Ekalavya - The star crossed

Ekalavya

Every Indian child has read the story of Ekalavya from the great epic of Mahabharata. The story is presented to children to illustrate the greatness of devotion towards ones teacher .Here we will try to look at the story from a different angle.

Chapter1
Ekalavya was holding his father’s hand to help him cross the stream on their way to the sports ground after tying up their horses. Guru Dronacharya had made special arrangements for them They felt really refreshed after a wash in the stream. Now they looked forward to a very entertaining day at the sports stadium where the famous Guru was scheduled to present a display of martial art skills by the students under his care. This display was specially meant for the royal family from Hastinapur as all the 100 Kaurava princes and the 5 pandavas were studying in his academy. As a chieftain of the tribal forces from the forests around Hastinapur , Ekalavya’s father had received a special invitation and now he was walking towards the main gates of the sports ground.A security guard spotted them and hurried to meet them halfway and conduct them to the allotted seats in the sports pavilion.
The pavilion was tastefully decorated with colourful drapes, flags and festoons. The royal box was full with the presence of the blind king Dhritarashtra ,his queen Gandhari , Kuntidevi , loyal Sanjay , wise Vidhur, and the ever vigilant grand old man of kuru Race Bheeshma, the son of king Shantanu of great fame.
It was winter morning .The ground was green and the mist was still rising in the glow of early morning sun. The birds flew across the blue sky and air was cool. People from all over the kingdom had gathered at the ground sitting all around the ground .They were eagerly waiting for the display to begin Every one had his own hero but most of them were keen to see Arjuna and the bulky Bheema whose reputation for great fighting skills were already wellknown far and wide.
Guru Drona made his appearance at the royal box to seek permission to start the proceedings and Bheeshma gave him the signal. Guru thanked him and rushed away to the center of the ground,He raised a flag and through the main gates, came 100 horsemen, all sons of the King Dritharashtra, led by he handsome and strong Lad Duryodhana, His broad shoulders and long arms were rippling with muscles. He was astride a strong white Arabian horse, holding aloft a long sword and striking a very impressive pose. They rode round the ground at great speed and thrilled the spectators in the ground with scintillating display of equestrian drills criss crossing each other at high speed with precise timing. Then they showed their skills in raising the pegs , from the ground at high speed. Guru Drona had arranged for a number of steel pegs to be driven in to the ground. Every peg had a silver ring attached to it, which was visible to the horsemen. They were expected to ride fast to the peg and with out stopping ,to scoop the peg out of the ground at the tip of their spears , . It was test of their eye hand co ordination , their balance on a speeding horse as they bent to scoop up the peg at the tip of spear and power of their fore arms to lift the peg clear off the ground all in one quick silver movement. The kaurava princes did this very correctly except the handsome vikarna who at the last moment picked up a crawling snake instead of steel peg. With a cry of triumph he threw the snake in the air and it was slashed to pieces by the flashing blades of the princes. The crowd said AH AAH and the princes rode away nonchalantly.
After the kaurava princes vacated the ground , young band of Pandavas appeared clad in white dress and riding white horses. The wise Yudhishtira was in the lead followed by his brothers. They went through a vigorous drill with their swords glinting in the early morning sun. The sword points went up , down and sideways in a flash as they demonstrated the offensive and defensive modes in sword fighting.
Yudhishtira well known more for his wisdom than muscular prowess demonstrated his throwing skills. Bheema thrilled everybody by taking on 5 fierce looking wrestlers at once and bundling them up in no time. The younger brothers Nakul and Sahadev demonstrated their skills in sword fighting.The crowd was eagerly waiting for Arjuna to show his skills.Drona had made special arrangements for Arjuna. Now Arjuna showed every one why he was regarded as the finest warrior in the country.A trained flying eagle was carrying a dangling target board which Arjuna could hit from different positions After showing off his shooting skills he drove his horse towards the pavilion and stopped to take the blessings of Bheeshma and other elders
Ekalavya was watching every move made by Arjuna like a hawk.He tried to match Arjun’s actions in his mind and wondered how he would fare if they had to confront each other. He also wanted to show of his skills but this was an exhibition specially for the royalty and a mere tribal boy had no place in the agenda.
Guru Drona , then made an announcement about an archery contest in the afternoon.He said that it was open to all and best bowman would match his skills with Arjuna. The winner would receive from the hands of queen Ghandhari a very handsome gift.This announcement was greeted by the people with loud shouts of joy and clapping of hands. Ekalavya too heard the announcement and jumped out of his seat all excited. He grabbed the hands of his father and pleaded with him “father, let me also participate please. Here is a chance to show that Arjun, what I can do.”His father smiled at him and patted his back in encouraging manner and said “calm down youngman, Let me talk to the Acharya”
Together they walked upto where the Acharya was standing, the Acharya greeted Ekalavya’s father making pleasant enquiry.. Ekalavya promptly touched his feet ,seeking his blessings, an action which pleased the Acharya immensely. He heartily blessed the young man .When Ekalavya expressed his desire to participate in the tournament, the Acharya said “why not, it is open for all. We want to see how the princes react when they face stiff competition. You must pit your talent against the best. Do come and participate. My best wishes to you.”
Thus encouraged Ekalavya, rushed outside to get his equipment required for the contest. It was tied to the back of horses tied to the trees near his tent outside the sporting grounds. He took his horse to a secluded spot in a nearby forest area and inspected his equipment. He had three sets of bows and an assortment of arrows of different length . The bow strings were slack. He rubbed the bows with care and tightened the strings. He picked up one bow and tightened the string.He pulled the string to test the tautness and there was a sound of a clap of thunder when he let go the string. The sound disturbed the birds in the trees and they flew away terrified. Ekalavya laughed softly and said to himself,”Arjuna beware, here comes Ekalavya!” He kissed the bows one by one and packed them all together.He was now ready for Arjuna
At the sporting grounds , there was lot of excitement.among the as they began betting on their heroes. The contestants were also eager. The Acharyas Drona and kripa were giving instruction on how the contest was to be conducted.
The first part of contest involved testing of shooting skills over different distances , with targets kept at different heights.Shooting to be done from sitting and standing stances to be followed by shooting from horse back and from moving chariots.
Then came the test of shooting at moving targets. So far the targets were singular , asset of concentric rings painted on a black board. The Acharya also had arranged for shooting at multiple targets as the last test .The contestants were graded as per hits scored
The tournament started with nearly 150 participants, including many kaurava princes and three Pandavas including the great Arjuna. systematically many were eliminated. Ekalavya impressed every one with his shooting skills. The participants were divided into 4 groups and to the satisfaction of Ekalavya , he and Arjuna were in different groups. This gave Ekalavya time to observe how Arjuna performed. Quickly both Arjuna and Ekalavya emerged as leaders in their groups.
There was a pause when the Acharyas wanted to set up the multiple target shooting exercise. During this recess Arjuna and Ekalavya were together.Arjuna was very surprised that this dark skinned tribal boy had progressed so far in the tournament. The accuracy of this boy’s shooting. Impressed Arjuna very muchand he had a desire to look at the boy’s equipment. He noted that Ekalavya was shy by nature. Arjuna was very friendly and put Ekalavya at ease by talking pleasantly. slowly Ekalavya began to respond and soon found himself talking excitedly with Arjuna.When Arjuna expressed a desire to look at his equipment, Ekalavya obliged immediately.
Arjuna looked at the spread of three bows and a hundred arrows of different lengths and finish. They were meticulously hand crafted. There was no extra material in the form of gold embellishment at the bow grip or at the tips.
He lifted one bow to test it for weight and balance. He felt the smooth grains of the wood that can come only after great deal of rubbing and oiling. The hand holds were beautifully carved and finished. It was so easy to hold. He had learned dhanur vidhya from a great master called Drona .so he could easily recognize the excellance of EKALAVYA ‘s equipment.
Then he looked at the arrows. The arrows were beautifully balanced, The arrow points were finely honed steel blades The feathers at the end were not decorations but real high flying eagle feathers. They added weight and stability in flight. All along the length of arrows he found a spiral engraved. This made the arrow spin while maintaining direction.Arjuna had noted that during long shots, Ekalavya’s arrows seemed to have a different type of swishing sound that was not found anywhere else.. Arjuna felt that the secret behind extra ordinary accuracy of Ekalavya’s long shots was the arrow design. Slowly a sense of respect began to grow in Arjuna towards Ekalavya and his skill. This respect became a friendship in the given context.
Ekalavya was watching the play of emotions in the face of arjuna as he went about his assessment of the equipment. He knew that Arjuna liked what he saw. Ekalavya said in a light vain, ”nothing flashy in this, all functional and good”Arjuna nodded and said “They are very good. They belong to a great bowman .Today the whole world will know about it. you watch out Ekalavya. It will be very hard to beat you but I will not give up so easily. All the same , I WISH YOU SUCCESS.” then Arjuna did some thing which Ekalavya never expected of Arjuna. He grabbed Ekalavya by hand and hugged him to his bosom in a very warm and affectionate manner. Ekalavya’s heart simply melted as he had never experienced such emotions before.
Their talks had to stop as the acharya called them to the centre to receive instructions on the mutiple target shooting skills test. The contestants were listening carefully. Drona had placed six shooters at different distances in a line. When the Acharya gave a signal all the six shooters began to shoot outcoloured discs up in air. The contestants were to shoot the flying discs down before they came down to ground . It demanded great deal of skill and consideration of weights of discs , wind speed and heights from where they were dropping. It was not at all a straight forward shooting .One had to choose a right weight of bow and matching arrows when every thing was ready Drona called up Ekalavya to take the first shot. Ekalavya acknowledged the call and began to gather his equipment. He thought fast. He will choose a heavy bow for stable hold and short arrows as distances were short. He decided on his stance and sequence of shooting. Drona was in a hurry and called out to Ekalavya to take his position. His tone was harsh. Ekalavya did not see any reason for haste unless the Acharya was trying to pressurize him, He took his time to settle and waited for the signal. suddenly the six shooters were shooting and the targets were up in air. Ekalavya found the bow was too heavy and his selection was wrong and he decided on snap shooting from a kneeling stance holding the bow horizontally... One after another he shot six arrows as fast as he could and with a sinking feeling that he was too slow. But what the people saw was six arrows emerging almost at once and crashing into the six spinning discs.Five arrows carried the discs with them Sixth was grazed,,with the arrow going clean,,There was a thunderous applause from the crowd and Arjuna shouted Bravo , young lad.
The attendants ran to the spot where the arrows had dropped to pick up the discs and examine them for hits. They rushed the discs with arrows still stuck , to the Acharya. Ekalavya also ran towards the Acharya to see for himself and so did Arjuna. Acharya’s eyes widened at what he saw, five clean hits and one graze. He called out “five hits and one miss” to the official scorer. Ekalavya tried to protest by pointing out at the sixth disc.It was not a total miss. Acharya would not look at it. He said sternly “It is a miss ,boy. Never the less, it was fantastic shooting . Most people would not have done any thing more than three”He patted Ekalavya on the back and asked to make way for Partha
Arjuna took his position and signaled his readiness. The Acharya ran towards him to examine the bow. He said “change over to a lighter bow and take a kneeling stance.” When Arjuna said he was comfortable with what he had, the Acharya insisted that he changed the bow. Reluctantly he changed his bow and the stance. He concentrated hard and Acharya gave him enough time to settle down. When he felt sure that Arjuna got it all right he signaled. The targets were up in air and Arjuna brought them down one by one by cracking every disc into two. The Acharya shouted triumphantly” six clean hits” and ran forward to embrace the prince. “That was fabulous shooting Partha, today you saved my honour” said the Acharya. Arjuna was watching Ekalavya from a corner of his eyes and saw him clapping his hands mechanically but looking at the Acharya with a trace of suspicion. Deliberately Arjuna freed himself from Acharya’s hold and ran towards Ekalavya. He held his hand and said” the Acharya was unfair today. I am sorry. You are the real winner ,even if the Acharya declares differently. You must bear with me.” Ekalavya could not believe what he heard.He grabbed Arjuna by his shoulder and said with lot of emotion”It does not matter. Anytime, anywhere six hits beat five and a miss fair and square. But to me , you have proved what a great warrior you are, by apologizing for your teacher’s conduct. That calls for lot of inner strength. Please accept my hearty compliments.” Arjuna shook his head. There was a hint of a tear in his eyes which he really did not want to hide. “Not in front of Ekalavya ,no , no” he said to himself and broke away from Ekalavya to rush towards Bheeshma.
Bheeshma was very happy with Arjuna’s display.They exchanged some words between them and then looked towards Ekalavya and waved to him to come to them.Ekalavya had never met the famous guardian patriarch of kuru House , so ran like an eager child towards him.Bheeshma received him with a warm affection which Ekalavya had never experienced before. He fell at the great oldman’s feet. Bheeshma helped him to his feet and blessed him by holding him very close to his chest. He said” Partha here, has said some very good things about you. I also saw how well you have developed your skills. I know your father very well.I am sure he has taught you very well all that he knows. You have made him a proud father today.” Then he looked around and spotted Ekalavya’s father standing at a distance and watching them. He called out to him cheerfully and when he was near he said ‘Nishadha Raja,did you see what your son did today. Great shooting. Iam very happy to see your son perform so well today. He will receive the award from the queens hands .It is my decision , recognize talent of this caliber in archery. Your son is making you very proud.” NishadaRaja had tears of joy and gratitude and said in all humility”You are the protector and guardian angel for all of us. Whatever you say makes me happy. If Kuntidevi also blesses my child I will feel really honoured.”
In the meanwhile Drona and Kripa joined them, to inform him about the final results. Bheeshma did not give him any chance by saying in a pre emptive manner that he has decided that honours for the day should go to Ekalavya. Drona did not make any objection .He put his hand on Ekalavya’s head and said “He surprised me with his skills, absolutely superb snap shooting, absolutely superb.”
Ekalavya looked at Arjuna with new respect and a new bond of friendship started gaining strength from that moment. Ekalavya swore to himself that if there was an occasion to protect Arjuna he would not mind giving his life also .
Ghandhari and Kuntidevi were extremely affectionate to the tribal boy who had never experienced such adulation from the royalty before.The wise vidhur suggested to Nishada Raja that for over all development of Ekalavya , he should be sent to some good guru.When Nishadha raja enquired if any guru would take a tribal boy as a student , nobody replied

Chapter3

Back at their home in the forests Ekalavya and his father opened the elaborately decorated and silk wrapped container, that was given as award by queen Ghandhari at the sports ground.On opening , they were thrilled to find there in , a string of pearls, a head gear with silk,, a long sword with a beautifully carved scabbard, a small shining cutting knife, a set of clothes and some gold coins. Both father and son simply sat looking at those fabulous gifts for sometime. then , Ekalavya lifted the long sword out of the container , with his two hands and offered it to his father, who was delighted. He said gracefully “ no, son, you won the sword, so only you must keep it.”In the box , he found the straps that could be used to tie the scabbard to the torso, so that the sword will hang properly on his left hand side. Ekalavya knelt in front of his father striking an impressive pose ,holding the sword with both hands and offering it to his father, who with great dignity becoming a tribal chief , took it in his right hand holding the sword handle.The finely carved handle felt smooth in his hand.The sword was made of shining steel,with a slight curve.The cutting edge was sharp.Nishada raja came from a long line of tribal chieftains and the contact with a grand sword seemed to bring about a transformation in his personality.He held it aloft and uttered his tribes famous war cry and slashed the air with a swing of his sword.There was whisper of swishing sound.He exclaimed “ son , this is not an ordinary sword.Only warriors with mighty arms and pure heart can wield this divine sword meant for sacred wars.”
Ekalavya was speech less.He nodded his head and turned his attention to the short cutting knife.It was a work of exquisite craftsmanship.he tested the point for sharpness by pressing it with his right hand thumb and drew blood immediately.He shouted “ my god, it is sharp”He quickly cleaned the knife and put it back in its leather cover.
Father and son remained silent for some time reliving that moment of honour. Their chests rose up in pride.Nishadaraja recalled the words of Vidhur and Bheeshma and their suggestion that Ekalavya must spend some time in some ashram of a good teacher to learn the martial arts properly.Ekalavya prodded his father.”Father , can you please ask Guru Drona to take me in as his student. I will do anything for him if only he agrees to teach me. He treated me very kindly today even though he could not help being partial towards Arjuna.If you ask him nicely he will surely agree.Please father , let us go Hastinapur again and try meeting with Dronacharya.
Nishada Raja knew better. He knew no body would want to teach a tribal boy sacred secrets of martial arts.But he did not want to spoil the day for Ekalavya by telling him harsh realities of this cruel world.With a wry smile he said to himself ‘he will find out soon enough’.Out wardly he promised his son,that he would speak to the revered Guru soon.
Then came the day when the father told the son ,” today we will visit GURU DRONA”
Waking up fairly early , they dressed for the occasion and mounted their horses well prepared for the long journey to DRONA’S ashram.Ekalavy carried the container received from the queen to show the Acharya what he had received.When they reached the ashram it was afternoon and , they were told that the Acharya had retired for his lunch ,assigning various duties to his students. Arjun was also there and on seeing Ekalvya he dropped whatever he was doing and came running to greet his friend and his father.He offered to run upto Acharya’s house to inform about their arrival

Acharya had already noticed them He looked at Arjun and Ekalavya standing to gether , hand in hand, obviously very friendly. The acharya had a very uneasy feeling seeing them together. For Him Arjun was something special and he did not want to encourage a relationship that was not approved by princely protocol. He however did not voice his objection and treated them with utmost courtesy and making enquiries about their comfort and inviting them to refresh themselves and join them for lunch
After food and some rest they all met again. Nishadaraja thanked the Acharya for his splendid hospitality and said “ Ekalavya wanted to show the Acharya the gifts he had received from the queen. There is a great battle sword in that package. It would be a great honour , if the Acharya would personally handover the sword to the boy.and bless him.The Acharya liked to hear such requests and always was ready to oblige. He stood up and received the sword with great dignity and called Ekalavya to come and receive it from his hands. It was a very poignant ceremony. Ekalavya fell at the teacher’s feet and squatted on his heels and slowly rose on his knees. With his arms spread in front, ready to receive the sword.The Acharya delicately placed the sword on the two outstretched hands, with sword handle correctly on the right side of Ekalavya. He bowed his head and received the sword .Then he slowly got up to his feet.He held the sword upright and took an oath which pleased the Acharya immensely,’sir .the sword that you have given me shall be used only for the protection of the weak, safeguarding our king and all that is right and proper” Acharya kissed the young boy in his head and said “ may the gods help you to grow from strength to strength”. Then the acharya called his son Aswattama to take Ekalavya out to meet other students. The young boy eagerly went out feeling quite at home in that ashram.

