Mahabharat - Episode 52

The Present should nurture the Past
Good memories should be nurtured ...
... and kept alive
Bad memories should be allowed to die out
The Past is to be, no doubt, respected ...
... but it should not be accepted as it is
The Present should evaluate the Past
Today, five brothers cannot marry the same girl ...
... by citing Draupadi's example
Today, no one can stake his wife ...
... and brothers by citing Yuddhistir's example
To draw a lesson from the Past is a task of ...
... great risk and responsibility
So, listen to the Past with great care ...
... and choose the path of the Future
That is exactly why ...
... l am narrating the Mahabharat to you
There is no need to be so sad, Arjun
The attempt to disrobe Draupadi has ...
... violated all limits of tradition and decency
lt is not your tragedy alone Nor that of the five
Pandava brothers lt is a tragedy of the
Past, Present and Future ...
... as well as of Mankind
You are a mere drop in the ocean of Mankind ...
... and a drop is not responsible for the ocean
Whether it is happiness or sadness you should not ...
... shoulder more than your share
My share in this humiliation ...
... is so heavy that ...
... it would break a mountain
And you tell me not to be sad
This humiliation is a thorn in my heart ...
... which has left me restless
Brother will not allow us to wage war
He is doing penance. Penance!
He should do penance
Being the eldest does not mean ...
... he has the right to stake you all
None of what he staked was his alone
No doubt he was crowned King ...
... but it was your labour which created lndraprasth
No doubt he performed the Rajsuya ritual ...
... but you four brothers helped him do it
So, he had no right to stake that crown
As for Draupadi ...
... even if she was his wife alone ...
... he had no right to stake her
A wife is not chattel
She is life's partner
So, he should do penance
You, too, have no right to talk of war
When Yuddhistir was violating all limits ...
... it was your duty to oppose him
No one but Draupadi opposed him
So, swallow this humiliation
That is your penance
There has to be some limit
This humiliation will end some day
l have sworn to kill Karna while Bhim has sworn ...
... to break Duryodhan's thigh ...
... and wash Draupadi's hair with Dushasan's blood
What about these oaths?
Will we be able to fulfil these oaths?
Speak O Krishna!
Do not worry about the future
Just think about the present
The Earth's right to the blood of Shakuni ...
... Duryodhan, Dushasan and Karna is proven
They are indebted to this Earth ...
... which demands their blood
l do not wish you all to be known as aggressors
Let them attack first
Wage war when all paths to peace are exhausted
Never forget Arjun ...
... that l am in you and you are in me
What is mine is also yours
Your enemy is my enemy
Your friend is my friend
You are Man and l am God
Therefore it is not right ...
... that we should keep looking back
Even if you wish it, you cannot undo ...
... Draupadi's disrobing
lt has happened
Churn this poison of humiliation ...
... and extract nectar from it
Then should l only wait?
No. But prepare yourself
Start acquiring divine weapons
Worship Lord Shiva!
What should l do?
Come Draupadi
You are yourself born of fire
Why then do you need any other fire?
You have not been insulted Draupadi
Mankind has been insulted
lt is l who have been insulted
Sunlight is not corrupted by the mud it touches
You are the sunlight of life
Who can insult Fire, Air, Water, Earth and the Sky?
You will always be respected by Mankind
O lover of worshippers!
O Man among Men!
You are Pity itself
You are the Truth
You are the Seed ...
... which has burst from Earth's womb
You are the path as well as the objective
The Sun rises and sets on you
So, listen to me
l am your friend
Dushasan seized me, your friend ...
... by my hair and dragged me to court ...
... where Duryodhan called me a maid ...
... and Karna called me a whore
An insult to Bhishma's daughter-in-law ...
... and in Father Dhritirashtr'a presence!
What can l say to these brave warriors?
One of them is an expert mace warrior ...
... and the other an ace archer
They quietly watched their wife being insulted
Shame on Arjun's Gandiva bow and Bhim's mace
ln spite of them l was humiliated before my elders
None of these brave warriors said a thing
The Pandavas who help everyone ...
... did not even try to help me
The wives of those who insulted you ...
... will cry on their husbands' corpses
lt's good that you sent your son to Kampilya
l, too, will take Subhadra to Dwarka ...
