Mahabharatee: Five Women Who Held Court before the War

By Shruti Hajirnis Gupte

For the last time Draupadi throws a glance at her untied tresses; for the last time she looks into the eyes that have become bright with unshed tears. These eyes have been chasing vengeance like a hunter follows a spoor. She raises her index finger and points it towards her mirror image. She shouts – “I will ensure that a war must happen.”

While the stars are growing dim in the pre-dawn sky, the matriarch of Kuru dynasty – Satyavati -- arrives on the battlefield of Kurukshetra to hold a discussion with Kunti, Gandhari, Draupadi and Rukmini. She is determined to bring a peaceful settlement to prevent the war in her dynasty. On the other hand, Draupadi, burning in the fire of revenge for last thirteen years desperately wants this war to happen. While the court is divided in two amongst the women of Kuru dynasty, Rukmini joins the discussion. Along with her, she brings a new perspective.

Could the discussion between the five women change the course of Mahabharata?

"It makes a deeply engaging and interesting read, beyond doubt." — Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shruti Hajirnis Gupte
• Release date: Apr 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9789387004177

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

It’s a cool and windy night. The stars have gathered in the sky in their thousands to predict what is going to happen in Kurukshetra. They are swirling, twisting and churning as if they are fighting a war themselves. The land of Kurukshetra is still in a deep sleep under the velvet night. Who knows when one will get such peaceful sleep next in the tumult of the next few days? The sacred land of Kurukshetra has been turned into a battlefield. The battle lines are drawn for the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. A family dispute between cousins over a share of the kingdom has ended in war. The wildfire of war in the Kuru dynasty is spread over all other kingdoms, who have joined the war as allies of the rival groups. The kings and their large armies have already travelled to the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Camps are built for the warriors along the banks of the of the Saraswati and Dhrishadvati rivers. Kurukshetra, which used to be visited by hermits and pilgrims, a peaceful site where only Vedic rhymes and mantras could be heard, has been occupied by millions of warriors and mayhem for the last few days. Looking at the number of the camps built on the battlefield for the warriors, one could imagine how fierce the war was going to be! The Pandavas have a large force of seven divisions, while the Kauravas have an even larger force of eleven divisions. It’s a fierce war that will be fought by over eighteen million warriors – it could be called the ‘Great war’ – a Mahayuddha. The campfire of the evening before is still kindled, where Bheeshma representing the Kauravas and Krishna the Pandavas have had a long discussion about the rules for war. The rules of ethical conduct are laid down, so it can be called a Dharmayuddha. One of the important rules is that the war will start with the rise of the sun. The wheel of time has started its countdown for the fateful day. It has taken a pause to predict the future before writing the history.

In the prelude to the fighting, both armies are in a deep and sound sleep in their respective camps under a blanket of deep darkness. The oblivion of sleep has released them from the world of worries; rejuvenating them before the start of a war. There is one more prahara to go before the rise of the sun, and while everyone sleeps, Bheeshma, the chief commander of the Kaurava army, is already awake. In the half-light he manages to find his way to the banks of the river. A shadow follows him. For several years now it has been his routine to go to the edge of the Ganga and make his offerings to her, his mother, while standing in the cold water. Today he is surprised to see his reflection in this other river, ghostly in the half-light of the time between the moon setting and the dawn. He realizes his hair has grown as white as cotton. He sees the number of wrinkles on his cheeks—he looks like an old man. His white clothes can be seen vividly in the reflection – white, the colour of wholeness and completion; Bheeshma has been wearing this color for years. The reflection seems to be still, but only Bheeshma knows about the churning within.

The patriarch raises his cupped hands as usual to make his offerings. But a thought comes to his mind -- what is he really going to offer this river – the bloodshed of his dynasty? Bheeshma – a son of Shantanu and Ganga, the most respected person of Kuru dynasty, is the last person to imagine that such a war could take place in his lifetime. For a moment, Bheeshma feels the water around him has suddenly become hot as blood. The cold water of the river burns through his skin. It’s as if the pure water of the river is smeared with the blood of his dynasty! He cries in pain – Oh, mother! Forgive me! Such a time has come when you will see rivers of Bharat smeared with blood of your dynasty! And Alas! That your son has to see it happening! Bheeshma unsuccessfully makes an effort to concentrate on his daily rituals. He starts chanting his daily mantra –Oṁ Saha nāvavatu saha nau bhunaktu Saha vīryam karavāvahai – May we all be protected, May we all be nourished, May we work together with great energy. Bheeshma feels despair: the mantra has been made meaningless with the declaration of a war for a share of property and power. He finishes his rituals faster than usual because he realizes that he is not able to concentrate; his mind is somewhere else.

Bheeshma starts walking towards his camp. He has to pass through the long queue of the tents erected for the Kaurava and Pandava armies. He looks around. Over a million tents have covered the large plain of Kurukshetra. The tents are erected so close to each other that it looks like a symmetric design. They remind Bheeshma of the large rangoli designs drawn in the palace of Hastinapur on festive occasions. Beside the camps have chariots lined up in a long queue. The military animals, the horses and elephants, have occupied the space between the two camps. The sporadic neighing of a horse and the trumpeting of an elephant are the only sounds that disturb the silence spread across the camps. In a few hours, this silence will be replaced with the sounds of weapons clashing and the moans of wounded warriors and dying animals. The sudden scream of a vulture in the dark sky agitates Bheeshma with its fearful omen. He stumbles on his way, in dread. A dread that the war in his dynasty for power and throne is going to take the lives of millions. Despite the chill in the air, Bheeshma feels sweat beading his forehead. His grand nephews’ greed for power and revenge will seize the lives of innocents. Relentless slaughter and mayhem will litter the holy land of Kuru with the blood and guts of millions of men, horses, elephants. Countless wild dogs, wolves, eagles and vultures will feast on the carcasses. Jackals and crows begin to utter fierce cries from all directions that seem to be ablaze. A sight of millions of burning pyres appears before Bheeshma’s eyes. He closes his eyes tightly to stop that vision, but the sight is in his mind’s eye and does not disappear.

