Karna's Wife (12 page)

As the guru of the Kuru princes in martial arts, Dronacharya told them that they had to fulfil one important command. He asked them to bring King Drupad to him in chains as guru dakshina, the gift customarily given to a teacher by disciples. At once, without further ado, all the Kuru princes set out to capture King Drupad—but it was Arjuna and the Pandava princes who defeated the swelling Panchala army. The victorious Arjuna captured King Drupad and brought him to his revered guru. In his moment of triumph, Dronacharya told the defeated king that by taking half his kingdom as he was entitled to, he could become his equal, but being a brahmin, he was neither interested in kingdoms nor in becoming a king. Saying this, he contemptuously returned the kingdom to King Drupad and set him free. The humiliated King of Panchal swore revenge on his friend and performed a special yagna (sacrifice) from which sprang a son, the sword-wielding Dhrishtadyumna, born to kill Dronacharya, and a daughter, the dark, sultry Draupadi, who would marry Arjuna, Dronacharya’s favourite disciple. The stage was set for the king to pit the shishya against the guru.

It was ironical that Dronacharya had earned himself another enemy through Arjuna, besides the wrathful King Drupad. And that was Karna. Dronacharya, because of his extreme affection and pride for his favourite disciple, Arjuna, had rejected two potential rivals, both worthy opponents, of Arjuna. The first one was Eklavya, a tribal prince and a master archer who was asked to give his right thumb as guru dakshina. When he heard the guru’s command, the devoted Eklavya cut it off and offered it to him, knowing that he could never string a bow ever again.

The other contender who challenged Arjuna’s prowess in archery was Karna. Realising that the young sutaputra might better his favourite student some day, Dronacharya rejected Karna outright on the pretext that Karna was not born a royal warrior. Karna, smarting under the snub, then swore that, one deciding day, he would challenge Arjuna and defeat him. In this way, Dronacharya had set two worthy archers against each other and inadvertently began a terrible rivalry between Karna and Arjuna, one that was to reverberate throughout their lives, Uruvi thought bitterly.

The relentless Karna meanwhile persisted and sought knowledge of weapons and martial arts as the student of Parshurama, the guru of Bhishma Pitamaha. But even as he rose to become the star pupil of the formidable and hard-to-please Guru Parshurama, Karna did not allow himself to forget the sting of Guru Dronacharya’s insult. ‘The seeds of discontent continued to grow as a life-long resentment against the Kurus’ guru,’ sighed Karna’s mother wretchedly.

The last to fall prey to Dronacharya’s love and extreme partiality for Arjuna was his own son, Ashwatthama. In his relentless pursuit to make Arjuna the best warrior in the world, the guru overlooked his own son. Perhaps that was another reason why the two connected so well, Uruvi supposed, as she saw Ashwatthama wait for Karna at the steps below her balcony. Their common opponent was Arjuna, courtesy Guru Dronacharya.

‘It has been ages since I saw you last,’ Uruvi welcomed Ashwatthama with a smile. ‘How is your mother?’

‘She is doing fine, thank you,’ he replied politely, his voice low, almost a whisper. ‘She told me to give you her congratulations. I also want to wish you a happy life together,’ he added shyly. ‘Karna is a lucky man. And you are a very lucky lady.’

Uruvi had not heard Ashwatthama delivering such a long speech before and she was touched. ‘Next time, please take me to visit her. I would like to pay my respects to her as well.’

Ashwatthama bowed formally and walked away towards her husband who was coming down the marble steps after his morning prayers to the sun god. He looked dazzlingly handsome as always. Uruvi felt herself basking in that unusual warmth she always felt when she gazed at him. Watching them together, she felt how physically alike they were as well. If Karna looked magnificent in the glittering kavach and kundals he was born with, Ashwatthama, too, was blessed with a glittering, precious gem on his forehead from birth. As the wearer of this jewel, he was blessed with immortality and was free from the fear of death, disease, hunger and war. The two men were quite inseparable, the guru’s disapproval notwithstanding. Dronacharya and Kripacharya, Ashwatthama’s maternal uncle and the royal family chief priest, maintained a cold disdain for the charioteer’s son who ranked low at the royal court.

