THE MAHABHARATA: A Modern Rendering, Vol 2 (52 page)

He erupts out of the padma vyuha and sees a fulvous lion-banner before him, flapping in the breeze, while the chariot that flies it streaks on remorselessly through the suchimukha vyuha, piling the bloody dead in its wake. It is Satyaki decimating Duryodhana’s army, flying ever closer to Arjuna. Bheema swirls past the absorbed Yadava and shocked at the Vayuputra’s sudden appearance, the Kau-ravas dare not come near him.

On hurtles Bheema and then his eyes light up: ahead of him and not far, he sees another banner waving. He sees a white and gold chariot shining like treasure, yoked to foam-white horses and throwing back his head, Bheema gives the most magnificent roar! Like an earthquake, that joyful sound rocks Kurukshetra. Krishna and Arjuna hear it, the rapt Satyaki hears it; and all of them yell one another’s names, back and forth, on top of their voices.

Over the ruins of two vyuhas, that sound carries to Yudhishtira. He jumps up and such a smile breaks out on his careworn face. “Arjuna is alive!” cries Yudhishtira. “Satyaki is alive, Krishna is alive and Bheema has found them! He has always done anything I asked him to, but never before has he made me as happy as he has today. My friends, Yudhishtira is the most fortunate man on earth!”

The Kauravas hear those roars, all over Kurukshetra and know that Arjuna does not hunt Jay-adratha alone any more. Karna hears Bheema’s roar and its arrogance infuriates him. He rides to challenge Bheema. Like a sunburst comes Karna, arrows streaming. The son of Surya and the son of Vayu meet in battle; Bheema brushes aside his brother’s volleys and casts a silvery mantle of his own over Karna. The Kaurava soldiers, who have heard only of Bheema’s prowess at the mace, are agape at his archery. Bheema breaks Karna’s bow; unruffled, the Suryaputra snatches up another and fights on.

More than anything else, the cool, mocking smile on Karna’s lips enrages Bheema. He tries to outdo himself, to be more of an archer than he really is. His aim falters, as he shoots too quickly; while Karna fights calmly, well within himself, his every arrow sharp and true to its mark. Soon, the difference between the two is plain and who the great bowman is. His touch deft and light, Karna is as quick as thinking. The indulgent smile never leaves his face, but Bheema’s turns crimson with effort. His eyes bulge, he growls and curses.

Karna knows how easily he can end this duel. Any time he wants he can break the bow in Bheema’s great hands. But then, Karna also knows Bheema is his brother and strange love fills his heart for the wild kshatriya before him. Karna never fights as he can. Instead, he slackens his own archery deceptively and allows Bheema to break his bow for the second time. Bheema’s cry of delight is reward enough; Karna’s eyes are filmed with tears.

However, Bheema does not fight a brother, but a hated enemy. He kills two of his horses, wounds his sarathy and Karna himself. A shadow of annoyance crosses Karna’s sere face and he leaps into his son Vrishasena’s chariot. Bheema’s roar echoes there again: he has the better of the lord of Anga and his way to Arjuna is clear once more.

Bheema rides on. But as if he enjoyed the encounter with his uninhibited brother, Karna tilts at him again from a flank. Bheema gives an angry shout, never realizing that for Karna this battle is a chance to be near him, near enough almost to caress his brother. Indeed, Karna wants to leap down from his chariot, run to Bheema and hug him; and to cry, ‘I am also Kunti’s son. Take me to Yudh-ishtira. I will fight for him from now!’

Bheema thinks Karna’s reputation is exaggerated. He yells, “You can’t stand before this Bheema, Sutaputra and you brag that you will kill my brother Arjuna?”

Bheema remembers the day of the gambling and begins to fight in anger. Karna finds it less easy to hold him off without hurting him. Bheema carves his chariot again. Duryodhana sees this and sends his brother Dussalan with a fresh chariot for Karna. But even as Karna climbs into it, Bheema takes off Dussalan’s head in a roseate burst. Duryodhana roars in sorrow and Bheema kills a hundred Kau-rava soldiers to celebrate.

Duryodhana panics. Trembling, he rides to Drona and cries hotly, “My lord, you swore not a man would enter your padma vyuha. But three kshatriyas are at the point of the suchimukha! Arjuna, Satyaki and Bheema have halved our legions. Our maharathikas who guard Jayadratha are hard-pressed to hold them off. I thought it was easier to imagine the sea dried up, than your vyuha smashed with such contempt!”

Drona has done his best and it has not been enough today. He says sharply, “What has happened can’t be undone: better think what to do next.”

