It is the turn of Nakula, Sahadev and Draupadi to express themselves. Mahabharata 179

Nakula has this to say, 'Mahraja! One who creates wealth by the right means and performs yaga and yagna with his wealth is a true tyagi. (one who sacrifices!). Of the four stages of man, the state of a married man   (गृहस्थाश्रम),  the pundits say, is equal to the other three combined! Both the here and the hereafter are within your reach. If one foolishly leaves home to live in the forest and allows desire to overtake him, he will only die as a hypocrite. So, I feel it is better you follow the dharma as a householder.'

Sahadeva , 'Maharaja! Just by giving up your possessions, you will not attain bliss. You may or may not attain perfection by giving up your desire and anger within you! But, you will be happy by ruling the kingdom without self-interest. It is also dharma. If you go and live in the forest, it is possible that you may keep thinking of things which you gave up, this state of mind will result only in death. I do not know if I am right! But, I have told you what I feel with utmost devotion.'

Yudhisthira does not react to the opinions expressed by his brothers in their attempt to change his  mind. Draupadi  then looks at her quiet husband, "Maharaja! Your brothers are eagerly waiting  for your reply. Make them happy with a suitable reply. While we were in Dvaithavana, looking  at the difficult time they had in the forest, constantly facing rains, wind and the hot sun, you  had said, 'We will kill Duryodhna  and his warriors, get our kingdom back and enjoy its wealth.  While you are now suffering in our vanavasa, good times are waiting for us!'  Why are you hurting  us now?'  'Kauravas gave up dharma and turned wicked. There was no sin in killing them! You did  not get the kingdom easily. It was not gifted to you! You fought heroes like Drona, Kripa  and Karna and killed them to achieve this. What is wrong in enjoying such an achievement?  Your brothers, strong  like the elephants and bulls, are like the devatas. Look at them and  feel happy, and make them happy. Stop worrying, rule the kingdom with  dharma.' As I keep at it, Shantiparva reminds me of the panel discussions on TV channels. The discussions  go on endlessly! Only reason it is stopped is to make room for the advertisements! Anyway Draupadi  has spoken and Yudhisthira now has to decide or take a call, as it is said in to-days lingo!

Shanti parva continued: Bheema and Arjuna speak their minds. Mahabharata 178

Arjuna responds, 'Aha! What sadness! What anguish! After having fought a righteous war, winning  the kingdom by killing our enemies, should we just relinquish all this? How will the world react to this act? It is madness to give up our dharma and our wealth and go to a forest. You need money to practise dharma. One who steals our money, in fact, also takes away our dharma. Poverty is a sin! Who appreciates poverty? Our journey through life has a meaning! There is a here and a here-after. This kingdom has come to you from Dilipa and Nruga because of your heredity. It is your dharma to rule this kingdom. If you give up, there is a lapse of duty on your part.  It is the king's authority which protects the wealth of the state and its dharma. It is the fear of this authority that  keeps the citizens in control. Were not devas and asuras related? Did not the devas kill the asuras? There is violence in the nature of things. No one can survive without violence. One species subsists because of another! The weaker is food for the stronger! You cannot even milk a cow without hurting it. Hence follow the dharma which has been in force since long and rule the kingdom and protect its citizens. Perform yagna and yaga! Give charity! Punish the guilty and foster the upright'. 

Bheema adds,  'What is this Anna! (elder brother). You are speaking like an old vedic scholar, whose brain has been dulled by too much of veda! By yielding to lassitude, if you neglect your rajadharma, what is the point of defeating kauravas? It is like digging a well and when the water fills up, you do not bathe in it, but come up with all the dirt on your body. Sanyasa is for old age or for bad times! If you take sanyasa now, learned people will tell you that it is against your dharma. It is possible to live alone in the forest without taking care of  children and grandchildren and not satisfying the devatas, rishis, pithru (parents) and athithi (guests),  but you are mistaken if  you think you will go to heaven. If that was possible, deer and pigs, birds could go to heaven! Trees and hills would attain bliss! Because they are always ascetic, they practice chastity and they do not trouble anyone! Hence we have to perform duties we are meant and destined to do. we achieve peace and bliss by action and not by inaction.

Pearls of wisdom by both the khsatriya brothers! There is no denying that violence is inherent in us. While individually we can and some of us try and do eschew violence its prevalence is universal.