Left to themselves the elders had other points for discussion. They talked about certain administrative problems relating to the forests under his charge and difficulties he had dealing with the poachers. He also said that the wild animals had grown in number and before they became menace to nearby townships , some sort of organized culling must be taken up. The matter was resting with Vidhur and Nishdaraj was not getting to meet with him. The Acharya offered to discuss the matter with Vidhur. Then the conversation veered around to Ekalavya. Nishadhrja said “you may recall that during the award ceremony many of the elders had suggested advanced training to be made available to Ekalavya under some Guru. I can not think of a guru better than Dron.what would you say to my request to take Ekalavy under your care?”
The Acharya considered the question seriously and after some thinking he said ”it is very true that Ekalavya can benefit great deal by spending some time with learned teacher. I believe , as a father , you have taught all that you know very well. I will find out something suitable for him.About my taking him under my wing presently, I am afraid the answer is no.My ashram is already over crowded with all the kaurava princes spending their time here.Iam really running out of schedule and I can not take any more just now. You must look elsewhere.”
Even though the Acharya made above statement very politely, to Nishadraja it sounded like a prepared speech. He knew exactly why the Acharya did not want to take up EKLAVYA. He did not want a tribal boy to rub shoulders with royalty.Slowly Nishadraja found dislike for the Brahmin teacher.He wanted to get out of that ashram immediately.
The Acharya continued “ Nishada , you must realize one important thing. There are certain aspects of life that are beyond your comprehension. This land is going to see some very unpleasant developments and hitherto unseen rivalry and enmities and hatred.This is going to turn the world as we know into very different place with altogether new value systems. Forces of evil will don the masks of righteousness and challenge all that is right. The princes have to be prepared to face and perform in that sort of world. It is my duty to prepare the princes especially Arjun and his brothers for special roles.Ekalavya will be a distraction that I can not afford or allow. He will be better off elsewhere. Please try to understand. These are the words of a pious Brahmin torn between conflicting loyalties and obligations. Keep Ekalavya away from me.Nishadaraja was shocked to hear such an outburst of emotion from the Acharya.He got up and looked out of the window. In the distance he could see his son and Arjun sitting together and admiring he shining sword.He felt sorry for the two friends. They were blissfully ignorant of terrible future their Acharya was talking about. How can they continue with their innocent friendship founded on mutual admiration of one anothers skill and not on basis of birth or environment. Here was an Acharya all set to destroy their fragile bonds of friendship.
Nishadharaja walked out with dignity, with out uttering any word and holding his head high. He had sensed the animosity in the heart of the Brahmin towards his young son and wanted to get as far away as possible. He has to protect his son just as the Achrya was protecting Arjun He signaled to his son that it was time for them to leave. Arjun and Ekalavya came together. Arjun greeted Nishadha raja warmly and requested him to bring Ekalavya to the ashram as frequently as possible..Nishadha smiled at him and thanked for being so kind to his son. The two friends hugged each other before parting.
They rode for some time in total silence, Ekalavya recalling the talks he had with Arjun and others while the father was trying to understand the meaning of the Acharya’s out burst and his own uneasy feeling of threat to his son. Suddenly his thoughts were disturbed by the question posed by his son. First time the question came, the father seemed not to hear but when the son almost shouted in his ear , he could not ignore. The son asked “father , what did Drona say. Did he agree to take me in.”Father took a long time to reply then he said , “ no , he can not take you presently. He already has more than what he can handle.” The boy’s face fell and rest of the travel was done in total silence.
They reached their abode late in the night and neither of them spoke that night as they hit their beds in their own rooms. The boy had made up his mind. He had already mentally registered Drona as his guru and he could not accept any one else in his place as his mentor. He resolved that it should not matter if he was not allowed to join the ashram, he would still find a way to learn from the acharya. From now onwards he will watch his master in action secretly, and learn from his observation of acharya’s actions seen from a distance.. He decided to put up a life size image of his teacher , outside his house and practice in front of his teacher’s image.
From that day onwards he began to go to the vicinity of the ashram and with out attracting any of inmate’s attention , he began to observe his acharya’s action from a distance and cover of leaves of trees.Every feature of his teacher was firmly implanted in his mind. Then he began making a clay image of his teacher. Slowly , over next few days of sustained labour he succeeded in making life size image of his teacher. He made the clay image strong by putting in the fire and then painted it using vegetable colours obtained from crushed fruits and raw vegetables.When he was satisfied that the image was right for his purpose he placed it on high pedestal. He thought the image was very lively giving the impression that from his pedestal the Guru was watching him.
From then onwards he set for himself a punishing schedule of work outs, with his bow , sword and knife. every day started with ritual of worship and ended again in a thanks giving ritual. He honed his skills in the forests confronting wild animals and killing them. Soon he realized that he was becoming physically very strong and mentally very alert. He thought it was all because of his guru’s blessings.

CHAPTER4

One day the five Pandavs along with their Acharya entered the forests to indulge in some big game hunting. It was supposed to be part of their training , to expose the young princes to real life situation existing in the forests ,to feel for themselves the thrill of hunting down animals and experience risks and hazards involved in confronting wild animals in their own domain. The youngsters liked the idea and came prepared for an enjoyable outing away from the closed environs of the ashram. Drona explained to them all that was required, how to move with out raising too much noise, what is down wind and upwind, how animals sense presence of outsiders, how to stalk animals , how to shoot at small animals and how to tackle big animals. He had very willing listeners. He made sure that every one carried bugle or a conch so that incase of any problem they can raise an alarm. He instructed Yudhishtira to bring them back to the ashram before sundown. He said he was going to leave them alone for the first time with out their body guards as he was returning to the ashram. Ekalavya heard all this from his position unseen by any of the visitors. After the departure of their teacher, the brothers decided to strike independently making their own trail and to return to the starting point once they were through with their hunting.

They all split up and took different direction. Ekalavya waited till he knew which direction Arjun was heading. Then he emerged from his hide out and , he began to stalk . First he followed Bheema who was not very particular about maintaining silence,. He thrashed about scaring the daylights out of small animals who ran helter skelter before falling as easy targets for his brothers Bheema enjoyed himself immensely confronting big games and testing his brute force. Ekalavya lost interest in Bheema as there was nothing subtle about his approach. He quickly changed to follow Nakula who was showing good skills as a sophisticated hunter displaying alertness and patience required to lure the targets out in the open before shooting them down. After a few hits Nakul found a strange thing happening to him. Every time he aimed at a target and shot , the animals used to drop even before the arrow reached them . He looked around him and found no one around him. He examined the fallen animal and studied the arrow.It was not the kind used by any of his brothers. He realized that somebody more skillful than him was stalking him. He decided to be careful about exposing himself, but he was determined to nail him. Ekalavya was enjoying himself for sometime.
Then he turned his attention to where Arjuna was heading. Arjun was expertly stalking a big cat. The cat was playing his own game leading arjuna deeper and deeper into the bush. Ekalvya followed Arjun keeping him and the big cat in his sight. Arjuna shot couple of arrows to force the cat to take particular direction where he thought he could nail it with single shot from upfront. This was a dangerous thing to do but the thrill was more. Ekalavya still not showing himself , was admiring Arjun for displaying enormous courage. Then he saw another movement and froze. While Arjuna was concentrating on stalking something that was in front of him , another Animal was stalking him. It was big sized fierce looking tiger.Ekalavya decided to pay attention to this new menace to ARJUN’S safety. Ekalavya raced through the bushes to get ahead of the tiger, keeping his bow ready . Once he was sure that he could watch its movement , he relaxed a little. There was gap of nearly 30 meters between the tiger and Arjuna , while Arjun was closing in on his prey. The cat was finding that he was nicely boxed in between the rocks with no more to space to move.So he turned suddenly around deciding to take on Arjun . Arjun expected this and was very wary and was not going to offer himself as meal for this hungry cat. He chose his time well to dart outside but his timing was very wrong as the cat also decided to take a running leap on ARJUN . For a moment ,they were face to face , the cat in full flight springing up and Arjun crouching to find right angle for clear shot. He did not have much chance as the gap between them was closing down very fast. Arjuna let loose two arrows one was deflected by the cat’s paw while other went straight to the heart. The stricken animal let out a terrible roar and landed pretty close to where Arjuna was crouching.. Arjuna stayed calm , found that there was no space to try another arrow, dropped his bow and took out from his waist a dagger. The cat thrashed about trying to reach ARJUNA who was ready to stab the cat if it made any move to reach him. He could see that his arrow had gone through the heart and animal was dying . His roars became feeble as every effort to move made him weaker and he put his head down and died with his eyes still staring at Arjuna.. Arjuna cried out in triumph and heard Ekalvya ‘s high pitched voice alerting him to a new danger as he heard the warning cry “look out Arjun”.He turned around only to see a huge tiger jumping in his direction He saw Ekalavya from the side shooting arrows at the tiger. The arrows caught the tiger below the jaw and as he was shooting from the ground , the arrows were pointing up. Through the jaws the arrows went piercing through the wide open mouth and reaching the roof of the mouth effectively closing its mouth.. The tiger was in full leap and his growl was subdued due to arrows sealing his mouth” Arjuna rolled on the ground hoping that the stricken animal would not land on him. Ekalavya had not stopped shooting .He still had two arrows crashing into the tigers side, killing him..It was a dead tiger that landed close to Arjuna who was badly winded in his desperate dive to safety and rolling over. Ekalavya raced towards Arjuna , jumping over bush and the dead body of tiger and asked anxiously if he was alright. He saw that the tiger had three arrows in the side and was lying dead with one hand over ARJUNA. He reached out to Arjun extending his hand and helping him to his feet. He saw Arjun was grinning at him and saying “ man , am I glad to see you” .He hugged Ekalavya , who was telling “Thank God you are okay” In jest ARJUN replied “ do not thank the god , he was too busy sending big cats to hunt me down. Thank Ekalavya and his great shooting skills” Just then they heard the booming voice of Nakula , who was exclaiming in real wonder “ Brother , I thought you were a goner, really , till this hero here started SHOOTING. That tiger had no chance. Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that ? He asked in genuine admiration. In the mean while the other brothers also converged. Bheema lifted Ekalavya on his shoulders and made a war dance around the dead body of the tiger, while others clapped hands.. Yudhishtira embraced Ekalavya in genuine gratitude for saving Arjuna from sure death. Arjun put an arm around Eklavya and said “ as matter of fact I was in no danger , you know. I was ready for him with this dagger. You came and spoiled all the fun , you spoil sport!” He showed off his small dagger, Bheema grabbed the dagger from his hand showed it to others,saying “ Partha is great joker. He would have waved this toy in front of this cat and it would have dropped dead. Man, show your gratitude to my hero or else I will have to teach you some manners. Bheema hugged his younger brother and every one had a hearty laugh . There was happiness in that laughter. . There was gratitude in the way they played it down .They knew Ekalavya had saved the day for all of them. Ekalavya enjoyed all the attention and got busy skinning the cat and cleaning it. When it was ready he presented the shining skin to Bheema who was ecstatic. The tiger’s skin around his waist made him look more menacing. They started up a fire for roasting the red meat . They had a glorious time till it was time to go home.

Drona very much worried over the delay in their return and sounded his alarm by blowing on his conch. The brothers heard the call and decided to break the party. One by one they shook hands with Ekalavya .He asked them , not to mention to the ACHARYA about meeting him and what happened. They were surprised by his request. EKALAVYA said , ‘please do not mention my name. The acharya believes it is not proper for tribals to strike friendship with the princes.’ They said in unison , to hell with Achrya. Yudhishtira assured Ekalavya that they will not mention about him . One by one they left, with Arjun being the last. In fact he did not want to leave the hand of his glorious friend who appeared from no where as his saviour. He kept recalling those tense moments and savouring that special feeling of relief and gratitude to be alive .He recalled those fleeting images of rapid fire shooting that had felled the great tiger. He asked in genuine wonder”Tell me Ekalavya , where did you learn to shoot like that. I would like to switch over to your teacher. I am sure I can also learn few things.” Ekalavya was silent. He really did not want to reveal the name of his teacher. Arjun could not understand his friend’s hesitation in mentioning the name of his teacher . Impatiently he asked” is it such great secret , that you do not want to inform your friend the identity of your teacher. Am I not a worthy friend?”
‘No , No nothing like that at all. Please do not speak so lightly about what your friendship means to me.You are the touchstone of worthiness. You recognized and honoured my skills and made me a friend. Yes , for some more time , I would like to keep the identity of my teacher secret. I have valid reason for keeping it so , as I know that knowing his identity will affect many things . so please leave that question alone’
Then Arjun said some thing which the tribal boy could not comprehend Arjuna said “ they say water cleanses externally while heart is purified by the truth. Why are you making it big mystery . all I want to do is to enhance my skills also to your level”. There was hurt in his voice. It pained Ekalavya to see the great prince feeling so down and out. would Arjuna believe him if he said , he had no teacher at all and that all he knew was self taught. Arjuna and his kind believed that excellance of all forms come only to those who train under a guru. He mentioned softly to Arjuna “ friend , it would be true , if I say that all that you saw was all self taught. It would also be true if I say that you and I worship the same guru” Arjun heard Ekalavya with out any reaction. He hugged Ekalvya and thanked him Then he rushed away to join his brothers who had already covered great distance. He never turned back to wave. EKALAVYA was hoping he would turn back. He had a lump in his throat. That moment he knew he lost his friend.
Ekalavya was saddened. His mind was asking mutiple questions. Has he sowed in the innocent mind of ARJUN doubts about his teacher .Would Arjuna go back to ashram and accuse the acharya of differential treatment. Would that be proper. Especially when the Acharya was totally ignorant of the fact that only ekalavya had manasically adapted Drona as a teacher while the blessed teacher had no idea of that. Would the sacred bond between student Arjuna and teacher Drona be affected on account of what ekalavya had revealed. Ekalavya cursed himself for starting something that would consume some one dear.
That night Ekalavya sat in front of his teachers’s clay image and prayed very hard for proper understanding of the relationship he had cutivated and sanctified.His innocent tribal mind could not distinguish between safe guarding a friendship and a teacher student relationship. He got the feeling that he had sacrificed one at the altar of other. He cried like confused child, not knowing what exactly he had to protect.

Chapter5

The five brothers reached Drona and talked enthusiastically bout their hunting expedition and thrills enjoyed by them in confronting wild animals in their own domain The Acharya was relieved to see all of them return safe.He noticed tht Arjun was unusually silent. Normally he would be the first telling about how he enjoyed any sporting event.The Acharya also cought him looking at him with blank eyes.It disturbed Achrya somehow.He told all of them except yudishtira , to go bAck to their quarters And rest for the night.
Left alone he enquired with Yudhishtir what exactly happened to Arjuna . Yudhishtira thought for sometime before replying. He remembered the request by EKALAVYA about not mentioning his name to the Acharya and about their meeting with him.Yudhishtira admired how perceptive EKALAVYA was about Acharya . Yudhishtira decided to stick to the trut with out revealing Ekalavya’s name. He said’ We all believe Arjun is fearless.Like all normal human beings he also gets rattled now and then He hides his fears well.Today in the forest he was attacked by a tiger.Fortunately a passing tribal boy who was also hunting in that vicinity killed the tiger and saved ARJUN. Ithink Arjun is going through what you normally call after shock. He will be alrigt after night’s rest. Iwill take care of him”The Acharrya had anumberv of questions to ask but he decided to let the matter rest for the present. He was so relieved that nothing serious happened to Arjun.These children were his responsibility. If anything had gone wrong he would have tough time explaining to Bheeshma and the wise Vidhur.. He walked upto Arjun’s quarters and talked to him The boy was in no mood to talk.At the end , the Acharya said “ you look very tired. Go to bed early and sleep well we will tlk again tomorrow.

