It was the first day of the Kalyug
and it was a terribly dark day.
The son of the guru was carried away by his loyalty
shot the Brahmastra towards the womb.
He shot the Brahmastra towards the womb.
Mahabharat.
The story of the righteous against the unrighteous
which every child remembers even today.
By heart.
They say, that history
is written in favor of the victorious.
Is this story truly
about the war between the righteous and the unrighteous?
Or is this merely a perception
which has been passing for the truth for years?
Because if we look closer
the lines between righteous and unrighteous
seem just as blurred
as the decisions made by both sides in this war.
Were the Kauravas completely unrighteous?
And the Pandavas were the guardians of good?
Was deceit used by only one faction?
Were the Pandavas completely absolved of sin?
These are some of the questions
which must be answered
and this show will seek them.
Mahabharata.
The end or the beginning.
Devi, you must tell the Pandavas
that I am not satiated still.
The one who died was a weak elephant.
Ashwatthama isn't dead yet.
Speedily, the three of them returned
back to Duryodhana.
He was still barely alive.
There was still some time.
When he heard the description of the war
he forget all his suffering.
His gaze was admiring.
His chest filled out with pride.
He sliced off his armlet
and Duryodhana gave it as a gift.
You knelt down before him
as you accepted it with both hands outstretched.
Duryodhana knew
that the bleeding would cause
his death soon enough.
He had very little time.
And he gave all three of his friends
a single instruction each.
He said.
The messengers of death are lurking nearby.
I have a sense of that illusion.
These are my last words.
All I have are these few moments.
Kritaverma, tell my mother
the clan which
killed your sons
that clan will be destroyed.
Ashwatthama, may you succeed!
Don't allow them to have your compassion.
Use deceit, trickery, plots and any means possible
to get rid of the five Pandavas.
Karna's son is Vrishketu.
Kripacharya, this is what I suggest.
Have him crowned the king.
This kingdom is his by right.
After he spoke thus
the unmatched warrior fell silent.
His mace was still in his hands.
His power was all within his mind.
Duryodhana's death
happened just before sunrise
in the auspicious hour of the 'Brahma mahurat. '
Then the Dwapar Yug came to an end.
The Kalyug commenced.
When the Pandavas learnt about this massacre
they came seeking Ashwatthama
close to the hermitage of Maharishi Ved Vyasa.
Arjuna and Ashwatthama battled it out there.
Finally, both of them released the Brahmastra towards each other.
Maharishi Ved Vyas
at once commanded both the warriors
to withdraw their respective Brahmastras.
Because the explosion caused by both the weapons
would have pulverized the earth.
Arjuna withdrew his Brahmastra.
But Ashwatthama
guided his Brahmastra towards
the womb of Uttara
the pregnant wife of Abhimanyu.
Ashwatthama thought
this would
put an end to all heirs of the Pandava clan.
But he had forgotten
that the Brahmastra only affects the one
who has been born.
Since Abhimanyu's son Parikshit
hadn't been born still
he was safe from the Brahmastra.
In future, he went on to become the king of Hastinapur.
When Duryodhana breathed his last
the Dwapar Yug ended.
The Brahma mahurat was devoid of a Yuga for some time.
Then the sun rose to usher in the Kalyug.
When the dawn broke, it seemed rather strange.
Something arid and burnt came to light.
The suns rays light up the world ominously.
Life seemed to be subdued.
The river kept flowing.
The water tasted polluted.
The singing of the bird seemed jarring somehow
and the snake seemed a little more venomous.
"It was the first day of the Kalyug"
"and it was a terribly dark day."
"The son of the guru was carried away by his loyalty"
"shot the Brahmastra towards the womb."
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.