Much awaited Shanti Parva. Mahabharata 177

Yudhisthira, Dhritarsashtra and other pandavas and kauravas, after offering  jala-tharpana to the departed, continue to stay on the banks of Ganga for a month. A month is required to be free of impurity caused by the death of relatives.

 Dharmaraja is still dejected and distressed, 'Ajruna! It would have been better if we had continued to live in the yadava kingdom. Even living there as beggars was better than killing all our relatives and facing resultant misfortunes because of our deeds. What did we achieve by killing our own? What special merit did we get from our acts? This khsatriya karma is worthless! The people who live in the forests have better set of values; they are quiet, have self-control, truthful, clean, non-violent and are co-operative.'

'We are paying for our greed, desire, fraud and false pride. We have descended to a sorry state and have the painful task of ruling this kingdom. We fought like dogs fighting for meat! But this winning dog is unable to enjoy its meat. We have now the ill repute of being the destroyers of this world. Dhritharashtra feels  that we have decimated his clan. Killing our enemies has no doubt taken away our anger, but we have collected  ill-luck because of this guilt.'

'It is said in shastras that if one renounces everything and stops doing evil, such a being will be eligible to reach a happy state where there is no cycle of birth and death. Therefore, I want to give up this kingdom and its wealth, the comfort and the pleasures and go to a place where I will have peace and quiet and lead a life of total unselfishness. You can take over this  kingdom without enemies and lead  a safe life.'

Predictably each of the brothers have reactions and opinions to this statement of renunciation by Dharmaraja. It is interesting to see what each one has to say.

We also see the levels of degradation of the powerful khsatriyas have reached, when Yudhishthira compares them to the tribal people and is all praises for the tribal people!

Gandhari's curse to diminish khsatriyas further. Mahabharata 176

Gandhari reminisces about her dead son. "The day war began, Duryodhana came to see me and said,     ' I am waging a war with my cousins भ्रातृव्य. Mother,  bless me so that I will be victorious'. (another meaning of the word भ्रातृव्य  hostile cousin!)


"I had told him then, 'Where is dharma there is victory. You will fight and attain veeraswarga (heaven).' And it has happened. So I do not grieve so much for his death. But it is very difficult to see Dhritharashtra. He has lost all his friends, relatives and children and is now helpless and orphaned. This hurts me more. Who could imagine that indestructible men like Jayadhrata, Karna and Drona would die! But they supported Duryodhana and his war. They are now like a doused fire.'

 'What is not possible for fate? The day you came to seek a compromise and returned, I knew that my children were doomed. Bheeshma and Vidura told me the same thing. They asked me to give up hope for my children. How can it, what they foresaw, be wrong? Now in a short time, all my children are lying dead.'  She then faints as the enormity of her misfortune finally hits her.

As she recovers, there is a change in her. In her desperate sorrow, she has lost her forbearance and her judgement and speaks angrily to Krishna. 'When Kauravas and Pandavas lost patience with each other and were ready to destroy each other, you were unconcerned. If you had wanted, you could have averted this calamity, you had the capacity and the power.  But you chose not to do so!  So, you will be the one who will become responsible for the death of your cousins. In thirty-six years from now, you will lose your nears, dears and children!  You will be orphaned, be unknown and wander in the forests and die reviled by all. Your women will cry in misery, like the Bharatha women who are crying now'.

Krishna hears these dreadful words and smiles, 'Amma! Khsatriye! I know this. It is ordained that Yadavas will destroy each other by fighting amongst themselves. They have to die only because of me. No one else can kill them. Let it be! Stop crying and get up! But do not blame me for your mistakes. It is because of you that the Kuru vamsha is destroyed. Your son was jealous, intolerably proud, cruel minded, revengeful and one who did not listen to elders or respect them. And you thought what he did was right!

'Like the cows who will only beget beasts of burden and horses beget horses which run swiftly. It is natural that a princess like you will give birth to one who desires to kill'. Gandhari becomes quiet after hearing this harsh reply from Krishna.

Then, they make arrangements for the cremation of the dead and arrive at the banks of Ganga. The women  bathe in the holy river and offer water ('jalatharpana)' as they pray for the souls of their fathers, brothers and children. They also pray for their relatives and friends. Dharmaraja learns that Karna is his brother and offers tharpana. Dhhritharashtra also offers tharpana to all those he had to give and climbs back to the bank. 

