may renew our old friendship. Go in peace to your half of the Kingdom and if you are willing, we can forget the past and begin our relationship afresh.’
Drupada, under his passive demeanour, was seething in impotent rage. With a beatific smile that concealed the intensity of his hatred, he replied, ‘You have treated a fallen enemy with magnanimity and kindness. I am not surprised, for you are famed for your nobility as well as your valour. It will be my honour to be your friend. I accept your offer of friendship.’
Drona was pleased with the turn of events and released Drupada, presenting him with half the Kingdom. But Drupada was now a man with a mission. His sole aim in life was to bring Drona to his knees and snuff the life out of him. Brooding over the humiliation that had been handed him by the Brahmin he had once despised, he spent many days mulling over how best to get his own back. He was aware that Drona wielded much greater power than he did. So he decided to beget a valorous son who would vanquish his enemy in battle, and a beautiful daughter who would marry Arjuna, the world’s greatest warrior and Drona’s star pupil. With this idea firmly etched in his mind, he pondered over a course of action that would bring his plans to fruition.
Leaving his Kingdom, Drupada searched far and wide for renowned Brahmins who were skilled in the esoteric art of consecrating wish-fulfilling, sacred rites. Finally, he found the ascetic brothers, Yaja and Upayaja, who were meditating in their ashram on the banks of the great river Ganga. Drupada sensed that he was close to fulfilling his most fervent desire. He approached Yaja, who had the reputation (or rather, notoriety) of not being finicky about purity of action in return for the right price, and narrated his story. Drona, in an act of petty vengeance, had taken half his Kingdom and his prestige and would have to pay for what he had done. The monarch, smarting with fresh humiliation as he remembered his defeat, added: ‘It will no
t be easy to vanquish that wily Brahmin. He is a master of the Vedas and has Parashurama’s weapons at his disposal. The man is invincible. I wish for a mighty son who can take on the task of killing Drona, and a beautiful daughter who will enable me to make powerful alliances and bring about the destruction of my enemies. If you help me I will reward you beyond your wildest expectations.’ Yaja was swayed by the offer and consented to perform the needed rites.
With the help of his brother Upayaja (who was of purer habit), Yaja gathered the materials he required and fixed on an auspicious day. Having completed the rites, he called for Drupada’s Queen to receive the sacrificial oblation that would enable her to bear twin children. The Queen requested him to wait while she performed her ablutions. Incensed by her dithering at such a profound moment, Yaja declared, ‘I have no need for you; this offering, consecreted by the combined efforts of Yaja and Upayaja, will achieve its purpose.’ So saying, he poured the oblation into the sacred fire. The flames soared up high and from their midst emerged a god-like youth with strong features and adorned in splendid raiment. Drupada was thrilled with his warlike bearing and even as he admired his son, a divine voice called out, ‘This noble Prince will be the pride of the Panchalas as he is born to destroy their enemy Drona in battle’. Cheers rang out as the entire gathering was on its feet loudly expressing their gratitude to the Gods.
The sacrificial flames then leapt up a second time, and a dark maiden of exquisite beauty stepped out from the blazing core. Even the brilliance of the flames seemed to pale in comparison to her divine features. Her hair was long, black and lustrous. Her eyes were dark and flashing. Her form was perfect. She was without doubt the most beautiful creation to have walked the earth. Her brother helped her out and even as he did so, the divine voice rang out again, ‘This jewel among women is an instrument of the Gods. She will bring about the destruction of many Kshatriyas and most of the Kuru clan.’
The twins were named Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi. Drupada was elated at the successful accomplishment of his mission. He showered the Brahmin brothers with rich gifts and expressed his heartfelt gratitude. News of the birth of the twins spread like wildfire and eventually reached the ears of Dronacharya himself. Resigning himself to the irrevocable working of destiny, he personally brought Dhrishtadyumna to his abode and coached him in the science of arms.
In the great battle of Kurukshetra, Dhrishtadyumna was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Pandava forces; and Drona, following the defeat of Bhishma by Arjuna (shielded by Shikandin), took up the generalship of the Kaurava army. The Acharya, who had always followed an unconventional lifestyle for a Brahmin, gave himself over completely to the dark allure of violence, goaded by the taunts of Duryodhana, who accused him of being partial to the Pandavas. He fought with fiendish ferocity. But his decision to use divine weapons against common soldiers led to his conduct being derided and deprecated by all who saw him in action.
An old blood feud heated up when Drona claimed the lives of Drupada’s three grandsons, cutting off their heads with his deadly arrows. The bereaved grandfather, accompanied by Virata, the grand old monarch of Matsya, who had lost all his sons, charged towards the offending Brahmin, their entire beings seething with hatred and anger. The battle that followed was intense in the extreme but the mighty Brahmin warrior prevailed and despatched his former friend-turned-bitter-foe – Drupada, as well as Virata, on their final journey.
On seeing the lifeless bodies of his valiant father and sons, Dhrishtadyumna howled in black rage. Overpowering grief threatened to split him asunder and he said with intense feeling, ‘Alas! I was born to save Mother Earth from the odious burden of that evil Brahmin, who is a disgrace to his race. If only I could have killed him sooner, the precious blood of my father and sons would not have been spilt in this accursed place! I live now only for revenge and it shall be mine for I am truly my father’s son.’
