The unending blood loss
made Durydhana's eyes lower.
The battlefield of bravery
showed up imprints of loyalty.
Mahabharata!
The story of good against evil,
that every child still remembers.
By heart!
They say, history is always
written in favour of the victorious side.
In reality, is this story
based on the war between good and evil?
Or this is just a perception
that has been passing for the truth since years?
Because if we look closer
then the lines of good and evil
are just as blurred
as the decisions made by both
the parties in this war.
Were the Kauravas completely evil?
And the Pandavas the guardians of good?
Did only one party
resort to cheating?
Were the Pandavas
completely absolved of sins?
These are some of the questions
that need to be answered
which this show is going to seek.
Mahabharat!
The end
or the beginning?
Shri Krishna told Duryodhana
that his third grave mistake was
that he thought that his uncle Shakuni
was his well wisher
and he made him his guide.
What happened was, when Dhritarashtra grew up
there was an issue
related to his marriage.
Back then, there was a belief
that what a husband couldn't do,
even his wife shouldn't do that.
Therefore, if Dhritarashtra was born blind
therefore, he should have
married a princess who was blind.
But there was no princess
who was blind in the nearby kingdoms.
Therefore, it was decided
that whichever princess
Dhritarashtra was married to
she has to blindfold herself forever.
When Bhishma Pitama
went with this proposal to the king of Gandhar
then he
rejected this proposal.
He didn't want
his daughter Gandhari
to spend her life
blindfolded and live like a blind woman.
A war took place over this.
And the army of Hastinapur
attacked Gandhara.
The king of Gandhara and his hundred sons
were made prisoners.
After being imprisoned
all of them were served
a few grains to eat, every day.
With such meager rationing of food
the king of Gandhara and his 100 sons understood
that they were bound to die now.
That is why they
gathered all the grains together
and gave them to his most cunning brother
to feed him and keep him alive.
That brother was Shakuni.
The day Shakuni saw
that his father
and his 99 brothers had died
he accepted the proposal to get Gandhari married.
Gandhari's eyes were covered with a blindfold.
She was married to the blind Dhritarashtra.
Shakuni gave his sister away in marriage.
To get revenge
he left Gandhara
and came to Hastinapur
to live with his sister's in laws.
Lord Krishna said to Duryodhana.
Your uncle was motivated by revenge
to live in Hastinapur.
You kept thinking he was your well wisher.
That was your second great mistake.
He mesmerized you.
He became your guardian.
He was invisibly nurturing you
ever since you were a child.
You should have given up on Shakuni
a
The flag of Ashwatthama
would have led you to victory.
You had one last chance
why didn't you choose Arjuna?
The false idea of being ethical
ended up destroying you.
Your army is scattered all over.
There is no designated commander.
You say you won the war.
As if.
Retaliation is not worthy in battle.
Half your blood has flown out.
What is the use of the victory mark?
You will die in the auspicious time.
All other talk is in vain, now.
To win is to live.
Death signifies defeat.
The Pandavas won, the Kauravas lost.
That is the unalterable fact now.
When the Pandava clan
will go ahead
you will become the villain.
Your name is Suyodhana.
You will be called Duryodhana.
Actually, Duryodhana was named
Suyodhana.
His younger brother
was Sushasana.
History changed all of their names
to Duryodhana
Dushasana
Durdhar, Durmukh
Durmat
Duschal, and so on.
After saying that, Lord Krishna
saluted Duryodhana.
He took the remorseful Pandavas with him
and left that place.
This was a strange victory and loss.
Who scored how many points?
The sun had already set
but the conch was not blown.
Krishna and the Pandavas moved on silently
towards the Kaurava camp.
They were pensive or mentally numb
and they were filled with sorrow.
After that, Lord Krishna and the Pandavas
went to the Kaurava camp
to celebrate their victory.
While Duryodhana
kept sitting alone on the rock in the forest.
Balaram declared him the winner.
The victor's sect mark was on his forehead.
But there was no one
to acknowledge his victory.
He knew
that as per Lord Krishna's account
he would die during the twilight hour.
But he wanted to keep trying till the end.
Duryodhana knew
that his father Dhritarashtra was also
with Sanjay who had the divine sight.
He could see him till the sunset
with the divine sight.
Now he realized his mistake.
And he somehow
wished to carry on the war
and give Ashwatthama
the reins of the Kaurava army.
The setting sun cast it's fading light.
He didn't budge from his seat.
His thick blood smeared the rock
which turned red.
The agony prevailed
and the sun continued with it's dying light.
His mind was upset and furious.
His hankering was still not over.
Sanjay, if you can see me
convey my command.
I have thought of him
Deliver the message to Ashwatthama.
He lifted the mace
and hit it on the rock, repeatedly.
He began to create sound signals that radiated out
at regular intervals.
The limbs began to slow.
The pulse began to slow.
Time seemed to grow longer.
But the moment was gone.
The loss of blood
lowered Duryodhana's eyes.
In this battlefield of bravery
the imprints of loyalty began to emerge.
These imprints
belonged to three loyal men.
The son of the guru, Ashwatthama.
The guru of the Kaurava clan Kripacharya.
The director of Lord Krishna's Narayani army
Drithaverma.
The Kaurava army was scattered.
Apart from Duryodhana
all the other Kaurava brothers were dead.
There was no commander for the Kaurava army.
But Sanjay
conveyed the message to them from their king Duryodhana.
After sunset
they came looking for him
into the forest, at that spot.
Where Duryodhana
was waiting for them.
That was the end of another chapter
of the great epic
wherein reside a million other stories.
But this is the beginning of an attempt
to perceive this epic
from a truthful perspective.
To gauge for oneself
which side we are on.
The righteous?
Or the unrighteous?
Or perhaps...
Keep watching.
Mahabharata.
The end
or the beginning.