Having promised his elder brother Yudhishthira that he would slay Karna that day, Arjuna along with Krishna rushed to the battle field looking for Karna.
Karna too was all set. He had made up his mind that either he would kill Arjuna that day or get killed by him. There was no way both could return from the war field live that day.
There were every signs that the war would be the most fierce that day.
Gods had assembled in the skies to watch the event, curious to know what was going to happen. They started betting among themselves about who would win! Some of them even approached the Godhead Brahma and begged him to somehow stop this destruction. It was not just Arjuna and Karna but a vast majority of human lives that were at stake.
All were helpless and mute spectators to this drama being played by destiny.
Ashwatthama, the son of Drona, made a last-minute bid to end the war before such a mass destruction took place. The memory of his own father Drona having been killed in a deceitful way by Pandavas was still fresh in his mind.
But Ashwatthama was a man of great wisdom. He had a broader outlook. He could foresee the futility of the war, and the ensuing mass destruction. So, he held the hand of Duryodhana and almost begged him to stop the war.
Ashwatthama reminded Duryodhana how the great warrior like Bhishma himself was subdued by the Pandavas. He also quoted the way his own father, the great hero Drona was killed. Many of the brothers of Duryodhana and his friends who were also great warriors, were eliminated by the Pandavas one by one. Not many were left on the Kaurava side. So, he said that it was prudent to stop the war at least at that juncture.
Ashwatthama found nothing wrong in extending a friendly hand towards the Pandavas. He said that friends could be made in four ways – some who are friends by birth, some due to reconciliation, some others by sharing the wealth, and some by subjugation. In the case of Pandavas, Ashwatthama felt that they deserved to be friends in all these respects and it was prudent for Duryodhana to extend a friendly hand.
If he befriended the Pandavas, Ashwatthama said, lot of lives could be saved. The great warriors who were still alive could go back to their respective places peacefully. Duryodhana could happily rule over the kingdom by sharing it with the Pandavas. In that way, the entire world would be peaceful.
Ashwatthama was confident that Pandavas would agree to his proposal. The righteous Yudhishthira never wanted any war. Nor Arjuna nor Krishna wanted bloodshed. All of them would be too willing to end the war if Duryodhana extended a friendly hand towards them. Even Karna would give up his enmity and fall in line, for the sake of Duryodhana.
Ashwatthama further cautioned Duryodhana that if he did not take this opportunity, he would repent later. He would be left alone without any of his kith and kin, even if he managed to survive. The kingdom would never be his. What is the use of living with none with him, humiliated and divested of all his dignity? – Ashwatthama asked.
But Duryodhana was adamant. He could not forget the way his own brothers were killed, one by one, by the Pandavas. A while ago Bhima had brutally killed his younger brother Dhushasana, just in front of him.
Bhima assuming a fierce form, had ripped apart Dhushasana’s body and sucked his blood in a very inhuman way! While doing such a gory act, Bhima was swearing loudly that he would kill all the Kauravas in the very same way. How could such a brute ever accept friendship with him? – Duryodhana asked.
Duryodhana also knew that Arjuna would never accept Karna as his friend and would not rest till he was killed.
Duryodhana recollected his past deeds in which he had tried in every possible way to kill or torment the Pandavas. He had not spared their wives as well. He was sure that they would never pardon him for those acts.
He had no face to ask Karna to withdraw from the war at that juncture. Afterall, Karna had all along borne all kinds of insults for Duryodhana’s sake. Karna’s own beloved son Vrishasena was killed brutally by the Pandavas just the other day. How could he ask Karna to withdraw under those circumstances? Even if he agreed, Duryodhana felt that it would be unfair on him.
Duryodhana also had a faint hope that Karna would manage to kill Arjuna. Arjuna had been fighting relentlessly for the past several days and naturally he would have been very tired. So, Duryodhana felt that there was a chance that he could be killed by Karna.
If Arjuna was killed, the rest of the Pandava brothers could either be eliminated easily, or would leave the battle field on their own, unable to bear the agony.
So, Duryodhana decided to ignore the sane advice given by Ashwatthama.
That is what happens when someone is deluded by fate. Sane advice falls off the ears, and the man goes ahead driven by his fate.
