Yuyutsu - Rise of the last Kaurava

by Aniket Sharma

  The ocean of tears rolls out from the moist eyes of the warrior while he expresses himself.

  “How much more remains in this war?” I couldn’t hide my emotions too.

  Arjuna throws his sword and with teary eyes goes to Yudhishthira. He bows down and speaks, “Your words were strong and unfeeling. All our lives, all your brothers have devoted themselves to you. We have followed your every instruction like the last word of God. Your misjudgements and addiction stole every wealth of ours and took us to exile for thirteen long years. Even then, we have never uttered a single word to malign your glory. You lost the dice game, and

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  Draupadi had to suffer the humiliation, but we took your side and followed you blindly. You, in the woods, have forgotten all our sufferings. You, in the response of peace-seeking advice of uncle Dhritarashtra, almost agreed to his desires; but we obeyed you. You were ready to give up everything and agreed to settle for just five villages, and yet we followed you. And when the war was decided, we, your four younger brothers, gathered the armies from the four directions, and those mil- lions of soldiers are sacrificing their lives each day for you. You asked me to stand behind Shikhandin to slay the grandsire. I did so without thinking about my sovereignty. It was you who gambled, it was you who misjudged, it was you who lost all the wealth, and it was you who allowed the Kauravas to humiliate Draupadi. And today again, with your cruel words, you have goaded the sanctity of my perseverance and strengths. I am cheerless; I have no desires left. You want Karna to be dead. I vow to slay him today before the sunset. I am devoted to you, and your wish is on my head. I promise Karna will exhale his last breath today. The earth will be bereft of that son of Suta today. The strength of a Brahmana is in his words, and the strength of a Kshatriya is in his arms. Today, the battle will witness the prowess of my arms.”

  Arjuna turns back and signals Krishna to move towards the battlefield. I also started following them when we heard Yudhishthira.

  In a hoarse voice, he speaks, “O Arjuna! Don’t walk away.”

  We stop and turn back. Yudhishthira walks towards us slowly. The pain of pierced arrows is evident in his eyes. The wounds are not fully recovered. He walks closer to Arjuna, puts his hand on Arjuna’s shoulder and with great affection rubs it

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  and speaks, “Arjuna! I know I am a wicked soul. It was terrible of me to speak such cruel words for you. The biggest wealth a man earns in life is respect, but today, I lost that too. The game of dice hadn’t cursed my life much, but this act of yours did. I am cruel; I am a wretch, I am wicked, I am a destroyer, I am an insulter, and I am not a follower of righteousness. I have proved today I am neither calm too. I have no rights to continue here, and immediately I will retire to the woods. O Krishna! Install Bhima as the king if we win the battle. I don’t deserve to be the ruler. An insulter of his clan has no rights to stay in the family.” Each word of Yudhishthira was coming out with great difficulty. The hoarse voice engrossed in pain, and the rinsing blood from the wounds make him sound like a man lost in his misdeeds. He moves back and sits on his bed with the tears rolling through the cheeks. The realization is evident on his face.

  The pain from wounds and the fear of losing loaded the king with sorrow. The cruel and venom-soaked words from the mouth of Yudhishthira were no less than torrents of arrows showered on Arjuna. The warriors can take the strikes on their chest but sustaining the cruelty of words from dear ones is not easy. Yudhishthira might have wanted to provoke Arjuna for the duel with Karna, but the harsh words gravely hurt the morale of his younger brother. Arjuna joins his hands and bows his head before Yudhishthira. He too realized his folly as his anger for his elder is beyond acceptance. Morality is inscrutable by persons of irrational behaviour. Yudhishthira pecks the head of his younger brother, and Arjuna too touches the feet of his elder. Confusion is vanquished. Arjuna once again loaded with yet another vow mounts on his chariot and Krishna drives him to the field. The white pennon with an ape banner on it flies high as the chariot cruises towards the war- field. The four white high breed steeds yoked to his chariot

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  rush like thunderbolts in the sky. And in no time Arjuna, on his chariot, vanishes in the cloud of dust.

