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ACT. 1—SCENE 03.
Third Person's POV
The clanking sound of swords was echoing all around the practice area. Two warriors; Yudhishtir and Yashaswani, wearing a white practice dress and a white cloth covering their face were practicing their sword skills. Yudhishtira ran forward with sword gripped his hand in attack position. Yashaswani blocked it by her sword. Yudhishtira continued to attack her while she defended. He intended to disarm her with his strong blows on the other hand she wanted to camouflage herself in the pillars next to her.
She stood in between the pillars now. He charged at her again, but she hid behind the pillar causing his sword to clash with the pillar making him loose balance. She came up from behind but before she could charge at him, he turned around and held her blow. Yashaswani applied pressure on her to make him lose his sword, but he resisted it. He pushed her back and swung his sword at her, but she ducked. Their swords clashed again, this time Yashaswani was in attack mode. Yudhishtira was defending himself from her blows.
She pushed him back at the pillar locking him between both their swords before she could claim her victory, he pushed her back and hid behind the pillar. She came up from the back and attacked him, the duel was now getting serious for none of them were winning. Yudhistira gave a strong swing which she defended. He kept applying more pressure causing her wrist to hurt. She placed her free hand on the wrist to support the sword, before he could make her sword fall a handmaiden entered distracting him.
"Yuvraj, Rajkumari. Maharaj has requested your presence in the court." Yudhishitira turned around at her words, causing him to loosen his grip on his sword. Taking advantage of the situation, Yashaswani removed her sword from beneath and pushed its tip in the hilt of his sword and successfully taking out of her brother's hand, hence winning in the duel.
"Yashaswani, this isn't fair! I was about to win before the attendant distracted me." Yudhishtira pointed out.
"Victory is victory, bhrata. I have defeated you! Always remember -a moment's distraction can change the duel's outcome. A slight distraction can bring defeat or worse--death!" Yashaswani dramatically said. "It is you who taught me that!
"I know." Yudhishitira said finally accepting his defeat. "Never knew the day would come when a student will be teaching her teacher."
"Not teaching, just reminding." Yashaswani corrected as both of them placed the sword in their respective places.
"Maharaj must have called us for the rajyaabhishek. (coronation)" he wondered.
"Hopefully." Yashaswani amusingly said making her brother give her a look. They started walking towards their chambers when Yudhishitira began speaking again.
"I have been thinking that we should try to befriend Angraj--" he trailed off waiting for his sister's reaction.
"Asambhav hai! (Impossible!) You have seen for yourself, Jyeshtha, he is hostile towards bhrata Arjun and are you certain that bhrata Arjun would want to befriend him after what has happened in the kala pradarshan." Yudhishtira stayed silent.
"But we can persuade him-" he began.
"Bhrata Suyodhan has done him a favor, he won't leave his side." Yashaswani interrupted. "We should not waste our time thinking about how we are going to befriend him rather bhrata Arjun should start practicing more, in case a war happens--"
"Don't think of the worst Parthvi." Dharmaraja calmly said. "As long as Pitamaha and Kakashree are alive, nothing can harm us."
"But we can't forget that Pitamaha is bound by his word to the throne, if something does happen, he will be forced to choose their side." Yashaswani pointed out. Yudhishtira stayed silent for he knew that she was saying the truth, but he would never accept it out loud. They stood in front of the Yashaswani's chambers.
"You should stop thinking about wars," Yudhishtira softly said. "They are our family, they won't harm us."
"These thoughts don't delight me either brother but that doesn't mean that I will turn blind eye to the truth," Yashaswani answered, her voice stern. "You are a follower of a dharma, jyeshtha, so am I. It's just that we have our own way of following it."
"I promised pitashree that I would do with everything invested in me to keep this family together." Yudhishtir said, hoping his sister would understand.
"And on his death bed I promised him that the one, who is worthy for the throne of Hastinapur will sit on it." Yashaswani added. Yudhishtira looked at her with a crestfallen look.
"I understand Yashaswani." Yudhishtira said. "But I only plead to talk of such privately, I don't wish for them to think that we are going to wage a war on them."
"The war has already begun jyeshtha," Yashaswani softly said. "It started the day bhrata Bheem was poisoned, it's just a matter of time before they draw out their weapons." Yudhishtira bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that his sister was speaking nothing but the truth.
"What if you're wrong?" Yudhishtir questioned.
"Then I would be the happiest person in this universe."
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After changing they went to the sabha where they were informed of the daksheena they were yet to pay to Guru Drona. Drona saw that all his students were now adept in the use of weapons, and therefore their training period was over. It was time to ask for daksheena (tuition) from them. He assembled them and gave the following order, challenge Drupada, the King of Panchala. The one who will come back victorious will be the future king of Hastinapur.
The Pandavas and Kauravas were competing against one another.
Since Yashaswani was Yudhishtir's saarthi (charioteer) she too was going but not before vowing to Pitamaha Bhishma that she would not participate in the war. She can direct them and order them but cannot use any weapons. She readily agreed to what he said, feeling happy for at least being a part of the war.
Pritha did the aarti of her six children and bade them farewell. Yashaswani sat on her seat as Yudhishtir mounted his chariot. The six siblings exchanged a determined look as Yashaswani pulled the halter rope of the horse, roaring out "HAR HAR MAHADEV!''. Her other four brothers behind her as she led them.
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The war began but much to their dismay, they were losing the war. When they saw that Kauravas were defeated by Drupad they were confused.
"He has defeated Karn-" Yudhistira began.
"He turned out be much stronger than we anticipated." Yashaswani completed as she observed the battle field.
