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The creator of the war was Shakuni.

2
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He looked completely devoted.

3
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But his endeavor was
to destroy the Kuru clan

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and thus he had made up his mind.

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Mahabharata!

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The story of good against evil,

7
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that every child still remembers.

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By heart!

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They say, history is always

10
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written in favor of
the victorious side.

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In reality, is this story

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based on the war between
good and evil?

13
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Or is this just a perception

14
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that has been passing for
the truth since years?

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Because if we look closer,

16
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the lines of good and evil

17
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are just as blurred

18
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as the decisions made by both

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the parties in this war.

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Were the Kauravas completely evil?

21
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And the Pandavas
the guardians of good?

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Did only one party

23
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resort to cheating?

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Were the Pandavas

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completely absolved of sins?

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These are some of the questions

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that need to be answered

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which this show is going to seek.

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Mahabharata!

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The end or the beginning?

31
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This how Lord Krishna

32
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told Duryodhana

33
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that his big mistake was

34
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not including Vidura in his army.

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Vichitravirya, the grandfather of

36
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the Kauravas and Pandavas,
was childless.

37
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Because of this,
his mother Satyavati

38
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started getting worried about

39
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how their clan would have an heir.

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She requested her son

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Veda Vyasa

42
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to make the wives

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in their clan pregnant

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so that their clan
could have an heir.

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But Veda Vyasa was a celibate.

46
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So, it was decided
that he would make

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them pregnant
via ocular intercourse.

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Queen Ambika was the first one
to enter Veda Vyasa's chamber.

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Veda Vyasa

50
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looked very ugly.

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He had a rough skin.

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He skin tone was dark.

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People would get scared

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looking at his ugly features.

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When Ved Vyasa started
having ocular intercourse

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with Queen Ambika, she got

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scared and closed her eyes.

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After finishing
the ocular intercourse,

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Veda Vyasa said

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that the queen would get pregnant,

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but since she had closed her eyes,

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her son would be born blind.

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Satyavati wondered

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if a blind man could ever

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become a good king.

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And so,

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she sent Queen Ambalika net.

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She ordered the queen

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that she must not close her eyes

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while having ocular intercourse.

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When Queen Ambalika saw

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Veda Vyasa, she got scared.

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But she

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did not close her eyes.

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However, her face

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turned pale due to fear.

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Veda Vyasa said

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that the queen would get pregnant,

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but her son would
be born very weak.

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When he grows up,

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he won't be able
to become a father.

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Satyavati thought

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that after one generation,

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there will be a similar
problem again.

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And so,

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she sent a slave girl to Ved Vyasa

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to get pregnant the third time.

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The slave girl neither
closed her eyes

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nor did she get scared.

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Ved Vyasa said

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that the slave girl's son
would be intelligent and healthy,

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and fit to become a king.

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The blind son who was born net

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was Dhritarashtra,

95
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the father of the Kauravas.

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The weak son

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was Pandu,

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the father of the Pandavas.

99
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The slave girl's son who was
fit to be a king was Vidura.

100
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But he could not become
the king of Hastinapur

101
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as people would insult him
for being a slave girl's son.

102
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Lord Krishna told Duryodhana

103
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that he had insulted his uncle

104
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by calling him a slave girl's son.

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Duryodhana did not take advantage
of his potential and war strategy.

106
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That was his first mistake.

107
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'If Vidura were
with you right now, '

108
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'your warriors wouldn't
have died like this.'

109
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'But the curse
comes from the vow taken.'

110
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'It was always in the offing.'

111
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'You never respected'

112
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'Vidura's intelligence.'

113
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'You always called
him a slave girl's son'

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'and insulted him.'

115
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'The Kaurava army grew in numbers.'

116
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'There was a huge array
of weapons and men.'

117
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'The soldiers were in a dilemma.'

118
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'There was no co-ordination
between them.'

119
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'The commanders of the army'

120
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'were feeling upset.'

121
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'You treated them with disrespect.'

122
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'There was a dirth of faith
and steadiness.'

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'Bhishma was the first
commander of your army.'

124
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'He did his deeds in vain
for nine days.'

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'How will you kill me?'

126
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'He told Arjuna about
how he could end up dead.'

127
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'After that, '

128
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'you brought Drona.'

129
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'He was emotional, impatient'

130
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'and incapable.'

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'He renounced everything
for the sake of his son.'

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'He was not a capable commander.'

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The first commander
of the Kaurava army,

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Bhishma Pitamaha, made a mistake

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since he got emotional

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and told Arjuna

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how he could face his death.

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Dronacharya, who was the second
commander of the Kaurava army,

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also had to die because
he got emotional.

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What happened was

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Arjuna made Shikhandi his shield

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and killed Bhishma Pitamaha
with a clever trick.

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After that, Duryodhana

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made Dronacharya the commander
of the Kaurava army.

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It was not easy
to fight Dronacharya.

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He was destroying the Pandava army.