Next morning the Acharya got up earlier than usual and walked upto the river for his morning ablutions. On the way he saw Arjun swinging an axe to break logs for firewood. He was swinging like man possessed. up and down swung the axe and logs cracked under savage impact. The Acharya wondered why Arjun was so angry , on whom was he so angry. He had a mind to stop and enquire . But he let it go thinking it would be after he returned from the river
Later in the day he gathered all the students together to discuss a new topic on ethics of labour. He thought his boys would show some interest.He was tossing for discussion many gems of wisdom but nobody seemed to care.He said to start with, “ shrink not from any work saying ‘it is not possible ‘for labour will give strength to achieve anything and every thing.” Nobody seemed to show any interest . He tried differently “industry is mother of prosperity but indolence brings forth penury and destitution.” He looked around to see if any of them comprehended what he was saying. To his surprise arjun spoke softly saying “it is no shame if fortune fails a man. But it is disgrace if he abstains deliberately from exertion.” The acharya was jolted. He knew the saying and thought Arjun was not putting it in proper context .Encouragingly he said “well , well Arjun , you have started talking,
Now tell me what you meant by that?” Arjun looked up at the Acharya in a somewhat belligerent mood and burst out “I was referring to labour as a profession and ones commitment to the profession. I believe one should be truthful in ones commitment to profession. I am linking labour , profession and commitment.”Acharya did know what Arjun was saying . so he wanted
Him to continue talking , he said ‘ go on complete what you want to say’Arjuna waited. Drona asked “ where is the question of disgrace in labour”
Arjun replied “ to my thinking labour has many form , teaching is also labour to a professional teacher .I was saying truthfulness towards commitment to chosen labour / profession is also important other wise it leads to disgrce.”
Drona thought he knew where arjun was getting to . He probed some more “ are you aware of any situation where you had to suspect such a truthfulness towards committed labour”
‘It has not happened so far.Iwish it should never happen’.The Acharya did not like the sound of it at all. He dismissed the class holding only Arjuna Yudhishtira stayed back to support his younger brother. Only Yudhishtira clearly understood Arjun’s problem. It had to with his equation with Ekalavya. He kept himself silent , watching his younger brother take on the ACHARYA head on .The Acharya stopped pulling his punches . He asked Arjuna to explain what was bothering him “ you seem to be pointing out a question about my commitment to my profession as you referred to teaching as a form of labour .Do you have any complaint against any thing that I have taught you . please speak up and put your question properly.”The Acharya’s tone was not at all kind.
A calm Arjun spoke up , he was now standing . ‘Yesterday a tribal boy saved me from a leaping tiger.I had just shot another animal in another direction , so did not see the tiger till it was almost on me. . My bow was knocked out of my hand in the scuffle and I had no time to fit an arrow and shoot. All I had was small dagger.This boy had all the time to fire three arrows into the body of tiger, while it was up in air , closing in on me.Tell me how could he do it”
The Acharya calmly replied “he could do it because , the tiger was not attacking him. You were under attack and you were unarmed.”
‘no ‘cried ARJUNA. ‘He would have shot those arrows even if he were under attack.He had learnt that trick shot.I could not , because , you had not taught me that trick shot’
Who was that Boy”
Ekalavya
Who??
Ekalavya. He was in the same forest. He saved me from real death and I am grateful to him for what he did. He told me that that trick shot was taught by you. Why could you not teach me that? What is so special in Ekalavya which makes you teach him things that are not taught to us.?
Ekalavya is my friend and I want to keep his friendship But I can do so if only I am equal in skills with him, not otherwise. Now I have become obliged to him.”It was an outburst from a proud prince and a person wanting to hold on to some thing that seemed to be slipping away .
The Acharya was aghast. He had not seen or heard from Ekalavya after his meeting with Nishdharaja some months back.How can Arjun make such an accusation. For Long Arjun was his favorite student and he treated him as he treated his own son ASWATTAMA.
He addressed Arjun “ Son , believe me when I say that I have not taught Ekalavya anything. I have made a commitment to Bheeshma that I WOULD MAKE YOU WARRIOR UNPARALLELLED IN OUR HISTORY., make you reach highest levels of proficiency in dhanur Vidhya and there wont be any one equal to you. I promise you that I will live up to my commitment Now please go back to your quarters. Yudhishtira had sized up the situation. He was in a hurry and he led a dazed Arjuna outside. He had to discuss this matter calmly. Yudhishtira pointed out to Arjun that he had erred in accusing the acharya so blatantly.Yudhishtira then said something that stunned Arjun “ you fool , you do not realize what you have started. For your sake , the acharya will kill ekalavya. You have foolishly put Ekalvya’s life in peril. If you think , he is your friend you have to save him from the ACHARYA’S FURY. GO AND APOLOGISE NOW.” Yudhishtira was screaming. The two brothers raced to wards Achrya’s quarters

Acharya took a deep breath , trying to calm himself down. He had to meet Nishadha immediately . he ran for his horse and made a running jump. Yudhishtira watched him spur the horse to greater speed.He guessed where the Acharya could be heading for . He urged Arjuna to find the horses. They could not locate any horses . All the horses had been taken to the river for wash Yudhishtira, was furious , as time seemed to be flying they raced towards the river.
Chapter 6

From His window Nishdharaja saw the galloping horse and recognized the rider.He called out to Ekalavya to drop every thing and come up front to see who the visitor was. Ekalavya did as told and was surprised to see Drona get down from a speeding horse in motion.His Hair was disheveled and breathing unsteady The Acharya was in great anger. Ekalavya realized that he was not bringing up any happy tidings. He remembered his warning to yudhishtira, not to tell anything about his meeting with them Guru’s sudden visit indicated that some thing had gone very wrong.He felt extremely uncomfortable.
Politely the father and son made the Acharya rest and offered him a high seat and placed a pitcher of water in front. The acharya ignored it and was trying very hard to calm down and start the conversation in formal manner.Nishadha and Ekalavya waited patiently. Then the Acharya smiled. He was calm. Ekalavya was alert. Drona said “ Nishdha , I have come to speak to my disciple.” Ekalavya stepped forward , touched the acharya’s feet and said ‘yes sir , here I am . can I be of any service’
“ Son , did you tell arjun that I taught you, the trick shot.”
‘No sir, all that I told was that we all worship the same GURU’
“Son , answer me, how did you learn all the skills, if I was not teaching you in person?”
‘Sir , you were always with me , not only in my heart but also physically.Come I will show you.”Ekalavya led the Acharya to the back yard of their house where on a pedestal was a magnificient image of the Acharya, sporting a fresh garland of flowers. THE Achrya saw an incenceburner and other material used by tribals for worsip of their deities. The Acharya was stunned to see the likeness and remarked admiringly “ son , apart from archery , you seem to have many other skills too.Your skills as sculptor is remarkable indeed.” All the anger had gone from the guru’s face.
‘It is all your blessings, sir’said the young man.
“ Son , do you remember , when you came to my place with your father and he asked me to take you in as my disciple , I said no”
‘Yes, sir . I do remember that .It was a very painful moment for us’
“In that case “, the Acharya enquired in a very kind voice ‘ how could you assume my approval for this” he pointed out towards his statue”have’nt you adapted unfair means to make me your guru?”
Sir , there was no deceit intended. I had already accepted you as my guru , in my mind and heart. You said , you had no time for me busy as you were with other students. Hence I made this arrangement.Iam sure you would not disapprove this arrangement being a kind master , that you are’
Drona cursed inwardly , boy you are making it difficult for me. Outwardly Drona said “ will it be proper on my part , to demand a guru dakshina , seeing that you have presumed my approval.Answer me please”. Nishadha suddenly became very alert. He looked at his son to be careful with his reply. Nishada never trusted Drona after his out burst in the ashram
The boy did not show any fear ‘ yes sir, what ever you want , I shall furnish’
The Acharya took his time. He felt personally very very disgusting even to think what he was going to ask for .but ask he must. He had a promise to live upto and he can not be weak at this moment .He closed his eyes and prayed to god to forgive him for what he was going to say in the next few seconds.
Then he asked very calmly , ‘then , can you offer me as GURU DAKSHINA , YOUR RIGHT HAND THUMB, please”
Nishadha reacted as though he was slammed with a sledge hammer and hurried to stop his son from responding . but the boy did not need any support. There was a hurt smile , sense of disappointment in his teacher for asking something so petty . Of what earthly use could be my thumb/H e replied ‘ yes sir , with out any hesitation, I will offer you what you want.Ihave only one question to ask and you must answer me , If your demand is going to negate all that I profess to have learnt from you, on the basis of which , you wish to exercise your proprietory right over me ,and expect the demand to be fulfilled, will it be fair on the part of the esteemed teacher
“Yes’ said the Acharya with out a second thought. “The divinity has granted me the right to ask guru dakshina if ever you have heartily accepted me as your master.”Then as an after thought he added”There is another justification that I can make after I receive my DAKSHINA”

There was an awkward silence. Nishadha was rudely shaken up but the boy appeared calm. They retired to ante room for consultation leaving the Acharya alone.

Chaper7
Back in his room , the young boy was pondering on what he had to do to comply with his master’s demand.He looked at his father , who was seriously objecting to all these pretentions of civilized customs of Guru DAKSHINA .There was no help from that quarter. Boy went through the question answer session in his mind. There were several other questions for which he desperately wanted answers.He played these questions again and again in his mind ,with apassion that was frightening
SIR, will you please answer me
Taking you up as my teacher is my own decision and Iwill be true to that decision and stand committed to meet all attendant obligations including that of meeting your present wish.Now my question is whether the propritory right to accept Guru Daakshina can only be vested in teacher who has also accepted the student heartily. Now answer me please, are you accepting me heartily ,.as your disciple. Beware , please. Once you answer yes to this question you are binding your self to countless obligations towards welfare of that student.You are also binding your self to certain code of conduct.
May I say what I know about these obligations?
To the honest teacher goes the responsibility to treat all his students as his own sons and not display any differential to any of the wards. Now tell me , with your heart holding Partha so close to you , are you true to above responsibility/.
Secondly will you allow yourself to harm one student for sake of uplifting another.?
Ekalavya wanted to scream to his Acharya .’ sir please , IWOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOU CALL ME AS YOUR STUDENT ATLEAST ONCE AND HOLD MY HEAD IN YOUR HAND AND BLESS ME . YOUR DAKSHINA IS SURE.

You said , you have a divine right to demand guru dakshina. IAM TOO SMALL SOUL TO MAKE AN ISSUE OF THAT CLAIM.
But if meeting that demand means forgoing the use of all the imparted skills for the life time of the student , will that be a fair demand.?
Ekalavya knew he would not get satisfactory answers to any of above questions. He was simply a student and has no right to ask such questions to a revered Acharya.
He must not demur . his duty is to comply.
Who set such conventions?. Do they apply to a tribal boy whom no one to take up as student?
His father was watching his helpless son , with misery written large on his face.
Ekalavya took out a silver plate from its chest and the cutting knife he had received as a gift at the time of sport festival,It was in fact an award for display of great skills. Now that very knife is going to be used to negate all his achievements. The cruelty of that irony seemed to laugh at him.He remembered testing the knife for the first time that evening and drawing a drop of blood. Today how much blood he was going to shed?
He held up the knife in the light and marveled at its bright steel. He said pathetically , “time has come to put you to use for a good cause”.The satire seemed to stab him in his heart and he vinced.
Without my right thumb , I will not be able to hold you tight , leave alone the damned bow
A tear was gathering at the corner of his eyes and he took a deep breath.
What would be more painful?The sharp edge cutting through flesh and bone or the memories of conquests and the thrills of so many exciting sessions of archery in the wild forests. The kills he rejoiced making in so many hunting expeditions. Would he now be missing the joy of shooting an arrow, the swishing sound of his arrows in flight, the pull of a taut bow string , the slap of the string on his hand holding the bow immediately after release of an arrow. Would the pain of missing all above be less than the hurt of cutting out major part of your body.He kept staring at his thumb
WHY SHOULD HE DO IT?
To hell with the teacher and other ideals of devotion towards an honourable teacher. Where is a question of honour in this blatant treachery.Should he do it for a teacher who had no consideration for his well being?Should he lose all skills to satisfy the whims of royal kid who hated to be second best?Thousand such questions flooded the poor boy’s head tormenting him about the ill fated decision to comply with a wretched teachers demand..

The smiling face of arjun sprang in front of his tearful eyes.A friendly face,a true friend who demanded and refused to accept anything but truth. Did he send the acharya here to get even with him?

He remembered Arjun saying something about friendship, which seemed relevant now.Even men of rare learning and pure of heart, will not be found when tested , to be absolutely free of innocence.
There was another theme advocated by Arjun on test of friendship. When you have a friend whom you do not completely know,and want to assess him , do a simple exercise.Weigh that man’s good attributes and weigh his negatives, which ever is more assign that to him
Know that conduct is the touchstone of character
Ekalavya said aloud “Arjun . you called me a friend and treated me as a friend. I will not be found wanting if you are the one testing me now.If my losing my thumb means your elevation to glory , let this thumb be gone this very minute.” There was peace in his face. He knew for whom he was doing and why he was doing it.
There was nothing more to it.

Chapter 8
After afew moments Ekalavya returned to the main hall were Drona was waiting nervously. Ekalvya was holding the silver plate and there in a pool of blood was his right hand thumb.Drona stood up and with great dignity accepted the proffered plate containing still throbbing thumb.He kept the plate aside and grabbed the boy and hugged him to his bosom and cried out “ my son, my son,I am so very sorry. For reasons that your young mind can not comprehend, your sacrifice was necessary.
In the times to come , there will be major war between the forces of Right and the forces of evil.All sane people with multiple obligations and false sense of loyalties would be compelled to fight on the side of forces of evil
Against the forces of right.
Young arjuna is pre ordained to lead the forces of right and for him to reach that elevated status, he needs to be un comparable in skills of warfare.It is my pre ordained duty to ensure that he is uncomparably superior to rest of the world , in all martial arts including archery where you excelled.For something required in future , I have to marginallise you.The history will paint Me black for this treachery heaped on you today.
You with your superior skills would be a threat to Arjun in future due to conflicts of loyalties.I have removed that threat today.
For the sacrifice you made today , this world will regard you highly for your devotion to an unknown teacher and as long as name of Arjun is uttered as it definitely would, your name would also prevail. Believe me , it is the will of the lord.
Outside Arjun and yudhistira came crashing in , on their fast horses. Ekalavya stopped them at the door showing his right hand minus the thumb.
Arjun stared at it and screamed, “ it is unfair , Acharya, it is so very unfair.All I wanted you to do was to enhance my skills and not rob some one of his.What you did today is despicable in every sense of the word.Ekalavya knew very well how our sophisticated mind would work , if he revealed his teacher’s name. He never wanted to reveal .I like a fool swore on the tenets of sacred friendship and compelled him to reveal your name and in turn you had to prove something that rationally does not exist and how treacherous ly all our wishes have affected this poor boy.
We all have fallen down from our perch of unholy high handedness.This is a disgrace that will remain uncovered for all times to come I will never have the courage to look dear Ekalavya in his face. For him I am a deadman.
Ekalavya smiled. There was no hint of hatred or regret.Surprisingly Arjun did not mean anything to him anymore,.He had already passed into history.
,

Saindhava

Killing of Saindhava
When Sage Vyasa sat down to compose his famous epic of Mahabharata, he was not very clear whether to present it as a chronicle of events witnessed by him, in the life of Pandavas or to present to mankind a spectrum of human characters in continuous conflict highlighting greed and inconsistencies in character leading to enormous destruction of life and value systems

He decided on the second option creating several characters to carry the story along. Out of many such characters, Draupadhi and Saindhava occupy important place.

The insults heaped on Draupadhi and the redemption of her honour constitutes the main theme of the epic. The incident involving Draupadhi and Saindhava, though appearing to be in consequential at that moment came back to haunt the Pandavas during the conduct of the great war That incident proved to be the proverbial pouring of oil on an already raging fire

Saindhava was killed on the fourteenth day of the great war, by Arjuna to avenge the death of his young Son Abhimanyu , the earlier day. Saindhava closed the trap that snared Abhimanyu that fateful day. Abhimanyu death was the backlash of the incident involving Draupadhi and Saindhava, an incident the Pandavas had almost forgotten till that tragic event in the war took place

The fourteenth day war saw terrible destruction as it was the first time when war continued beyond day time and kauravas lost the war that day with terrible consequences What followed after that day was a mere mopping up operations and tying up of loose ends of the story

The present story of killing of Saindhava starts from the time of 12-year period of exile suffered by Pandavas as per the terms laid down immediately after the infamous game in the gaming hall in the palace of Hastinapur, which witnessed efforts to disrobe Draupadhi and terrible vows of vengeance unleashed by the Pandavas to redeem her honour.