"I can behead just by a swing of my mace."Bheem raged.
"But Guru Drona wants him alive." Arjun reminded.
"What's the plan Parthvi?" Sahadev questioned
Yashaswani asked Yudhishtir to stay in the background and appointed Madri putras as the protectors of their chariot wheels. Bheem with mace in hand, rushed into the center of the army. He headed for the elephant battalion and began to destroy those huge beasts with a single blow from his powerful club. The elephants screamed and fell to the ground, their heads cracked in many places. With his invincible club, Bheem began to destroy chariots, horses, infantry men and elephants. As a cowherd man controls countless cows with his staff, Bheema controlled the army of Drupada with his fierce club.
Knowing that Arjun had to wanted to please his teacher that is Drona after what happened in kala pradarshan , Yashaswani made him flood King Drupada with a deluge of arrows and caused him to fall from the back of his elephant. With his arrows, Arjuna then killed soldiers, elephants, and horses by the thousands.
The Panchala army challenged Arjuna head on with a downpour of arrows and sending up courageous shouts and fought desperately with him. The battle became furious and frightening to behold. The son of Pandu was filled with fury and released thousands of arrows intending to annihilate the Panchala army. Those who were watching Arjuna could not see any interval between his fixing the arrows on the bow string and releasing them.
The King of the Panchala, accompanied by his commander in chief, Satyajit assaulted Arjuna with the speed of the wind. Arjuna covered King Drupada with hundreds of arrows. then rushed at King Drupada to apprehend him. Seeing Arjuna coming forward, Satyajit tried to stop him. As the two warriors approached for combat, they began to destroy each other's army. Suddenly Arjuna pierced Satyajit in the chest with ten arrows. Unaffected by the force of those arrows, Satyajit released one hundred shafts at the son of Pandu.
Arjuna, not wanting to waste any more time, released an arrow that cut the bow of Satyajit in two. Taking up another bow, the commander-in-chief of the Panchalas attacked Arjuna again. This time Arjuna cut the bow, killed the horses and charioteer, and shattered the chariot. When Satyajit found his bow useless and his horses slain, he desisted from fighting.
Seeing his general defeated, the Panchala king began to rain arrows upon the Pandava prince. Arjuna immediately cut King Drupada's bow and pierced his chariot driver with five arrows. Setting aside his bow, Arjuna took out a scimitar and, sending forth a loud battle cry, jumped from his chariot to the chariot of Drupada. He seized King Drupada as Garuda would seize a snake, and at the sight of this, the Panchala army fled the field of battle.
Yashaswani knew that this marked their win henceforth stopped Bheema from annihilation as they presented the Panchal Naresh to Guru Drona, making the former realize that just being kshatriya wasn't enough to be a warrior.
King Drupada was convinced that by kshatriya strength alone he could not defeat Drona. He began to wander the earth searching for a sage who could help him obtain a son to kill Drona. He also desired a daughter who would be a suitable wife for Arjuna. King Drupada was so impressed with Arjuna that he thought there was no warrior comparable to him. Therefore, by means of marriage, he wanted to unite the two families.
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A year after this incident, Dhritarastra decided to appoint, Yudhishtira the first son of Pandu, as the heir to the kingship of the Kuru clan. His firmness, fortitude, patience, benevolence, straightforwardness and unswerving honesty won the hearts of the people of the earth. Within a short time, he had overshadowed the accomplishments of his father, the great Chakravartin Samrat Pandu.
The second son of Pandu, Bhima, began to receive instructions from Balram, eldest son of the Mathura Nagarpati . He received continued lessons in the use of the mace and sword. After his education was finished, his strength and prowess with the mace were unsurpassed except for the all-powerful Lord Balarama.
Arjun, the third son of Pandu, was esteemed for his mastery of the bow and arrow. Drona certified that there was none in the world who was Arjuna's equal in the use of weapons. Sahadev obtained the whole science of morality and duties from Brihaspati , the heavenly priest of the demigods, and Nakul the favorite of his brothers, became known as a skillful warrior and a great chariot fighter.
On the other hand, Yashaswani knowing that she couldn't play an important role in the war started working on her war planning along with her brothers . She excelled in axe bearing and sword fighting. She started supervising all the warfare along with her brothers. Drona was disappointed when he found out about the vow, she made to Devavrat for he knew that their no axe wielder like her in the whole of Aryavarta. Nevertheless, he helped her in mastering warfare.
The citizens of Hastinapur became affectionate to the sons and daughter of Pandu because of their good qualities and desired Yudhisthira as their King. In the marketplaces, in the homes, in the country sides, the glories of the Pandavas were spoken. The sinful Duryodhan, hearing the citizen's discussions, became distressed.
Overcome by affection for his sinful son, King Dhritarastra made a plot to kill the Pandavas by fire in the town of Varnavat. One day, in the court at Hastinapura, some of the King's counsellors began to speak of the glories of Varnavata. These counsellors, instructed by Dhritarastra, spoke of the beauty of the town and its pious citizens. Hearing these descriptions, the Pandavas became attracted to go there. King Dhritarastra noticed that the curiosity of the Pandavas had been awakened, and he then advised them to stay in the town for a while, saying that it was the favorite place of their deceased father. Yudhishtira knowing that it was an indirect order for leaving Hastinapur, agreed.
Yashaswani understood the motives of her blind uncle. She knew his hatred for her father and the influence of Gandharaj on him was another forewarning. She looked at Suyodhana whose face glowed with happiness on announcement of her departure. She let out a sigh, will her extended family ever stop conspiring against them?
The Pandavas left the Hastinapur palace not knowing that they won't be coming back for a very long time.
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