47. PROMISE FULFILLED:

THE chariot of Arjuna thundered on its
way, seeming to shake the earth. The
hearts of the Kauravas quaked when they
heard the twang of the Gandiva bow.
"Our army must be arrayed well and with
care. Arjuna, has come," said Drona
anxiously. Duryodhana did not at all like
the honor Drona did Arjuna by this
anxiety.



He said to Karna: "The Pandavas' pledge
was that they would spend twelve years in
the forest and the following year
undiscovered. The thirteenth year has not
ended yet. Arjuna has revealed himself
before the time. Why then should we give
way to fear? The Pandavas will have to go
again to the forest for another twelve
years. Drona is suffering from the cold
feet of the too learned. Let us leave him in
the rear and advance to the battle."



Karna assented and said: "Our soldiers'
heart is not in the fight and they are
trembling with fear. They say that the
man, who stands so proudly, bow in hand,
on the chariot, speeding towards us, is
Arjuna. But why need we fear even if it
were Parasurama? I will myself stop the
advancing warrior and redeem my word to
you, and fight him, aye, even if all the
others stand back. They may drive away
the cows of the Matsya king while, single
handed, I shall give them cover, engaging
Arjuna in battle," and Karna, as usual,
began to blow his own trumpet.



When Kripa heard these words of Karna,
he said: "This is pure tomfoolery. We
must all make a combined attack on
Arjuna. That would be our one chance of
success. Do not therefore, brag about your
opposing him alone and unaided."



Karna grew angry. He said: "The acharya
ever delights in singing Arjuna's praises
and in magnifying his prowess. Whether
he does so from fear or excessive
fondness for the Pandavas, I do not know.



Those, who are afraid, need not fight, but
may simply look on, while others, who are
true to the salt they have eaten, engage in
battle. I, for one, a mere soldier who loves
my friends and hates my enemies, will
stand here and fight. What business have
men learned in the Vedas, who love and
praise their enemies, got here?" said he
sneeringly.



Aswatthama, Drona's son and Kripa's
nephew, could not hear unmoved this
sneer at the venerable teachers. He said
sternly to Karna: "We have not yet taken
the king back to Hastinapura, and the
battle is yet to be won. Your brag is idle
vainglory. It may be that we are not
kshatriyas and that we belong to the class
that recites the Vedas and the sastras. But
I have not been able to find in any sastra
that it is honor able for kings to seize
kingdoms by cheating at dice. Even those,
who fight and conquer kingdoms, do not
crow too loudly about it. And I cannot see
what you have done to be proud of. The
fire is silent and yet cooks the food. The
sun shines but not on him. Likewise,
Mother earth sustains all things, movable
and immovable, and supports her burden
without so much as a whisper. What claim
to praise has a kshatriya who has
unlawfully seized another's kingdom at a
game of dice? To have cheated the
Pandavas of their kingdom is no more a
matter of glory than to have spread traps
for unsuspecting birds. O Duryodhana, O
Karna, in what battle did your heroes
defeat the Pandavas? You dragged
Draupadi to the assembly. Are you proud
of it? You have destroyed the Kaurava
race like an empty-headed clod that fells a
big sandal tree for love of its fragrance. A
fight with Arjuna, you will find, is a very
different thing from a throw of the dice.
The Gandiva will send forth sharp arrows
and not fours and twos as in the game of
dice. Vain fools, do you think that Sakuni
can, by mere cheating, sneak a victory in
battle for you?"



The leaders of the Kaurava army lost their
patience and began a loud wordy warfare.
Seeing this, the grandsire was filled with
sorrow and said:



"The wise man does not insult his
teachers. One should engage in battle only
after a careful calculation of time, place
and circumstance. Even wise people often
lose their balance and good sense over
their own affairs. Ruffled by anger, even
the usually so sensible Duryodhana fails
to recognise that the warrior who stands
braving our army is Arjuna. His intellect
has been clouded by anger. O
Aswatthama, pray do not mind Karna's
offensive remarks. You must take them as
intended merely to put the preceptors on
their best spirit and sting them into action.
This is not the time to nurse enmity or
sow dissension. Drona, Kripa and
Aswatthama should forget and forgive.