  I come inside the tent of Yudhishthira. He is sitting calmly on his bed with a smirk on his face. If he is mocking on himself or the folly of Arjuna, only he knows. I am appalled, and hence I move closer to him. His condition looks stable; the wounds don’t look that terrible. The external cuts can be healed with medicines, but there is no lotion which can heal the bruises caused by false and cruel speeches. The morality of the two brothers was robbed for a moment. Krishna managed to con- trol the madness of two brothers. The deeds decide our future, but the future is decorated by morality. Yudhishthira had almost lost the battle due to his puerile speech, but the storm goes silent now. However, I’m still confused by his smirk!

  The king looks at me and says, “Yuyutsu, you think I made a mistake today. You are the witness of my folly. I tried to provoke Arjuna to face Karna blatantly, but sometimes you miss the undercurrent of words. Understand my intent; don’t try to com- prehend the actual words. I had no intent to hurt my brother, but I ended up with the harsh and cruel words demeaning Arjuna’s enthusiasm. He has devoted his life for Indraprastha. He with Krishna cleared the Khandava forest, and that rocky and barren field then merged with the city of Indraprastha. Do you know how disciplined Arjuna is? I was appalled when he pun- ished himself on the pretext of breaking a rule. He entered our chamber when I was with Draupadi in Indraprastha. Following the rules, he left Indraprastha for twelve years of penance. He earned the unparalleled weapons from Rudra and Indra to strengthen his quiver after years of hardships and toil. He saved

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  the prestige of Matsyas, and it was he who defied all the shame of being called coward, stood before Shikhandin and smote the grandsire. The world may remember me as a follower of the Dharma, but the world will always remember him as a hero, a real hero! For many generations to come, Arjuna will always be remembered as the strongest warrior who ever lived. He did everything selflessly, and I not only cursed him but sacrificed his son also. I’m possibly the vilest and the evilest of all. Perhaps worse than Kauravas!” He exhales a deep breath, becomes quiet and stares into the oblivion.

  I heard every word of the king in silence. His speech reflected repentance. But the words once spoken can never be reverted. I don’t have words to express my emotions. I am still unable to comprehend the sudden rudeness in Yudhishthira’s behaviour. If he has so much admiration for his younger brother, why couldn’t he control his rage? The situation seems to be settled, but the dent in a relationship remains forever. No level of atonement can fill the void created because of misapprehensions. Remorse in Yudhishthira’s face is still visible. I think of giving him some time to rest and recover, both physically and emotionally, I bow down to him and ask, “What do you expect from me, O king?” He smiles, to my utter dismay, takes a deep breath and says, “I will tell you one day for sure, now please go and help Bhima. He must be out of his weapons. My health is stable now, wounds are not rinsing blood, and the physicians here will take care of me.”

  I took his leave and rushed towards the battlefield on a dif- ferent horse as I left my chariot in the battlefield while rescu- ing Yudhishthira from Karna’s attacks.

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  The thoughts of the harsh exchange of words between the two Pandu sons still haunt me. The way Duryodhana had cursed me before his dead son, Yudhishthira’s tone for Arjuna was no different than that. Was Yudhishthira’s fear of losing against Karna blurted out today or was this just a camouflage to pour fuel in the already raging fire inside Arjuna? I shouldn’t judge it. The thoughts in our subcon- scious mind find their way out through our speech, and then the words haunt us forever. I hurriedly reach near my chariot and quickly mount on it. Sudasa is ready, and at my command, he directs the equines to advance towards the place where Bhima is visibly strugg
ling alone. He asks for the health of Yudhishthira, and I share with him the wellness of the king. I ask him about the situation on the field, and he says, “The rattle of Karna’s chariot is piercing the ears like the peal of thunder. He is crushing troops amid the con- tinuous sound of pain and cries. The fiercely awful strikes from the bows of Karna smites the soldiers in thousands. He is not sparing anyone on the field, be it a warrior on the chariot, be it an elephant warrior or a mere foot-soldier, every single soldier in the cavalry is on his target. Bhima is countering the attacks of Karna but the other brothers of Duryodhana, especially Dushasana, are making our lives difficult. But thousands of arrows and hundreds of lances released by Bhima have claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers in the opponent’s army. If Karna is unparalleled, Bhima is ruthless.”