Ganga, as large as a sea, appears different as the women at  the river, wives of dead war heroes,  are very sad and quiet as they go about their rituals.

As I read Krishna's reply to Gandhari I felt vindicated! I remember that there was praise for Gandhari when she covered her eyes, because  she married a blind person. I had felt that it was not a wise thing to do as they both became dependent on others. And this could possibly affect the supervison of their children. 

Then again,  Gandhari was probably right. It is seen even now that mostly it is the blind who get married to blind. They start life with equal handicaps! But I actually know a person who was very supportive of his wife, when she sadly lost her sight! Hence it probably  was upto Dhritharashtra to have said no, when Gandhari chose to cover her eyes!

Gandhari forgives Pandavas. Mahabharata 175

It is fascinating to see the depth of anger engendered in a khsatriya and how it is resolved. Dhritharashtra blind by birth, while physically strong, always dependent on others, would have deep scars in his psyche. He is complex, does not give up easily, but finally Dhritarashtra is a broken man.

Pandavas walk towards Gandhari. Dharmaraja speaks with great hesitation. Addresses her very softly, 'Amma! Here I am, the cruel man who killed all your children! I deserve to be punished. Curse me! What is the use of my living. I neither want the kingdom nor happiness.  I do not know what to do after losing all my relatives and friends!'  Gandhari is unable to speak, let us out a deep sigh of anguish. While eyes are bound, the toe-ends of Yudhisthira are visible to her and the nails change colour as her eyes focuses on them. Seeing this Arjuna gets behind Krishna. Soon, she lets go of her anger and speaks to them as a mother would. They take her permission to leave and meet Kunti.

The mother and children have not met for a long time. Kunti is unable to bear the sight of injuries caused by the weapons on the body of her children. She cries as she caresses each injury and she speaks to each one of them as she caresses them again and again. She then looks at a very distraught Draupadi, who unable to contain her emotions has slumped on the floor. Draupadi begins to weep, 'Amma! Abhimanyu and other grand children of yours are all gone!  They are no more able to come and see you! What use is this kingdom, when I have lost such wonderful brave children?'

Kunti lifts Draupadi up and she takes her and the pandavas to meet Gandhari. Gandhari consoles Draupadi, 'Do not cry mother! Look at me and compose yourself. This is the time of destruction of the world! Hence what had to happen did happen! It is not in our control. Your children died in the war. So did mine. Do not grieve for them. You have become like me and I have become like you and who is there to console us?.

Later they all proceed to the warfield where soldiers had fought and died. They see only dead bodies, dead elephants and horses as far as the eyes could see. The earth is red and slushy soaked in blood! Vultures, crows and foxes are surrounding these dead bodies and are pecking away at them. Amongst them are the wailing women moving and falling as they try to locate their husbands or children.

She then addresses Krishna, 'You hear my daughter and my daughters-in-law crying without control Krishna. In the same manner many women are remembering their husbands, children as they keep looking for them. This scene is burning me!.'  And as she keeps walking, they find Duryodhana and Gandhari falls down like a severed plantain tree wailing ''Oh! Duryodhana!'

The women come out of their homes in thousands. Mahbharata 174

Dhritharashtra still inconsolable with grief and totally distraught appears to have lost his mind completely, gets on to the chariot.  Gandhari accompanied by Kunti and other women, follow him. Vidhura speaks soothingly to the women and joins them. As they go down the streets, they hear the wail of women, children and the old men. Women, who had lead a sheltered life, even the devatas had not seen them, having lost their husbands are stepping out of their homes, bereft of their jewellery, hair untied and with a single cloth covering their bodies. Thousands of such women, crying uncontrollably, run towards the Dhritharashtra's chariot unmindful of propriety and their self-respect. Their cry of pain rises to the skies and the whole world  mourns with them.

Dharmaraja hears the news and goes to meet Dhritharashtra along with his brothers, Krishna and Draupadi. On seeing him, the thousands of women around Dhritharashtra cry out loud, 'Where did the king's dharma and ahimsa go? He has killed elders, his gurus and brothers! What is the use of his kingdom without his children, gurus and the elders?'

