We are into Book 8. After the death of Aswatthaman, Karna is
made the Commander of the Kuru army. When Duryodhana and his leaders lament the
loss of Drona and his son, Karna says: “Wise neither get dejected nor rejoice
at what destiny brings, because it is not possible to overcome destiny”. The
role of destiny is repeatedly emphasized in Mahabharatha. No wonder this
philosophy has infiltrated the Indian psyche deeply.
The art of story-telling is at its best, when Vyasa gives us a summary of the chapter within the first few pages and then
gives the details. In summary, Karna
took over the command of the Kauravas, fought valiantly for 2 days and was
killed by Arjuna. Then, come the details of the battle
through the words of Janamejaya, Dhrithrashtra and Sanjaya.
First come the names of everyone who was killed till that
day in the battle. The names of individuals include Bhishma, Drona,
Aswatthaman, Karna, Jayadratha, Bhurisravas, Vinda, Anuvinda, Bhagadatta,
Sudhakshina, Srutayu, Vahlika, Paurava, Shalva and many more. It is interesting
to note that the sons were killed before the fathers – eg., Aswatthaman, the
sons of Karna and, of course, all of the Kauravas. I wish I understand the
meaning.
The tribes involved in the war of Kurukshetra are also
listed. They are: Srinjayas, Panchalas, Kiratas, Abhishahas, Kalingas, Sinis,
Dravidas, Malavas and many more.
On the side of the Pandavas those killed were Abhimanyu,
Gatothkachan, Virata, Drupada, Chitrasena, Purujit and Kuntibhoja. Tribes
mentioned on this side include Chedis, Kaikeyas, Magadas, Pancalas and some
maritime and seacoast tribes. Other
names mentioned in Section 12 include Pandyas, Cholas, Keralas, Andhras and
Kanchis. Many of these troops are said to have been led by Satyaki.
In section 10, of Book 8, Sanjaya is describing what
happened after Drona was killed. Sanjaya reports the following words spoken by
Aswatthaman during the deliberation. He says: “For success one should have
passion/enthusiasm, the time has to be ripe, one should have the skills and the
goals (policy) should be clear. However, the results depend on another factor,
namely Destiny”.
Later, before he takes up a direct conflict with Arjuna,
Karna tells Duryodhana that for many untold reasons he did not go on combat
directly with Arjuna. He then recounts all his strengths and says that Arjuna
is no match for him in skills and equipment. There is some arrogance in his
statements. However, he says that the one thing Arjuna has but Karna does not
have is the presence of Vasudeva (Krishna) on Arjuna’s side.
Then, Karna says that the only charioteer as capable as
Krishna and one as knowledgeable about horses as Krishna is Shalya. Therefore,
he asks for Shalya to handle his chariot that day. This is interesting because,
the chariot and the charioteer are used as metaphors for mind and its control
in Katha Upanishad and in Bhagvad Gita.
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