Idle tears?

‘Tears… idle tears… I do not know what they mean,’ wrote Tennyson. Most of us do not know what they mean. Most of us are too ready to shed them, happily(?) We curse our fate even for the slightest of pains. Most of us are filled with feelings of self-pity at the fall of a hat. Here are Pandavas, the best of kings, who built their kingdom from wastelands of Kandava Vana, turned the jungle into a well protected city to which people thronged for building their homes, making a living and for trade for that land under their rule guaranteed peace to all of them.

Unfortunately their phenomenal growth made Duryodhana jealous and they lost their all in the game of dice. They had just completed the first term of twelve years of their exile and were about to commence the second phase of one year of incognito. It was not difficult for them to live in the jungle. They were surrounded by wise men, pundits and others all the time. Friends and other kings, Krishna particularly, used to visit them often and times were peaceful and relatively easy. But the ensuing year of a life of incognito would not be that easy.

This would mean that they would have first to change their appearance somehow or should have some convincing story to overlap what could not be concealed. How could the gigantic form of Bhima be concealed! What could be done about the personal charms of Arjuna! How could that be hidden! The second difficulty is that they could not carry their weapons with them. The enormously sized mace of Bhima and the special bow of Arjuna, the Gandiva, would without any effort betray who they are, if carried. That would mar the very purpose. Which means, they would have to live this one year without their weapons, having to depend on nothing other than their bare hands and skills.

The third difficulty would be, none of their friends or relatives could follow them as they did during the first twelve years, denying them their affection, warmth and support. They would have to live without the warm, affectionate words of Krishna for this whole year. The condition is that if any single one of them was found during the period, they would once again have to start another period of twelve plus one year of exile.

They sent off all their friends and following and then discussed and decided to spend this year in the country of Virata. Yudhisthira was in tears at having to ask his brothers unmatched and their wife as to how they proposed to spend their year. He had already decided to introduce himself as Kanka, friend of Yudhisthira and lead his life as a close associate of the King.

Bhima announced his decision to work in the royal kitchen under the name Vallaba. He would tell the king that he was a professional wrestler and also a seasoned cook. That would convince them of his gargantuan appearance. ‘I am worried about you Arjuna!’ Yudhishthira said. ‘How are you going to hide the glow of your skin! How are you going to conceal your handsomeness that would put even manmatha to shame!’

Arjuna reminded him of the curse of Urvasi by which he was to have spend a year in the form of a eunuch. ‘I would live in the gynaecium of the King under the name Brhannala, teaching music and dancing to the princess and others,’ he said. Nakula said he would seek a job in the royal stable, tending the horses of the palace and would live under the name Daamagranthi. And Sahadeva, the wisest of all, the maha-pandita, said he would serve as the cowherd of the King, under the name Tantripaala.

Panchali, the queen of queens, on whom hundreds of maids attended, without a trace of remorse said that she would be the personal attendant of the queen, carrying out all kinds of errands.

Though Yudhishthira, the eldest of them all, the one who was responsible for all this, was moved to tears, it is to be seen that not a single one of them cursed neither Yudhishthira nor their fate. They simply set their minds on how best to adapt to the changing situation and to come out successful. The wise do not waste their tears. They do not shed them idly.

They approached the King of Virata, appearing on different days and from different directions and accepted their jobs. A year of peace as well as turbulence was lying ahead for them.

Anger, the tool…

Patience is a peculiar virtue. Unless you have the power to punish and also make it known that such power is vested in you, people tend to mistake it for cowardice. The norms of survival therefore do demand the exhibition of power in one form or the other, once in a while, in order that you continue to practice this virtue. This is true in all cases, excepting of course, in the cases of sages and the saints who are above the normal levels of emotional and intellectual attainment. All wars are fought, after all, in order to establish peace! If patience is a virtue, anger – righteous anger – sometimes is one of the tools that help to protect it.
Panchali, who was insulted in the Court of Virata, could not take it any more. She has seen lots of such incidents in her life. Keechaka, the Commander-in-Chief of Virata had pulled her by her hair and kicked her in the waist in the presence of the King. Dharmaputra and Bhima were also there in the Court at that time. They could not react in any manner because such reaction would of necessity bring their true identity out. It would then be detrimental to their common interest as they were serving their period of incognito. Yudhisthira therefore had advised Draupadi to be patient, in a couched manner, reminding her of the consequences of a strong reaction.