Saindhava the king of Sindhudesh on the banks of river Sindhu is referred to in the epic under the name of Jayadratha


Chapter1

Draupadhi was wet but felt very refreshed after a pleasant swim in the pond. From the shade of trees on the banks of the pond, she was admiring the beauty of lotuses and water lilies that were floating on the calm waters of the pond. Slowly she changed her clothes, humming a long forgotten song that her maids used to sing for her in the early days of her life in the palaces of Panchala. While she was enjoying the nostalgic glow of memories of those pleasant and carefree days, she slowly became conscious of a pair of eyes from the distance spying on her. Suddenly overcome by a feeling of shame, she wondered how long that young man had been staring at her. Quickly she adjusted her clothes

Draupadhi was not a timid person. She had faced a lot more dangerous situations in life, but today, the sight of the young man somehow seemed to be intimidating. She thought she could recognize him vaguely. To reconfirm the identity of the stranger, she raised her eyes to look at him again. It was a big sized pond and he was standing on the far side. There was a white Arabian horse near him. He was dressed all in white silk clothes, with a white headgear adorned with a string of pearls. . He had flowing dark shining hair, which contrasted his pale face. His eyes were dark and beady. His features were strong and bearing regal. While she was looking him over, he waved at her and climbed on .his horse
The horse got into a trot quickly striking the path around the pond to where Draupadhi was standing. She remembered him now. Actually the sight of that man astride the horse had triggered her memory. . He was the son-in-law of king Dritarashtra, having married his only daughter Duschala, much against the wishes of mother Gandhari. What was he doing in the forest? Was he spying for his in laws? A dozen questions sprang up in her mind compelling her to be on guard

He was now close at hand, bringing his horse to a running stop. The beast protested and reared up aggressively putting up his two legs quite close to Draupadhi. She was not scarred in any way, as she was used to horses. The fragrant smell emanating from her still wet body seemed to calm the animal down. She stepped close to the animal and held the bridles The rider thought she was attracted towards him He had read her thoughts all wrong. He made the horse go round her in a tight circle and said in loud and unpleasant voice “who are you and what are you doing here?” Draupadhi did not bother to reply, as she knew that every body in the Kaurava household knew her very well. She wanted to avoid any sort of unpleasant incident with this man. When the horse was not in her way, she walked away briskly .She was already late at the hermitage and Dowmya muni would be getting worried, if she was late. Dowmya Muni was the guide and preceptor for the Pandavas while they were in exile in these forests.

She heard the footsteps hurrying behind her and soon her hand was grabbed from behind. She turned to face him, her eyes blazing in suppressed anger. With steely fingers of her free hand she dug deep into the offending man’s hand forcing him to release his hold. Now she was holding him like a big cat holding her erring kitten.” I am not used to strangers grabbing my hand. You know who I am as much as I know who you are. It is a pity Duschala married a king whose heart is so unsteady.” The stranger was taken a back to know that she knew whom he was. He persisted,” I asked you a question and you have not answered yet”. She said calmly “some questions do not deserve an answer. You look as though you are very keen to get into trouble”
Trouble with pleasing ladies is some thing I relish’ He said, I am still waiting for an answer. King of Sindhudesh is not used to waiting. He tried to grab her and she moved quickly but her dress got caught in his hands. She jerked it free in the process the fabric slapped him in the face” Draupadhi saw his anger rising and quickly she told him “I am Draupadhi, daughter of King Drupadh Of Panchala AND am the consort of Pandavas. I am in no mood to spend the time of day with wayward kings. If you know what is good for you, you will leave this place immediately. You are not welcome here.”
“Oh, Oh, You are that famous Draupadhi, born of sacrificial fire, to destroy evil in this world. You could not do much, could you, when they disrobed you in the gaming hall at Hastinapur? Listen to me pretty lady; you are wasting time with the Pandavas. Their pride has been flattened and they cannot rise again. They have been driven out of civilization. You are used to the pleasure of palace life and maiden s to do your bidding. You don’t have to live like a servant maid, attached to men with out steel in their backbone.”
The mention of the darkest hour of her life made Draupadhi very angry. She hissed like a snake and air around her suddenly became very hot. Saindhava felt the heat and some hidden force push him away.

Draupadhi was an extremely attractive person. Her long loose shining hair seemed to be inviting. Her dark skin and sharp features would make even a saint commit sin. She knew that the Sindhu naresh had got infatuated and was likely to use force to attain her. Instinct told her to run and her royal blood told her to stay and fight. She put her right hand up and screamed “ Beware, I am trained to defend myself and attack when required. She was preparing to strike when the horse made a sudden rush distracting her. Before she could move aside, she was lifted bodily and thrown across the back of the horse and Saindhava made a running leap on to the saddle all in quicksilver motion. The horse sped away. Dowmya Muni was just in time to see a fleeting glimpse of the running horse carrying Draupadhi and a stranger. He was also on a horse back and gave a chase

Dowmya Muni was not a great horseman, so the gap between the horses widened. It was a hot day and the animals could not keep the pace for long. Dhoumya’s horse had better stamina and caught up with Saindhava in time. He was in time to hear Saindhava tell Draupadhi “ I am going to take you to my palace and tell my maids to teach you some manners. You must learn how to please the king.”
Draupadhi was very upset. How quickly this man had abducted her. Is he really a fool? Does he not know the Pandavas? Don’t the names of Bhima and Arjuna not mean anything to him As though reading her mind; he answered, “ I know all about your spineless band of husbands. No one came to help you in that gaming hall and no one is coming to rescue you now. All they could do together, when your modesty was being outraged all they could do was to mouth some foolish hot words. “ He continued “you are very pretty and make a good wife for me you deserve a great deal better. You really do not have to slog it here in the forest, on some stupid sense of loyalty. Does not your tender body long for soft clothes and warm bed. You surely must be missing comforts of high life. Come with me and you can have every thing. For you I will even kill duryodhana, so that you can have your revenge.” So saying he came very close to her and held her head in his hands and bent down to look at her eyes from close. His hot breath, so close to her face made her react. She attacked; a hard kick in the legs brought him down to the knees and she gave a vicious punch to the face, which made him reel in shock. She followed up with another steepling kick and he was on the ground spread-eagled. She turned and ran towards his horse but it shied away. Dowmya muni stepped forward with his horse and shouted. ‘ HERE PRINCESS TAKE THIS HORSE, I WILL DEAL WITH THE LOAFER’ He helped her to get on top of the horse and slapped the side of the beast and they sprinted away. They could not get very far, as a team of six horse men fully armed blocked her way and she became a prisoner again. Dowmya, watched helplessly as many more soldiers came up and Sindhu naresh was back on his legs Draupadhi was tied to a post in the king’s chariot Saindhava walked up to her and in front of his soldiers, slapped her several times. He untied her and caught her by her hair. Draupadhi fainted

Chapter2

The 5 brothers were in a happy mood, having enjoyed the hunt immensely. They now had sufficient red meat to feed a good number of guests, they were expecting for the discussions. Dowmya muni had insisted that while they were in exile, they should not miss any opportunity to forge new alliances and preparation for the war that everybody felt was now inevitable. Dowmya was using his good offices to get many of the friendly kings for talking to Yudhistra and others. They were looking forward to such meetings to get to know the development in different kingdoms and impact of Kauarava’s emerging strength.

Coming back to their settlement in the forest clearing, the brothers were indulging in some light gossip when Sahadeva suddenly changed the topic to appraise every one about what he had learned during the hunt. He was addressing Yudhistra, the eldest of the Pandavas with this piece of information” You know, dear Brother, met with some soldiers of Sindhu Naresh when I strayed away into the western part of the forests The soldiers were also collecting red meat for their king and his retinue moving towards Salva kingdom for a marriage. Our preceptor Dowmya Muni is always insisting that we should meet with regional kings and promote bilateral relations keeping in mind our needs for support in case of war. If Sindhu Naresh were available, would you like to meet with him? “

Yudhistra heard this piece of intelligence from Sahadeva with interest. That is what he liked about Sahadeva. While every one was out enjoying the hunt, here he was gathering strategic intelligence.” Avery good idea Brother, he said in an encouraging manner, “but I am not sure he would like to join with us, as he is married to Duryodhana’s sister. But we never can tell. Gandhari never thought nicely about Sindhu naresh, .He has not visited Hastinapur in the recent past. Yes, it would be worth while to make a courtesy call.” Sahadeva anticipated the next question and answered promptly” yes, I know where he is camping. We will plan to call on him to morrow. I will go ahead make the arrangements, in the meanwhile, you may please discuss with our preceptor”
Arjuna admired Sahadeva wanting to do everything in proper manner and follow protocol every time. He recalled what Sri Krishna had told him about Saindhava’s father who still retained lot of interest in administration of his son’s kingdom. He made a mental note to check about the Saindhava with Krishna.
They finally arrived at their hermitage, which strangely bore a dull and deserted look, inviting critical remarks by Bheema who always wanted his drink and food to be ready whenever he returned from a long hunt. Soon they located one of the maids who seemed anxious about some thing. A stern voice of Nakula jerked her up and she said that she was anxious about Devi Draupadhi who has not returned from her bath and that even the Gurujee was also missing. She was worried about their safety.
Nakula quickly connected Sindhu naresh with draupadhi’s disappearance. That is what he was good at, lateral thinking, connect seemingly unrelated incidents and reaching the truth, throwing them into an alarm
They all mounted their horses, with Nakula leading the way. They reached the pond and picked up the trail of the horse. Which was very clear and they made good progress. Then they ran into Dowmya muni, who was leaning on a huge boulder. He was in a bad state as somebody had badly man handled him. His clothes were soiled and his face carried fresh bruises and injury. He was very relieved to see them. Thank God you have arrived in time. They are about to bolt away. He pointed and they saw an army of nearly 100 soldiers ready for battle or a long march On a Chariot leading them was Saindhava and tied to a post in the chariot was a disheveled figure of Draupadhi.
Saindhava laughed at them He said “ I am taking your Draupadhi to my palace. Try to stop me, if you can’ He shot three arrows in the direction of Arjuna. The brothers did not say a word. They all knew what to do. They moved to their established places. Acting on an unseen signal, they rushed and in no time the standing army of hundred men was reduced to shambles and those who were left standing had no more heart for a fight. Arjuna made sure that the chariot did not move an inch. He killed the horses and the charioteer at the first opportunity. Saidhava ought hard but was no match for the angry five. His bow was shot out of is hand. He drew his long sword and moved towards Draupadhi to use her as a hostage for his getaway. The sword too was shot out of his hand leaving him un armed Draupadhi laughed at him and slowly and deliberately she pushed him out of the chariot. Saindhava now dropped to the ground and saw Bheema closing in on him.
Saindhava ran and saw Nakula blocking his way. With a fierce tackle he brought Nakula down. He grabbed at Nakula ‘s sword, which had fallen down, but Nakula kicked it away.
Yudhistra stayed back to help Draupadhi while Bheema and Arjuna ran after Saindhava. They heard Yudhistra shout, “ Whatever you do to him, please do not kill him. Draupadhi was furious “ you don’t give a second chance to a snake. She screamed to Bheema. His head must roll”
Bheema looked back at the angry Draupadhi and smiled at her and ran after the fleeing fugitive, with Arjuna close to him. Saindhava was trapped between Nakula, Bheema and Arjuna. Saindhava fought gallantly and surprised the three with his skill in unarmed combat. He kept himself out of reach of Bheema and tackled Arjuna expertly. Initially they did not want to hurt him, but seeing the way he was fighting they changed their tactics. Bheema plucked out a huge tree and slammed Saindhava in the body. He reeled. Against brute strength of Bheema his skills were no match Slowly and systematically Bheema beat him to pulp. All fight vanished and he was caught in the vice like grip of the giant. . He was barely alive as per wishes of Yudhistra. Nakula dragged him to the place where Sahadeva, Draupadhi and Yudhistra were sitting.

Saindhava was made to kneel in front of Yudhistra and to tell loudly that I am your slave several times. Totally disgraced and in fear of his life Saindhava did as told Arjuna took a narrow and using it as a razor removed tufts of hair from Saindhava ‘s head making him look ridiculous. Draupadhi was watching all this in great anger. She was not amused with the attempts of Arjuna to make Saindhava look silly. She was thirsty for Saindhava’s blood. She was hoping that Yudhistra in his capacity as king would sentence him to death. She had hoped Bheema would kill him. Now she was looking upto Yudhistra to do justice to her. She was dismayed when Yudhistra said softly “ please untie him and let him go” Draupadhi screamed “ let him go ‘ in disbelief. “ you know what he did to me. At least now you are free to do what you like unlike what happened after you lost the game. So why show any mercy?”
Yudhistra looked at her with pain filled face and said softly, Devi you must bear with me. Please give him a horse and let him go”.
Draupadhi looked all the one brothers and found pain in every face. Is it so easy to forgive a felon, she wondered? Then Sahadeva spoke “Devi, much though every one of us would like to kill this wretch and satisfy you, just now it will not be a very wise thing to do. The word will reach Duryodhana and he will be here with a huge army to avenge his family honour. Presently we are in no position to deal with that sort of situation, so strategy requires that we should let him go now. When we are fully prepared for an all out war, we will kill every one of them who have caused you displeasure. But presently, please allow him to free as Yudhistra decided.”
Yudhistra looked at Sahadeva very gratefully. He had articulated his decision very capably and he sincerely hoped Draupadhi would also agree. She would not. She called all of them cowards and wished her dear son Abhimanyu was at hand. He would have carried out my wishes without a second thought. Even though Abhimanyu was Subhadra’s son, for Draupadhi he was her eldest son and she loved Subhadhra and Abhimanyu as her own.
Saindhava was greatly relieved to have got out with his neck still attached to his body He could not get away fast enough. The parting words of Yudhistra was still ringing in his ears ‘ go straight to your palace Any move from you to visit Hastinapur now would mean death for you as per wishes of our Devi”. Till this moment Saindhava did not have much animosity towards Pandavas, he possibly even sympathized with them on their misfortune. But after his infatuation with Draupadhi and the miserable disgrace in the hands of Pandavas, hatred began to gain hold and he longed for the day when Duryodhana would kill them all. He kept rubbing his head feeling the tufts of hair still left in his head and getting himself in engulfed in a craving for some revenge. He lost all interest in proceeding towards his home and face questions about what happened He allowed the handful of his surviving army to find their own way while he retired deep into the forest seeking isolation.


Chapter 3


Saindhava kept pushing his horse deep into the forest. He was hissing like a snake that has swallowed more than a mouthful. His mind was reenacting the sequence of events terminating in the disgrace at the hands of Pandavas. His mind was totally restless. He forgot all about his family waiting for him at Sindhu durg. The wild animals in the forest passed him by and he soon came upon a hermitage of a sage who had known him from his younger days. The sage said words that calmed him down. Slowly Saindhava explained to the sage his situation and need for revenge. The sage explained that our own deeds sometime come back to haunt us. The Pandavas are a blessed lot because they have the support of Sri Krishna Hence Saindhava must put his experience behind and concentrate on improving his kingdom Seeking revenge would only lead to ones own destruction But Saindhava was not satisfied with the sage’ swords of wisdom. He wanted to some how cause a great deal of pain then only he will have peace of mind. The sage sympathized with Saindhava and advised Saindhava that if he was so keen on obtaining his revenge, he should undertake a penance, praying for Lord Shiva to help him. This idea appealed to Saindhava .He received instructions from the sage about proper procedures for performing the penance
He selected an isolated location where wild animals and strangers would not disturb him. He conditioned his mind and body in preparation of long and severe penance. Slowly he disregarded the discomfort felt on account of hunger, vagaries of weather and sleepless nights. He concentrated body and soul in uttering the name of Rudhra, the supreme lord and last resort of helpless souls. Days merged into months, seasons changed. Saindhava maintained his punishing routine, with single-minded devotion. All he wanted as a glimpse of Rudhra and his blessings.
Such efforts never go waste. It is a pity that arduous efforts are taken for fulfillment of personal desires in place of common good. But for Saindhava such lofty ideals were meaningless especially when he was being consumed body and soul on account of unforgettable personal disgrace. He must obtain the power to vanquish the Pandavas. He concentrated with an intensity never seen before him.
Rudhra knew the basic motives that induced such a penance. He appeared before Saindhava and blessed him. Saindhava felt elated at having succeeded in making Rudhra appear before him. Now would he grant him the boon he badly wanted? He fell at the feet of Rudhra and praised him for his compassion. Siva softly asked what was that he wanted and whether all his efforts were towards a worthy cause. Saindhava boldly told Rudhra that he was not asking for any thing in terms of luxury or comforts, which due to the kind god’s benevolence, he had in plenty. All he required presently was a peace of mind that was being destroyed due to memory of disgrace at the hands of Pandavas. He will get that peace of mind only when he received the power to get better of them in war and kill them. Would the kind lord Shiva bless him with such special powers?
Shiva patiently explained that the Pandavas were the descendants of devas and hence cannot be killed by mortal men of this world. Hence Saindhava can never get the required power for killing them. Further they are always guarded by Krishna. He enjoyed very special relationship with Arjuna on account of previous birth associations. Hence as long as Arjuna was there to protect Pandavas they will never be defeated
Saindhava felt terribly dejected to realize that his great effort to win the favor of Rudhra was in vain. Shiva added that if there was a moment when he was faced with Pandavas in the absence of Arjuna, he will be able defeat them and cause misery to them on one day. He however made it clear that killing them was not possible.
Shiva also advised Saindhava to get out of his infatuation with Draupadhi. All your present difficulties started due to your improper conduct in relation to Draupadhi. Draupadhi came out of sacrificial fire to serve a special cause for the gods. Recent events at Hastinapur have already set into motions certain pre ordained chain of conflicts that would result in enormous loss of values. You must be wary and if possible avoid getting embroiled in a conflict around Draupadhi. If you insist on having your way, you will have your day of glorious victory over Pandavas exactly for a day and then your own end will come at the hands one of the Pandavas. This is also pre ordained.