Where can the Kauravas find in the whole
world, heroes superior to Drona, the
preceptor, and his son Aswatthama, who
combine in themselves Vedic scholarship
and kshatriya heroism? We know of none
other than Parasurama who can equal
Drona. We can conquer Arjuna only if we
all join together and fight him. Let us
address ourselves to the task before us. If
we quarrel amongst ourselves we cannot
fight Arjuna."



Thus spoke the grandsire. Soothed by his
noble words, angry feelings subsided.
Bhishma turned to Duryodhana and
continued:



"Best of kings, Arjuna has come. The
stipulated period of thirteen years
terminated yesterday. Your calculation is
wrong, as men learned in the science of
planetary movements will tell you. I knew
that the period had ended when Arjuna
blew his conch. Reflect a little before
deciding on war. If you wish to make
peace with the Pandavas, now is the time
for it. What do you seek, a just and
honorable peace or a mutually destructive
war? Ponder well and make your choice."
Duryodhana replied: "Revered sire, I have
no wish for peace. I shall not give even a
village to the Pandavas. Let us get ready
for war."



Then Drona said: "Let prince Duryodhana
take away a fourth of the army to guard
him and return to Hastinapura. Let another
surround the cows and seize them. If we
return without seizing the cows it would
amount to an acknowledgment of defeat.
With the rest of the army, the five of us
will give battle to Arjuna."



The Kaurava forces ranged themselves
accordingly in battle array. Arjuna said:
"O Uttara, I do not see Duryodhana's
chariot or Duryodhana. I see Bhishma
standing, clad in armor. I think
Duryodhana is driving away the cows to
Hastinapura. Let us pursue him and
recover the cows." With these words
Arjuna moved away from the Kaurava
army and went after Duryodhana and the
cows.



And as he was going, he respect fully
greeted his teachers and the old grandsire,
by drawing his Gandiva bow and sending
arrows so as to fall near their feet.
Reverently saluting them in this heroic
fashion, he left them and pursued
Duryodhana. Arjuna reached the place
where the cows were gathered and put to
rout the marauding forces.



He then turned to the cowherds and asked
them to take the cows to the barns, which
they did with great rejoicing. Arjuna then
pursued Duryodhana. Seeing this,
Bhishma and the other Kaurava warriors
rushed to the rescue and, surrounding
Arjuna, sent forth arrows against him.



Arjuna carried on a wonderful fight. First,
he made at Karna and drove him from the
battlefield. After that, he attacked and
defeated Drona. Seeing Drona standing
spent with fatigue, Aswatthama joined in
the fight and attacked Arjuna, which gave
Arjuna an opportunity of letting Drona
withdraw from the field.



Then, there ensued a bitter struggle
between Aswatthama and Arjuna. When
Aswatthama grew weary, Kripa relieved
him and maintained the attack against
Arjuna.



But Kripa also sustained defeat and the
whole army was routed and fled in fear.
Though rallied and brought back to the
attack by Bhishma, Drona and others,
there was no fight left in them. Finally,
they left the field, after a glorious fight
between Bhishma and Arjuna, which, it is
said, the gods themselves came to see.



The attempt to head off Arjuna’s pursuit
of Duryodhana thus failed and soon
Arjuna came up with Duryodhana and
strongly attacked him. Duryodhana was
defeated and fled from the battlefield, but
not far, because, when Arjuna taunted him
with cowardice, he turned round like a
serpent and resumed the fight.



Bhishma and others surrounded and
protected him. Arjuna fought and finally,
he employed a magic weapon that made
them all fall down unconscious on the
battlefield. While they were in that
condition he snatched away their
garments. The seizure of the clothes of the
enemy was the sign of decisive victory in
those days.



When Duryodhana came, Bhishma sent
him back to the city. The whole army
returned to Hastinapura after this
humiliating defeat.



Arjuna said: "O Uttara, turn back the
horses. Our cows have been regained. Our
enemies have fled. O prince, return to
your kingdom, adorning your person with
sandal paste and decked with flowers."
On the way back, Arjuna deposited the
weapons as before on the tree and dressed
himself once more as Brihannala. He sent
messengers in advance to proclaim in the
city that Uttara had won a glorious
victory.


Next :-48. VIRATA'S DELUSION.


Continues......