DRAUPADI - 51

 Prafulla Kumar Mohanty's 

DRAUPADI - 51 

Hastinapuur

Meantime in Hastinapur

Yuvraj Duryodhan in mad fury

made the palace impassioned, hot.

Rising from singeing embers

of insult which Draupadi's taunts

at his blind fall into illusive waters

in the Moya Palace of the Pandavs

had pierced his heart to make him sink

into self loathing.

Since his return from the Rajasuya

he was a stranger to himself

and his friends advisors confidants

the infamous trio Shakuni:

the Gandhar king whose one and only

aim in life was to avenge his sister's

marriage to blind Dhritarashtra,

not by choice but by Bhisma's power push

Gandhar had to submit in fear.

But Shakuni suppressing his ire

by devious smiles banked on his

crooked dice nursed vengeance with patience.

Karna by a quirk of fate grew up

with foster parents, father being

a charioteer the son wanted to become

a chariot warrior for which he hid

his class identity before Parshuram

to gain his discipleship to learn

from the most powerful war expert.

When during the convocation display

of the royal disciples of Guru Drona

Karna entered to challenge Arjun

Drona's prodigious disciple in archery

he was denied participation for his

caste; Duryodhan had balmed his shame

by declaring him the king of Anga

thereby buying his loyalty forever.

Karna true to his words never

wavered in his allegiance to the Kuru Prince.

Moreover Karna smarted by

Draupadi's insult at her Swayambar

and silently wearing it in his heart

was a part of Duryodhan's coterie.

 

Shakuni found an opportunity

to advance his machinations

after  his Jatugriha and other failures.

He crackled his dice and laughed:

Nephew dear I know how it pains

to see your enemy ride roughshod

over your snobbish virtues nourished

with royal care  and clenched vengefulness.

It was that woman's laugh at your fall

which ignited the suppressed jealousy

which the Pandav pomp and ostentation

had already given us heart burns:

but son shedding lonely  tears and

deflating your nerves is not the way.

You sink further in your agony

and lose all energy to gloomy stupor:

 

There is no other way Uncle save

resignation or suicide to escape

this hell fire in my ribcage.

O my great nephew you wear

a heart of flint fireproof and dark

never shall despondency touch you

when your Mama's dice still sings

the Pandav dirge in variegated rhythms.

Now listen to me pay attention to Mama

this dice in my hand has a mystic charm

obeys my command as the charmed cobra

all soft gold beautiful gives a lush bite

when the master plays the signal tune.

No hiss no fuss just follows the signature:

If I call six or Kali it surfaces.

Like a dolly with elegant purity -

but what has dice to do with me

my doleful soul is sinking and you -

Aha, wait my son, this dice will give

the balm to our wounds and disaster

to Pandavs, their pomp will roll

on helpless dust for you to trample on:

Go my nephew ask your father the King

to invite the Emperor the great Yudhistir

for a game of dice which they avoided

after the Rajasuya deviating from

tradition form and royal practice:

bring Yudhistir to Hastinapur and leave

the rest to mama's skillful hands.

 

But the king the wise Dhitarastra

may not agree for chausar in the court.

The erudite moralist Vidura

may artfully convince the king against it -

Said Karna looking doubtful and sceptical.

Moreover Mama chausar is evil, it may -

No Angaraj, chausar is the battlefield

where Yudhistir will fall face down

with penury and slavery mocking him

and his brothers, Shakuni gloated kissing the dice.

Then rush my nephew make your father

agree to invite Yudhistir and I will

give you everything with these bones

you ever desired and win back

your lost pride by sweet revenge.

I will change the fate of Arayabarta

with my vengeful bones and you and I

shall reign over earth water and sky.