Every person taking birth on this earth will die someday. Hence he should not worry too much about birth. He can keep himself out of harms way if he stuck to a path of righteousness in every action

Shiva wished Saindhava well and disappeared. Saindhava did not know if he gained anything at all after all this penance. He began to move towards his kingdom in total confusion. Back at his palace he explained all that happened to him and the message received from Shiva. His father a very devoted king and loving father assured Saindhava one day of victory was better than disgrace. He said with all the yogic power he had gained he, as a father would ensure that who ever dropped his son’s head on ground would die immediately with his head bursting to pieces.

This piece of assurance from his father seemed to satisfy Saindhava that he had achieved something worthwhile from Shiva. He began to wait for his day of reckoning.

As he retired to bed that night, his mind was still full of Draupadhi and the Pandavas

Chapter 4

The Great War at the battlefields of Kurukshetra was already 12 days old Pandavas guided by Sri Krishna were holding their own against the powerful Kaurava Army now led by the venerable Achrya Drona. On the power of Arjuna ‘s great skills and Bheema’s uncomparable strength Pandavas had already established ascendancy. Bhishma had laid down his arms and was presently lying on his bed of arrows awaiting his time for die. Duryodhana was angry that inspite of his army being more powerful, major victory was eluding him. Karna , who refused to fight under Bhishma’s generalship , took his position under Drona’s command. Several attempts by Drona to capture Yudhistra alive were brilliantly thwarted by combination of Arjuna, Bheema, drishtadyumna, Satyaki and young Abhimanyu who at a very young age had established a place for himself as a great fighter on chariot. Cruel words of Duryodhana about the in effectiveness of his strategy were hurting Acharya. At the end of 12th day fighting, the Acharya told Duryodhana” You must realize that as long as Krishna AND Arjuna are on the field, you cannot win the war. Will capture Yudhistra for you if you can arrange for Arjuna to be engaged elsewhere.”
Duryodhana called the samsapthaka princes who had cultivated a vendetta against Arjuna, and requested them to challenge Arjuna and engage him for a day outside the Kurukshetra main battlefield. The instructions to the princes were very clear; they were to engage Arjuna right through a day, to give sufficient time for Drona to defeat Pandavas. Many times in the past 12 days, there were moments of imminent capture of Yudhistra and every time Arjuna will appear at the nick of time to foil Drona ‘s attempts. Drona was convinced that only way to inflict heavy defeat on the Pandavas was not having to deal with Arjuna. He had a promise to keep and he had a strategy to spring when Arjuna was not around; a strategy that would consume some important member of Pandavas family even if it was not Yudhistra.

Led by King Susharma of the kingdom of Trikartha, the Samsapthaka princess was a courageous group. They were aware that Duryodhana was asking for a suicide mission, because you cannot fight Arjuna for a long day without casualty. They had a long pending debt to settle and this was as good a time as any to settle scores. To fight Arjuna in itself was an honour and to be killed by him on the battlefield would be more so for the brave tribe of samsapthakas. They knew they could fight him but could they hold him back for all day long. That was their main problem
When the call for a separate engagement, citing a long forgotten reason for vengeance, Krishna saw through the strategy of Drona and warned Arjuna not to take the call seriously. But Arjuna had taken a vow not to say no to a call for battle and as a blue blooded Kshatriya, he felt compelled to take the gauntlet

So on the early hours of thirteen day of the war, much before sunrise, samsapthaka princes completed their own final rites as per customs of warriors going on suicide missions and dressed in red garments signifying death. They mounted their weapons leaden chariots and started towards the plains, north of Kurukshetra. One of the princes drove straight to the barracks of Arjuna and found him getting ready. Sri Krishna was attending to the horses and supervising the loading of weapons.
The prince hailed Arjuna to come out. Arjuna recognized the voice and with a long sword in his had stepped out of the tent. He saw the prince dressed all in red with a black scarf round his headgear. The prince dismounted and standing in a stiff soldierly stance, he cried out “ Arjuna, you are the greatest warrior this earth has seen. Combining with Sri Krishna, you are just unbeatable. Now we the warrior tribe of Trikartha region challenge you to display your skills to kill us and if you fail, you will be killed. We will wait for you north of Kurukshetra.” He stepped forward and presented Arjuna a red colored flower with amazing smell. Accepting the flower would mean a fight unto death and refusal to accept the flower meant ridicule. Krishna signaled to Arjuna not to accept the flower. The warrior’s blood in Arjuna urged him to accept the challenge even though all rationale told him it was a trick. He had many things to tell the young prince but the set mood prevented too much talk. With great deliberation, he honored the young prince accepting the proffered flower and wished the young prince great strength. The fresh face of the young prince burst into a beautiful smile as he thanked Arjuna. He climbed back on his horse and spurred the beast to a fast run northward, to join the brothers.
The news of Arjuna ‘s separate engagement REACHED Drona and he clapped his hands in glee. He immediately called all his maharathis to assemble. One by one they all trooped in. Ashwattama, Kripa, Karna, Salya Purishrava and Saindhava, were all present waiting for the Acharya to brief them on the day’s strategy.
Saindhava also heard about Arjuna. He smiled. Today it is going to be his day. He will defeat the Pandavas. He was immersed in his own thoughts of personal revenge. He was going to defeat the Pandavas. Drona’s words did not mean anything to him He did not hear any thing that day. He was simply preparing himself for his day of glory.
Chapter 5

The Maharathis of the Kaurava army were listening to their general explaining the day’s strategy ‘ Drona was explaining, “ Today I am going to adapt radically new formation. While the respected Bhishma was marshalling our army, he did not show much inclination to be overtly very aggressive. Out of his love for Pandavas he was not keen on bodily harm, so he concentrated on decimating their army so that Pandavas could be made to sue for peace. That has not happened and Pandavas are seemingly holding on strongly. I have promised Duryodhana that I will capture Yudhistra alive and bring this war to an end and today ‘s battle formation is aimed at achieving that aim
On a table was laid out the formation and Drona was holding a lotus flower in his hand. He said very impressively the formation is named after this flower. Padma vyuha. Only Arjuna knows how to crack this vyuha and none of the other Pandavas know anything about this. With Arjuna away on another engagement. This is the time to spring this formation on their army and I promise that if every one holds his station, by the end of the day we will have at least one of them in our custody alive or dead
This Formation allows offensive and defensive options. We can mow them down and if any one gets inside, he cannot go out as any breach in formation could be easily patched up immediately trapping the intruder.
He explained to every maharathi his role and emphasized that for the success of this strategy any breaches to be patched up immediately, so that the intruder stay trapped inside our formation and e will deal with him at our leisure, as he cannot get out.
He spun the flower slowly with his finger watch this. The vyuha gets its power, because by slow turning by a few degrees the breach gets covered and intruder will have army in front and behind him. He placed the flower on the ground and pointed out “ see how many layers of petals are there in the flower. This is our defense. To advance deep into our formation, the enemy will have to advance layer by layer. This will slow him down and we can stop the advance in any layer we wish

Speed is critical in this formation. There are not many who have mastered this vyuha. Only Arjuna, Balarama, Krishna, pradyumna And Bhishma can handle this Fortunately for us, none of above will be on hand to help them. So it will be a happy hunting for our army.”

The more he heard about the formidable battle formation announced by the Acharya, the more excited Duryodhana be came. He lauded the Acharya about his wisdom and appealed passionately to his maharathis ‘today is the beginning of our decisive victory. We must give all out support to our Acharya”
The great Acharya was hoping that he would be able to capture Yudhistra without hurting him too much. Inspite of being loyal to Duryodhana, he could not totally suppress his love for the Pandavas. He really believed Duryodhana would stop this war after capture of Pandavas leader. He blessed Duryodhana and Karna and ordered his commanders to position their armies as per the formation, decided for the day.

Nakula, a keen student of battle formations, saw with increasing discomfort, the emerging pattern of the Kaurava army deployment. It was not any one of the various formations tried by Bhishma. He had seen garud, makar, and krauncha. Koorma or sarvatobhadra formations. He pointed out to Bheema and Drishtadyumna, the radically new and different pattern and observed” today, you cannot attack, so easily. So please organize a tight defence. Remember Arjuna is not here with us today and the Acharya means business.’
Drishtadyumna the commander in chief of the Pandavas army was never a great admirer of the Acharya. He had only one lifelong wish that is to kill the Acharya. He was born, in the same sacrificial fire ignited to obtain power to destroy Drona, the Acharya who humbled Draupadhi’s pride long time back. He knew about battle formations and soon recognized what the Acharya had prepared for him. He had never encountered this before but with a bravado that you expect in a great warrior, he cried out to Bheema ‘ whatever it is, I will smash it’ Bheema said softly “ you can not smash this one, son. I can see power in it. Let us hope, we can defend better today and keep our losses to the minimum.” Bheema, for all his bulk always knew that trouble came in different ways and shapes and today in the acharya’s Padma vyuha, he saw big trouble.

. He remembered his conversation with Arjuna, during the days of exile,
When they talked about various battle formations.’ To smash Padma vyuha you need speed and power. The breach must be wide enough to run your army deep inside their formation, in an inverted v type wedge well inside enemy. Otherwise you will be crushed inside. You must be able to fight laterally so that the breach is kept open all the time, for you to withdraw if some thing goes wrong with your attack.” Seeing Bheema lost in concentration Drishtadyumana”we all can not keep quiet Bheema, we have to act. In a battle you must always be ready to attack. A sitting duck is a dead duck. You know it better than anybody else.”
Bheema was ready and determined. Suddenly he was angry with Arjuna for going away on a personal war allowing Drona an advantage. He swore an oath. Drona shall not succeed
He left Drishtadyumna to organize e the defense and prepare himself for a hard days fighting He prayed to Sri KRISHNA to help Arjuna overwhelm the Samsapthaka s. Holding Drona for a day should not be a problem. He hoped
Chapter6
Dronacharya stood at the head of his great army, with determination writ large on his face and a keenness for battle that belied his advancing age He had a debt of gratitude to redeem and hoped that by the end of the day his obligation towards Duryodhana would end with capture and handing over of Yudhistra or with death of an important member of Pandavas clan. He was hoping that capture of Yudhistra would end this fratricidal war, which did not help anyone so far. He wished that goodwill should once again flourish between the warring cousins, after the war.
Ready to join battle was Bheema of immaculate strengthen was aware that his warrior brothers Nakula and Sahadeva would stand upto new responsibilities thrust on them due to absence of Partha at the war front. Young Abhimanyu was eager. Not realizing that this was his fateful day. He recognized the battle formation as any learned student who had read only half the lesson would. Yudhistra saw ominous signs and interpreted them as arising out of Drona’s resolve to catch him alive. He resolved that he would fight hard and not allow himself to be captured by the Acharya. He looked upto elders like Drupadha, Virata and young Satyaki and Drishtadyumna to keep the offensive going and inspire their armies to fight Drona resolutely and thwart all his plans for the day. He did not see any threat in the new formation deployed by Drona today.

Bugles blared, conches sounded and flags were raised signaling attack by Kaurava forces with Drona in the lead. Yudhistra could see Duryodhana and Ashwattama to Drona’s left and right slightly behind. Salya, Karna, kripa and other kings loyal to Dritarashtra all had taken their pre assigned positions in the formation. Saindhava quietly was leading his army holding his position behind Drona. To yudhishtira’s trained eye, Saindhava appeared very formidable.
Drona Attacked, swift and terrible. Soon the compactly held Pandavas formation was scattered. Bheema counter attacked and he was soon over run by the fast advance by Drona. Satyaki, the invincible general trained by Sri Krishna and Arjuna, stood firm. Drona bypassed him with a beautifully executed maneuver that stunned him and Drona was now relentlessly pushing his way towards Yudhishtira. Drupadha brought his huge army in the way and held Drona for some time. Yudhistra desperately wanted to counter attack to divert the attention of Drona. Stopping Drona from upfront appeared impossible. He had to attack from somewhere. He spotted Young Abhimanyu who had gone upfront to help Satyaki deal with Drona’s assault. Together, they rallied their army, regrouped and held Drona back Drona marveled at the resourceful Abhimanyu. What else do you expect from the son of illustrious Arjuna. Drona’s advance was halted by the supreme defensive action put together by Satyaki, Bheema and Abhimanyu. Yudhistra was relieved to see Drona’s movement checked and thought it was good time for counter attack, so that, Drona would not have time to carry out his avowed mission of capturing Yudhistra alive
A quick review was held to decide the counter attack. Collectively all the Pandava elders seemed to feel they had no clue as to how to beat Drona’s formation. Slowly every one towards Abhimanyu. He might have learnt something form his illustrious father or the famous uncle Sri Krishna. Yudhistra addressed the young man” Son, You did a great job stopping Drona just now. While he is regrouping for another attack we must counter attack and keep him busy. Do you have any idea how to smash Padma vyuha; with out relaxing our own defenses Bheema and Satyaki have tried but found the formation somehow tough. You have studied the formation; no doubt; now tell me how you attack that. If we don’t counter attack Arjuna will ridicule us for not following up after we stopped Drona in his tracks.
Abhimanyu tried to absorb all that his elder father was trying to tell. He thought for a moment to decide how to explain his situation. ‘Sir, You know I have the capability and knowledge to smash through Drona ‘s formation. But my knowledge is incomplete as I have not learnt the art of lateral fighting to keep the breach open for fall back.” Yudhistra saw a ray of hope” well, Bheema, Satyaki, Nakula, Sahadeva are all experts in lateral fighting. You make the opening and we all follow in your wake and scatter their army to make trail open for our retreat in case it becomes necessary That way we will not allow ourselves to be enveloped by their army We can collectively break the back of their vyuha. Arjuna will be very happy to see us conducting the war with aggression, when he is not around. Let us do it, son.” Abhimanyu thought for a second” speed is a critical factor, sir. Our horses must be fresh and that we should kill whom so ever comes in our front. Any hesitation will cause a slow down and the breach can be sealed”
‘Yes, yes. That I understand. We will be ready. You get started’Yudhistra did not realize that he was really pushing the youngster to a situation he was fearing. He would have to fight in the gray area where you are not sure that you have a open way for returning in case you run out of steam.
Never the less, the young man was elated. The elders had appreciated his great skills and were now prepared to let him lead an attack on Padma vyuha held by Dronacharya. What a glorious feat it would be. Wont his father and uncle Sri Krishna, be absolutely thrilled?” He hurried towards his charioteer to brief him about the counter attack and about his role. The charioteer Visoka by name had already heard the news and was most unhappy. He had trained under tharuka, Sri Krishna ‘s charioteer and knew a great deal more about Padma vyuha and the intricate chariot run required for the attack. He was sure, young Abhimanyu had the firepower and skill to smash his way in, but would he able to come out of it, he was not at all sure. He knew very well that one arrow at the head of the charioteer was sufficient to bring Abhimanyu’s run to a dead stop.
Visoka tried to curb the youngsters enthusiasm by politely telling him” sir, the king has given you a responsibility not suited to your age. You must share the chariot either with Bheema or Sathyaki. You must not do it alone. It is too dangerous role for a young lad.”
Abhimanyu laughed at the suggestion .He roared at the charioteer” Are you suggesting that I hold the hand of my uncles while I am fighting. Is the son of Arjuna the greatest warrior the world has seen? On my mother’s side, I have Sri Krishna as my uncle. Do you think even for a minute that fear can touch me. Don’t worry Visoka; I have learnt my art well, from great teachers. Like Sri Krishna guides my father into and out of battles, you will guide me into the battle and watch me beat the great Vyuha”. Visoka was not going to allow any foolish daring do, if he could help. He said calmly, “ No sir, I have no doubt at all about your capabilities to smash though. But I would like Bheema to be there to bring us back. He is vastly experienced and can pace the attack once we are inside” Abhimanyu thought it would be cowardice to ask someone to share the risk. His mind was made up. He wont share his chariot with any one. Bheema and Satyaki can follow him but not go in the same chariot.

