The reference in the last post to the Khandava forest drew yours truly back to the most favourite topic of Mahabharata. The destruction of the war is what is told and retold but is not the epic replete with killings with varieties. As the muse started, the question was would this also be in the range of eighteen the number around which the epic revolves and rotates arose. Ruminating over this the fingers rode on to the keypad and here is another aspect of the fascinating epic
1. The very first killings one can visualise are those of the Vasus reincarnated as the sons of Ganga and King Shantanu. Seven of them epitomised the shishu hatya which is now practised in the country for the female infants. Besotted though the king could only stop the eighth infant from being drowned. So drowning in the river was the first one to be given to the reader. Thus, begins the birth of Gangeya alias Bhishma.
2. The next is the tryst with the King of Kashi wherein the princesses of Kashi are taken in a battle by Bhishma for his half brother. One of the three princesses, Amba is in love with King Salva and on this being made known, she is asked to marry Salva who turns her down leading her to seek Bhishma's hands who refuses. This leads to a penance followed by a funeral pyre being resorted to. Suicide by fire is the second turning point.
3. The killing of Rishi Kindhama and his spouse who were mating by hunting them by King Pandu paves way for his curse and exile being the next twist in the tale.
4. The death of King Pandu and his wife Madri committing Sati with him results in the Pandavas emerging as rivals for the crown of Hastinapur thus making it the next significant demise albeit in two different styles of natural and sati
5. The killing of Purochana and his family in the lac palace as the Pandavas move into exile while their deemed death is grieved forms the next significant point to lay the foundation for a future war.
6. The killing of Hidimba in a duel wins Bheema Hidimbi who bears Ghatokach thus becoming the first duel death with significance
7. The killing of Bakasura leads to the Pandavas going to the Swayamvara of Draupadi and their eventual return to Hastinapura marking the renewal of rivalry
8. The burning of the Khandava forest earning the wrath of the nagas as well as the establishment of Indraprastha indicates that change is permanent
9. The killing of Kichaka by Vallabh the cook of King Virata sets the tone for the war
10. Though the Kurukshetra war witnessed many deaths in the first nine days, none was as epochal as the fall of Bhishma on the tenth day who went on to hold his breath on a bed of arrows for over a month to supervise the funeral rites as well as to guide the next king of Hastinapur. This was death by desire.
11. The valiant fall of Abhimanyu on the thirteenth day ensured that Arjuna fights the war with no remorse. The mob mentality plays out in the Chakravyuha to turn the war into a jo jeeta wohi sikandar
12. The killing Jayadratha by deceptively using an eclipse marked the effective slip in the values followed in war by the Pandavas too
13. The killing of Ghatotkach, son of Bhima by exhausting the secret weapon after a night war unknown in those times signified that no norms existed thenceforth
14. It is said that the fall of Dronacharya was more to the lie of Yudhishtira than the arrows of Drishtadyumna which ensured that the elders reign over Duryodhana effectively ended
15. The cannibalistic act of ripping the flesh of Dushashana and assuaging the thirst for revenge moves the epic towards the closure of the war
16. The fall of Karna, a warrior who could still change the course of war in a state of helplessness did not enhance the reputation of the valour of Arjuna but moved the war towards its last phase.
17. The killing of Duryodhana by breaking his thighs in a mace duel sealed that the norm of " Everything is fair in love and war" becomes a saying for the succeeding generations to come.
18. The mass murder of Draupadi's sons to assuage the feelings of the vanquished drives home the fact that in a war there are no winners.
Bhishma, akin to the tale of Ten Little Niggers of Agatha Christie outlives the other casualties. As we ride through the epochal demises, the role of fire being a key weapon stares one in the face while deceit is the runner up in a photo finish.
No comments:
Post a Comment