Bheeshma returns to his camp. His thoughts have worn him out. He feels like he has no energy left to fight the actual war that is about to begin. Bheeshma cannot resist from contemplating on the devastating consequences of war. He reproaches himself, saying that he does not need to get attached to the consequences; after all he is known for his ‘self-restraint’. This self-restraint has given him the name he is famous for – ‘Bheeshma’, which means great in his vows. Another thought sprouts in Bheeshma’s mind. As the one who has taken a vow of celibacy, should he really take part in a war that is going to happen in ‘His’ dynasty? But now he has no option; the most reluctant person for the war has been appointed as chief commander of the Kaurava army. Bheeshma was in two minds when the crown of generalship was placed on his head by Duryodhana during the appointment ceremony. Is he doing the right thing by accepting the chief commandership in this war? Bheeshma chastises himself for thinking too much, knowing very well that the path of this thought leads straight to boundless grief.

Before every war that Bheeshma has fought in his life, he prepares carefully by choosing the arrows to be carried in his armour. He needs to carry out this routine for this war, too; this most important and most probably the last war of his life. He approaches the armoury section of his camp. Hundreds of blacksmiths have worked day and night to prepare arrows of different shapes and sizes. Bheeshma glances at the innumerable arrows placed in the armoury. He had skillfully used them all in this life during different wars. The most important and famous one was his fight with his own tutor, Parashuram. The insulted Amba had taken patronage of his tutor for seeking her revenge. Thoughts of Amba drain the commander even more. It is a bitter memory of his life. They say that Amba has been reborn in Drupad’s house as Shikhandi. Bheeshma again reproaches himself – why is he concerned about all this – is he afraid of his death? Bheeshma reminds himself of the boon his father granted him – he can choose the time of his death. Bheeshma bitterly realizes that if had he chosen ‘his time’ for an earlier date, he would not have had to face this situation. He regrets his bottomless attachments to the affairs of the Kuru court. With pursed lips and creases on his forehead, Bheeshma takes a few shuffling steps till he hears a voice. His hand shakes a little. He turns back. Who could be here at this time; he looks outside. In the darkness he sees a shadow of someone standing outside his tent. Bheeshma walks few steps towards that shadow with a bow in his hand.

The words bounce on his ears – "Pranam Pitamaha. Mahamata Satyavati has arrived on the battlefield and has sent a message for you. Bheeshma cannot believe his ears. Mahamata Satyavati – has she really arrived here? In surprise, Bheeshma loosens his grip on the bow, which falls to the ground. He comes closer to the voice. A messenger is standing outside his tent with a note from Satyavati in his hand. He reads out the message: Dear Bheeshma, it has been a long time since we last communicated. Things have changed so much. The news about a war in our dynasty has brought me here. I have come to know that the men of our dynasty are assembled in front of each other to fight among themselves. Therefore, I have come to make a peaceful settlement. As the eldest person of the dynasty, I request you not to proceed with this war unless you hear from me. I do not want this war to happen and I am going to find a solution to it. I want to ensure that peace and harmony comes back to our dynasty. Before you men start fighting each other at sunrise, I am going to hold a discussion with the other four women – Kunti, Gandhari, Draupadi and Rukmini. I am sure we five together can find out a solution to this war."

The message brings a smile to Bheeshma’s lips. The frown on his forehead relaxes. He exhales a sigh of relief. With the news that Satyavati is back, energy starts flowing through Bheeshma’s veins. Bheeshma thinks of how things in the Kuru court took a different course once Mahamata Satyavati departed from the palace of Hastinapura. Till the time she was there, she had controlled the affairs of the Kuru court with an iron hand. The long forgotten figure of Mahamata Satyavati appears in his mind’s eye. It’s a dark complexioned sharp figure, with the fish-shaped enchanting eyes dominating her face. Those eyes impart lot of energy and confidence to Bheeshma. He assures himself that if she has decided to find a solution to the war, then it’s obvious that some settlement will happen. If Satyavati has made up her mind, then bloodshed within his dynasty can be avoided. Bheeshma exclaims aloud– What a pleasure to have her here at this most critical time! A wide smile breaks out across his face.

Bheeshma only now notices the fallen bow. But he feels no need to pick it up again. He also removes his arm and chest shields and drapes his uttariya on his shoulder. Every cloud has a silver lining, he thinks. He makes up his mind to meet Mahamata Satyavati and request her to do her best to prevent this war. He requests the messenger to take him to Mahamata Satyavati.

As Bheeshma follows the messenger in the darkness, his mind gets obscured with thoughts. Mahamata Satyavati has always taken bold steps for the benefit of the Kuru dynasty, sometimes even at cost of her reputation. He remembers that after the death of Vichitravirya she had called her illegitimate son Vyasa to propagate the family line. Bheeshma had always regretted that what Satyavati had done, should have been done by him. And today, too, Mahamata Satyavati is going to do what should have been done by him! As the eldest and the most respected person in the family, he should have intervened in the dispute over the share of the kingdom and should have helped to make the settlement. Instead, he is going to fight the war as the chief commander of the Kaurava side! Bheeshma feels ashamed. He remembers that Satyavati used to always say – I do not have to worry about the future of our dynasty as long as Bheeshma is there! He is a pillar on whom our dynasty can lean. For a moment Bheeshma feels that he is floating like a leaf in the wind. How will he justify himself to Satyavati – who has always respected him for his morality.

The darkness of an hour ago is absolute. Through the mist Bheeshma makes