... so that Abhimanyu can be brought up ...
... with the forthcoming war in mind
But will there be war?
l don't want it ...
... but, yes, there will be war
How can there be war if you don't want it?
Did l want Draupadi disrobed?
That is the problem
Everything does not happen to my liking
There will be war
Draupadi's unbraided hair has decided it
Duryodhan's jealousy has decided it
Elder Father's ambition has decided it
So, prepare for war
Do not think ...
... that you will only face ...
... Father's ambition or Duryodhan's jealousy
This will be no ordinary war
On the opposite side will be warriors like ...
... Bhishma, Sages Drona and Kripa ...
... Ashwathama, Karna, Rukmi, Jaidrath ...
... and Duryodhan himself
Two of these warriors are your Teachers
Even at his age ...
... there is none to beat Bhishma's arrows
So, acquire divine weapons
Lord lndra is pleased with you
All the divine weapons are with him
None but you can get them from lndra
Without them, your victory is impossible
Whether you use them in war or not ...
... you must have these weapons
Prepare yourself !
Do not think Duryodhan is sitting quietly
He, too, is preparing for war
What is this l have heard, Duryodhan?
How can l say what you have heard?
Why are you inviting loyalities from Kings?
What need was there for it?
What's wrong in that?
We will catch the Pandavas in the last year ...
... like a fisherman catches fish
The Pandavas are not fated to return to Hastinapur
Had you been God l would not worry ...
... but you have failed more then once
So, l thought ...
Since when have you started thinking?
Uncle, l don't like you to sulk
lf we don't recognise them in the last year ...
... what will happen? There will be war
lf there is going to be war ...
... why not use these years to prepare for it ?
Besides, warriors should always be prepared
Even you know that ...
... the Pandavas are not keeping quiet
Arjun is doing penance to acquire divine weapons
How long will you make me wait, O son of Kunti?
My lord!
Accept my respects!
May you live long!
Why do you need weapons in a hermitage?
Weapons are a warrior's Soul
ls penance possible without the Soul?
Even penance has its limits, Arjun
Doesn't a warrior have his limits?
Vishwamitra did penance without weapons
He wanted to become a Brahmin
He wanted salvation
l want divine weapons
So, how can l ask for weapons unarmed?
Very logical! What do you wish for?
Grant me divine weapons, O Lord!
You will have to worship Lord Shiva for those
Ask for the Pashupastra
Only with that will the gates of Heavan open to you
To acquire divine weapons you will have to visit Heaven
As you order, O Lord!
My respects!
Come friend! Welcome to my chamber
This is for you
lf you do what l want ...
... l'll open the prison gates for you
lt is full of traitors these days
They are healthy chaps
l'll do anything for them. What do you wish?
The task is difficult
Order it?
Kill Arjun
He is doing penance to acquire divine weapons
Kill him before he gets them
A second arrow?
This kill is mine hunter
This arrow is mine and so is the kill
Take your arrow and go away
Looks like you are tired of living
Put your arrow in the quiver ...
... and leave before l string my bow
How can l leave without my kill?
No other arrow ...
... can reach the kill before Arjun's arrow
Arjun? Who's Arjun?
Sage Drona's disciple
Who's Drona?
l am Arjun, Sage Drona's disciple
Are you proud of your teacher ...
... or your dynasty or your archery?
lf it is the teacher, then l bow to him
lf it is because of the dynasty then ...
... what is special about you?
And if you are proud of your archery ...
... at least give me a demonstration
l was not being arrogant
l was merely introducing myself
Even that is arrogance
Beware hunter!
Only Lord Shiva, Lord lndra, Grandsire Bhishma ...
... and Sage Drona can do this to me
You are not Grandsire
Nor are you Sage Drona
You must be Lord Shiva
Why not Lord lndra?
Because l was doing penance for you
Ask for a boon, my son !
l am sure you are aware of ...
... the injustice done to us
l am aware of it but ...
... it gives me greater pleasure ...
... to hear it from you
lt shows your closeness to me. What do you want?
l want the Pashupastra for the protection ...
... of the Pandavas and Mankind itself
Lord lndra has advised you well
He had merely told me that ...
... l would not get the divine weapons ...
