Dada instructed Satyaki who had returned from Dwaraka, to safely dispatch all Pandava ladies from Kurukshetra to Hastinapura. All the Pandavas left for Hastinapura along with their wives. Kritavarma had already left for Dwaraka. Nobody came to know when and towards which forest Ashwatthama left with the bleeding wound caused by Bhima when he cut off the bead of flesh on his head.
In the very end Daruka, Satyaki, my dada and I – the four of us left the desolated land of Kurukshetra in dada’s Garudadhwaja chariot harnessed with pure white horses.
We also started our journey to Hastinapura. In the town of Vrikasthala near the border of Hastinapura we stayed at the residence of one of dada’s devotees.
The next day we entered the city of Hastinapura in the Garudadhwaja chariot at dawn. When dada had come here for the mediation, how zealously the citizens of Hastinapura had welcomed him with pomp and splendour. Now not a soul was there on both sides of the road. At least one person from each household in Hastinapura had died a hero’s death in the war of Kurukshetra. Those left behind were aged, women and children. And they were also drowned in grief behind closed doors.
We came near Vidura’s residence on the border of the city. I don’t know how but even without having sent any intimation, Mahatma Vidura was standing there to welcome dada with his hands joined in greeting. He quickly approached Garudadhwaja. Dada said to him, “Sakha Vidura, you also join us in the chariot. We are here to meet the Kuru Maharaja. You are his Mahamantri.”
‘As you wish, oh Lord of Dwaraka’, saying thus Vidura quickly boarded the Garudadhwaja chariot.
I strongly noticed that dada had addressed him as ‘Sakha’. That was because all four of us – Daruka, Satyaki, Vidura and I, standing in Garudadhwaja today at this moment were his Sakhas.
The magnificent ancient royal palace of the Kurus built with the reddish Jambha stone came into sight. All of us descended from the chariot. All five Pandavas who had already reached there as per dada’s instruction came forward to greet dada. Dada whispered something in Vidura’s ears.
Vidura left in person towards Maharaj Dhritarashtra’s chamber to convey the news of the arrival of dada and the Pandavas. As soon as he left, dada called all the Pandavas close to him and instructed them in front of me, “Dear brothers, as a duty you are to bow down to your kaka and meet him from a distance. No one should go close to him. Especially you Bhimsena, you should stay farthest than the others. Whatever curses he inflicts upon you in the agony of losing his hundred sons, you are to hear them quietly without fidgeting with your mace.”
All the Pandavas heard dada’s instructions attentively. Taking all of us with him dada started walking straight towards the armoury of the Kurus. In front of the armoury there was an open ground on which the royal wrestling pit of the Kurus was located on the east side. There was a single iron statue standing on the west side. It looked like a replica of Bhima holding his mace on his shoulder. Dada stood right in front of that iron statue with all of us.
Bhimsena couldn’t restrain his curiosity and asked, “An iron statue resembling me and how come it is located in the wrestling pit of the Kurus’ armoury, Srikrishna? Who placed it here?”
Dada looked smilingly at him and said, “Don’t feel flattered Kaunteya! It is not placed here for your worship or to offer flowers. Duryodhana himself got it made by his proficient ironsmiths by creating a mould of your size and pouring molten iron in it. For the daily practice of mace fighting! Every day he practised mace fighting here for hours along with his selected brothers such as Dushasana, Durmukha and Durgharsha. Whenever he got a chance to make a fatal strike on his opponent he would gently hit his erring brother and let him go and then would land the fatal strike on your iron statue with full power shouting your name with rage – ‘Bhimsena’. If you observe closely, you will see many dents on the statue caused by such heavy strikes.”
Not just Bhimsena but the other Pandavas were stunned while hearing Krishna’s account.