But there should be an end. Sudheshana, the queen of Virata was rather hesitant to appoint her in the gynaecium, right in the beginning. ‘You are extremely beautiful. I am afraid that I will be purchasing trouble if I appoint you here,’ she had told her. Panchali had however informed the queen and others that she is protected by five Gandharvas, her husbands, and that she could not be wronged against by anyone, in any circumstance.

If the Keechaka incident is ignored and Keechaka is not punished, that would encourage others to try their hands. They would tend to think that this is an unprotected and vulnerable woman. That would increase the number of such incidents. It was therefore essential that Keechaka should be killed. That would heal the wound in the heart of Panchali. Apart from that, that would ensure that she is safe in the country of Virata for remaining period of incognito.

Draupadi was extremely fond of Arjuna and Bhima. Arjuna was serving the women in the gynaecium as a eunuch and he could not be of any use now. She therefore went to the kitchen in the dark of night and woke Bhima up. Bhima was serving the king as his head-cook under the name Vallabha. They had their own secret names to refer to each other in the presence of others. Thus the five were known (only among themselves) as Jayan, Jayesan, Vijayan, Jayathsenan, and Jayathbalan, respectively. Jayesan was the name by which Bhima was known only among the five, during this period of one year.
She burst into tears when Bhima woke up. She wanted him to make amends for the insult that she suffered at the hands of Keechaka. ‘I cannot be patient any more,’ she wept. ‘Look at my palms,’ she showed him. ‘I am the princess from the country of Panchal. After my marriage, I have been subjected to a series of unfortunate events, none of which is a result of my actions. Dhussasana stripped me in the presence of a whole lot of kings, to which you were all a witness. I gladly accompanied you all to the jungle, though the conditions of slavery do not apply to me. I followed you as a dutiful wife. My misfortunes continued there also. Jayadratha took me away by force. Fortunately, you and Arjuna could intervene.’
‘I have been served upon by maids. I did not serve anyone except mother Kunti, in my entire life. I am now toiling in the gynaecium of Virata, serving the queen, though she cannot be compared to me in any manner, excepting for the fact that we are serving a period of incognito. I have been grinding paste of sandal for them all. Look at my palms Bhima, look at them! They have become rough. They have lost their tenderness. Warts have appeared on them. When I am toiling hard, facing all the difficulties gladly and without remorse, see what is happening to me! Do I have to remain an unprotected orphan when I have five of you to protect me! Is there no way to avenge? Is there no way to show to the world that I am not unprotected?’ She cried. She had to muffle her cries for fear of being overheard, thus denying herself the very ordinary freedom of giving vent to her feelings through tears.

Bhima could not take it any further, either. He took her hands in his, tenderly, and pressed them on his eyes, his overwhelming love tinged with devotion. He was moved very deeply. ‘Kalyani!’ his voice choked as he addressed her. ‘I won’t listen to Dharmaputra in this matter. I will be guided by your feelings. I will take revenge for the insult that you suffered. I will kill Keechaka and all the one hundred and five of his brothers too. Now go back and sleep peacefully.’

Patience would be seen as patience only when there is the power to punish. But the person should also be ready, prepared and capable of facing the consequences of exhibition of such power, even if it is for the sake of defence.

The Revenge

Tolerance may be a good virtue. Nevertheless, at times nothing works like assertiveness. As we saw earlier, Draupadi was harassed and ill-treated in the very presence of the King of Virata. Keechaka's lust for her was uncontrolled and indeed could not be controlled by anyone else. The situation was out of control. Draupadi was after all the personal attendant of the queen of Virata. The Pandavas were living there in disguise, as that was the thirteenth and final year of exile.

Though Yudhishthira was very much against it, Bhima realised that it was absolutely necessary to retaliate; to avenge for the way in which Panchali was insulted and the lusty advances that she was subjected to. 'I will kill Keechaka tonight,' he consoled Draupadi. They decided to finish him off in the night, when it was convenient for Bhima to remain unidentified and still snuff his life out of Keechaka. Killing him was very important for that alone would serve as a warning for others.

But Keechaka was the Commander-in-Chief of the country of Virata. He and his 105 brothers together made the most powerful army that had kept the enemies of Virata away. Keechaka was rated among the four most valiant warriors of his days, apart from Bhima, Duryodhana and Balarama. In fact, the presence of Keechaka was the sole reason for Duryodhana not invading the country of Virata.

