Mahabharat - Episode 07

Long live King Pandu
Victory to King Pandu
Hastinapur was happy to get a strong king like Pandu
But Satyavati was not Hastinapur...
...to be so easily satisfied
She was already dreaming of grandsons
One day she called for Bhishma
What news of Hastinapur my son?
The universe wants Pandu to become Emperor
For you the universe is more important than your mother
Can you think of nothing but victory and defeat?
l do not understand mother
ls a king born only to be an Emperor?
There is more to life than that
A person is not merely a king
He has the responsibility of carrying on the lineage
l have thought of that too mother
Dhritirashtra is the eldest
He should be married first
But his wife should
have the ability
to see with the mind's eye
Anyone in mind?
Yes, Gandhari, Princess of Gandhat...
worshipper of Lord Shiva
Then go to Gandhar
with my blessings
As you wish mother
You have lost Shakuni
That's true father
How do you like losing Shakuni?
l don't mind losing to you
But no Kshatriya likes being defeated
Even at Dice?
A battlefield is a battlefield;
Wherever there is defeat and victory, it is a battlefield
This is only a game son
Wherever there is defeat and victory
it cannot be a mere game
Besides, no one plays to lose...
just like no one goes to battle to lose
Protector of the Kurus
Unvanquished Bhishma is on his way
Welcome Bhishma
Touch his feet my son...
lt is a holy experience
- Greetings - God bless you
My son Shakuni
Do come in
Please be seated
This is the juice of Gandhar's pomegranates
Nothing is sweeter than this
Very sweet indeed
But there is something sweeter than this
Please do not misunderstand me
Your accepting my request will be
sweeter than these pomegranates
Do not talk in riddles
l have come to ask for Gandhari's hand...
for Prince Dhritirashatra
Why not Pandu?
Why this blind man for my sister?
Forgive me father
You have come to ask for my daughter's hand
but you should realize
that Prince Dhritirashtra is blind
What difference would it make to him whether
he marries or not?
His life is wedded to darkness
Don't say this father
According to tradition...
the right to decide is mine
lt is for me to decide
whom l shall marry
Will you deny me that right?
ln the presence of...
Lord Shiva...
my father and brother...
Grandshire Bhishma...
... l choose Dhritirashtra as my husband
Daughter!
l have not yet finished father
lt is an honour to be Prince Dhritirashtra's wife
lt is my good fortune
For, even if l lose my beauty...
my married life will be unaffected
because Prince Dhritirashtra
will not be marrying me for my physical beauty
What's this?
lt is necessary
Give me your blessing
But Gandhari...
lsn't it the wife's duty...
... to share her husband's world?
l have enveloped my life in the same darkness...
... that has enveloped the Prince's life
Why should l look at all that...
... he cannot see?
A wife's fate should match her husband's
Bless you
May you have a thousand sons
That is a terrible oath you have sworn
lt transcends any blessing
And yet my best wishes
lf this is what you wish...
then take my blessings too
Make God keep you happy
Prepare for the marriage Bhishma
Shakuni will escort Gandhari to Hastinapur
Thank you
Long live King Dhritirashtra
Long live Queen Gandhari
Welcome to the darkness of my life Gandhari
lt is my good fortune to have
got a husband like you
Do not raise false hopes in me Gandhari
One who cannot tell the difference between a mountain and a canyon
is not a husband but a curse
Probably that's why you have blindfolded yourself...
because it does not matter whether you see me or not
l do not need eyes to see you my lord
My mind's eyes are enough
As for the world...
why should l see it...
when you cannot?
Do not tempt the one who lives in eternal darkness
l wanted to see the world through your eyes
the change of seasons...
the dance of peacocks...
the clouds chasing one another...
but you have ended that dream too
Okay
Remove your blindfold for a minute
and look at the man you have chosen blindly
Aren't you curious?
What is there to see?
your physical body...
is not what you really are
What you really are l can see without my eyes
Do not forget my lord...
that dreams are born only in the dark
God has created you to dream
Now it is up to you...
to decide what kind of dreams...
you want to see
A man is not free if he is caught in the web of Fate
He is merely helpless
lf it were not so why would l be blind?
Why would Pandu be on the throne?
lt is my Fate...
which has taken me away from the throne
l cannot control my Fate
Pandu is dear to me Gandhari
But l cannot forget that he is wearing my crown
Nor can l bear the fact...
that Kunti of Bhoj...
will be the queen and not you
Kunti, at this moment, is...
probably thinking of this
With the mercy of God...
blessed by the sages...
protected by my ancestors...
in this state capital...
and in this marriage hall...
all the assembled kings are welcome
All of you who have left your kingdoms
to be here with us
are respectfully welcome
By coming here you have shown respect for
ancient Aryran traditions
The tradition allows our princesses
to choose their husbands
With this tradition our princess can
brighten their futures
with the light on their hearts
Whoever the princess chooses to garland...
from those present here...
will be worthy of our congratulations
lt will be a sad day...
when our daughters
will not have the right to choose
l am confident that...