Just then Mahamantri Vidura entered the armoury holding Kuru Maharaja Dhritarashtra’s hand, guiding him, saying ‘This way Maharaja, please come this way’. Then dada signalled us as decided earlier. All of us scattered around. Only dada stood in front of Bhimsena’s iron statue. Mahamantri Vidura who had brought the blind king of Kurus holding his hand said, “The Lord of Dwaraka who has returned from Kurukshetra seeks your blessings Maharaja”. Dada promptly moved forward and sitting in Virasana he touched the feet of Maharaja. That cunning diplomatic Maharaja asked ‘who is it?’ to determine the voice. In the Virasana pose itself dada said to him, “Maharaja, I am Srikrishna – the son of Vasudeva-Devaki of Dwaraka.” Still, the shrewd Maharaja touched the crown on dada’s head to check if it had a peacock feather. Then in his usual pretentious manner, hiding his real feelings, outwardly he said, “Srikrishna? You are not at fault. You were unarmed! A charioteer! Srikrishna, I understand that you have come to offer your condolences to me as my hundred sons who went after meeting me haven’t returned at all. But whether it is you Yadavas of Dwaraka or us Kurus of Hastinapura – we are after all Kshatriyas! A Kshatriya never expresses regret or mourns the carnage of war. They consider that whatever happens goes as an offering at the feet of Ranamardinee – the Goddess of War. I do the same, and I guess you might also.” For a moment, the wily king paused to gauge dada’s opinion.
Dada also stood up and letting him blindly follow his thoughts he said, “Yes Maharaja, I have come to offer my condolences. I should have visited Rajmata Gandharidevi first, her being a lady. But I know how afflicted you are due to the bereavement of your hundred sons. I thought it was appropriate to meet you first as the ruler of this ancient royal throne, hence I am here. Maharaja, please be calm and compose yourself.”
“I am calm already. If my dear brother Pandu’s sons rule the kingdom of Hastinapura it would be like my own sons ruling the kingdom. Isn’t it? I consider that with the end of the war our enmity has ended. I am anxious to meet the Pandavas. I am especially looking forward to meeting Bhimsena and holding him in my embrace. It is true that as a father I do lament the death of foolish Duryodhana and all his brothers. But I have drowned my sorrows in river Ganga already. Our sages and hermits have taught us that enmity should end with the death of the enemy.
“Oh Srikrishna, dear son, have you come alone? Vidura actually told me that my beloved Pandavas have also come with you. Where are they? Where is my dear Bhimsena?” Meanwhile dada quickly moved behind Bhimsena’s iron statue. From there he said, “Maharaja, now that you have pardoned them they are feeling relieved. They have been silently standing here in front of you wondering what and how to speak to you. Bhimsena is standing right in front of you. Please take him in your deep loving embrace. He is yearning to seek your blessings.”
Hearing that, Maharaja Dhritarashtra left Vidura’s hand at once. Spreading both his strong arms he said in clear, loud words, “Oh dear Bhimsena…! Come here son. Let me embrace you tightly.” With our eyes dilated we all kept witnessing an unprecedented thrilling drama. Nothing like this had ever happened since the creation of Hastinapura.
The aged father lamenting the death of his hundred sons embraced Bhimsena’s iron statue thinking it was actually him, so tightly that even the mace-holding arm of the iron statue came loose from the joining socket and fell on the floor! Hearing its clanging sound, he thought that Bhimsena was standing in front of him in person and his mace had dropped from his hands. In that delusion, the mournful Kuru father embraced the remainder of the statue even harder. The left hand of the statue also fell down. Then the old mournful father kept embracing the iron statue continuously calling Bhimsena, ‘Bhima… son, oh warrior Bhima...’ He crushed the upper body of the iron statue into small pieces which fell clanging on the stone floor.
While crushing the statue of iron, thinking it was Bhimsena, the aged Kuru’s body also got stained with blood. With the warm touch of his own blood he came to his senses and covering his gray bearded and gray moustached face, sinking on the
floor the helpless aged father screamed strangely, “Oh my hundred sons, I have crushed your killer, vile Bhimsena to pieces! Come and see them. Where are you my boys?”
Mahatma Vidura affectionately patted his blind brother’s back first. Then giving him support Vidura slowly carried him towards his chamber.
I approached dada with all the five Pandavas. Satyaki was standing by my side. But Daruka was waiting in the Garudadhwaja chariot outside.
I picked up one of the pieces of Bhimsena’s iron statue fallen on the stone floor. It had a few drops of blood on it. But they belonged to a melancholy father. Looking at those pieces I said to dada, “From Satyaki I have heard the accounts of various tactics of your ingenious intellect on Kurukshetra during the eighteen days of war while slaying every great warrior. But today I witnessed the culmination of your genius in person. Indeed, what would have happened to mighty Bhimsena if you were not here today?”