... till l pleased you with penance
What did Krishna say?
He asked me to start ...
... acquiring divine weapons
What else did he say?
He said that war was definite
What else?
Yes. He also said that ...
... he was a part of me and l was a part of him
Whatever was his was also mine
My enemy was his enemy
My friend was his friend
Now think!
How can l refuse what you ask for?
His friend is also my friend, O son of Kunti!
Take the Pashupastra and go to Heaven ...
... where you will get divine weapons
After receiving Lord Shiva's blessing ...
... Arjun went to Heaven to receive lndra's blessing
He will spend some time there for ...
... along with divine weapons, he will also be cursed
But this story is Earth-bound
So, why go to Heaven at this point?
There are two places to go to :
We can go to Dwarka ...
... where Abhimanyu is growing up
But we have seen Krishna grow up
Why see some other child grow up?
Then let us go to Hastinapur...
... where Karna has returned victorious
Beware!
Victorious Karna is on his way
Look father!
Look Grandsire!
Hail Karna, King of Anga
Go my friend!
Karna wishes to greet the King
Congratulations for your successful victory tour
l wish to present a few royal crowns
Apart from your friends and relations ...
... no head in lndia today wears a crown
Grandsire! Karna has answered your question
Duryodhan is secure under Karna's friendship
No, my lord. l still say the same thing
lt is best to make friends with the Pandavas ...
... because l still believe ...
... even after this world victory ...
... Karna is not even one fourth of what Arjun is
No Grandsire!
Arjun is not even worth one-sixteenth of Karna
lf Arjun is in search of divine weapons ...
... let him be
Karna is my divine weapon
Some more please
lt is our duty to serve you
Here O Sage!
Have some more
Come here, Uncle!
Get rid of these sages or else ...
This is Sage Durvasa
He will only leave when he feels like it
Listen! lf he is not satisfied ...
... he will curse you
Yes Sir!
Are you tired of serving us?
What are you saying, O Sage?
lt is our good fortune to serve you
Duryodhan does not seem to be pleased
lf that is the case then ...
Do not be angry, O Sage
Duryodhan was saying, had the Pandavas been here ...
... they would have also got your blessings
How could he dare ask you ...
... to go to the forest and bless them?
Yes O Sage
l was saying just that
l am pleased with your brotherly love
We will go and bless them
Many thanks, Respected Sage
Why are you sad?
l was reminded of the day we left Hastinapur
Only four people were not sad to see us leave:
Duryodhan, Karna, Shakuni and evil Dushasan
Why the surprise? They know no pity
They are stone-hearted
They must be happy...
... about our present condition
l cannot bear to see you in this condition
Whether you like it or not ...
... this is our condition ...
... and it will remain for 13 years
lf you are already tired you can go to Kampilya
We will call you back after thirteen years
l was not talking about my leaving
l was merely mourning ...
... the loss of anger within you all
l have never heard you talk of war
Your elder brother is an iceberg who is unmoved ...
... by his wife's humiliation ...
... or his brothers' plight
Where is your anger, the mark of a warrior ?
Anger, too, has a limit
Anger is not a stone thrown by a blind man ...
... which has no fixed direction
Nor should it be a stray arrow
lt should be like Arjun's arrow..
... which is sure to reach its aim
Anger should be decent
Blind anger is neither a shield nor a sword
Duryodhan is blinded by jealousy
Do you want us to be blinded by anger?
Sometimes it is better to swallow anger
Forgiveness is divine
Forgiveness is the path to Godhead
Forgiveness is truth and penance
Forgiveness is power
Hence, l will never leave the path of forgiveness
Think of my helplessness
l cannot call you a coward ...
... because l know you are not a coward
You are Truth itself. How can you ever forgive Evil?
Duryodhan is another name for Evil
Control your anger, Draupadi
Why?
Tell me why should she do that?
Even l cannot control my anger any more
Sleeping or awake ...
... my eyes see only one scene
Dushasan dragging her by her hair ...
... and Duryodhan stroking his thigh...
... while all the Kurus watch this silently
l cannot control my anger! l cannot!
The flames of anger and humiliation ...
... cannot be extinguished
Bravery is losing its patience...
... to stand up and be counted