Visoka got the chariot ready. The horses were ready and keen for battle. The other Pandava warriors Bheema, Satyaki, Nakula, Sahadeva and the Panchala princes with their aged father Drupadha were all ready to follow their young leader. Abhimanyu took the blessings of his elders. Yudhistra blessed with very emotional overtones and prayed that his power increase many fold so as to help all in achieving the day’s objective, through his heroic actions. Abhimanyu stopped to think about his mother Subhadhra, wife uththara, now expecting their first child, his uncle Sri Krishna and father Arjuna. He performed manasic pranams seeking their blessings. The image of Draupadhi his favorite aunt came up in his mind reminding the promise he had made to her to wipe, through his action, dreaded memories of unsavory incidents experienced by her. Today he would deal with kauravas in a special way.

Draupadhi, back in her palace not very far from the battlefields, had got to know that her favorite son, the pride of Arjuna and the heir apparent would lead today’s attack to the Pandava throne. She was overcome suddenly by motherly emotions towards a darling son. She prayed passionately to Rudhra to protect the young warrior.

Abhimanyu moved mentally checking out the set of actions he will have to execute. He reminded himself that speed and multi weapon attack were called. He looked at the meticulously arranged set of armory laid out by Visoka. He felt the charioteer staring at him in great awe.

Visoka said” Son, you are shining like the Aditya in the sky. You must conserve your strength and control the excitement. Have spoken to the charioteers of Bheema and Satyaki to keep following us very closely. The wedge you create must be enlarged by their actions.”
Yes, Sir said Abhimanyu, picking up his long bow and plucked at the tight string, setting it into thunderous vibrations. The shockwaves transmitted by those vibrations slammed into the ears of Drona, Kripa, Karna, Ashwattama, Duryodhana and Salya jerking them to a new realization that the very atmosphere had changed electric. Visoka whipped the horses and the wheels rolled, faster and faster aiming towards Drona. Like the rays of sun emanating from the Sun, arrows emerged out of the long bow wielded by Subhadra’s son. The arrows were shining, filling the battlefield with strange light multiplying their numbers before striking at the army to the right and left of Drona. The horses and elephants fell in hundreds and the soldiers found themselves in a very different war where they could not see their foe but felt his barrage. Drona was stunned at the power of assault. The chariot was making a dead run expertly handled by some one who resembled mathili the charioteer of Indra. In a daring manner, the army to the right and left of Drona was dismantled in no time. Drona struggled to hold the swiftly gliding Abhimanyu in his sight for a strike, but the young warrior was moving very fast. A passing arrow struck Drona, in his right arm and as he jerked his hand free, his left hand was smashed compelling him to drop the arrow he was holding. It required all his skills in defensive warfare to save him from being smothered by lashing arrows. Before he recovered Abhimanyu was a blur in the distance.
Pandava leaders Bheema and Satyaki and others swiftly followed Abhimanyu and in turn wrought havoc with Drona’s standing army, as they passed him by. After Satyaki a huge army of his horsemen flew past an infuriated and frustrated Drona.
Now Drona’s strategy required that on his part he should allow Bheema inside and be trapped. Just as he was making up his mind that trapping of Bheema would be sufficient for ending the war. Yudhistra did what he was instructed to do, that is not to allow Drona close the breach after Bheema entered the vyuha .As the last of Satyaki’s horsemen went past him, Drona was surprised by a belligerent Yudhistra spoiling for aright and challenging Drona to a fight. Yudhistra was supported by a he Panchala army, which had an axe to grind against Drona on account of historical reasons. Drona was having a busy time trying to smother the Panchala army while Abhimanyu, Bheema and Satyaki were flogging his army mercilessly. Now Abhimanyu made another daring move, seeing Duryodhana looming ahead. Originally he was planning to smash through Saindhava’s army of elephants, but Duryodhana appeared to offer more satisfying target. He swerved to the left blasting through Duryodhana’s army Bheema and Satyaki were thrilled to see the power and effectiveness of Abhimanyu’s attack as he made another opening. And they raced on behind him.

The furious onslaught unnerved Duryodhana, as he never expected the youngster to smash into him. Abhimanyu as now face to face, challenging him” I have brought Bheema to deal with you and before he takes over, I will work on you a little.’ So saying Abhimanyu unleashed a barrage of arrows at the helpless Duryodhana, leaving him with out a chariot or horses, even before he could decide the best way to stop the marauding young devil. Watching him with amusement Abhimanyu wanted to race past Duryodhana, when he saw Salya and his young brother racing in to help Duryodhana. They attacked him with intense shower and were shocked to see instantaneous country attack. So swift was his shooting that they found their bows shot out of their hands Salya was furious. He whipped up another bow and covered Abhimanyu in a shower of arrows. Abhimayu cleared the air easily and engaged the elderly scions of Matsya desh in a thrilling duel, which ended eventually in the death of Salya’s brother. And Salya himself badly wounded. Duryodhana’s brothers intervened to allow Salya escape more punishment at the hands of young man. Abhimanyu looked upto see Karna moving towards him.

While Abhimanyu was concentrating on Karna, behind him Bheema and Satyaki were busy mopping up Duryodhana’s shattered army. They watched in wonder the tremendous power oozing out of those young shoulders and mesmerizing nature of his shooting. They were in time to see Abhimanyu direct his chariot towards Karna. Bheema thought that this was the time to get ahead of the boy and tackle Karna. They had opened up the breach and Pandava army was moving in strength when a series of fateful events took place resulting in a disaster. Drona warding of Yudhishtira’s attack executed a tricky maneuver bringing his army between Bhheema and satyaki and Saindhava brought his huge army of elephants to block Bheema. Sensing the imminent danger Satyaki attacked Drona furiously and expected Bheema to do the same from behind but found that Bheema ‘s attention was diverted by the Saindhava’s move. Bheema attacked Saindhava as he was blocking his movement behind Abhimanyu who had gone too for ahead of them and was now facing Karna. As Bheema thought that Saindhava was a push over he concentrated on eliminating his threat before dealing with Drona, in the process he lost contact with Satyaki on one side and was way behind Abhimanyu and he began to sense the trap and put his entire energy in smashing the threat from Saindhava. Saindhava in his part sensed that his moment of glory had arrived and pushed his army of trained elephants on Bheema. Bheema scattered the elephants with well-directed shower of arrows. Now he could feel the power of Drona’s formation as the scattered hoarded of elephants found no room to move away and they returned to attack Bheema. Feeling frustrated Bheema turned his fire on Saindhava, who retorted with a flourish and soon shot Bheema out of has chariot, horses and weapons. Seeing Bheema in trouble, Yudhistra pressed Nakula and Sahadeva into the attack. Bheema climbed on to Sahadeva chariot and together they fought Saindhava. Now he had all 4 Pandava brothers arraigned against and he handled the fight expertly. Pandavas were now becoming desperate as they tried to move around Saindhava and found Saindhava and his elephants effectively bottled them up.
Saindhava brought to memory the disgrace he had suffered in the hands of Yudhistra and sage words of Sahadeva on how the prince must treat a queen. He fought to savage war and one by one in turn he defeated Sahadeva, Nakula and yudhishtira’s. He had already defeated Bheema .He remembered the words of Rudhra that one day he will defeat all Pandavas. That day was at hand and he was determined to enjoy every minute of his triumph. Bheema realized that Saindhava so expertly created by young Abhimanyu effectively sealed the breach in the vyuha. He could see in the distance the young hero was giving a terrible punishment to Karna but he found no pleasure in that sight. He knew he could not go to help of his dear son, if anything went wrong. He was sick at heart and in anguish cried out to his dear friend Satyaki, “my friend, we have lost the kid”. Satyaki, whose perception of the battle trends was more realistic, heard Bheema and hung his head in shame and Bheema could see tears in his eyes
Chapter7

Saindhava relished immensely his moment of triumph over the formidable Pandavas. Bheema’s brute force was nullified by the intelligent use of elephants to block him. The formidable Nakula who was compared to Arjuna for his valour found handling Saindhava today a totally different proposition. The noble Sahadeva found that all his tactics and strategic innovations fell flat in front of Saindhava who countered every move with tremendous resourcefulness. Yudhishtira’s leadership qualities in the battle zone seemed so in effective today. Saindhava could make no mistake today. He was simply invincible. It appeared that some divine power unknown to them was keeping Saindhava safe from all the weapons hurled by desperate Pandavas.
As the day wore on, that invisible divine power was making Saindhava more and more powerful. He fought tirelessly and every time Pandavas tried to regroup and attack he was ready for them. Pandavas realized that an important battle was lost which meant that Abhimanyu was on his own now. getting deeper and deeper into the mire. They feared the worst for him and wondered how they would ever be able to console his dear mothers wife Uththara and heroic father

By now Abhimanyu had penetrated deep into enemy territory. He faced Karna resolutely Visoka the gallant charioteer, who had been briefing Abhimanyu about what was happening behind them, suddenly became silent, fully realizing their perilous situation, they were now faced with. Abhimanyu believed that he could smash is way straight out of this formation, if he could last the entire length of the battlefield. For this strategy to be successful, he should fight to kill who sever comes in front of him. Facing Karna, Abhimanyu tried to bring to focus all that he knew about Karna’s style of fighting.

Karna approached the fight in a calm and measured manner. He had already seen the youngster rout Drona, Duryodhana, Salya and other brothers of Duryodhana He worked his way around the young warrior. Abhimanyu stayed rooted in one place to allow his horses breathing time. They had been running like hell right through the morning. Karna started the verbal duel to rattle the youngster, “ youngman, you have strayed too far away from your Guardians. Do you realize, my son that you are now at the end of your road? I am here to pin you down”. So saying, he unleashed a volley o powerful arrows. It was a wasted efforts, both, the words uttered and the burst of arrows. Abhimanyu scattered them easily with well directed counter thrust and retorted “Karna, I believe in the bow I am wielding, the training that I have received in its use at the time of war Only a physically and mentally weak person needs escorts and guardians. I am neither weak nor powerless. I am fully alert and prepared for any eventuality .I have already blasted your army and very much ready to deal with you. My father is a matchless warrior this world has ever known and you have clamed in several platform that you are a match for him. Show me how good you are.”
Then the young bowman treated Karna to a fantastic display of archery at its best. One by one his arrows thudded into his chest, in rapid succession piercing his powerful Armour. Visoka moved his chariot in small measures allowing unbelievable angles for sharp shooting. Karna found he stripped expertly of all covering protecting sensitive parts of his body. His arm guards, shoulder straps holding up his Armour, gloves in hands were all ripped away exposing tender flesh. Speed of arrows smashing into him did not allow him to fit arrow on his bow. He was hurting all over and the hand that held the famous bow Vijay was trembling .He leaned on his flagstaff on the chariot in an effort to gather himself for a counter attack but the youngster would not give him that precious time Karna’s watched from a distance his famous brother getting mauled and tried to distract Abhimanyu, who annoyed with the intrusion dispatched the brother with a volley of arrows Poor brother was caught in a mismatch and hastily withdrew to save his own life. Karna attempted to hit back at Abhimanyu and his feeble efforts
Were easily and skillfully. Not wanting to spend too much time, abhimanyu destroyed Karna’s chariot making him jump out seeking safety of firm ground under his feet than to be caught in the burning chariot.
Abhimanyu laughed aloud and addressed Karna,” Karna, you have repeatedly insulted elders of my family and my mother Draupadhi. Iam now in a position to cut you to pieces as you are without dispossessed of your weapons. It would be a gross error on my part to let you go presently alive but considering the vows undertaken by my father to kill, I do not wish to steal his thunder. I am inclined to let you live for some more time after squarely and fairly beating you in a dual. So saying Abhimanyu let loose two arrows pinning Karna’s hands to the ground.

Abhimanyu moved away, leaving a furious and frustrated Karna. Duryodhana and his son Lakshmana hurried to help Karna. Lakshmana was in belligerent mood and took up the task of stopping the intrepid Abhimanyu. IT WAS NO CONTEST AS Abhimanyu’s superior skills were too hot for Lakshmana to handle. He was powerless to stop the arrow that snatched his life away. Duryodhana screamed for Abhimanyu’s blood. Ashwattama stopped to console Duryodhana and to boost his sagging spirits; he decided to take on the fast moving young hero. Ashwattama was a great friend and admirer of Arjuna and liked young Abhimanyu very much. Just like his father, Ashwattama also felt compelled to fight on the side of Duryodhana due to lifelong obligation. At that point of time he was not having so much animosity towards Pandavas but felt it was his duty to be true to his king. With a determination unusual for his caste, he now prepared to stop Abhimanyu. He had seen Abhimanyu savage Karna, so his approach very cautious. Abhimanyu was fully aware of the capability of the Acharya’s son, but today he was not bothered by any ones reputation. To his mind they were all enemies trying to stop him from getting away and he had to dispatch them out of battle scene. While Ashwattama was less inclined for a heavy engagement Abhimanyu did not give him any choice. They were now face to face. Abhimanyu launched a frontal attack that was disconcerting. Smothered under a hail of sharp arrows Ashwattama felt powerless. He was hit by a series of arrows .One hit him in the temple and rendered him unconscious. His charioteer wanted to take him out and Abhimanyu allowed to move away.
Dronacharya the maternal uncle of Ashwattama watched the brief fight in great anxiety and moved into the scene to save his nephew and blessed Abhimanyu when he allowed that
One by one Abhimanyu engaged and defeated all the mighty warriors of Kaurava army. When he had them beaten and on the ground for the final blow to kill them, he wavered, remembering the terrible vows undertaken by Arjuna, Bheema, Nakula and Yudhistra. Thus he spared the lives of Karna, Duryodhana, kripa Drona, Salya and others. It did not matter to him now that he was trapped and only way out of the trap was to have killed them all. His chariot rolled on and on. And soon he was face-to-face with Drona again He knew he was at the end of the vyuha He looked at his own chariot. Visoka normally ebullient man was now silent His armory was now almost empty. His hands were weary. He longed for some water for his horses. He did not know how he will continue to fight with out weapons. In the meanwhile Drona was shooting at him. Abhimanyu held himself back to conserve his ammunition as otherwise he would exhaust himself. Seeing Drona engage Abhimanyu, Karna joined to protect the Acharya. Then Kripa and Ashwattama along with Duryodhana also reached that site. Five stalwarts to silence one young cub. Abhimanyu thought they all looked like Jackals waiting for him to fall so that they can finish him off. He was right. Drona sensed he had caught his prey. But Abhimanyu was not beaten yet. He was still in his chariot and with his bow in hand. Visoka pointed at Karna and Abhimanyu shot at him and heard him scream. Abhimanyu laughed and shouted I had warned you to stay away from me, now you die. He hurled a powerful astra at him but saw that destroyed in flight by the skillful Drona, there by saving Karna. Abhimanyu now made every arrow count. He shot the bow out of Drona’s hand and hit Karna with another. Ashwattama had to duck under a life-threatening missile. Karna shouted at the Acharya to do something and kill the young devil before all of them are killed. Drona now shouted at Karna, “ you can not beat this boy in a straight fight. Move behind him and cut his bow down. Abhimanyu kept Karna in his sight and the intelligent Visoka kept moving the chariot in a tight circle keeping Karna always in front. Seeing this Ashwattama shot the horses down one by one and made the chariot useless Drona brought the loyal Visoka down with a straight one to the throat. As Visoka fell out Abhimanyu jumped out of the chariot to take him in his arms For a minute he held him close to his chest and heard him say softly, “so long son. I had a very good terminal run it was great while it lasted. Now you take care”. Abhimanyu dropped the dead body and grabbed his bow again. It was shot out of his hands into two. He held one part still in his grip He placed it on the floor of the chariot and folded his hands in reverence to the weapon, which had been a part of his person all along. He now had only his sword. He raised it aloft and challenged the Kaurava warriors for a one on one fight. No body accepted the challenge. The five Kaurava leaders smothered him under a barrage of arrows shot. He spun his sword with great skill to ward of the arrows but some got through to him striking him on the shoulders. Soon kripa shot at the long sword breaking it into. Abhimanyu hurled the hilt at kripa catching him on the temple Now he was with out a weapon in his hand standing at the center with a dozen kauravas surrounding him and closing in .He removed the wheels of the chariot, first by removing the striking pin. He spun the wheels in air and released it towards the old Drona who shot it to pieces. Now ABHIMANYU WAS RECEIVING THE ARROWS STRIKING ONE AFTER OTHER STAGGERING HIM. He could not even stand .He refused to go under to please the enemies. He lifted himself up on his weak legs and saw Ducchasanas emerge from the ranks with a mace in hand and screaming that he was going to finish Abhimanyu off. Abhimanyu looked at the debris of his once famous chariot and found his own mace there. Drona shot at it but Abhimanyu got hold of it. With a mace in hand new strength seemed to energies his sinews and he swung it around to stop the menacing blow by Ducchasanas son. They fought with desperation The Kaurava prince desperate be cause he thought Abhimanyu was easy meat but he was fighting now like a man possessed. Abhimanyu was desperate because he knew his time was running OUT. He had already lost lot of blood. It was a great effort to even keep the heavy mace up. After a particularly vicious exchange of blows both the youngsters fell. The Kaurava was the first to get up and grab the mace. Poor Abhimanyu was slow. As he leaned forward to reach for his mace somebody kicked it out of his reach and Abhimanyu fell flat. He saw the Kaurava walk towards him holding the mace overhead and swinging it in a great arc for maximum power. Abhimanyu willed his Body to dodge under the swing AS HE WAS GETTING UP but the tired body was too slow. The mace landed on his exposed head with a sickening sound. Abhimanyu collapsed under the blow. Duryodhana stepped forward and kicked the inert body and they realized that young Pandava prince was indeed dead. Karna, duryodhana and Ducchasanas danced over his dead body and hugged the Kaurava prince for finishing off Arjuna’s famous son. Ashwattama was ashamed that he was a party to unfair manner of bringing down a worthy opponent. Drona and kripa had tears in their eyes a wind rose up picking up Abhimanyu’s upper garment from the ground and the garment fell over the shining sweat filled face of the young warrior. Abhimanyu’s eyes were closed shut. There as an uncommon peace in the majestic face. Even in death he looked great.