As planned between her and Bhima, Draupadi met Keechaka when he was alone and asked him to come to the dance hall that was used only during daytime. 'I will be waiting for you there,' she told him, much against the innermost feelings that repulsed her from saying so. Keechaka was delighted beyond words. He could not believe that this enchantress could at last be his own!

But at the dance hall that night, it was Bhima who - made up as a woman - was waiting for Keechaka. Keechaka did not realise this fact in the darkness of the hall. His mind was so preoccupied with Draupadi that he did not realise it even when he touched 'Sairandhri,' the personal attendant of his sister, where instead of tender femininity, massive and muscular masculine shoulders were lying on the couch, waiting for him.

Well, killing of Keechaka was not an easy job. Bhima wrestled with him in the dead of night. Keechaka resisted Bhima to the last. Finally Bhima hit on his head so hard that he fell down and lost his life. Bhima's rage was not spent until he made a meat ball of him. After rolling him into a massive ball of raw and bleeding flesh, Bhima slipped back into the kitchen, bathed and perfumed, with not even a trace of such a battled that he had waged moments back.

The gory death of Keechaka sent waves of shock and terror all around. That stopped further troubles from advancing in the direction of Draupadi. Nonetheless, it had its serious repercussions pretty too soon.

The person who uses anger as a tool must not only be powerful; but also be prudent. The Pandavas proved that they were both powerful and prudent in the events that ensued.

The solution that begat a problem

‘Oozhir peru vali yaavuLa, matru ondru sUzhinum thaan mundhurum,’ said Valluvar. “What is stronger than fate, which foils every ploy to counter it?” It takes several steps ahead of the person who tries to counter it and lay silently waiting to hurl the next challenge. One solution to a problem merely leads to another problem.

Though the killing of Keechaka seemed to stop her troubles, they took a different shape that day for Panchali. The brothers of Keechaka, a good 105 of them, known as ‘upa-keechakas’ were so angered by the death of their eldest brother and decided to burn her alive, with the mortal meat-ball that remained of Keechaka. They took her by force and carried her to the crematorium, tying her to the shapeless remains of Keechaka.

Bhima heard her wails, quickly reached the crematorium and waited for the gang to arrive. He pulled a tree out from its roots, the usual Bhima-style, and appeared before them. The ‘upa-keechakas’, who have also heard of the ‘Gandharva’ husbands of Sairandhri, who were responsible for the gory death of their brother were seized with fear and they dropped the coffin in which Draupadi and the remains of Keechaka were being carried and took to their heels. The excellent warrior that Bhima was, he killed several of them in one clean sweep of the tree trunk and soon the place was literally littered with the dead bodies of all the ‘upa-keechakas’. His task completed, Bhima returned to his kitchen, stealthily, unseen by and unknown to anyone.

The death of Keechaka, one of the four most valiant warriors of the day, and that of the ‘upa-keechakas’ was no small an event. Duryodhana was very keen that the Pandavas should be spotted during the period of incognito, even if it was on the last hour of the last day, for that alone could buy him another thirteen years of undisputed kingship. Of course the Pandavas never had any reason to quarrel with him. It was his jealousy that was driving him, making life miserable for himself and the Pandavas as well.

Duryodhana had posted his spies in all the kingdoms where he suspected that the Pandavas might be hiding. The way in which Keechaka was butchered to death and the ‘upa-keechakas’ were massacred by an individual – the supposed ‘Gandharva’ – spread faster than forest-fire and reached the ears of Duryodhana through the spies. It was not at all difficult either for Duryodhana or anyone in his court to deduce that it could be none other than Bhima who could have performed this superhuman deed. But the Gandharva theory perplexed them too. They were hard put to find an answer.

Fate had decreed the king of Madra country, Susarma, to be present there. He had in the past, more than once, been harassed by the might of Virata, whose strength came from Keechaka and the ‘upa-keechakas’. He saw the opportunity now to retaliate, to pay Virata back. This opportunity gave him the strength of Duryodhana and his army in addition now. ‘Let us not discuss this question any more,’ he quipped. ‘Be it Pandavas or be it Gandharvas. With the death of Keechaka and his brothers, the king of Virata is a mere weakling now. Let us go in war against him. If what we believe is true and the Pandavas live there, they would for sure come to the battlefield to aid the king. And it would not be difficult to spot them there. If they are spotted, well, you have your peace for another term of thirteen years. If not, we will have the satisfaction of annexing another large territory!’ Karna was delighted at the suggestion and he was quick to join Susarma in his suggestion to declare an unprovoked war on Virata and worked out the strategies.