Frothing, Duryodhana cries, “Jayadratha must not die! See that Arjuna does not reach him, Acharya. I count on you!”

The arrogance of the Kaurava’s tone strikes his master like a blow. He was being upbraided like a boy before all the soldiers: that three men had dodged around him, two like cowards. Between clenched teeth Drona hisses at Duryodhana, “All day I have fought like a man half my age and I have kept a whole army at bay. And if I had not, there wouldn’t be three, but three thousand kshatriyas at Jayadratha’s throat.

But it seems you don’t value what I have done. See to your precious brother-in-law yourself! You swore he would not be harmed. But this is not a game of dice, Duryodhana: this is war and you once cheated your enemies out of everything they had. Today the wager is your brother-in-law’s life and the dice are arrows. You have Brahma’s armor, go and save Jayadratha yourself.”

Duryodhana is too taken aback to reply. He is also afraid Drona will abandon him, if he annoys him any more. He turns his chariot and rides back toward the suchimukha vyuha. There, every moment, Arjuna claws his way nearer Jayadratha.

TWENTY-ONE
KARNA AND BHEEMA 

His mind an angry fire, Duryodhana rides away from Drona. He meets two other Pandava warriors who broke into the padma vyuha at Arjuna’s chariot-wheels: Yuddhamanyu and Uttamaujas still range the inner petals of the Acharya’s lotus. Duryodhana attacks them. He wounds Uttamaujas’ horses, but Yuddhamanyu sets on him ferociously and then Uttamaujas, also, from different directions. They smash Duryodhana’s chariot-wheels and luckily for the Kaurava, Shalya is at hand to rescue him from the Panchala brothers. Their laughter follows him, like smoking oil in his ears.

Meanwhile, Bheema does his best to slip past Karna and reach Arjuna. It seems the only way past is to kill him. Bheema sees his enemy smile at him. He thinks he must be dreaming, that it is not a mocking smile he sees on Karna’s haughty lips. The son of the wind tells himself his mind is playing tricks on him; he must be more tired than he had thought. Arrogant, spiteful Karna could not be smiling at him with such fondness in his eyes!

As the duel progresses, even Bheema has to admire his opponent’s virtuosity. Though he would never admit it, it is archery Arjuna would be proud of. Sweat covers Bheema’s body; this is harder than he had thought. He grits his teeth and shoots his arrows more quickly still. But his adversary is so calm he might not be fighting at all. Then, Karna shoots the armor off Bheema’s chest. The fond smile widens to see the look of dismay on the Pandava’s face. With a roar, Bheema breaks Karna’s bow again. He strikes him with two arrows that crash through his breastplate; and while Karna stumbles briefly, Bheema breaks his chariot-wheels.

Karna leaves the field in a Kaurava prince’s chariot; Bheema surges on toward Arjuna. By Arjuna has been spared having to face Karna so far, because of Bheema’s presence nearby. But the Vayuputra does not get far: out flits Karna from the suchimukha again, the cryptic smile still on his face. Cursing loudly, Bheema attacks him. Suddenly, the images of their long exile come steaming back to the Pandava and he decides to kill the sutaputra if he can. In that rush of anger he breaks two bows in Karna’s hands, in quick succession and is astonished to see a gleam of approval in his enemy’s eyes! Bheema cannot believe this. Beside himself because he thinks Karna is taunting him, he fights with renewed fury.

By now, Karna the kshatriya is roused. Knitting his brow, the lord of Anga draws blood with a clutch of mind-swift arrows that whistle at his antagonist from extraordinary angles. Yet Karna has the disadvantage of knowing this is his brother. He has two battles on his hands: the one against Bheema and the other with himself; while, Bheema just wants to kill an enemy. At being struck, he fights more fiercely, his roars shaking the field.

Bheema’s archery is hardly less than Arjuna’s now and seeing Karna beaten back, Duryodhana cries to his brother Durjaya, “Fly to Karna’s side, or the beast will have his life today!”

Durjaya is one of Duryodhana’s bravest brothers and he rides at Bheema at once. The very sight of him is tonic to the Pandava. Bheema gives a shout of joy and strikes Durjaya’s head off with a crescent-tipped shaft worthy of Drona. Karna wails. He knows each of Duryodhana’s brothers well, has been close to them all. Bheema shatters Karna’s chariot once more. Karna leaps out and stands on the ground, battling on, torn between love and rage.

