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The Myth of

Hastinapur

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EDUCREATION PUBLISHING

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© Copyright, 2018, Rahul Rai

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The Myth of

Hastinapur

Rahul Rai

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011) www.educreation.in

Table of contents

AUTHOR’S NOTE 1 SEEDS OF WAR 3 PRIDE, HONOR AND GLORY 12 WRATH OF 23 CALL OF DUTY 35 A FATHER’S DEBT 46 DANCE OF DEATH 68 RADHEYA 77 FLESH AND BLOOD 88 TEARS OF 117 ’S DILEMMA 171 CURSE OF LAKSHAGRAHA 180 ALL IN THE FAMILY 194 LIST OF CHARACTERS 211 TRANSLATIONS 218 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 225 AUTHOR’S NOTE

All histories have alternatives. Once the present absorbs a significant event, it is penned down by the ones who survive it. But with time, alternative theories appear, debating and discussing what would have happened in a new light. , an ancient tale, has survived epochs and fascinated generations. It is a tale of powerful men and women and how they fared against each other. Few heroes who faltered at critical junctures while there are villains who stood firm against the test of their characters. There are queens who knowingly or unknowingly manipulated their near ones; and kith and kin who betrayed their blood when needed the most. There are soldiers and handmaidens too whose perspectives got lost in this clash of the champions. There is fury, courage, strength, love, penance, , sacrifice, deceit and malice. Mahabharata has everything which is representative of all ages. This book tries to find reasons behind facts. It challenges the status quo and brings the other heroes to fore who got sidelined in the aftermath. This book questions accepted beliefs and bring untold stories of famous ones as well as insignificant soldiers and handmaidens. Why , uncle of Nakul and , fought from the side of the ? Why was Barbarik, the most magnificent warrior of all times, sacrificed? How much of the utterance of Geeta was influenced by ’s experiences? Why were the Kauravas, who boasted o f Rudravatar defeated by the who had an unarmed Vishnuavatar Krishna on their side? What did the foot soldiers feel about the war? This book is a tribute to Krishna Dwaipayana 1 , the original one. This is just an interpretation of what he had created. This is just a footnote in the rich history of our civilization which is full of stories that continue to cast magic upon us. This is Mahabharata.