With only a few more weeks to complete the year of incognito remaining, the killing of Keechaka gave a clue to the hideout of Pandavas. But the brave of heart are not afraid of fate, for the same Valluvar has assured, ‘Those that strive undaunted will see the back of Fate itself.’ Even if it plans ahead and keeps flinging its cruel events on you, do not give up. Push forward and even Fate can be overthrown.

Mahatma out of mud

Once Gandhiji posed for a sculptor, who made a clay-model first. When the work was going on, the Mahatma known for his quick wit, quipped. ‘So, you are making Mahatma out of mud?’ The sculptor who was equally gifted with words said, ‘Yes sir. But I will never make mud out of Mahatma!’ Making mud out of Mahatma or Mahatma out of mud, is a situation that occurs in life to all of us. It takes a great heart to bring the best out. Here is one such situation when Arjuna made a mahatma out of mud.

Susarma, who had a personal score to settle with the king of Virata, joined hands with Duryodhana, who in turn had his own reason for going on war with him. He knew it for certain that the Pandavas, if they are living there would doubtless join the king in resisting them and could be identified before the period of the last year of their exile is over. In fact it is this kind of personal grudge of each king against somebody else that impelled them to join hands either with the Pandavas or Kauravas, later in the Great War that was fought.

They divided the army into two sections and Susarma first moved in with his army, captured the cattle that were grazing in the forests adjoining the borders of Virata. The king of Virata collected his army and went after him. Naturally, Yudhisthira who was living there as Kanka, suggested the inclusion of Vallabha (Bhima), Tantripaala (Nakula), and Daamagranthi (Sahadeva) in the army and all of them had gone together to strengthen the hands of Virata. Uttarakumara, the younger son of Virata remained back in the palace while the elder son, Canka, had gone with their father. The only other male that remained in the gynaecium of Virata was Brhannala, Arjuna in the form of eunuch.

While the entire army of Virata had gone in pursuit of Susarma, Duryodhana marched in on Virata from another direction. Needless to mention, the Kaurava army consisted of seasoned warriors like Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna, Aswathama et al. When the news reached the harem, Uttarakumara, a mere lad of sixteen and who was surrounded by young women was naturally tempted to boast. ‘Ah, what a shame!’ he announced proudly. ‘If only I had a charioteer now! My charioteer died only very recently. I am left here among all of you! If someone can mind my chariot, I will go to the battlefield and fight with all those Kauravas, single-handed like Arjuna, vanquish all of them and come back with booty for all of you. Unfortunate! Highly unfortunate that I am not able to do anything!’

Sairandhri – Draupadi – who was there laughed to herself at the tall talk. The mention of the name of Arjuna and the way the prince compared himself to Arjuna angered her. ‘You know, O mighty prince!’ she spoke to Uttara. ‘Brhannala had served as the charioteer of Arjuna and is very well-trained in the job, though a eunuch. It is the duty of the prince to utilise whatever resource is available and rise up to the crisis.’

Uttara was very young and had no experience in the art of warfare. But he could not eat his words back now. He was virtually pushed by all the women in the gynaecium to go in war against the Kauravas. He was left with no option but to accept their words. He made very brave declarations and announced that he would come back with the jewels and the expensive dress worn by Kauravas, to give as gift to all the women.

But the moment he caught a glimpse of the massive army from a distance – the first time that he ever saw so many men in war gear – he was unnerved. He wanted to return. ‘This does not befit you, O prince’ said Brhannala. ‘You will be rated as a coward and will carry this slur for your life,’ the ‘eunuch’ reasoned. But Uttara was in no mood to listen. ‘I am very young and am untrained. I did not realise the magnitude of the task when I boasted there, among women. The warriors who stand arrayed out there are veterans. I cannot even stand against a single arrow of any one of them. Take me back,’ he pleaded pathetically.