Duryodhana has lost count of his brothers Bheema has killed today. Like a losing gambler, he sends another one against his cousin; now, he sends Durmukha who is one of the finest archers in both armies. But Bheema is no more the student of archery he had been in Drona’s asrama: today, he fights for revenge. Nine arrows so quick they are like a single unbroken one greet Durmukha. All nine crash into his chest. They rip through his armor, part flesh, bone and gristle and the Kaurava dies without shooting at the son of the wind. Bheema’s ecstatic yell echoes across Kurukshetra.

Guilty, that he may have saved Duryodhana’s brothers if it weren’t his own brother that faced him, Karna feels faint in his chariot and has to sit abruptly on its floor. The raging Bheema stills shoots at him. He cuts the armor off his body. Karna jumps up again and strikes him with an arrow deep in his shoulder. He aimed at his heart, but turned his hand away at the last moment. Bheema’s reply is so savage that Karna has to ride away for a time.

Suicidally emboldened that Bheema has killed so many of them, almost as if now they have as much stake in the next world as this one, five more of Duryodhana’s brothers charge the Pandava. Durmarshana rides with these. Bheema grins like a lion seeing a herd of tender deer. In a bloody blur, he kills all five. They die astonished, that the lumbering Bheema is more of an archer than they had dreamt.

Karna flares back into battle. He has decided to face Bheema as just an enemy now: it is his ksha-triya dharma. Another duel begins. As daylight softens, every moment, Karna and Bheema light up the dharma kshetra with astras.

Karna is at his best; but Bheema matches him shaft for shaft. Both have their armor shot off their backs; both are bloody. Yet again, Bheema strikes Karna deeply in his arm and the panicstricken Duryodhana sends five more of his brothers to rescue his friend. Bheema roaring, Bheema rapturous, Bheema fighting like two Arjunas, shoots them down in a garnet flurry, while Karna howls in shock.

Bheema roars, “Forty-nine, Duryodhana! Send me more.”

Karna fights on. Around the two kshatriyas, soldiers collect to watch them duel. Arjuna, Krishna and Satyaki watch, cheering Bheema loudly. Even they cannot help admiring Karna’s archery; it is so sublime. Of the Kaurava army, Bhoorisravas, Drona, Kripa and Shalya applaud both warriors, regardless. Yuddhamanyu and Uttamaujas are there, too and they shout encouragement only to Bheema.

Trembling in every limb, Duryodhana sends seven more of his brothers to Karna’s side. Nothing would please the Kaurava more than to see Bheema killed. The seven surround Bheema. He laughs uproariously at them, beckoning to them to come closer with his huge hands, as he might little boys. But when the Vayuputra sees the seventh Kaurava who rides against him, his laughter dries up. In grief, mighty Bheema roars, “Ah, Vikarna! Why have you come to me to die?”

On the day of the gambling in Hastinapura, Vikarna was the only Kaurava who spoke for Draupadi. Bheema cries, “I have sworn to kill all hundred of you and I mustn’t break my oath. Oh, I curse this war that you must die with the sinners. Vikarna, forgive me!”

And he strikes Vikarna’s head off. The other six he has already killed and Karna’s roars of outrage rock Kurukshetra. Blind, furious Karna reverts to an old and habitual hatred; he forgets he is fighting his brother. Once more, Bheema the Pandava, Bheema the enemy, stands before him, having killed fifty-six of Duryodhana’s brothers. A gasp goes up from those who watch, because Karna is transformed into another, unearthly archer, for whom the Pandava is no match at all. Quicker than seeing, Karna splits Bheema’s bow, he severs the reins in his sarathy’s hands, he wounds that charioteer with a shaft through his chest. All this happens in a wink and Bheema stands with a bewildered look on his face. He cannot believe this is the same man he sent scuttling from battle, three or four times.

Again, the maddening smile curves Karna’s lips. Bheema casts a heavy lance at him. Serenely and as if he has a day to do it, Karna divides that spear along its length, as it flies at him; the halves hum past him harmlessly. Bheema lifts a shield to protect himself; an arrow like a shard of lightning smashes it into dust. Bheema flings a sword at Karna like a knife-thrower; Karna cuts it down easily.

Far from beaten, Bheema leaps out of his chariot. He lays hold of the first thing that comes to hand and hurls it at Karna: pieces of broken chariots, fallen soldiers’ swords and shields, rocks. Then he sees the carcasses of elephants he himself killed and Bheema picks these up and casts them at Karna! Still smiling, at times laughing aloud at the Pandava’s antics, Karna cuts everything down; he truncates the elephants in the air.