CHAPTER8

The news of Abhimanyu’s killing reached Yudhistra .He was in consolable .He blamed he for his greed to show off in front of Drona that he too could counter attack. His greed was the main cause of his son’s death He cursed himself for lacking the power to protect his people. He thought how miserable Subhadhra and her young expecting bride would feel when they heard about their dear Abhimanyu’s death
At that moment Sage Vyasa appeared in his barracks and tried to console Yudhishtira and advised him about ways of life in peace and war. Such things were expected in any war. The loss is great no doubt but so are every ones life that died for a cause. Abhimanyu died a hero’s death. War in any form is bad and brings misery for both victors and losers you started the war to overcome the evil forces that the kauravas represented. Abhimanyu was one of the vehicles to achieve that end. The war was not over and he should not devalue Abhimanyu’s sacrifice by becoming weak at this stage He still had an unfinished business to complete and reestablish order and dharma on this earth” So please console yourself and be ready to console Arjuna.” The sage disappeared leaving Yudhistra dazed. He was now waiting for Arjuna’s return, with out knowing how he will receive the terrible news of his son’s death on the battlefield

Arjuna returned from his engagement, full of misgivings. He found Krishna to be unusually reluctant to speak. They had destroyed the vast army of the Samsapthaka and there was reason to be jubilant. But his mind was not calm and he was becoming apprehensive about what he was going to hear from his brothers and sons about the day’s war. He had learnt that in his absence Drona had deployed his forces in Padma vyuha and there was nobody in Pandava side with knowledge to counter that formation. The more he thought about it, more disturbed he felt. Such a vyuha always claimed the life of important person and this thought increased his worry .As his chariot came closer to the Pandava barracks, he found it wore a very unhappy look to it. Usual buzz of doctors going in and out of tents attending to the wounded and messengers carrying information were missing. Normally Abhimanyu and his brothers would be waiting for his return to brief him about their exploits of the day. TO NIGHT, THERE WAS NO SUCH RECEPTION. He dismounted and waited for Sri Krishna to untie the horses and soon an attendant came to take away the horses. The attendant did not greet them as usual. Arjuna could not stand the anxiety any longer and he ran towards Yudhishtira’s tent. It was a large tent as required for the leader of Pandavas. Inside Arjuna found every one of his brothers and heaved a sigh of relief. Sri Krishna held his hands as though to nurse him through a period of extreme emotional distress. Slowly Arjuna realized that his favorite son Abhimanyu was missing and he enquired Yudhistra, how he handled that day’s war, with Drona having resorted to Padma vyuha.
Arjuna was very much proud of his son Abhimanyu. He always wanted to spend a much time as possible with him, but due to his own privations on account of the feud with the Kauravas Abhimanyu and his mother spent most of his childhood at Rukmani’s place growing up under the care of Krishna’s household. He had learnt his scriptures in the lap of his grandmother Rukmani’s and martial arts from Yadhava general Kritavarma and Satyaki. Arjuna had hoped that the world will talk about the warrior Abhimanyu with the same regard as he himself commanded. There was an uncommon shine to Abhimanyu’s face, which attracted every body. He was oozing power and majesty from every pore in his body. Where was he now, he was asking himself silently?
His thoughts were disturbed when he saw Yudhistra walking towards him with Bheema close behind .He knew what he was going to be told. He moved away whispering, “ you have lost him .My Abhimanyu has been sacrificed. How, how, please tell me how “. He broke down as any loving father of a great son would. “What will I tell dear uththara and how I can face Subhadhra,” He moaned. Even in all that distress he wanted to know if his son conducted himself properly in the war.
Yudhistra held him close to his chest and buried his face in his broad and still armored chest.” am to be blamed. My greed for victory is to be blamed Arjuna please kills me, as I cannot tell you how I got your son killed. Killing me is the solution for this war and save other people getting killed.”
The warrior in Arjuna surfaced and he controlled his emotion and said,”Brother, If anyone can assure me that by killing you I can get my Abhimanyu back alive I will kill you without a thought. Brother, I know we are fighting a war and we want to finish the war by winning it and we can not win not by killing you. I know you are all upset. Please tell me what happened. “ He moved slowly towards Bheema his favorite brother on whose strength he and all brothers depended often. “Bheema, how did my son die when you were present? Please tell me. Nakul, you loved him so much, how could you allow this tragedy”?
H e did not ask Sahadeva anything as he knew that Sahadeva would have sacrificed himself to save Abhimanyu, if that was possible .So some thing went wrong very tragically. If a young man could die with so many great warriors surrounding him, they must have faced a huge defeat. He wanted to know what went wrong .So he asked again and again, who killed Abhimanyu?
By now they were all drained of all emotions and began to talk. Yudhistra explained” You know, the Acharya had deployed Padma Vyuha in an offence mode to capture me, in your absence. With great difficulty we beat back his efforts initially .To continue to mount pressure on him, we had to counter attack. Abhimanyu appeared to be the only person among us who could counter Drona. It was on my compulsion that he agreed to lead the attack. even though he knew that he did not know the way to extricate himself from with in at times of need. It was our plan to go in with him and keep the breach open. We almost succeeded but the wily Jayadratha brought his army and covered the breach very effectively. We threw every thing we had at him but he could not be dislodged. It appeared as though we were fighting lord Rudhra himself. He seemed to possess some strange power, which we could not overwhelm. Due to this, Abhimanyu was separated from us and he was far inside their army. We simply could not reach him due to the Saindhava’s intervention. All we could see from distance was that ABHIMANYU WENT DEEP INSIDE HOPING TO COME OUT OF THE FORMATION FROM THE FARSIDE AFTER DEFEATING ALL OF THEM He was blocked by Karna Duryodhana, Ashwattama, Salya, Sakuni, Kripa, Drona and others He defeated all of them one after another as he kept going on and on. Soon he used up all his weapons and lost his chariot. Tired and weak after fighting whole day he was surrounded by all leaders whom he had earlier beaten and they fought him when he was with out his weapons and when he fell after a vicious mace fight with Duchchasa’s son his head was smashed .He died alone but before that he let every one knew that he could have killed them all at various stages but did not out of difference to the vows taken by his elders in the family to kill them all.”
Arjuna tried to imagine the last moments of fighting and he simply could not accept the fact that his son could be defeated. It appeared so unfair that a tired and unarmed warrior could be so easily killed
In anguish He asked Bheema,” Jayadratha is such a wretched fighter, could you not handle him?”You Satyaki, you are invincible, how could you let Jayadratha take the upper hand, Arjuna was furious, with himself. Sri Krishna spoke for the first time “Yes, Jayadratha was invincible that day because of boon given to him by Rudhra that on a day when Arjuna and Krishna were absent from the battlefield, he would defeat the other Pandavas. Jayadratha asked for a boon to kill all the Pandavas, but Rudhra would not grant him that. He had to be satisfied with one victory and it happened the day you left Kurukshetra to fight a personal war with Samsapthaka. Today’s defeat and killing of Abhimanyu were pre ordained and the reason was Saindhava. Arjuna exploded “Remember the day when Draupadhi was repeatedly asking us to kill that snake. She had read him correctly. She was screaming to all of us that it is dangerous to give a snake a second chance. He used that second chance We wanted to be kind to that sinner that day and today he killed our son.’” Then like lava coming out of an exploding volcano terrible words of reprisal and vengeance were uttered by him shocking every one present there “ He will not live any longer. Before sunset I shall kill him while every is watching and avenge my son’s death. If I fail, I shall immolate myself in the fire pit. Let this be known to every body” Then he grabbed his Gandiva bow and pulled at its very tight string setting it into great vibration making deafening notice. The sound traveled across the plains to the Kaurava tents shaking up Drona, Duryodhana and others. They trembled at the unseen menace they felt in the air. Arjuna cried out aloud ‘If Dronacharya, Kripacharya or Ashwattama dare to intervene then they too will be dispatched, bewares.”
Krishna was upset and disapproved the type of vow that Arjuna had ubdertaken. He knew how difficult it was to mow down the Kaurava army to reach SAINDHAVA. He knew that the Acharya was capable of hiding the targeted Saindhava deep inside the army where even Arjuna with all his skills would not be able to reach. Abhimanyu tried to fight them solo and found that it was not only exhaustive but also time taking to run through the battlefield. Thus the action of Arjuna in declaring his intention with out consulting the elders was seen to be not proper. But he had a duty to perform and Krishna had sworn to Kunti before start of the war that he would safe guard all the five brothers. He started strategizing his plans for the next day

Chapter9

Saindhava lying on his bed in his tent could not enjoy his evening of glory. One after another all the kauravas elders came to congratulate him on his great victory over the mighty Pandavas and on the crucial part executed by him in trapping and then killing the crown Prince of Pandavas. The enormous consequences of his action slowly assumed scary proportions in his mind and he felt his own personal safety was in jeopardy as he became aware that every Pandava, worth his salt would now want to gun for him He had not bargained for Abhimanyu ‘s death and to be the target of Partha’s anger, would not be a comfortable thought at any time. Suddenly he lost all interest in this wretched war and longed for the peaceful environs of Sindhu River and the green pasturelands on its banks. He made up his mind to quit the battlefield. He ordered his army to disengage from the battle and start moving towards Sindhu river .He also collected his own personal and prepared to leave the barracks right away so that there wont be any confrontation with Arjuna .He thought whether it was necessary to tell Duryodhana, then decided against it .He felt it would be waste of time anyway and it was necessary for his own safety to put as much distance as possible between him and Arjuna. Thus AS he was all set to cut and run, Duryodhana accompanied by Sakuni, his friend Karna and brother Duchchasana entered his tent, obviously in an elated mood. Duryodhana embraced Saindhava and expressed his gratitude to him for providing one important Victory in the on going war.

”Killing of Abhimanyu was not a small achievement for the Kaurava Army and Duryodhana wanted to congratulate its architect personally. After Duryodhana, Sakuni, Duchchasana repeated the same thing. Karna was a little more dignified. He said that he had personally suffered at the hands of Abhimanyu as a warrior and was definitely happy that he was no more available to give the kauravas any more trouble. He was definitely very relieved; thanks to the Saindhava’s brave action. To all this, Saindhava was merely acknowledging his role. But he was also irritated with them because they were wasting precious time. He put a stop to all the celebrations raising his hand shouting “enough. am quitting. I did not bargain for Abhimanyu’s death. Now Arjuna will be after my blood. You all must have already what he as promised to do. I am not staying back to find out. I am withdrawing from this war, this very moment.” Duryodhana expressed surprise at his words and declared he would not allow him to with draw at this stage. He put his hand on Saindhava’s shoulder and told him with lot of enthusiasm “ The tide has turned definitely in our favor, with death of Abhimanyu’. We have to follow up one victory with another and keep winning. . Arjuna has made a very foolish vow, which cannot fulfilled. So he will kill himself and with out Arjuna Pandavas are zero. So stay and fight and we are sure to enjoy fruits of a lasting victory. We will make sure that to morrow Arjuna fails, by making sure he does not reach his target. We will safeguard you. Karna here will be your shield. The war will be over in a few days and running away would only deprive you of celebrating final victory along with us. So please change your mind and unpack your holdings and enjoy the night.”
Saindhava laughed aloud. He told Duryodhana ‘ you are being very foolish. Do you thing anything is going to stop AN ANGRY Arjuna. The only way I can save myself is to make myself scarce. You think Karna can protect me. you are wrong. Karna has always come second best whenever he faced Arjuna. Even if god Rudhra offers to save, I know it would be a false assurance. Please let me go.”
Duryodhana was very much annoyed. He did not want Jayadratha to leave presently. If he is protected for one day it would be end of Arjuna. So strategically ,Jayadravadha ‘s continued survival in the battlefield only ,will lead Arjuna to his down fall. He called Dronacharya to talk to Jayadratha and convince him that he would receive protection and Arjuna would not be able to touch him .It was more important to ensure Arjuna’s failure, his immolation and then final victory would be secured
The wily Acharya talked to Saindhava, boosting his ego and described his own victory over the Pandavas as epoch making. He said” your own powers are on the ascendance. Pandavas are now demoralized. I can offer you iron clad protection I will organize a very unique formation to thwart Arjuna to morrow. He will keep on fighting but Jayadratha will not be available to him. All we have to do is to stall him for a day. I can do it, have faith on me”
Drona was very convincing. Flattery and assurances swayed Saindhava’s resolve to quit. For him the sight of Arjuna ‘s self immolation after humiliation of failure, would be far more satisfying than the ridicule of running away from the war.

Acharya was happy that he managed to convince the king of Sindhu desh advised Saindhava to take good rest and prepare himself for final victory

To Acharya, the words sounded hollow, as he was fully aware that with Krishna to help Arjuna would be unstoppable. He had a duty towards kauravas and he would discharge it to the best of his ability The Acharya retired that evening full of thoughts on how he was going to keep his assurances of giving protection to the unfortunate Jayadratha. He thought of combination of Chakra vyuha and Padma vyuha as the ultimate battle formation that would tire Arjuna. Padma vyuha was a killer idea that claimed Abhimanyu and to morrow he will have Arjuna.