‘Radheya could never get over Dronacharya’s rejection of him,’ revealed Radha during one of the many chats she had with her new daughter-in-law. ‘For days, he burned with anger at the sheer injustice of it. And I could do nothing to calm that storm within Radheya who, till now, cannot understand why he was not allowed to be trained with the Kuru princes. He strongly believes in being fair. In his righteous indignation, Radheya considered Guru Dronacharya failed as a teacher—he should have been fair and just to all his students.’

Radha paused, looked distinctly troubled, but continued with her recollections, wanting Uruvi to know what her son had gone through. ‘After being rejected by Guru Dronacharya, Radheya decided to practise martial arts on his own. And he took his brother Shona’s help. He gathered information about various ayudhas (weapons) in the day and then after sundown, practised them. He soon surpassed everyone in skill and strength through self-discipline; but not for a single moment did he allow himself to forget those painful moments of humiliation poured on him. I can understand his bitterness, but he must rid himself of it. I haven’t been able to help him, so will you try, dear? It’s like a slow poison, slowly corroding him, his soul…’

At this point, Shona silently entered the room and overheard the conversation between them. He interrupted sharply, ‘No, Mother, it’s those insults that goad him into doing the extraordinary.’ He turned to Uruvi, who was surprised that Shona was actually talking to her. ‘Pain is a part of Radheya, just like his kavach and kundals,’ he said testily. ‘Without the pain and mortification he has suffered so long, he would not be what he is today. A bold warrior, a kind man, he can never forget his roots. He wonders about his birth yet cannot forgive his natural parents for deserting him. If he thinks he is the best archer, he has a reason to believe so. The fact is—he is, so when he says he is unsurpassed, it is neither boasting on his part nor arrogance. The manner in which he prepared himself for the archery contest of Hastinapur is just a small instance of his sheer self-belief and his convictions…’ he sighed. ‘One day, Radheya heard from his friend Ashwatthama how the previous week Guru Dronacharya had decided to test his students—the Kuru princes—in their skill of archery. He hung a wooden parrot from the branch of a tree and then summoned his students. He asked the first one to aim for the bird’s eye but not to shoot just yet. He then asked the student what he could see. The student replied that he could see the garden, the tree, flowers, and all that was around him. Dronacharya asked him to step aside and not to shoot. He repeated the same procedure with a few other students. When it was Arjuna’s turn, he told his guru that the only thing he could see was the bird’s eye. This satisfied the guru, who allowed Arjuna to shoot the bird—and Arjuna successfully hit the eye of that parrot.’

Shona continued, his voice heavy with admiration, ‘After listening to Ashwatthama’s anecdote, Radheya told me that if Arjuna could hit one eye of the parrot, then he could hit both eyes in a single shot! Both Ashwatthama and I laughed his claim away but soon he proved what he said. Since we practised at night, Radheya decided to shoot both eyes of the parrot that very same night with the help of an ordinary lamp. I followed Radheya’s instructions closely. I suspended the wooden parrot high above the tree and held the palita beneath. Radheya strung the bow with two arrows slightly changed their position one after the other and as soon as he got the signal from me, aimed at both eyes of the bird. His aim was so accurate that he achieved his target in a single shot!’ Shona’s eyes sparkled with unabashed pride as he talked about his older brother. ‘He had barely practised and yet he could do it so effortlessly! This just shows that Radheya
is
the greatest archer in the world and frankly, he doesn’t need to challenge Arjuna to prove his merit. This is the same man who was denied tutoring by Guru Dronacharya and not given entry to the archery contest… all because he was a charioteer’s son. Lineage matters over merit and Radheya cannot lay claim to it. His lineage is considered ignoble, so his merit has been consistently ignored.’

