After Krishna’s appeal for peace, the Kaurava assembly is reminded of the consequences of war by Parashurama, who tells them a tale from ancient times, in which king Dambhodbhava, drunk on pride, takes on Nara and Narayana despite all advice to the contrary. Nara, in fact, defies Dambhodbhava and his armies with nothing more than blades of grass.
Parshurama’s story is based on the then-popular premise that Arjuna and Krishna are equivalents or embodiments of Nara and Narayana. This thesis is already rejected by Duryodhana, who refuses to believe that gods concern themselves with earthly matters.
Various other stories are told to Duryodhana to convince him. Dhritarashtra expresses his general agreement but also conveys that he is not the decision-maker. When Duryodhana speaks, he does so with an unmatched rhetorical relish. He argues that it is not his fault that the Pandavas lost what they did during the gambling matches. He further asks: ‘Because of what wrong do the Pandavas… wish to kill the sons of Dhritarashtra?’ Towards the end of his monologue, Duryodhana delivers that immensely famous line, about not willing to give even as much land as can be held on the point of a sharp needle.
This angers Krishna, who calls Duryodhana ‘the foolish one’. He reminds Duryodhana of the treatment meted out to the Pandavas and their wife during the gambling matches and the attempts on their lives prior to that. Duhshasana says that upon hearing these words it seems that perhaps Bhishma, Drona, and Dhritarashtra should just hand over Duryodhana, Karna, and himself over to the Pandavas and sign a peace accord. Duryodhana’s anger is at the peak at this point, and he petulantly leaves the assembly hall followed by all his brothers and supporters.
Krishna then scolds Bhishma, saying that it is ‘the supreme taint of all the elders among the Kurus, that they are not forcibly restraining this evil-minded king who is misusing his prosperity.’ He takes forward Duhshasana’s comment and urges the Kuru elders to consider it seriously.
In an inner chamber, though, there is another plan being hatched. Duryodhana, Duhshasan, Karna and Shakuni are discussing how to shackle Krishna. The idea is that if they capture Krishna, the Pandavas’ spirit will be broken.
As the preparations for this capture are made, members of Krishna’s entourage sense something wrong. They alert Krishna, who laughs loudly and tells the Kuru elders about the stupid act that the princes seem to have set their minds on.
Krishna then reveals himself—his capacious godly self, implicit in which is the known universe and everything beyond it — to the Kuru assembly, blinding everyone there except the wise ones. This revelation is significant, given Duryodhana’s earlier insistence on the absence of gods in their earthly quarrel. What other proof could Duryodhana hope for before convincing himself that he has set to fight against an invincible force? And yet, there remains the practicality of his getting blinded by the sheer glow of Krishna’s form. He didn’t see anything.
Tanuj Solanki
@tanujsolanki
The writer is reading the unabridged Mahabharata