That night all of us stayed at Vidura’s residence on the border of Hastinapura.
Vidura’s wife Parasavidevi got busy preparing food for all of us with the assistance of her servants. All of us sat in a room outside. Dada sat on a golden seat in the centre of the room. We sat in front of him. Vidura stood on his right, with both his palms respectfully joined together. All the Pandavas and their ladies, including Kuntimata and Draupadi went to take some rest in the resting chamber adjacent to the sitting room.
Dada said to Vidura, “Sakha Vidura, all these years you were the Mahamantri of the Kauravas, and you performed your duties devotedly. Henceforth you will have to carry out the same task for the Pandavas. First, get all the preparations done for Yudhishthira’s coronation. Grandsire Bhishma is still awaiting the sun to start its journey towards the northern solstice, to breathe his last. When he breathes his last immediately inform me in Dwaraka.”
“As you wish Lord of Dwaraka. I will follow your instructions to the letter,” said Mahamantri Vidura, bowing slightly with utmost respect.
“Let Yudhishthira rest here for a couple of days. Then immediately send him to Kurukshetra. Grandsire is waiting for him. He wants to speak to Yudhishthira in private about something important.”
While hearing that I strongly remembered that even when Karna had gone to meet grandsire, he had sent all others away. As Yudhishthira was the eldest after Karna, he probably wanted to talk to Yudhishthira from that angle. Probably, he was going to impart some advice from his experience, about politics, Dharma, warfare, and the duties of a king, to Yudhishthira. As it is all the Pandavas had left Kurukshetra only after meeting him. Notably, Rajmata Kuntidevi had met grandsire along with Draupadi and all other Pandava ladies. While talking to her grandsire had given her a specific instruction. I came to know about it from Arjuna. Grandsire had wisely advised our Kunti aatya, ‘Once Yudhishthira is crowned as the king of Hastinapura you should take up Vanaprasthashrama the very next day. Maharaja Dhritarashtra and Gandhari will never stay in Hastinapura after that. They will strongly insist on living in the forest. You should not leave the company of your brother-in-law and his wife irrespective of whatever has happened in the war. You should accompany the desolate couple in the forest also.’
Notably, aatya Kuntidevi had put her head on grandsire’s feet and nodded in affirmation, agreeing to his instruction.
When I came to know all this, it became crystal clear to me why my dada had so much respect for aatya Kuntidevi. Some men and women were indeed difficult to comprehend irrespective of whether they were from among the Kurus or the Yadavas. As for dada, I had not yet understood him at all. My only satisfaction was that he had undoubtedly considered me as his paramsakha. While talking to many people he had undoubtedly mentioned my name as his confidant.
As it was time for dinner Mahatma Vidura came to invite all of us. Joining his palms together he requested dada, “It is dinner time. The Lord of Dwaraka should join us all.”
At that dada smiled and asked him, “Vidura, what is there for dinner tonight?”
“Aarya, knowing that having food should be considered as important as yajnakarma we have kept it simple. Though I did not tell her, Parasavi has cooked your favourite soft rice mixed with salt and buttermilk. Please come.”
Dada rose from his seat, went close to Vidura and putting his arm on his shoulder he said, “Vidura, today I don’t feel like eating even the rice. Please tell Parasavidevi to pardon me. I will drink only a glass of milk – as yajnakarma.
As dada said ‘No’ to food Vidura promptly responded ‘As you wish, Aarya’ and greeted him while bowing. He immediately held my hand with affection and said, “Come Uddhavadeva, please.”
“I will also drink only milk!” I humbly rejected his offer.
Dada and I sat in the room. Vidura took Daruka and Satyaki towards the dining room. After some time, an attendant brought the news of royal charioteer Sanjaya’s arrival.
In a few moments, the Kurus’ royal charioteer Sanjaya stood in front of dada with his palms joined in greeting. He was also dada’s sakha in Hastinapura. Stepping forward, dada held both his hands lovingly and said, “Dear Sanjaya, we will leave for Dwaraka tomorrow, so today itself convey our message to Rajmata Gandharidevi that we are coming to meet her in the morning.” ‘Yes, sire’ said Sanjaya and left.
The next day while performing my morning rituals I came to know from Vidura that as dada didn’t eat anything for dinner last night, Mahatma Vidura and our charioteer Daruka also had nothing but milk. Only maharathi Satyaki ate his fill.
