Week 7: Mahabharata D
Bhishma continues to wreak havoc, so the Pandavas send Shikhandin with Arjuna to fight Bhishma. They choose Shikihandin because Bhishma vowed to never slay someone who was born a woman and that it is fated that he will die the next day. As a result, Sikhandin was made male by a yaksha. They fight Bhishma and Arjuna kills him with his arrow. Everyone grieves his death. Drona takes command of Duryodhana's army. He vows to take Yudhishthira prisoner. The war continues and Abihumanyu gets caught behind enemy lines when fighting. Jaydadratha kills him and Arjuna grieves his son's death. He vows vengeance and kills Jayadratha. Bhima's son Ghatokaccha then dies too when Karna kills him with a dart. The Pandavas trick Drona into thinking his son is dead so he will do worse in battle. With Drona distracted, Dhrishtadyuma cuts off Drona's head. Karna then takes command of Duryodhana's army. Bhima kills Duhsasana's. Arjuna begs Karna to stop the violence, but Karna mentions Abhimanyu, which fills his heart with wrath. He kills Karna. Shalya is then chosen to lead the Kauravas but was killed by Yudhisthira. They find Duryodhana and Bhima kills Duryodhana. Ashwatthaman, Drona's son, vows to get vengeance for Drona's death, so he raids the Pandava camp. They also learn that he has a jewel and that it basically holds his life. They return home, and Yudhisthira is proclaimed rajah of Hastinapura. Parikshit is born, and Uttara mourns the death of her husband Abhimanyu Yudhisthira claims his throne by the horse sacrifice and he officially becomes king. In the Ganges River, Vyasa conjures up the ghost of dead warriors of the Pandavas and Kauravas. The widows of the dead were transported to heaven with their husbands. Two years later, Narada the sage tells the Pandavas that a fire swept through the jungle, killing Dhritharata, Gandhari, and Kunti. Krishna is killed in the jungle, mistaken as a gazelle by a hunter. The city is also cursed by Yama, god of the dead, so Arjuna and the people flee towards Indraprastha. Due to all of the misfortune, the Pandavas depart the world. Yudhisthira leaves the kingdom to Parikshit and Yututsu and advises them to rule in peace. They depart using the path of Mount Meru and they all fell upon the way for their sins, except for Yudhisthira. Yudhisthira begs to have his brother come to heaven with them, as well as his faithful hound. Since he can't bring his brothers, he then asks to just bring his hound. The hound transforms and it is Dharma, who claims Yudhisthira as his son. Yuridhisthira sees all of the Kauravas in heaven, but he doesn't feel right without his brother. He goes to the Ganges and strips his mortal body for a celestial one and enters Swarga. He was then welcomed by his brother and Draupadi.
The conclusion of the story is a lot darker than I expected. It showed the negative consequences of war, such as the vengeance, anger, death, and grief that it can cause. Each time someone died, the Pandavas grieved their enemies (sometimes), showing a closer glimpse at their humanity. However, death tinged every story of this part. It also seems like the same thing happens over and over when each Kaurava army leader is killed. Tragedy follows them and it seems like the war isn't worth it. One line that resonates with me is Draupadi's "For thirteen cruel years you have endured shame and exile so that your children might prosper. But now that they are all slain, can you desire to have power and kingdom?" This shows how war corrupts people, whether they mean it to or not. Bhishma's last thoughts are also profound. "To this Bhishma answered that he must look at things from a broader point of view. Righteousness sometimes had the appearance of unrighteousness. Evil sometimes seemed better than good. One had to take all the circumstances into consideration and then calmly form one’s opinion." Although the war is over, the family of each fallen warrior in the story grieve as they lose an important person in their life. Death befalls upon the Pandavas too as each of their own dies. As a result, it begs the question: Was winning the war worth it? since it causes them more pain. The consequences of their decisions and their wrath then shows their corruption and how karma gets back at them.
Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
The conclusion of the story is a lot darker than I expected. It showed the negative consequences of war, such as the vengeance, anger, death, and grief that it can cause. Each time someone died, the Pandavas grieved their enemies (sometimes), showing a closer glimpse at their humanity. However, death tinged every story of this part. It also seems like the same thing happens over and over when each Kaurava army leader is killed. Tragedy follows them and it seems like the war isn't worth it. One line that resonates with me is Draupadi's "For thirteen cruel years you have endured shame and exile so that your children might prosper. But now that they are all slain, can you desire to have power and kingdom?" This shows how war corrupts people, whether they mean it to or not. Bhishma's last thoughts are also profound. "To this Bhishma answered that he must look at things from a broader point of view. Righteousness sometimes had the appearance of unrighteousness. Evil sometimes seemed better than good. One had to take all the circumstances into consideration and then calmly form one’s opinion." Although the war is over, the family of each fallen warrior in the story grieve as they lose an important person in their life. Death befalls upon the Pandavas too as each of their own dies. As a result, it begs the question: Was winning the war worth it? since it causes them more pain. The consequences of their decisions and their wrath then shows their corruption and how karma gets back at them.
Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
Yudhisthira and his Dog Ascending to Heaven
Source: Wikimedia Commons
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