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The Pandavas came up with the plan

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that since Dronacharya loves his

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son Ashwathama a lot,

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they would kill the latter

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and when Dronacharya comes
to know about his death,

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he will break down and become weak.

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They could then

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kill Dronacharya easily.

155
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But Ashwathama was a great warrior.

156
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He was blessed with immortality.

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That is why, the Pandavas
could not kill him.

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So, it was decided

159
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that they would spread a rumor

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that Ashwathama had died,

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thereby emotionally
defeating Dronacharya.

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But the problem was

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that Dronacharya knew

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that his son Ashwathama
was a great warrior.

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And he would not believe
the news of his death

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without seeing any proof.

167
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So, it was decided

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that if the eldest son
of the Pandavas,

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Yudhishtira,
were to tell Dronacharya

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that Ashwathama had died,

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Dronacharya would believe him.

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Since Yudhishthir was
the son of Dharma

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he didn't lie.

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That was a known fact.

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Yudhishthir refused
to lie outright.

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It was decided that he would

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use word play

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and he would not be accused
of lying

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and Dronacharya would believe

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that his son was killed.

181
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After that, as per the plan

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Bhima killed an elephant
called Ashwathama.

183
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Then he went to Dronacharya
and said.

184
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I have killed Ashwatthama.

185
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Dronacharya refused to believe him.

186
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And he said

187
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my son is much more talented
than you are.

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You can't defeat him.

189
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Bhima insisted.

190
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If he wanted

191
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he could ask

192
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Yudhisthir about this

193
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since he didn't lie.

194
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Yudhishthir said.

195
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Yes, Ashwatthama was killed.

196
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Dronacharya heard Yudhishthir

197
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and dropped his weapons to
the ground.

198
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He sat down with his eyes
closed, grieving.

199
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The commander of the Pandava army
then

200
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Dhrishthadhyumna

201
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killed the grieving

202
00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:03,560
and weaponless

203
00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,360
Dronacharya at that moment.

204
00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:11,240
But Lord Krishna said.

205
00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:13,760
Dronacharya was wrong.

206
00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,040
He should not have lost
control of his emotions.

207
00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:18,760
After Dronacharya passed on

208
00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,120
Duryodhana made his friend Karna

209
00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:23,040
the army commander.

210
00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:25,200
But lord Krishna said that

211
00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,120
it wasn't enough either.

212
00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:29,160
Since he had promised his mother

213
00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,720
that he would not kill

214
00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,640
Yudhishthir, Bhima

215
00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:36,360
Nakul and Sahedeva.

216
00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,240
Arjuna lost Abhimanyu.

217
00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,120
Bhima gave up his own son.

218
00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,480
His son was an immortal.

219
00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,520
Why did he trust the enemy?

220
00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,320
After that you brought Karna.

221
00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,000
As soon as he came,
he turned the war around.

222
00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,040
The enemy was given
the gift of life.

223
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,600
The victor was cast aside.

224
00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,880
Defeat is inevitable during war.

225
00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:21,200
There is no room for kindness.

226
00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:23,640
When millions of soldiers
chase you

227
00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,440
personal ideals
have no room to stay.

228
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,080
Thus, Lord Krishna said.

229
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,480
That Duryodhana's second mistake

230
00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,000
was that he didn't choose
the correct commanders

231
00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:38,920
to lead his army.

232
00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:41,040
Lord Krishna said.

233
00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:44,600
You didn't use your powerful
warrior Ashwatthama

234
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,720
in the apt manner.

235
00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,240
You didn't let him lead
the Kaurava army.

236
00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,560
Ashwatthama was Guru
Dronacharya's son.

237
00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,920
He wanted to make friends
with Duryodhana.

238
00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:58,720
But Duryodhana

239
00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:01,680
never considered him a friend.

240
00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:05,280
He always considered
him the son of his guru.

241
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:18,200
As the commander

242
00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,760
Ashwatthama would have
been the best.

243
00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:23,880
Attachment, vows, curses.

244
00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:26,240
He was free from all kinds of
bondage.

245
00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:28,880
In comparison to Drona and Karna

246
00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,480
you thought he was inferior.

247
00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,200
You called a friend,
the son of your teacher.

248
00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:36,760
You didn't care to find out
what he felt.

249
00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,480
He was a dear friend of yours.

250
00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:41,920
He was devoutly loyal.

251
00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,440
Brave, courageous,
immortal and powerful.

252
00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,000
He had the power of
cosmic weapons.

253
00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,440
That was the end of another chapter
of the great epic

254
00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:42,360
in which millions of stories
reside.

255
00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:44,960
But this is the
beginning of an attempt

256
00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,240
to view this great epic

257
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,320
and re examine it from a truthful
perspective.

258
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,080
To see for oneself

259
00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:55,480
which side we are on?

260
00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:57,720
With the righteous?

261
00:13:58,120 --> 00:13:59,880
Or the unrighteous?

262
00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:02,000
Or perhaps...

263
00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,120
Keep watching,

264
00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:05,840
Mahabharata.

265
00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:07,640
The end

266
00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:09,520
or the beginning.