What Shona revealed came as no surprise to Uruvi. ‘What dharma does Dronacharya talk of?’ she sneered. ‘Some may call him loyal to the Kuru throne but has he been really fair to others besides Arjuna? Both Karna and Eklavya were ruthlessly swept aside to make way for Arjuna as the best archer in the country. Dronacharya’s treatment of Karna was as malicious as the pitiless suppression of Eklavya’s talents—not just because Eklavya was a tribal but because he would have been a threat to his favourite disciple, Arjuna. Like Karna, Eklavya was rejected and callously cast aside so that Arjuna could feel secure and become successful! Is that the dharma of a teacher?’

That it was this teacher who had derided her husband consistently, without fail, and kept on disparaging him even now, made Uruvi furious and she felt a sudden antipathy for this same person whom she had respected so deeply all the years she was growing up. ‘The validation of this supposed great teacher is anything but teaching and education. How can he be the perfect guru if he is so blatantly partial?’ she asked derisively. ‘If he is not humble and honest himself, how can he teach his students those virtues? Instead of teaching Arjuna humility, he pampered him and encouraged him to believe he was the best. The only justification for his presence in Hastinapur is not training the Kuru princes but seeking his own vengeance—to destroy King Drupad through Arjuna, who is his ace card. He is going to exact his revenge through Arjuna. All he actually wants to accomplish is to settle scores with his oldest enemy.’

Radha looked at Uruvi, awed by her perception, but her eyes were troubled. ‘Shhh, girl, there are spies everywhere…’ Shona looked unfazed, secretly enjoying his sister-in-law’s tirade but not showing it. She was talking like a true princess in a regal rage, but the princess seemed to have forgotten she was now in the house of a suta.

‘Spies? That’s something Dronacharya started in this kingdom! And pray, how can he harm me or you, Mother?’ she asked scornfully. ‘The damage has already been done—he has harmed Karna enough. And what of his dharma as a brahmin? It is imparting education justly. But how fair has he been? He is no devotee of truth,’ she stated angrily. ‘Why, he is said to have secretly trained Ashwatthama but then Arjuna got furious and wouldn’t allow it!’

‘Hush, child, don’t say a word more! There will be trouble!’ beseeched Radha. She was almost hysterical with worry and fear and was relieved to see Radheya entering the room. She gave him a pleading look, hoping he would be able to handle his tempestuous wife.

‘Don’t worry Ma, I know how to silence her,’ he said airily and waved them away. To Uruvi’s rising astonishment, his brother and mother took the cue and left the room, but not before Uruvi noticed a smile playing on her mother-in-law’s face. She looked reassured and amused too.

‘My little woman has quite a temper!’ Karna drawled and without waiting for her retort, he placed his hand on her mouth. ‘Peace, lady!’ he ordered and replaced his hand with his lips. Astonishment gave way to pleasure and Uruvi allowed herself to melt until she realized he was trying to distract her. She pushed him away.

‘What did I say that was wrong?’ she demanded.

‘Are you going to get angry and abusive with all the people who have behaved badly with me?’ he asked smiling.

‘Yes! I shall!’ she said fiercely. ‘I can’t bear it if anyone hurts you. And that insufferable guru insists on being rude to you—I can’t help resenting that!’

‘Let him be. And if that’s your parameter, then, Princess, you will have to fight almost everyone!’ he murmured, a smile in his voice. ‘And I would rather have you with me than let you waste your words on others! Do you always do what you like?’

‘Always.’

‘And how do you avoid doing what you dislike?’ he asked with a grin.

‘Simple, I don’t do it.’

‘Hmm…I pity your parents…you must have given them a terrible time while you were growing up!’

‘I did!’ she agreed impishly. ‘I tormented them when I tried to convince them that I would marry only you. I told them over and over again that I wouldn’t dream of marrying anyone unless I was madly in love with him! And it’s the same hell I am giving you now…’

He laughed softly. ‘It gives me great pleasure…this hell.’

From now on she would look at Ashwatthama with new eyes, Uruvi decided, for she felt a deep respect for the shy son of the conceited Guru Dronacharya. Ashwatthama was the only person, besides Duryodhana, who openly acknowledged Karna’s greatness and who considered his close friend as the finest archer, far superior to the supposedly insurpassable Arjuna.