Did Arjuna finally kill Karna or Karna himself kill Arjuna? Or was there a rapprochement between them? I am also hoping that war would end. But we will have to wait till the next episode to know what happened!
Gods had assembled in the skies to watch the event, curious to know what was going to happen. They started betting among themselves about who would win! Some of them even approached the Godhead Brahma and begged him to somehow stop this destruction. It was not just Arjuna and Karna but a vast majority of human lives that were at stake.
All were helpless and mute spectators to this drama being played by destiny.
Ashwatthama, the son of Drona, made a last-minute bid to end the war before such a mass destruction took place. The memory of his own father Drona having been killed in a deceitful way by Pandavas was still fresh in his mind.
But Ashwatthama was a man of great wisdom. He had a broader outlook. He could foresee the futility of the war, and the ensuing mass destruction. So, he held the hand of Duryodhana and almost begged him to stop the war.
Ashwatthama reminded Duryodhana how the great warrior like Bhishma himself was subdued by the Pandavas. He also quoted the way his own father, the great hero Drona was killed. Many of the brothers of Duryodhana and his friends who were also great warriors, were eliminated by the Pandavas one by one. Not many were left on the Kaurava side. So, he said that it was prudent to stop the war at least at that juncture.
Ashwatthama found nothing wrong in extending a friendly hand towards the Pandavas. He said that friends could be made in four ways – some who are friends by birth, some due to reconciliation, some others by sharing the wealth, and some by subjugation. In the case of Pandavas, Ashwatthama felt that they deserved to be friends in all these respects and it was prudent for Duryodhana to extend a friendly hand.
If he befriended the Pandavas, Ashwatthama said, lot of lives could be saved. The great warriors who were still alive could go back to their respective places peacefully. Duryodhana could happily rule over the kingdom by sharing it with the Pandavas. In that way, the entire world would be peaceful.
Ashwatthama was confident that Pandavas would agree to his proposal. The righteous Yudhishthira never wanted any war. Nor Arjuna nor Krishna wanted bloodshed. All of them would be too willing to end the war if Duryodhana extended a friendly hand towards them. Even Karna would give up his enmity and fall in line, for the sake of Duryodhana.
Ashwatthama further cautioned Duryodhana that if he did not take this opportunity, he would repent later. He would be left alone without any of his kith and kin, even if he managed to survive. The kingdom would never be his. What is the use of living with none with him, humiliated and divested of all his dignity? – Ashwatthama asked.
Bhima assuming a fierce form, had ripped apart Dhushasana’s body and sucked his blood in a very inhuman way! While doing such a gory act, Bhima was swearing loudly that he would kill all the Kauravas in the very same way. How could such a brute ever accept friendship with him? – Duryodhana asked.
Duryodhana also knew that Arjuna would never accept Karna as his friend and would not rest till he was killed.
Duryodhana recollected his past deeds in which he had tried in every possible way to kill or torment the Pandavas. He had not spared their wives as well. He was sure that they would never pardon him for those acts.
He had no face to ask Karna to withdraw from the war at that juncture. Afterall, Karna had all along borne all kinds of insults for Duryodhana’s sake. Karna’s own beloved son Vrishasena was killed brutally by the Pandavas just the other day. How could he ask Karna to withdraw under those circumstances? Even if he agreed, Duryodhana felt that it would be unfair on him.
Duryodhana also had a faint hope that Karna would manage to kill Arjuna. Arjuna had been fighting relentlessly for the past several days and naturally he would have been very tired. So, Duryodhana felt that there was a chance that he could be killed by Karna.
If Arjuna was killed, the rest of the Pandava brothers could either be eliminated easily, or would leave the battle field on their own, unable to bear the agony.
So, Duryodhana decided to ignore the sane advice given by Ashwatthama.
That is what happens when someone is deluded by fate. Sane advice falls off the ears, and the man goes ahead driven by his fate.
Did Arjuna finally kill Karna or Karna himself kill Arjuna? Or was there a rapprochement between them? I am also hoping that war would end. But we will have to wait till the next episode to know what happened!
That was Mahabharata episode 16
Based on the 5000 year old Indian Epic namely Mahabharata. © Dr.King 2019.
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