Gandhari in fury...

Episode#77

"Look at my daughters-in-law, look at them Krishna, they don't know whether to weep over dead bodies of their husbands or their sons? These women have never seen the sun; they have never stepped out of the palace without their heads being covered or without being surrounded by maids - they have never been seen in the open!"

"Look at them now Krishna - with their cheeks bathed in tears, eyes crimson red, lips quivering with uncontrollable sorrow as they try to give expression to their grief; choked and suffocated, hugging and clinging to each other in an attempt to seek and give consolation."

"Look how they pound their chests, pull their hair. Look at how their tender faces are streaked with fresh blood as their tears at their skin brutally in their savage sorrow. Listen to their shrieks, Krishna; listen to their wails that fill the battlefield of Kurukshetra and e ho from distant hills. Look at the great heroes lying dead, their bodies being torn by birds and beasts of prey."

Their is Drona and his enemy Drupada with their sons Dhrishtadyumna: over their Jayadratha and here lies Abhimanyu! Look at Pitamah laying there on the arrows of bed and Shalya, Bhagadatta, Bhurisravas; over there my brother Sakuni, Brihadbala and yonder the king of Kalinga. Look at them Krishna! Look at how women throw themselves to the dead bodies and listen to their screams Pierce right through the skies."

"Do you know Krishna, when I was the little daughter of King Subala of Gandhara, the Gandharvas were highly honored as they were musicians, sculptures, painters, dancers, and belonged to the world of art, we had formed our own religion where women were worshipped considering them as the highest manifestations of divinity on Earth. In our society women of Gandhara were educated unlike women in most other parts of the land around us, many of us where scholars. I was honored for my mastery over Artha- Shashtra, the science of wealth and finance when I was young."

"I was young and beautiful, there was light and hope in my life, one day my life was filled with darkness and the hopes were shattered, the darkness came in the form of Bhisma Pitamah, since he wanted me to be the bride to his nephew Dhritarashtra, they had given confusing name to him instead calling blind prince, they called him Prajna-Chakshu, when I found after marriage, I had no choice, I blindfolded myself for life.

"In my world of darkness - Duryodhana was born; I would now call him as our child of darkness, Kunti had by then already given birth to her son Yudhishtira - heir to the throne of his father Pandu."

"I prayed intently that you should stand by my son's as you stood by like a rock of confidence with Kunti sons! Why didn't you stand by my son's, Krishna? Why didn't you befriend my son's just as you befriended Kunti sons? Was I any different to you from what Kunti was? Didn't I love you as much as she did? Wouldn't Duryodhana have accepted you with as much ardour as Arjuna, if only you had given him an opportunity?"

"I think if you hadn't gone back to Dwarka immediately after Yudhishtira had performed Rajasuya Yajnya, you could have easily prevented the dice game! And I firmly believe that if the dice game has not taken place, the war would not have taken place."

"Pandavas wages a war not for land but for the honor of Draupadi and that precisely the reason I refused to bless Duryodhana during the war, he visited me every morning to seek my blessings before leaving for battlefield - but I refused him point blank to bless him! The only worlds I utter were Yato- dharmastatojayah (let righteousness wins) but never even once did I bless Vijayeebhava (be victorious) because I knew my son had done what did not befit the heir of Kuru Dynasty."

"Let me ask you a question Krishna; couldn't you have spared one single son for my sake? We're they all equally evil - was Vikarna was as evil as the rest of them? Did you forget that apart from Vidura, he also spoke for Draupadi? He chose to speak boldly when the elders like Bhisma Pitamah chose to seal their lips even Yudhishtira kept quiet; couldn't you have spared him at least for my sake?"

"Fine Krishna, moreover, before coming to Hastinapur for peace, you promised Draupadi that the Kauravas blood would flow freely in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, and you also assured her  that she would be able to tie up her hair soaked with Dusshasana blood for his son of having forcefully dragged her by hair to the hall of dice when draped in her single cloth." Gandhari is unabashedly forthright when vehemently speaks to Krishna that time and again, the date had always favoured him and Pandavas. They were lucky to escape death from the hands of her sons.

Gandhari collapsed in grief - her body was still shivering with anger and over powered by the grief of her deceased sons; she took Vasudev Krishna to task,band openly blamed him for his conspiracy in an attempt to destroy her family. Had his actions been sincere and transparent, he could have effortlessly prevented the war and save every innocent soul that lay lifeless at her feet now, she held Vasudev Krishna responsible for his devious ways that bought death and destruction to the Kuru family.

"Oh Krishna, my son's had the right to fail, even Kunti son's had right to fail, everyone has right to fail - but not you! Not you Krishna! You have no right to fail - but yet you failed! At least in my eyes - you have failed and that too bitter." She added furiously "I CURSE YOU KRISHNA!"

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