It was then that Arjuna rose up to the situation. It was a very bad situation. He asked Uttara to take care of the chariot and offered to fight the Kaurava army himself. Not knowing that he was speaking to his role model, his ideal warrior, Uttara did not agree to the plan initially. It took a great deal of persuasion for Arjuna to push the ‘little lamb’ into action. And this was the Uttara who later took part in the Great War of Mahabharata and fought like a lion.

Mud out of Mahatma or Mahatma out of mud, all lies in the hands of the sculptor!

A strange kind of friendship

Do we choose a friend or does friendship sprout as naturally as does a seed? It is very difficult to say. But, be very careful in choosing your friends, says Valluvar. He dedicated just ten couplets for God. But on friendship, he devoted fifty couplets at a stretch, though the expressions on friendship could be found throughout the Book, on various occasions and on different unexpected contexts. Here lies a strange friendship.

Arjuna took the army of Kauravas, single-handedly.

The main difference between the way Dharmaputra, Bhima and Nakula, Sahadeva fought on the side of the king of Virata and the way Arjuna encountered Duryodhana and company is that Dharmaputra and others entered the battlefield with their pseudonyms. When they fought, everyone around was of the impression that Kanka, Vallabha, Tantripaalan and Daamagranthi were participating in the war and none even had a clue about the true identity of the Pandavas.

But Arjuna did not do so. When he entered the battlefield, charioted by Uttarakumara, he did not leave any room for doubts. He made it very clear to Duryodhana and others that it was Arjuna who has come to face them. Even as a debate was going on the other side about the identity of the eunuch who is preventing Uttarakumara from running away from the field, Arjuna's chariot rolled in. It did not have the flag of the country of Virata. The monkey insignia - it was Hanuman who resided in it - flew high on the chariot.

The period of exile - the thirteenth year - was over just moments back. Duryodhana was not ready to agree with Bhishma and Acharya Drona who acknowledged the fact. Of course, the calculations of a person who awaits the release from the drudgery and suffering turn out to be much better than the one who is out to defeat that purpose. Karna was delighted to have this opportunity of an encounter with Arjuna. He had an opportunity to establish his supremacy over Arjuna in archery. It was his cherished dream to defeat Arjuna at least once, since it was Arjuna who Acharya Drona and Bhishma were speaking highly of, though he considered himself a warrior far superior to Arjuna.

Arjuna, who is touching his bow after thirteen long years, for a battle in the real sense of the word, stormed the Kaurava army. Despite the fact that great masters, including Acharya Drona who taught him archery, were on the side of Duryodhana, none could match his speed, skill and the force with which arrows flew from the great Gandiva. Karna, who had again and again been instrumental for many of the sufferings that the Pandava brothers were undergoing, who had masterminded many a stratagem towards that end, who had been incessantly pushing Duryodhana into enmity and war against Pandava brothers and who had pledged his loyalty to Duryodhana, on his sword, could not withstand the force with which Arjuna fought that day. He ran away from the field, deserting Duryodhana.

Karna is a complex character. He is a strange combination of all that is good and all that is bad. Though he had great qualities that move the heart of the reader to tears, not without reason Vyasa called him one among the 'dhushta-chathushtra' 'evil-four'. In fact, it was he who suggested the disrobing of Panchali. It would be a very interesting attempt to study this character.

And the fact remains that he deserted his friend, the friend who came to his rescue when the Pandava and Kaurava princes displayed the skills that they had learnt and mastered and when Karna entered the arena challenging Arjuna. Duryodhana did not have to consult anyone to announce Karna as the king of Anga, there and then. Despite the emotional bonds that had grown between them, despite the gratitude that he had for Duryodhana he ran away from the battlefield, unable to stand the fierce arrows of Arjuna.

To think of it, this was not the only occasion when he failed Duryodhana. He deserted him at critical times earlier too, particularly in the battle with Chitrasena (See: Be good even to your enemy). He would do so in the days to come, though at heart he remained loyal to the core to Duryodhana.

But Duryodhana continued to depend on him and trusted him. Strangely, despite himself, Karna is not void of lapses. We see Bhishma warning him in many, many instances.

அமரகத்து ஆற்றறுக்கும் கல்லாமா அன்னார்
தமரின் தனிமை தலை

says Valluvar. Better be alone, without friends, who, like the untrained horse desert you in the battlefield. The untrained horse carries you to the war front. It shows loyalty till it perceives danger to its own self. And then, when the danger is imminent, it rolls you down from its back and gallops out of the very place.