Jayadratha also now believed that Arjuna could be held back for a day

That night Arjuna just could not relax. His mind was fully occupied by memories of Abhimanyu He thought great deal about Jayadratha. He felt I was foolish on his part to have declared aloud his terrible vow and now he began to realize how difficult it was going to be to achieve his intentions with in the time frame. He knew that Acharya would not do anything to make it easy for him. He had complete faith in Krishna. He looked outside his tent towards Krishna’s own tent and folded his hands in a prayer. Slowly his mind became calm and he could catch up on his sleep

Krishna was also uneasy. He felt Arjuna was very foolish. Anyway he was a dear friend and his intentions had to be achieved. He called Tharuka his personal chariot and told him to be ready for the battle. Krishna thought he may have to take up arms, himself to help Arjuna

Yudhistra was at peace. He knew how he would help Arjuna. Abhimanyu died be cause he had to fight alone. The same thing would not happen to Arjuna. He would ensure that when Arjuna faced Jayadratha, he would have Satyaki and Bheema on either side to take the load of fighting. Drona would not be allowed to stop Arjuna. Yudhistra gave final shape to his own strategies to outwit Drona

Chapter11
The day dawned bright and early with a sure prospect of vigorous fighting. Refreshed soldiers took their places. On the Kaurava side mood was upbeat as they had taken a heavy toll of Pandava army on the thirteenth day and with out Abhimanyu, Pandava appeared demoralized
Arjuna went to Yudhistra and sought his blessings. Yudhistra hugged Arjuna and rubbed his shoulders displaying his affection to a loving younger brother. He blessed Arjuna saying, “ Let your power grow today. With Krishna at your side, your victory is certain. Remember that Acharya is going to make your difficult. Keep track of time and let Krishna sound me through his panchajanya for any reinforcement” Yudhishtira also spoke to Krishna and mentioned that Arjuna needed his guidance more than ever” You have stood by him always and I am very grateful”
Arjuna then had a mini conference with Bheema, Satyaki and Drishtadyumna explaining his strategy “Today I will go after Jayadratha, so will not be able to run back and forth. Acharya will try to take advantage of my preoccupation with Jayadratha, to trap our king Yudhistra. You all must be on guard and protect him “They all wished him success and Krishna sent his chariot racing towards Drona

Dona had deployed his forces in a combination of vyuha designed to delay all advances Up front it had a needle formation suitable for essentiall attacking moves. The needle formation was followed by Chakra vyuha and thereafter was half Padma. Jayadratha was buried deep inside Padma vyuha. The entire formation was stretched over a 65-mile long battlefield so that anybody wanting to reach Jayadratha would have to fight his way through vast forces deployed over a large area making progress through the formation very slow. Powerful warriors were positioned at the head of every formation to ensure that attacker had to wade through huge army of elephants, horsemen and foot soldiers. It was going to a punishing march for any one wanting to reach Jayadratha. Krishna groaned on seeing the formation and Arjuna said it was going to test his skills and stamina and there was no easy option

Arjuna moved towards Drona wanting to go past him with out fighting g him, but the Acharya held his position and attacked Arjuna rejecting his appeal to bypass to reach Jayadratha and avenge Abhimanyu’s death. Acharya reminded Arjuna that in war do not expect concessions. Abhimanyu fought well but we overwhelmed him, by first tiring him and then making him run out of arms by relentless fighting. This brought a n angry burst of fighting. Drona compared his disciple’s skills with that of the fallen hero and marveled at Arjuna ‘s will power. Arjuna concentrated hard and worked his way around the Acharya in a tricky fighting that helped him to get past Drona with out wasting too much time or armoury Before Drona realized what was happening Arjuna had gone past him
He ran into Duryodhana who had donned Drona’s impenetrable Armour. He was brave and needled Arjuna about Abhimanyu’s death at the end it was so easy for Duchchasana’s son to kill Abhimanyu. Arjuna would meet the same fate and he would be standing in the front row witnessing his self immolation, Krishna warned Arjuna not to take to heart anything uttered by Duryodhana as it was part of overall strategy to tire hi mentally as well as physically Arjuna kept a calm face and dealt with Duryodhana displaying skills that made him such a great warrior Duryodhana could not last in front of such expert fighting, having lost his chariot and horses. Duryodhana was hit all around his Armour, sharp arrows hitting soft parts of body and inflicting terrible pain. Seeing their king in distress Kripa, Ashwattama, Karna and Salya rushed to rescue Duryodhana. Arjuna kept him in his sights while expertly keeping others at distance. It took some very aggressive fighting from ASHWATTAMA to get Duryodhana out of Arjuna’s clutches. A savage multi cornered fight kept all Kaurava warriors .at bay. Krishna conducted his chariot expertly as Arjuna made clearances for hi m by destroying the on rushing Kaurava army.
The princes of Avanti Vindha and Anuvindha two brothers stood in the way fighting resolutely. They were well known for their courage and skills. Together they held up Arjuna for sometime with some fine shooting of arrows. Krishna was getting impatient urging Arjuna cut short shadow boxing. Arjuna took the hint and shut of their chariots in a heavy barrage of arrows and killing them Kaurava army was now rattled at the fall of Avanti princess
Krishna ‘s chariot rolled on with Arjuna mowing down the army on either side

In another part of the battle scene, Drona was attempting to capture Yudhistra. All his efforts were systematically thwarted by the combined skills of Drishtadyumna, Satyaki and Bheema Yudhishtira himself fought with unusual ferocity, once even over powering the ACHARYA. Drona found that the Pandavas worked out their defensive action very well and every effort from his side attack resulted in huge loss of manpower at the hands of Bheema Yudhistra kept one ear tuned for the sounds from Krishna’s Panchajanya and slapping sounds of Gandiva’s bow string and was ready to play his cards There was a period, when he could not hear anything from the direction of Arjuna, which caused him some worry. He quickly called Satyaki and urged him go up front to help Arjuna. Satyaki informed Yudhishtira’s that Arjuna did not need help from him and his own primary duty was to guard Yudhistra and tackle Drona. Arjuna had clearly advised him not to leave his post and weaken the defense. Yudhistra explained “ look, we have just beaten the Acharya and that will keep him busy to regroup. This is best time to move ahead and draw Drona deep inside his own army, as he will be bound to stop help reaching Arjuna. This way we will keep Acharya confused. Do not worry about my defense; Bheema and Drishtadyumna will be on hand for my protection. Satyaki thought that Yudhistra had thought up a good way to keep the Acharya busy. He agreed to move ahead with fresh horses and more weapons. Satyaki moved upto Bheema a and explained the new move took his permission to switch form defensive position to attacking mode. Bheema smiled his approval marveling at the keen intellect of Yudhistra in making moves in a decisive way.
Satyaki now shining like Aditya was moving fast into Kaurava army. He had fresh horses and a very good charioteer. Drona saw him rushing towards Arjuna’s general direction and decided to challenge him Satyaki expected this move and attacked. Two skillful warriors, expert marksmen faced each other. Satyaki handled Drona ‘s attack, with a florish and when he tacked Drona lost his bow and charioteer. The Acharya held the rains in his mouth while fighting with his hands. Duryodhana sent a new charioteer to help Acharya, but could not stop Satyaki disable Drona. Satyaki moved ahead triumphantly while Drona frantically tried to readjust his position
Then Jalasandha, Kritavarma, duryodhana and his brothers challenged Satyaki. Satyaki killed Jalasandha after fierce fighting. Duryodhana was overwhelmed and Kritavarma held on it took all Satyaki’s skills to get past Kritavarma. Then he was at Arjuna’s side
Arjuna had stooped to give a breather for the horses. With his yogic powers he created a small lake in the middle of the battlefield for the horses to get fresh water. He also rested his body in the cool waters and was soon for ready for his fighting. He was not very happy to see his friend SATYAKI DESERTING Yudhistra ‘side. But Krishna felt happy because Satyaki could keep some of the kauravas leaders from Arjuna’s back. Soon he saw Purishrava heading towards Satyaki. The two families had a running feud and Purishrava hailed Satyaki’s arrival as god sent opportunity to fulfill long cherished desire for killing Satyaki. Satyaki relished the challenge and met Poorishrava’s assault head on. They fought like tigers inflicting terrible punishment on each other. The fighting was so thrilling that every body stopped their own fighting to see this fight. Slowly Satyaki was tiring and Poorishrava’s was gaining an upper hand. He quickly destroyed Satyaki’s horses and made him stand on ground. Wanting to fight on same evil, Poorishrava’s jumped out of his own chariot and rushed at Satyaki with a sword in hand Satyaki defended himself very well but in sword fighting Poorishrava’s had no equal. He went on to maul Satyaki. Now Satyaki was lying on his back on the ground with out a weapon in his hand. Poorishrava’s held Satyaki by his hair dragging him all over the battle field shouting to every one that he was going to snuff the life out of Satyaki. Krishna was telling Arjuna to go to help of Satyaki but Arjuna was bound by ethics not to intervene in a fight where he was not a party. Krishna pointed out that Satyaki was sent by Yudhistra to help him and a friend should not be allowed to be slaughtered. Arjuna was not able to make his mind. He saw poorishrava raise his sword arm to cut Satyaki’s head. At that moment Arjuna screamed a warning at Poorishrava and with an arrow cut off the arm holding the sword. By now Satyaki had fainted. Poorishrava was surprised by the attack coming from the direction of Arjuna and wondered how he was going to justify interfering in another man’s fighting. You must have acted on Krishna’s prompting because Satyaki came from Krishna’s army. Arjuna retorted that he was demented and it did not take much courage to kill a soldier who had lost his weapon and fainted. That is how you all killed young Abhimanyu, As long as I have a bow in my hand I am duty bound to protect my people fighting for me, in my quarter. Mention of Abhimanyu ‘s name brought absence of shame to Poorishrava who sat down on the ground. With his left hand he saluted Arjuna, spread his arrows around him and with drew himself into a state of DHYANA. Satyaki regained consciousness and saw his enemy sitting. His rage and hatred for his prime enemy made him blind. With out blinking, he grabbed a sword from the ground and pounced on AN INERT Poorishrava and beheaded him even before Krishna and Arjuna could stop him The kauravas criticized Satyaki but he justified his action by saying that any one who could drag a fallen opponent by his hair and wanting to kill could be killed in whatever state he was. The murder of Poorishrava demoralized a large section of Kaurava army.

Krishna called Tharuka to the battlefield and Satyaki was allowed to use his chariot for further Fighting. Satyaki no refreshed and in possession of celestial chariot driven by Tharuka, was now in apposition to fight side by side with Arjuna, to reach Jayadratha

Krishna was unhappy at the rate at which they were advancing towards Jayadratha as he was aware that time frames for completion of their main objective of killing Jayadratha was getting tighter and tighter. Drona had mastered the art of stonewalling to prevent rapid advance by Arjuna He wished Bheema also would join them so that they would have sufficient fire power to shatter the stubborn resistance by forces guarding Jayadratha. Just then, they saw looming in front of them the giant frame of Bheema with a giant size mace over his shoulder. Even
Though he appeared tired and badly bruised Krishna was very happy that he had arrived

Chapter12

Drona was rather annoyed with himself for having allowed Satyaki to get past him. Now the forces guarding Jayadratha will be under attack by two stalwarts and can buckle under, exposing Jayadratha to Arjuna’s fury. He wanted to reposition himself close to Jayadratha, so that he would be nearby to bolster the defences that meant he will have to drop his idea of capturing Yudhistra. Today it was more important to save Jayadratha than attempting capture of Yudhistra which anyway was becoming increasingly difficult .As he was about to realign his forces to meet the changing situation, he Saw Bheema breakaway from a defensive position to advance towards him Yudhistra was playing his game very well indeed He was rushing reinforcement to Arjuna systematically and Drona should not be allowing this. He was now caught on wrong foot. To reposition himself close to Jayadratha meant giving a free run to Bheema. He decides that Bheema will not reach Arjuna. With this resolve he moved fast towards Bheema and in the process walked straight into a brutal Bheema. With scant regard for Acharya and his vast army Bheema began an assault that caught the Kauravas army under Drona totally unawares. Bheema handled Drona ‘s counters very easily and Drona found himself being pushed back and out of the main stream of fighting Bheema savaged Drona and after sweeping his army aside he rushed towards Duryodhana. Fighting with Duryodhana was short and brutal Seven of Duryodhana’s brothers died at the ands of Bheema while trying to save Duryodhana. Karna came to the rescue of Duryodhana and was in turn savaged by Bheema. Karna was routed and he was saved By Ashwattama Bheema found beating Ashwattama would lead him closer to Arjuna
Ashwattama had read the situation correctly and set about regaining the initiative from Bheema He attacked Bheema with sharp arrows to inflict pain. Bheema got down from his chariot swinging his heavy mace and smashing every thing in front Ashwattama could not deal with such brutal fighting and soon gave way to Bheema. Bheema let out a huge roar, which reached Yudhistra and made him happy to learn that Bheema was also closing in on Arjuna. He blessed Bheema heartily and prayed for swift victory for Arjuna. Karna in the mean while regrouped, after severe mauling by Bheema. He was now accompanied by a number of Duryodhana’s brothers. It was like feeding a hungry lion. Bheema simply ignored the attack by Karna and concentrated on eliminating the brothers one by one. Over an hours fighting that day Bheema killed thirty brothers right under the nose of Karna who was expected to protect them. Seeing them being decimated so ruthlessly Karna became very angry and began to hurt Bheema who reeled under this savage attack but he was no quitter. He lost his chariot and horses. He was with out his bow still he found a way to fight. Ashwattama had earlier let loose an army of elephants on Bheema who killed many of them using his arrows. Now those elephant bodies came in useful. In a bizarre fighting, Bheema began to toss the dead bodies of elephants on Karna who had busy time keeping himself clear of the elephants crushing him. Bheema on foot now began to walk around Karna and came into the line of vision of Sri Krishna who was sporting a big smile and Arjuna frowned. He saw Karna wheeling his chariot trying to chase Bheema, which infuriated him. He stopped Karna on his tracks by bringing down the horses. The two brothers hugged each other. Now they were three

Krishna quickly reviewed the situation with Arjuna, Bheema and Satyaki. Bheema climbed on to Satyaki ‘s chariot and together they concentrated on clearing the way for Arjuna to reach Jayadratha

The Sun was leaning towards the west and in another hour or so he would go down. Jayadratha was yet to be sighted by anyone. But the three did not panic. It was not the case with Duryodhana. He rushed towards Drona and screamed at him for having allowed Bheema and satyaki to reach Arjuna and their defenses were crashing everywhere. How are we going to save Jayadratha? Drona told Duryodhana” You must realize that Pandavas are more gifted than you and they have shown it today. In a war the right is always on the winning side. You have played too many tricks for your own comfort. Any way all is not lost yet. We will stop Arjuna. “ Slowly he made all stalwarts of Kaurava army work their way towards Arjuna. Kripa, Ashwattama, Duryodhana, Karna, Salya and Drona formed a ring around Arjuna. Krishna and Tharuka put their chariots back to back and made short circular runs in such a way that the three Pandavas could face the kauravas all the time. And they could now see Jayadratha in the middle of his Army. The setting sun had emboldened him sufficiently enough and he too joined the fighting. Arjuna displayed all his artistic prowess, Bheema his brute strength and Satyaki his clinical efficiency in destroying the army in front. Kauravas thought time was on their side and they did not relent. Arjuna enquired with Krishna how much time he had. Krishna said he was already on borrowed time. Arjuna looked up to check what Krishna was trying to communicate. Krishna stood up from his position and spoke rapidly. “This way they wont allow Jayadratha to be seen by you for a clear shot, so we must play a trick. I know it for a fact that any moment now a full solar eclipse is due, that is why it is becoming dark earlier. Except for Bhishma and me no one knows about eclipses. So I am going to release my Sudharshan Chakra with instructions to cover the sun for a few minutes. It will become very dark and they will think Sun has set and Jayadratha will stick his head out to look at the disappearing Sun happily. You must keep a sharp lookout for him and when he raises head above the crowd, you must cut his head but the head must not drop to the ground. Be very carefully. Now the Chakra was on his way. Satyaki and Bheema kept the fight going. Arjuna had stopped shooting. He was up on his legs with bow held horizontally and a strange missile locked onto the bowstring. He was looking. The sun disappeared from their vision for a moment and there was a roar of triumph from The KAURAVA forces. Duryodhana and Karna were yelling at Arjuna that he had failed. Arjuna was still looking for some sign of Jayadratha. Duryodhana cried out triumphantly that they had saved the day, Saindhava is alive. Saindhava not able to hold his position , with tension increasing with every passing second stood up to look around him in the failing light. His diamond-studded earrings were shining in the dark and Arjuna could not help seeing the diamonds. He had found his target. With a cry of triumph he released his missile, which sped towards the Saindhava’s neck to cut it free. He continued shooting at the severed head lifting it up in air and in the dark background of solar eclipse , the diamond-studded earrings were shining for every one to see.

The Chakra was called back and the sun was still shining brightly on the western sky and to their horror Drona and other Kauravas found that the Sindhu Naresh whose life they were all straining to save was already DEAD and his head was miraculously held aloft by the series of Arrows streaming from Arjuna’s GANDIVA, WHICH WAS NOW GLOWING. Krishna was shouting instructions into Arjuna’s ears. You will se e my Chakra traveling south towards Sindhu river , you must make the head follow the Chakra and at some point right above the head where Jayadratha father is performing his tapes , my Chakra will stop to hold a position and you will drop the head from that position. It was fantastic shooting at an object, which was quickly going out of line of vision. Arjuna used divine missiles received from Indra to send the head to a specific location indicated by the famous Sudharshan Chakra. The head dropped into the lap of an old man performing his tapas. The e thud of a falling object in his lap disturbed his tapas, making him open his eyes. They widened in terror and surprise to see his own ‘sons head in his lap. He stood up in alarm and the head dropped to the ground. Father’s head broke into thousand pieces and the shock of that explosion shook up the battlefield in the north
Saindhava was killed.

Chapter12

The war was over. Draupadhi and Subhadhra were resting on the banks of River Yamuna, on the outskirts of Indra prastha .Their lives had been devastated by the war. Both had lost their sons ,kith and kin in the war. Draupadhi felt singularly responsible for the terrible tragedy that had befallen every Kshatriya household in the land. She tried to recall the images of Duchchasana, Duryodhana, Karna and Saindhava There was no animosity in her heart towards them any more Every trace of hatred has been washed away by the tears shed. Did she pay a heavy price for redemption of her honour , she asked herself time and again. She feared the history would judge her very harshly She was not vindictive anymore.At several moments of her life , as a lady she had to suffer in isolation and every one around her had let her down. Except one. She looked around, and in the distance she saw Sri Krishna slowly making his way towards them. Could she ask him to explain the mysterious compulsions that pushed all of them towards the savage war . She decided she wont
Let it remain a history. Life can do with out history

end