2 SEEDS OF WAR

3 "Pitamah, the Pandavas are trying to gain access to Hastinapur through unfair means. Asking for a truce and not participating in the war will be counted as treason to Kuru Vansha . You are bound by an to protect the throne of Hastinapur against any advances. I implore you to be my commander-in-chief in the battle,” said. was more than eighty years old and tired of the plaything of reckless youth, the throne of Hastinapur - the throne he had renounced. His bow now felt heavier every time he was forced to bear it, and his spirit had grown weary of hearing praises of his past glories. In his youth, he had even trounced sage , revered as an avatar of Lord . Praises of his prowess used to excite him, but now it only robbed him of his peace of mind. He nodded his head towards Duryodhana without paying much attention. “It is time for my evening bath, Rajkumar,” he said at last tired of Duryodhana’s ramblings. “Don’t worry, Duryodhana. He will keep the throne of Kuru Vansha warm as he had done his whole life,” he overheard as he left the room. He sparingly replied to Shakuni's comments which he thought were best to ignore. Due to this, Shakuni believed that Bhishma was hard of ears. ‘Throne of Kuru Vansha’ kept on ringing in his ears during his ablutions. He had heard this phrase umpteen number of times. So many acts of valor, honor and pride had taken place in the name of Kuru Vansha. So many administrative decisions, royal decrees and public announcements had come into force in its name, and so many times Duryodhana, Yudhishthira, and many other members of the family had approached him trying to remind him of his duties towards the Kuru clan. He always smiled at the irony; the last surviving Kuru told by the descendants of Maharishi of his responsibilities towards his lineage. 4 After his visit to the banks of the was over, Bhishma went to Kripacharya’s house. Rishi Veda Vyasa was visiting Hastinapur and was staying, as was his usual practice, at Kripacharya’s home. He and Bhishma always tried to find some time to enjoy each other’s company. *** Vyasa was the son of Rajmata out of wedlock. Satyavati, the daughter of fisherman- chieftain Dusharaja used to ferry her boat across the Yamuna before her marriage to King . She had a chance encounter with sage Parashara then. As her boat rocked in the middle of surging Yamuna, the sage confided his desire for her. Unperturbed by celestial powers and worldly glory that Parashara held, Satyavati refused. But the Rishi persisted. He kept on cajoling her for a union, and at last, Satyavati gave in but not without asking for a boon. “No one should get to know of this union, not even my future husband. My youth and my beauty should increase manifold. Also, the child born out of wedlock should become one of the greatest sages in history,” she said. Parashara complied with the motherly ambitions of Satyavati and thus was born Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, the compiler of the , the and later, the Mahabharata. Henceforth Satyavati busied herself in ferrying people and tried to forget about the encounter. *** When he arrived, Bhishma saw Veda Vyasa in meditation while Kripacharya had gone to the palace on Dhritarashtra’s calling. He patiently waited for him to return from his trance. “You have the liberty to shake me out of my reverie, Bhishma and you know that. I don’t like to open my eyes and see you waiting. It steals all the joy I get from performing ,” Vyasa said. Bhishma smiled and sat with him and started 5 discussing the events since they had last met. Vyasa listened while intently looking at him and then remarked, “What is it that is worrying you? Is it something related to the throne?” “Duryodhana came to meet me today. He wants me to lead his army,” Bhishma said after a pause. “So, the war is indeed happening?” asked Vyasa. Bhishma nodded in agreement. “As I had mentioned earlier, Bhishma,” Vyasa continued, “It had to happen as the seeds of war were sown a few generations ago. If not now, maybe some years later but it is inevitable. But in the end, not much would be gained out of this war. A throne won after so much bloodshed cannot remain in the hands of victors and their progeny for long. I think we have reached the climax of the age of Hastinapur. The time has come to lay it down on its past laurels,” Vyasa reflected. “You have mentioned this quite a few times, Rishivar. What prompts you to say that?” Bhishma asked. Vyasa opened the window which held frontal view of the royal palace. It stood quite majestically unbeknownst to the storm brewing inside. “We have wronged the throne multiple times. Now, it is time that it draws its vengeance. It is time to pay up for our sins, Bhishma,” Vyasa reflected. Bhishma kept on looking at him reverentially waiting for him to complete. “You committed the first wrong, Bhishma,” Vyasa continued, “The kingdom rejoices under a good ruler or else goes under despair. By renouncing the throne of Hastinapur, you committed the crime of denying it to be ruled by one of the most capable persons of your generation and allowing a series of weaklings to dictate the terms. You were courageous, generous, dutiful and fair-minded. You held all the qualities of a king Hastinapur needed, but you allowed your emotions to ride over your Dharma.” Bhishma still 6 remembered the events which led him to be called by the name he bore. *** Shantanu had met Satyavati along the banks of river Yamuna. Her unrivaled beauty was already a gossip for the small town. “She must have been an in her earlier birth cursed to be born as human by some sage,” people would say. In their first meeting only, Shantanu was enamored and had asked for her hand. But Satyavati was no ordinary damsel. She didn’t accept this royal proposal unconditionally. She asked the king to come after a few days as she needed some time to make up her mind. “I will marry you but only if you promise that my offspring will be heir to the throne of Hastinapur,” she said once Shantanu returned. Shantanu had already declared his only son Devavrata as his heir and thus returned empty- handed, but his love for Satyavati remained alive in his heart. Back in Hastinapur, Devavrata saw misery written all over his father’s face. Worried, he consulted his father’s fellow travelers on the sojourn and learnt about his meeting with Satyavati. Without losing a minute, he left for Satyavati’s modest dwellings. He confronted her at her house and asked for the reason to deny his father her company. Satyavati repeated her condition, and Devavrata promised to renounce the throne of Hastinapur for her future progenies. While moved by his great sacrifice for the happiness of his father, Satyavati’s ambitions were not yet satiated. “What if years later your offspring fight with mine for the throne?” she asked. “I promise I won’t bear any sons or daughters. I will remain celibate throughout my life,” the young Devavrata declared this Bhishma Pratigya, the terrible oath for sake of his father. The elders in 7 Bhishma’s entourage tried to dissuade him, but he remained unmoved. He asked Satyavati if she had any more qualms. Amazed by his resolve, Satyavati agreed to marry Shantanu. Devavrata, the last Kuru, now known as Bhishma, thought about this incident and saw how he denuded a line of Kuru successors through his oath. Quite a few times in his life people had told him that he had all the characteristics to be a great king, but he had never before imagined his oath to prove so expensive for Hastinapur. *** “The second mistake was committed by me and my mother, Satyavati. Blinded by her motherly ambitions and my duty towards her, we couldn’t foresee the consequences of our actions. She was successful in emotionally manipulating you to bind you to Bhishma Pratigya but then came the question of securing her succession. A peaceful ascendance to the throne is only possible if the descent is indisputable, but our acts opened a Pandora box of doubts, desires and conspiracies,” said Vyasa before losing himself in his thoughts. *** Enamored by his new wife Satyavati, Shantanu handed over administrative duties to Bhishma while spending most of his time in her company. Blessed with two sons, Chitrangada and , they lived a love-filled life till Shantanu’s death. As fate would have it, Chitrangada died in a duel in his youth. Vichitravirya was quite young then but Satyavati was growing impatient with each passing day and asked Bhishma to find a good match for Vichitravirya. She wanted to protect her entitlement and see that her future progeny was in place to claim their title to the throne. The swayamvara for the daughters of Kashi Naresh was to take place soon. Owing to Bhishma’s vow and Vichitravirya being quite young, the king had not sent 8

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