Dharmaraja wades through this throng of women and salutes Dhritharashtra with reverence and the rest also announce themselves one by one and salute him. The old king embraces Dharmaraja perfunctorily without any show of emotion and asks for Bheema. His anger and grief is palpable and appears capable of burning Bheema. Krishna reads his mind and pulls back Bheema and pushes forward an iron statue. Dhritharashtra thinking it is Bheema, embraces it strongly with both his arms and crushes it. The iron sculpture  is disfigured beyond recognition  and Dhritharashta's chest is also pierced and blood gushes out. Dritharashtra falls behind and Sanjaya supports him. Thinking that he has killed Bheema shouts with sadness 'Ayyo Bheema! Ayyo Bheema!', not angry anymore.

Krishna realising this tells him, 'Maharaja, you did not kill Bheema! I saw the anger in you and pushed Bheeema back and pushed forward an iron sculpture which belonged to your son. No one has your strength. Being in the grip of your arms is like being the grip of lord Yama. In  extreme grief after' loosing your children you had planned to kill Bheemasena. It is not right Maharaja. Whatever you do, your children will not come back alive. Please understand that I did this to eliminate your anger. Control you grief.' Dhritharashtra then comes to his senses, crying blesses the Pandavas as he strokes their bodies.' .

Stree Parva continued, Vidura advises his brother. Mahabharata 173

Later Vidura makes an attempt to console his elder brother, ‘Maharaja, all life forms have to end. Birth and death are both part of nature. Yama takes away both the coward and the hero; a kshatriya cannot sit idle just because of this. When the time comes, one who does not fight also dies; if it is not his time, he will survive even the war. None can escape, death pulls everyone towards it, some early and some late. It does not spare anyone’.

‘A pot can break while it is being spun on the wheel or while it is being removed. A few break as it is put down and a few when it is lifted up. It can break when it is still raw or when it is being baked or after it is baked. Hence do not grieve for your children. If what the shastras say is right, they will all go to heaven. They came from somewhere and go somewhere else. They were not yours before their birth and now that they are dead they are not yours anymore. Like the travelers who are here a few days, all life forms appear and stay for a few days and then go. In our life cycle, we do not know how many thousands of fathers and mothers we have had, how many wives and children came and went! We do not know what they are now and they do not know who we are! A unwise man has thousands of worries and hundreds of fears. But one who knows has no worries. Like we take care of our bodies with medicines, we must take care of the illness of our minds with wisdom.’

‘But it is not easy to have this wisdom'. Vidura tells an allegorical story. 'It is said that a brahmin was walking in a dark scary forest (existence) full of wild and cruel animals (disease). Scared he ran helter-skelter and finally found refuge in a place which was fenced all round. But an ugly demon (old age) lived there and embraced him. In trying to escape he fell into a well and grabbed at the branches covering the well and hung upside down. A poisonous snake (god of death) waited below and an elephant (age) stood near the well. Bees (desire) which were disturbed by his fall were buzzing around him. As the beehive was full of honey (enjoyment), it dripped down on his face and he licked it with relish and wanted to live so that he could enjoy more honey. In the meanwhile two rats,(day and night) one white and other black, were nibbling at the tree he was hanging on to. (desire to live). He does not know when the tree would break and when he would fall down. But he still wants to live and enjoy the honey’.

Vidura then continues with his advice.

'Desire is the main cause for unhappiness. Your excessive greed brought you into this state. Logical understanding is the best medicine for your sadness. Control your mind and using the medicine of knowledge cure yourself. It is this that will bring you happiness. It is not the wealth, friends, relatives and victory that brings you happiness. In this time of calamity, stabilize your mind and become friends with everyone. The real merit comes by offering peace and not by fasting thousands of days or performing many yagnas. Understand this and be forgiving and perform the rituals for the dead.'

 Offering condolences is always tough. Here Vidura, who was always offering counsel to his brother, mostly without success, has his final say. I suppose it is difficult to avoid the tone of 'I told you so!' I am sure he could not avoid feeling vindicated. He had even gone to extent of telling his brother to kill the child Duryodhana as the child's stars foretold serious calamities.

The women have not yet made an appearance in the parva! But it is better to stop here and think of Vidura and his life in the palace of the kauravas!