whoever my daughter chooses...
will be worthy of her and our society
This will be a happy occasion indeed
My daughter's name on birth was Pritha
Her mother was born of Aryak of Maga clan
Her father is Shoorsen of the Yadu clan...
who has obliged me by...
entrusting Pritha in my care
Here she was called Kunti
and she proved lucky for us
Kunti's arrival filled this house with children
This blessed sister of her lucky brothers...
will now choose her husband
King of Maheshmati
God-fearing
Graced by Narmada Devi
Protected by the Fire God
The King of Ujjain
Prince of Magadh
Brave Jarasandh
the King of Kamroop
The King of Pragya
The King of Kalinga
The King of Kaushal
l wonder who the princess will choose
God knows. But the task is difficult
There is only one prince worthy of the princess
Who?
He stands out among the others
What's wrong with you?
Can't you see King Pandhu?
Honour of the Kuru clan
King of Hastinapur
Son of Ambalika
Victorious King Pandhu
Why are you worried my lord?
Today is a day for rejoicing
Pandu will be returning with Kunti
A younger brother is like a son my lord
lt is not the same as having a son
A younger brother cannopt carry on one's lineage
because he has his own lineage to think of
Why think like that?
What else can l do Gandhari?
Agreed l am blind
Vidur was right. l should not be king
So l compromised with my Fate...
and hoped that my son would get the throne
But with Kunti's arrival...
the dilemma remains unresolved
lf her son is born before ours...
then Hastinapur will never be mine
Fate is playing strange games with me
Whatever is fated to happen will happen
The truth is that my mother is to blame
Had she not closed her eyes...
maybe then...
My mother is the harbinger of my bad luck
A man must learn to accept his fate my lord
l'll try but...
God alone knows if l'll be successful
lf it was in my hands...
l would change my fate before Kunti's arrival
Tears in the eyes of a bride?
But this is not the night for tears
Why then does she cry?
The secret of Kunti's tears...
is know only to her...
the sun God...
and l
l, too, was there
Born to King Shoorssen of the Vrushni clan...
she was named Pritha
But when her father gave her away...
to his childless brother Kuntibhoj...
she came to be called Kunti
Kunti blossomed under
Kuntibhoj's love and protection
One day...
Sage Durvasa came to Kuntibhoj's palace
What's this? Am l not welcome here?
What are you saying O Sage?
Your presence has brought honour to my palace
My respects O Sage
My daughter Kunti
Blessings my daughter
l am yours to obey O Sage
What is the position of a woman on this Earth?
A woman commands a very high position
She is basically the Mother-figure
l am pleases with your service
Ask for anything you wish
O Sage you can look into the future
Grant me something useful for the future
Okay
l will give you a magic spell...
with which you will be able to summon any God
from Heaven
Sage Durvasa...
gave Kunti a magic spell
which could summon
even the most reluctant God
All alone Kunti would often...
remember the Sage's words...
and wonder if they were true
Gods could not be seen
So, why would they come at her bidding?
Thinking about it Kunti was...
reminded of her mother's words...
and she began praying to the sun God
That evening she prayed once again
She was so entranced by the scene...
that it excited her curiosity
l'll give you a magic spell...
with which you will be able to summon any God...
from Heaven
Can it be true?
lnstinctively she used the spell
Did you call me?
Forgive me O God
Sage Durvasa had granted me a spell...
which l was merely testing
But you actually appeared
Forgive me for the trouble l caused you
You may return now
l cannot return without fulfilling the spell
l am hopeless
The spell is irreversible
lf l don't there will be chaos in the universe
Okay. Give me whatever you have to give and return
l am afraid
l will give you a child
A child?
Yes
But l am unmarried and a virgin
How can l face my father and society?
Do not worry
You will remain a virgin
Our son will be born with natural earrings and armour
He will be known as the Brave Generous Karna
The Sun God was bound by the parameters of the spell
so, he returned after giving a son to Kunti
the child had an armour to protect himself...
but Kunti had no such armour
How could she face society?
How could she explain...
the child in her arms?
Even Seeta had been looked on with suspicion
Who would believe her story?
What could be done?
Where could she hide her son?
A son she could not even call her own
Begin your generosity with your own mother Karna
Forgive me
l can see the question in your eyes
Do not be surprised
The moment is auspicious for me to travel
Travel my lord?
- But this is... - Yes
This is beginning of our wedded life
Just think that...
our wedding night has been postponed
l have to go to my second wife
Second wife?
Yes
You are a queen
You should know that a king has two wives
One...
whom he marries...
and the other whom he wins
The other wife has the same name in every royal house
Earth
Conquered land
A wife is also like Earth my lord
And yet she is not Earth
lt is my duty to expand my inherited territory
Before l am caught up in your beauty and love...
l wish to extend my borders...
to the end of the horizon
You are a queen
Bid me farewell like a queen
Be victorious
A smiling farewell to the war-bound husband
That is the tradition of the brave wife
This is the Ethics of Patriotism