Suyodhan's Sakhi - Smriti Khand Part II

The Final Meet

"So you do know, that the war is a lost cause for you, don't you?"

"Of course, it is, my dear. All the great warriors, that I have on my side, are well – wishers of the Pandavas. They will give a tough fight, to fulfil their Kshatriya arrogance, but it will be just mass execution. None of them would even try to scratch the Pandavas or their kin."

"If you know so much, then why the war, Kakashree Suyo? Why do you willingly want to submit yourself to death? What about Pitamaha Dhritarashtra, Pitamahi Gandhari? What about Bhanu Kaki, Bhrata Lakshman, Lakshmanaa Jiji? Have you given a thought to what will happen to them after you die?"

"Pitashree would rather see me die fighting for the throne, than give up my claim on it. Mata – yes, she would be distort, but according to me, even she was too invested in becoming a good daughter – in – law, wife and queen, than a good mother. I was mostly left all alone to look after my 99 brothers and youngest sister. For Bhanumati, she was, is and will always be the love of my life. But I lost her the day I insulted Draupadi in that Dyut Sabha. Though we are living together, but our relation is dead. Lakshmanaa is married now and has a wonderful family in Dwarka. I bet Guru Balram can provide her more love and care than me and Bhanu together. That leaves Lakshman. He is participating in the war. The outcome for him would be same as it would be for me and my brothers. Which is better. Even if he lives, the Pandavas and their children would, as it is, look down on him too."

I chuckled at how smartly he avoided the word 'death' for his only son. A father he was, after all.

A sigh escaped Gandhari's lips, as the words of her eldest pierced her heart. Chandrika gently squeezed the hand of the elderly woman, who had suffered a lot silently, with an ever – charming smile. This was the resilience that she wished to imbibe in herself.

"It's true," Gandhari said, in a teary tone, after a moment of silence, "I was never able to pay sufficient amount of attention to him. Nor to any of my sons. I guess... I guess that's the reason today I... I..."

Gandhari couldn't continue further as a sob escaped her lips. Chandrika just gently rubbed her palm.

"I was so wrong in cursing Krishna," Gandhari said, once she had calmed down, "It should have been me and my husband, who should have been cursed for pushing our children towards their death."

A few tear drops escaped the beautiful, doe – shaped eyes of Karna nandini, hearing the words of that wounded mother. Rajmata Kunti left, not being able to hear more. Arjun and Bheem wanted to leave too, but felt like their legs had turned to lead.

"Continue, my child," Gandhari said, hearing the lack of sound around her.

"Finish it off. Get over with it. I bet your  other Kakashrees would have surely noticed your absence and would be going crazy trying to find you," she added, making a weak attempt to humour. Chandrika chuckled lightly at that.

"No one has noticed the real fact here, though," Kakashree Suyo said, with a chuckle.

"What?" I asked, in a confused tone.

"That Arjun would be the one to finish off the Kuru clan," Kakashree Suyo replied.

"And how are you sure about that?"

"No one understands this, but Pitamaha Bheeshma is the last living descendant of the Kuru clan. Neither the Pandavas, nor the Kauravas are the descendants of Kuru, as it ended when Pitamaha Vichitravirya died. Pitashree, Kakashree Pandu and Kakashree Vidur, all three are the children of Maharishi Ved Vyas. That leaves only Pitamaha Bheeshma from the Kuru clan. And he is an archer. A formidable archer, to be precise. Hence only Arjun will be the one to challenge him. And with Krishna as his charioteer, they will surely find a way to vanquish him, despite his boon of euthanasia."