Various birds from many gardens of Hastinapura soared in the sky while offering the Arghya of their melodious chirping to the rising sun of Hastinapura. They flew towards the forests to find the meaning of the new day in their lives. Efficient Daruka got dada’s favourite decorated Garudadhwaja chariot in front of Vidura’s residence. Daruka took his seat. The chariots of all five Pandavas were behind us. As usual dada graciously touched his lean fingers to the first step of Garudadhwaja chariot, then to his head as a gesture of respect to it and then in a single leap he boarded the chariot. Imitating him, Satyaki and I boarded the chariot from one side. From the other side, Kuru’s Mahamantri Vidura climbed into the chariot. On the flagpole of the Garudadhwaja chariot the Yadavas’ royal pennant was fluttering gently in the morning breeze coming from river Ganga. The Yadavas’ insignia, the golden Garuda, imprinted on it with its wings spread wide to soar high also began fluttering. Daruka pulled out the whip from the leather socket, quickly paid obeisance to dada in his mind and cracked the whip in the air as usual making a snapping sound. As usual he called all four horses with their short names – ‘Megha… Shaibya… Bala…’ and pulling the reins in his hands he signalled them to sprint forward. They neighed knowingly, lifting up their front hooves. Now as Garudadhwaja was about to go in the direction of the Kurus’ ancient royal palace, a cawing flock of crows flew above the chariot. The droppings of one of the birds streaked across both the golden wings of Garuda, the king of birds, the royal insignia of the Yadavas! Standing next to me dada prayed to Goddess Ida with his eyes closed!’
Within a short time, our skilled charioteer Daruka steered the chariot under the golden full moon image on the arch at the huge entrance of the royal Kuru palace. He brought it right in front of Rajmata Gandharidevi’s residential palace. The chariots of the Pandavas followed. Satyaki and I alighted from one side of Garudadhwaja. Kuru minister Vidura alighted from the other side. In the end dada put down the bluish sole of his foot with lean toes on the floor of the Kurus’ royal palace.
All of us followed Vidura. Just then we all heard a deafening, shrill and lingering shriek of a lapwing flying over river Ganga nearby. Dada looked at the azure sky above our heads and closed his fish-shaped eyes. His bluish, lean fingers gently brushed over the fresh Vaijayanti garland hanging down his chest.
We reached in front of rajmata’s chamber by walking on the winding path leading to it. Royal charioteer Sanjaya was standing right there. He earnestly approached dada, greeted him and holding his right h
and lovingly he took dada to visit rajmata. Vidura walked on dada’s left hand while Satyaki and I walked on his right. All the Pandavas followed us. As Sanjaya had already conveyed the news of our arrival to rajmata, a couple of Kuru maids came forward to welcome dada.
In the inner chamber rajmata sat on a polished rosewood settee. Many Kuru ladies including Duryodhana’s wife Bhanumati, Duryodhana’s sister and Jayadratha’s wife Dushaladevi, and guru Drona’s wife Kripidevi sat on a rug spread near the settee.
Seeing dada and all of us coming, all of them except rajmata stood up covering their faces with their shawls. A few clear and a few muffled sobs were heard. But Rajmata Gandharidevi who had for years blindfolded herself with a white strip of cloth, sat motionless on the settee – calm, like a marble statue. As dada saw her even his feet hesitated for a moment. The next moment he quickly stepped forward, knelt down and putting his head straight on rajmata’s fair wrinkled feet dangling from the settee he said, “I, Srikrishna – son of Vasudeva-Devaki bow down to you rajmata.”
Rajmata Gandharidevi got flustered for a moment.
The next moment that royal lady, heartbroken due to the death of her hundred sons hastily pulled both her feet up and sobbed uncontrollably. To avoid the touch of dada’s hands she sat cross-legged on the settee, which she had never done before. Many men and women from various kingdoms of Aaryavarta had passionately fallen at dada’s imperial feet till today just to touch them. This was the very first experience for him to be snubbed by someone.
I was shaken inside out to witness such a scene. All the Pandavas and dada’s sakhas felt the same. The entire room was now packed with many suppressed emotions. When dada who had spoken so charmingly all his life himself was dumbfounded and could not open his mouth, who else could dare to speak?
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 95