63. YUDHISHTHIRA SEEKS BENEDICTION :

EVERYTHING was ready for the battle
to begin. At this tense moment, both
armies saw with amazement Yudhishthira,
the steadfast and brave son of Pandu,
suddenly doff his armor and put away his
weapons. Descending from his chariot, he
proceeded on foot towards the commander
of the Kaurava forces.


"What is this that Yudhishthira is doing?"
asked everyone and was puzzled by this
sudden and silent proceeding on the part
of the Pandava.


Dhananjaya too was perplexed and he
jumped down from his chariot and ran to
Yudhishthira. The other brothers and
Krishna also joined.


They feared that perhaps Yudhishthira,
surrendering to his natural inclination, had
suddenly decided to seek peace on any
terms and was going forward to announce
this.


"King, why are you proceeding to the
enemy's lines in this strange manner? You
have told us nothing. The enemy is ready
for battle, their soldiers sheathed in armor
and with uplifted weapons. But you have
doffed your armor and thrown aside your
weapons and are proceeding forward,
unattended and on foot. Tell us what you
are about." Thus said Arjuna to
Dharmaputra. But Yudhishthira was
immersed in deep thought and proceeded
forward silently.


Then Vasudeva, who knew the hearts of
men, smiled and said: "He is going to the
elders to ask for their benediction before
commencing this terrible fight. He feels it
is not right to start such a grave
proceeding without formally taking such
benediction and permission. He goes to
the grandsire to take his blessing and that
of Dronacharya. So he goes unarmed. It is
right that he does this. He knows
proprieties. It is only thus that we might
fare well in this battle."


The men in Duryodhana's army, when
they saw Yudhishthira advancing with
hands clasped in humble attitude, thought:


"Here is the Pandava coming to sue for
peace, frightened at our strength. Truly
this man brings disgrace to the race of
kshatriyas. Why was this coward born
among us?" Thus did they talk among
themselves reviling Dharmaputra though
delighted at the prospect of securing
victory without a blow.


Yudhishthira went through the lines of
soldiers armed from head to foot and
proceeded straight to where Bhishma was
and, bending low and touching his feet in
salutation, said:


"Grandsire, permit us to begin the battle.
We have dared to give battle to you, our
unconquerable and incomparable
grandsire. We seek benediction before
beginning the fight."


"Child," replied the grandsire, "born in the
race of Bharatas, you have acted worthily
and according to our code of conduct. It
gives me joy to see this. Fight and you
will have victory. I am not a free agent. I
am bound by my obligation to the king
and must fight on the side of the
Kauravas. But you will not be defeated."


After thus obtaining the permission and
the blessings of the grandsire,
Yudhishthira went to Drona and
circumambulated and bowed, according to
form, to the acharya, who also gave his
blessings, saying:


"I am under inescapable obligations to the
Kauravas, O son of Dharma. Our vested
interests enslave us and become our
masters. Thus have I become bound to the
Kauravas. I shall fight on their side. But
yours will be the victory."
Yudhishthira similarly approached and
obtained the blessings of Kripacharya and
uncle Salya and returned to the Pandava
lines.


The battle began, commencing with single
combats between the leading chiefs armed
with equal weapons. Bhishma and Partha,
Satyaki and Kritavarma, Abhimanyu and
Brihatbala, Duryodhana and Bhima,
Yudhishthira and Salya, and
Dbrishtadyumna and Drona were thus
engaged in great battles.
Similarly, thousands of other warriors
fought severally according to the rules of
war of those days.


Besides these numerous single combats
between renowned warriors, there was
also indiscriminate fighting among
common soldiers. The name of "sankula
yuddha" was given to such free fighting
and promiscuous carnage. The
Kurukshetra battle witnessed many such
"sankula" fights wherein countless men
fought and died in the mad lust of battle.


On the field lay piles of slaughtered
soldiers, charioteers, elephants and horses.
The ground became a bloody mire in
which it was difficult for the chariots to
move about. In modern battles there is no
such thing as single combats. It is all
"sankula."


The Kauravas fought under Bhishma's
command for ten days. After him, Drona
took the command. When Drona died,
Karna succeeded to the command. Karna
fell towards the close of the seventeenth
day's battle. And Salya led the Kaurava
army on the eighteenth and last day.
Towards the latter part of the battle, many
savage and unchivalrous deeds were done.


Chivalry and rules of war die hard, for
there is an innate nobility in human
nature. But difficult situations and
temptations arise which men are too weak
to resist, especially when they are
exhausted with fighting and warped with
hatred and bloodshed.


Even great men commit wrong and their
lapses thereafter furnish bad examples to
others, and dharma comes to be
disregarded more and more easily and
frequently. Thus does violence beget and
nourish adharma and plunge the world in
wickedness.

Next : - 64. THE FIRST DAY'S BATTLE :-


Continues...