  “Where are Arjuna and Krishna?” I question him.

  “Sire! I haven’t seen them entering the field from here. They must have entered from the other side.”

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  “Bhima must be out of the ammunition by now. Take me to Bhima, O Suta”, I command my charioteer.

  “Seems Karna has left the spot and moved to some other place.”, Sudasa says when we don’t see Karna, as we reached near Bhima.

  Dushasana on his chariot pulled by four strong steeds is facing Bhima. Both the warriors look like the raging tigers. The dreadful combat is underway between the two. Bhima releases multiple shafts impetuously, but Dushasana count- ers them all fearlessly. Dushasana then strikes the wheels of Bhima’s chariot and with powerful strikes breaks its standard too. Bhima jumps off his chariot while Visoka, his charioteer, releases the yoked steeds before the chariot col- lapses. Bhima lands on the ground with his heaviest spiked mace. Roaring Bhima looks at his antagonist with wrathful eyes, licks his lips, and runs towards Dushasana. With one heavy blow, he breaks his chariot, forcing Dushasana to jump off it. Both the bulls facing each other on the ground makes the sight more fearful. Roars of both these mountain-like creatures reverberate through the ether. They both hold the maces and advance towards each other. While, Bhima strikes, the other counters. Dushasana hits the shoulder of Bhima, to which Bhima retaliates with the strike on his chest. The strikes of the maces generate immense noise and sparks on the ground. They rub their shoulders, they push, they hit with hands, and they hit with the foot. No rule is being followed by the two wild beasts fighting on the ground. They both are on a rampage. Dushasana, with his absolute strength, hits Bhima and pushes him back by few cubits. This strong attack

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  from Dushasana makes Bhima furious. Angry Bhima rushes towards Dushasana and hits him on his skull. The shattered Dushasana falls. Bhima puts his foot on the throat of his antagonist and pushes him into the soil. Dushasana starts panting, all his strength vanishes, and he flutters his legs to seek help from anyone present on the field to rescue him. But alas! stopping Bhima is difficult today.

  Bhima throws his mace and rips off Dushasana’s chest with his bare hands. Bhima then quaffs the warm blood from the heart of Dushasana. He drinks the blood slowly as if he enjoys the taste of the blood. “I regard the taste of this blood to be superior to any wine I ever drank.”, he shouts.

  He pierces his fingers deeper, into the chest of Dushasana and takes his heart out and once again shouts, “The death has rescued you from my wrath. O Dushasana, my vow meets its destiny today. What more can I do with you? I avenged the humiliation of Draupadi today. She will be pleased to know about your mutilation.”

  Dushasana lies dead on the ground with his chest cut open. Bhima continues cursing him. The rageful eyes of Bhima are bleeding red. Humanity in him stooped several levels below human. I have never seen a man drinking the blood of another. I shudder; I shiver but can’t look away from this distasteful sight. Neither it happened in history, nor it will happen in future. It is the harshest cruelty that happened on this earth, and we wit- nessed this massacre. The man is dead not only physically but also morally. A warrior on the battlefield either kills or gets slain, but he deserves a respectful death. Dushasana was the learnt warrior, and his skills on the battlefield were similar to other key-warriors fighting this battle. But Dushasana today

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  got the most dreadful death. The war has reached its pinnacle, but the humans fall to their lowest.