Krishna, who was related to the Pandavas and had consented to be Arjuna’s charioteer in the great war, was disgusted with Drona’s unethical tactics and decided that his death must be hastened. He knew that Arjuna alone had what it took to defeat and kill the indefatigable Brahmin, but Arjuna the pupil could never bring himself to fight against his respected master, whom he honoured like a father. Making up his mind about what had to be done, Krishna went to Yudhishthira and said, ‘O King! Dronacharya is slaughtering your army and will not rest till he has slain the last man. He is like a maddened beast that is so dangerous that it has to be put down. Something has to be done.’
‘But what can we do to stop him? He taught us all we know and we are helpless in the face of his might. How can we hope to overpower him?’ replied a dejected Yudhishthira.
‘Do you remember what he told you when you asked for his advice at the onset of the battle?’ the omniscient Krishna asked, gently nudging Yudhishthira down the dark path they would need to traverse in order to kill Drona.
‘Yes, I remember! He said that he could be defeated only if he was made to drop his arms. And he would do so only if someone he trusted gave him terrible tidings.’
‘What needs to be done is clear. He will drop his arms only if he is informed of the untimely death of his son, Ashwatthama. He trusts only you, so it is necessary for you to convey that false message in order to save those who have placed their trust in you,’ spoke Krishna.
On hearing these words Yudhishthira and Arjuna were equally dismayed. Seeing their mutinous expressions, Bheema stepped in to do the needful. ‘There is no need for the two of you to look so horrified. This is a battlefield and sometimes you have to dirty your hands in order to survive. Look at the corpses around you... Feast your eyes on the artistry of your teacher. Nobody forced him to fight for the evil Duryodhana. The choice was entirely his to make. He needs to be killed and if there is only one way to accomplish it, then so be it!’
‘I cannot bring myself to commit such a foul deed!’ said Yudhishthira, anguish writ large on his handsome face.
‘It will bring perpetual infamy on our clan if we do this...’ reiterated Arjuna.
‘Then out of respect for your fine sensibilities, I shall make it easier for you. Indravarma, the Malava King, has an elephant named after that brutish oaf, Ashwatthama. The beast has been causing a lot of damage. Today, Ashwatthama the elephant shall meet his end at my hands,’ said Bheema.
So saying, Bheema took up his mace and went out and killed the elephant named Ashwatthama. Without further ado, he called out to Drona in his stentorian voice, ‘Ashwatthama is dead!’
Drona’s blood turned icy cold in his veins. But he could not trust Bheema the way he trusted his righteous elder brother. So he continued to fight mechanically, launching one celestial missile after another, mowing through the Pandava army like a ravaging predator, until his eyes alighted on Yudhishthira. ‘Is it true? Does my son lie dead in this accursed place?’ he asked pathetically.
‘Ashwatthama is dead!’ said Yudhishthira, his voice trembling with the deep self-loathing he felt. Softly he added, knowing he would not be heard, ‘The elephant’.
When these words were uttered, Yudhishthira’s chariot, which would levitate four fingers above the ground, became surface-bound. His strict adherence to the path of dharma had earned him this exalted position above his fellows. But the one corrupting half-truth made Yudhishthira’s fall from impeccable virtue, visible to the whole world.
Drona was too distraught to notice, however. The world and its concerns held no meaning for him once the ever-truthful Yudhishthira confirmed his son’s passing. He threw down his weapons and sat down in yogic absorption – his soul leaving his body for the abode of Brahma (the seventh heaven).
At this juncture, Dhrishtadyumna, who was past caring about honour where his sworn enemy was concerned, rushed at him with a sword, and ignoring the cries of censure from those around him, severed Drona’s head from his already lifeless body. Holding aloft the Acharya’s head, Dhrishtadyumna whooped like an animal, delighted with himself for achi
eving what he was born to do and for having avenged his dead family members.
But violence only begets more violence. Dhrishtadyumna himself would meet his gory nocturnal end, when Drona’s vengeful son would sneak into the enemy’s camp and destroy without mercy, all those who reposed within, exhausted after their exertions on the battlefield. In a weird play of poetic justice, Dhrishtadyumna would pay for his abominable violence on the disarmed yoga-absorbed body of his Guru by himself being denied the right to fight like a warrior and would breathe his last by being kicked and crushed under the cruel and unforgiving feet of Ashwatthama, Drona’s son. Thus would end the tragic tale of animus between Drona, Arjuna’s teacher and Drupada, his father-in-law.
But all these events of battle would take place much later in the saga. In the meantime, the Pandavas found themselves besieged by Duryodhana’s unceasing hatred and jealousy. Giving in to popular demand, Dhritarashtra crowned Yudhishthira as the heir apparent to the Kuru throne. The Prince endeared himself to the masses with his fairness, generosity, and innate kindness. Arjuna armed himself and like his father Pandu had done before, set out to subdue the rebellious factions of the Kingdom and annexe new territories. He tamed hitherto indomitable warriors like the Yavana King, Vipula, and Sumitra, and brought them all under the Kuru yoke. Invaders were repelled by the might of his bow and the boundaries of the Kuru Kingdom were made secure. Arjuna amassed a massive fortune and returned with it to Hastinapura, the Kuru capital, where the citizens gathered to applaud the conquering hero. Once again he was the cynosure of all eyes and the masses worshipped the ground he walked on.
Arjuna Page 5