Mahabharata Story Continued

  

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्

 देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततो जयम् उदीरयेत्

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Nala and Damayanti

  Having given a brief summary of the meaning and contents of the Bhagavad-Gītā, I now return the gentle readers to the history of the Mahābhārata. Much of the history of course, is quite well known, especially as it pertains to the conflict between the Kurus and the Pandavas. I will expand on that conflict in due course, but I thought it appropriate to leave behind the violence and conflict of the Kurukshetra war and digress into one of the more charming stories found within the Mahābhārata, that of Nala and Damayanti.

Damayanti and the Swam Messenger

  The story has oft been retold since days of yore, by the great poets Kalidasa as well as many other poets in Sanskrit and in the native tongues of India. The tale of Nala and Damayanti parallels the story of Yudhisthira and the loss of his kingdom through gambling at dice, which is why he asks to hear it. We join the Pandavas in their exile in the forest.

THE VISIT OF VRIHADASWA

The mighty-armed Arjuna had left his brothers to seek weapons from the gods.  And there in the forest they wandered: Prince Yudhisthira, Bhima the strong, the twins and the fair Draupadi.  Exile was cruel. They mourned the loss of their brother whose quick wit and sharp arrows had saved their lives many a time.  Yudhisthira’s fault was his gambling vice.  If only he hadn’t thrown dice with the cunning Shakuni, they wouldn’t have been forced to leave their kingdom.

Yudhisthira plays dice

 And, in the darkness of the forest, the bitterness of their austerities tore at their hearts and pride. 

Pandavas in Exile

Sometimes their grief was too hard to bear. Eating roots and berries in the forest was hard for a man like Bhima; even harder to swallow his pride. He wanted to fight. Even now they could ride back to Hastinapura and challenge the likes of Duryodhana and his allies to a fair fight. Why hide in the forest like bandits? With the powerful right arm of Arjuna they could take the city of the elephants and put their wicked cousin in the grave. But they had lost all to the deception of the cunning Shakuni and Yudhisthira's gambling vice.

One night as they sat before the fire, watching the embers burn low,  Bhima confronted his brother Yudhisthira, “You always talk of dharma, of rules. What if we follow your rules? The conditions of your gambling loss were hard, my brother. Twelve years of exile, and another year in hiding to pass undiscovered by our enemies. What if we follow the terms according to the law? What if we do everything perfectly? These men  are cheaters. What if after we come out of the forest, having followed the terms of exile and  this Shakuni comes again to challenge you. What if he says, 'Don’t be a coward, let’s play dice?' You cannot deny his challenge. Knowing the laws of kings you will accept.  

Pandavas and Draupadi

"You and your honor. You will play again to protect your honor and we shall be cheated again. I’ve had enough of these games. Let us ride forth now and make war on our enemies. I will bathe Draupadi’s hair with the blood of the men who insulted her and we will make an end of it.”

Bhima drinks the blood of his enemy, Dushashana

And Yudhisthira said, “We cannot break our vows now. We have almost completed our sentence. If I break my vow, men will say, years, hence, that I am a liar. I have given my word as a king to follow the terms of exile. But hear this: I have consulted with wiser men than I, sages who can foretell the future. I can assure you that without any doubt you and Arjuna shall slay the envious princes of Hastinapura at the end of our exile. There shall be no more games, but we must be patient."

"As I am honest, this shall come to pass. 

And while I fell victim to sinful men who vanquished me at dice by unfair means, this shall never happen again. I shall never again fall prey to the tricks of the cunning Shakuni. Mark my words.”

But Bhima laughed. He shook his head and threw his cup in the fire, disgusted. “Once a gambler, always a gambler,” he said. “Honest men are not cheated through the gambling vice. It was a sad day that you learned to throw the dice. You call it the game of kings. I call it the game of fools.” He glared at his brother, ready for a fight. 

Just then, they heard a twig snap only steps away. They fell silent. Great bears sometimes made their way through the forest here. Bhima had once killed a great Rakshasa man-eater, Hidimba on a night like this. The twins held their bows at the ready, alert to the intruder. 

“Don’t wake Draupadi,” said Bhima quietly. He turned and moved quietly towards the sound, his mace at the ready. 

“Perhaps it’s only the wind,” said Yudhisthira.

They heard the sound again, closer.