Quick or hasty?

Quick judgements and decisions are always a matter of admiration. We celebrate the person who is quick to decide. What one fails to understand is that these are different from hasty conclusions and decisions, from which stem all the troubles in life. Hasty conclusions are made for want of the right information. If the information in hand happens to be not right as we assume them to be, the conclusion reached turns out to be hasty. What is apparent may go wrong, since situations in life are not the similar every time. Take the case of King of Virata for instance.

The king of Virata was shocked beyond words when he came back from his war with Susarma, the king of Mathra who had initiated a war on Virata by coveting his cattle, as part of Duryodhana’s ploy to identify at least one of the Pandavas before they completed the last year of exile in incognito. King Virata’s success was entirely due to the four of his staffers who worked under him in his Court, in his kitchen, in his royal stable and cattle farm. He had no way of knowing that these four were the Pandavas, whom he held in very high esteem.

Virata was shocked because he was told that as soon as he and his army moved out of the precincts of the country for a war with Susarma, the Kauravas had come in war against them from the other end. And that his son Uttara Kumara, a slip of a boy, a lad of sixteen had gone all alone by himself, to fight an army of seasoned warriors, with only the eunuch, who served in their gynaecium as the dance teacher of his daughter, Uttara Kumari, as his charioteer. He knew that the Kauravas were lions in war and this inexperienced little son of his was not a match for anyone of the war veterans that he had gone against in war, leave alone an army.

But Kanka, his counsellor, who had joined his court a year back, pacified him. ‘Do not worry. Brhannala has gone with your son. Even the shadow of defeat would not fall on the land where Brhannala stands.’ The words, intended to pacify the king, irritated him instead. ‘I am worried about the safety of my son and he is speaking highly of a eunuch,’ he fumed. He ordered his army to get ready for the next war. Kanka held his hand and smiled. ‘There is no need for that. Your son would be safe absolutely. I told you Brhannala is with him! There is no need for panic. Just wait for a few more hours and you will hear the good news.’

And the good news did come. Uttara Kumara was returning victorious from his war with the seasoned war veterans. Brhannala – Arjuna – had instructed Uttara to announce this as the latter’s own victory. He preferred to remain anonymous for a day more, even though the period of incognito was over just then and even though the Kauravas had beyond doubt known and understood that it was Arjuna who had defeated them.

The king of Virata was overwhelmed with this unbelievable victory of his son. He knew that even he with his army could not have emerged victorious against an army headed by Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and of course, Duryodhana. He made elaborate arrangements to receive Uttara Kumara at the gates of the city. ‘I told you,’ said Kanka, very calmly. ‘I know that he could not be harmed when Brhannala is with him.’

The king, who was so quick to take pride in his son’s victory, was irritated since Kanka was repeatedly referring to the eunuch who went with him and was trying to attribute this victory to the eunuch. But he chose to ignore it at that time. ‘Kanka, I am floating up with happiness now. I desire a game of dice with you,’ he said. ‘No sir,’ Dharmaputra refused politely. ‘It is written that a game of dice should not be played with a person who is excessively happy.’ But Virata insisted and they started playing.

The king was overcome by not only happiness; but also amazement at the message he received about the victory of his lad over an army of lions. ‘How was it possible!’ he exclaimed in disbelief, though he was happy. ‘I told you sir,’ said Kanka – Dharmaputra in disguise – ‘How can he be defeated when Brhannala is with your son.’ That touched Virata to the quick. He forgot that it was Kanka who was instrumental to his own victory that he established over Susarma, hours back. He hurled the dice at Kanka in a fit of rage. It hit him on the forehead, causing blood to ooze out in an instant. Sairandhri – Draupadi – who was standing by their side could not bear this. She could not see her husband, the king of kings, being slighted by another king, who could not even come anywhere near Dharmaputra, in any manner – be it wisdom or warrior’s skills. She wiped the blood with a piece of cloth and soaked it in a bowl of water. King Virata was perplexed and asked for the reason.

‘He is the very embodiment of Dharma,’ answered Sairandhri calmly. ‘Every drop of his blood shed in this land would cause a year of famine.’ King Virata could not understand her at that time. He was in for a surprise – a pleasant one, of course – the next day when he came to know who Kanka was. But that is another story.

Hari Krishnan