  Today, Bhima fulfilled his vow. The vow he took in the courtroom of Hastinapur when the friendly dice game turned rageful. But Duryodhana ripped off morality itself when he ordered Dushasana to drag Draupadi out of her inner cham- bers. The queen of Indraprastha, and pride of Kurus was treated brutally. And no man could save the prestige of the princess. The five Pandavas, the strongest warriors and the masters of a vast empire, were sitting helplessly. I raised my voice against the atrocities and humiliation but, was silenced. I still regret my silence. Duryodhana wasn’t ready to listen to anybody that day. The morality, integrity, ethics, and righteousness were robbed in front of the leaders and elders. And, then helpless Bhima vowed to avenge the lasciv- ious acts and desires, “I will one day slay all these Kaurava brothers who have flouted morality today. I will uproot the future of uncle Dhritarashtra who silently listened to the agonizing cries of Draupadi but did nothing. I will cut open the heart of this heartless man who tried to disrobe the pride of this kingdom. I will perish this arrogant Duryodhana and break his thighs who commanded Draupadi to sit on his lap, naked. My wrath will one day blow away the arrogance of this courtroom.” Each word of Bhima still buzzes in my mind, as if it happened yesterday and not thirteen years ago. His pants, his curses, his vows, and his wrath, how could anyone forget that? But the pretentious Duryodhana soaked in the lust of his powers didn’t remember the vow of Bhima. And he arro- gantly rejected the peace message of the Pandavas. And now, Bhima is fulfilling his oath every day. It was Dushasana’s turn today, and as vowed, Bhima drank the blood after ripping off Dushasana’s heart.

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  Bhima roars at the death sight. He dances seeing the muti- lated body of Dushasana and says, “Those who danced on the day of our humiliation, those who cheered my drowning in the Ganges at Pramankoti, those who were jubilant by knowing that we were burnt in the house of wax and those who robbed our kingdom, I invite them to come and see euphoric Bhima today. I have fulfilled the vow. I have avenged the deceit, cruelty, and inhumanity. The happiness, which you stole from us, I will snatch that back from you. Soon… very soon.”

  He continues dancing and cursing Duryodhana in the middle of the battlefield while most of us are aghast. Soon, Duryodhana gets the news of Dushasana’s death, and he hurriedly reaches the point. Karna too arrives in no time. The demise of Dushasana must have crushed the beliefs of Duryodhana. He couldn’t control himself and fell beholding the mutilated body of his younger brother. He weeps loudly. No doubt, Dushasana was his favourite among all of us. And, Dushasana too had followed all commands of Duryodhana without questioning. Duryodhana’s wails increase as he touches the motionless body of Dushasana. I also can’t stop my emotions!

  Duryodhana looks at Karna. He cries to avenge the death of his brother. Karna is committed to Duryodhana. He has already declared that he and his sons are serving the demands of Duryodhana in the war. And now, he knows what he has to do! Avenge the death of Duryodhana’s younger brother by slaying Bhima’s younger brother. Karna inhales a deep breath, picks his bow, hangs it on his right shoulder, mounts on the chariot, and asks Salya to move towards Arjuna. “The death of Dushasana will be avenged, with the death of Arjuna”, he shouts while Salya commands the steeds to rush towards Arjuna.

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  “Does he want to slay Arjuna to avenge the death of Dushasana or to prove his supremacy on the world?” I am baffled. No warrior in the world can counter Arjuna in a duel. Arjuna is unparalleled; he is more than just a hero. He’s just; he’s humane, and he’s devoid of arrogance. Karna is the exact opposite. And Karna’s only aim is to suppress the superiority of Arjuna and become the world’s best warrior. That’s extremely shallow!

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bsp; Karna blows his conch to summon Arjuna, and the latter responds with his Devadatta.

  The two warriors with Godlike energy approach each other followed by their troops. The overenergized soldiers beat their drums and cymbals to mark the presence of their group on the field. The hooves of horses, the grunt of elephants and the thump of soldiers once again fill the entire battlefield. The scorching sun is at its peak. The soldiers, ready to slay each other on a single command, don’t fear even for their lives. They are ardent followers of their respective masters. The entire field gets ready to witness the battle. Fight not between two warriors but two men who always aimed to install their supremacy over each other.

  Amid all this chaos, Arjuna releases multiple arrows towards Karna. Karna retaliates. The commandants on both sides rush towards each other. The foot-soldiers with their swords and shields strike their antagonists. The swords pierce the mails and penetrate the flesh. The maces shatter the skulls, and the lances cut off the heads. Blood oozes out of the dead men and flows on the field with flesh creating muddle amidst