Week 7 Story: False King

 Bhima stared. He could not believe his ears. Yudhistira's words echoed in his mind, replaying and reverberating there. 

"I allow you, by the rules of dharma, to choose your warrior."

The moment the words had passed from Yudhistira's lips, Bhima knew that he would have to fight one more battle that day. Any other time, in any other place, Bhima would have given anything to fight Duryodhana. But now Bhima felt the weight of Yudhistira's words on his heart like a death sentence. And that was what they were. Yudhistira would have known, had he taken but one moment to think of the ramifications of his so called "nobility." 

"Yudhistira, you know I cannot win this fight. Not by the rules you have set forth. Duryodhana's skill will the mace far surpasses my own, and I am wearied after this long day of battle." 

"Bhima my brother- you are the the best warrior I know. I trust Krishna will guide your hand in this battle." Yudhistira replied.

"Yudhistira- open your eyes! By your own rules of dharma, Krishna may not intervene. I will not win this battle. This fight would mean my death."

"And yet you must fight. Dharma holds you to it. Duryodhana has chosen you to face him on the field, and at sundown, you will meet him there."

Yudhistira turned, letting the rays of the evening sun wash over his face. Bhima stared. He didn't understand how Yudhistira could be so blind. Even now, after everything that they had been through. Bhima had thought that Yudhistira might have learned- learned that his actions had ripples that spread far beyond himself. His own brother had sentenced him to die. He took a deep breath, his heart breaking. 

Bhima was not going to die for a king in whom he no longer believed. His life would not be forfeit to a false king. 

(Duryodhana and Bhima's final battle. Source: Wikimedia)

Author's Note: Throughout my reading of the Mahabharata, I have wrestled with whether or not I think Yudhistira deserves to be king. He gambles away his kingdom, his brothers, himself, and his wife. Not very kingly, I would say. He seems to learn from his mistakes at least somewhat during his time in exile, but when he allows Duryodhana to choose the warrior he is to fight, all of his progress comes crashing down. Duryodhana knows that his skill with the mace is far greater than Bhima's and that he will be able to beat Bhima in a fight. Never mind acting kingly, Yudhistira just needs to act like a human being here! I don't know what Bhima must have been thinking, but this is my best guess. 

Bibliography: Public Domain Mahabharata. Story: Duryodhana Falls

Reading Notes, Public Domain Mahabharata, Part D

Bibliography: Public Domain Mahabharata. Story: Duryodhana Falls

Notes: I am just all over the place with Yudhistira at this point. I can't decide if I think his few good qualities outweigh the massive troubles that he has caused for his brothers and for his people as a whole. I am becoming unconvinced. 

            I am less familiar with this section of the Mahabharata, and wanted to know more about this story, so did a bit of further research online specifically as to why Yudhistira had such a big problem with Bhima fighting Duryodhana. I mean, its not as if Bhima hadn't been making his intentions clear for a pretty long time. It turns out, it was Yudhistira's sense of honor, of dharma, that caused him to initially allow Duryodhana to pick which warrior he was going to fight, but also take issue with the fact that Bhima did not really fight fair. What really galled me about that particular bit was that the only reason that Bhima chose to break Duryodhana's thighs is that he cannot win the fight fairly, meaning that in asking him to fight fair, Yudhistira would condemn Bhima to death. Now, I realize that not all siblings get along equally well, but I'd be pretty miffed if my sister ever asked me to do such a thing, or at least did not try to help me come up with an alternative. 

            During my research of this story, I was pleased to learn that Krishna shared my exasperation of Yudhistira's actions. I think it might be interesting to write a story either from the perspective of Bhima as he is forced to watch again as Yudhistira's actions once again negatively impact his life, or from the perspective of Krishna as he realizes that the leader of the Pandava who he has been actively helping this whole time may not really deserve to be there he is. 

(Battle between Duryodhana and Bhima. Source: Wikimedia)

Reading Notes, Public Domain Mahabharata, Part C

 Bibliography: Public Domain Mahabharata. Story: Riddles at the Lake

Notes: Whenever I have read through or watched other versions of the Mahabharata, this is one of the other stories that I have really enjoyed. First of all, I am just always a fan of riddles, especially in books. Golem and Bilbo's competition in Lord of the Rings, Emma outwitting her suitor through the solving of a riddle in Jane Austen's "Emma," the sphinx's riddle in Harry Potter- these are always favorites of mine, and this tale with the Pandava was no different. 

        I also appreciate that this story allows Yudhistira to get some redemption for the behavior that got them into exile in the first place. I have always wondered about the fact that the Pandava seemed to be ok with him remaining king (albeit king of not very much) after he gambled everything away. I am not saying that I think all monarchs and world leaders always do rational things or are the best leaders, but generally something that phenomenally stupid gets you kicked out. This scene gives Yudhistira a chance to prove that he actually has something that the his brothers do not- he may not have good impulse control, but there is some hidden wisdom there.

        I think it might be interesting to play with this concept in a re-telling of the story- to play up the fact that Yudhistira is actually using his time in exile to learn and grow from his mistakes. This could be the first time that he is forced to put these newly learned skills to use to protect his brothers. There could be thoughts of also drinking the water or simply engaging the god of death in a fight, but then memories of the game of dice flit through his mind and cause him to chose to step back, think, and only then to act. 

(The Pandav Caves- Hypothesized to be where the Panava stayed during their exile. Source: Wikimedia)