DRAUPADI - 81

  

Prafulla Kumar Mohanty's 

DRAUPADI - 81

The Kurukshetra War

 

Is war a cosmic necessity

to purge the earth of weeds,

is it a spiritual Yajna to balance

the turbulent morals

for restoration of man's

lost creativity in beneficent measures?

But if the divine powers punish

the sinners through war

Man is not guilty of bloodshed,

a supervening power interferes

motivating humans to rank hypocrisy

deceit, hate, revenge, murder

and all that is profane;

Where is human free will then?

Why talk about sin and merit

it's all a game played by immortals

using us as pawns, we kill, die

suffer and inflict untold misery

without the freedom of responsibility.

 

Draupadi's eyes and ears

struck by sights and sounds

of movement of carts, chariots

horses, elephants, weapons, men

provisions, drums and trumpets

lines of men marching for victory  -

dilated to a surreal scene;

Angels, Gods, Sylphs, Seraphs dancing

around Kurukshetra for the feast

of blood and death... Draupadi winked

her eyes four times to drive away

the film of absurdity: Draupadi

smiled, we are hungry of war

gore and the hawking urges; no god

no skiey creatures goad us to evil

we ourselves are enemies of our

own shadows as we want to reign

shadowless on this inherited earth

which we will handover willy nilly

to the next batch who in turn will

leave the race half run to others.

 

Draupadi stood up  in firm resolve

she is in life's race course,

if she stops midway others will ride over.

Why stop then, let me run to win

this race is for victory, if I lose

a shady death of defeat would delete

my soul's verve from the earth's

absurd drama relegating me

to the slimy offshoots of failures:

I have chosen my role, if it is assigned

I don't know, what I know I will do.

If my will is the will of the Unseen

I will savour the coincidence with love.

 

The Flag Mast rose to the sky

the virgin field of Kurukshetra

prepared for her bloody orgasm

the logo on the flag proclaimed ­ -

May The Righteous Win - in scarlet.

All around Kurukshetra were tents

temporary shelters for kings, heroes,

soldiers seeking bubble glory.

The two camps defined by their flags

hosted the best of Bharat, the best

Minds, Bodies, Artists of the sword

Masters of the mace, Champion archers,

Doctors, Strategists, Artisans, Drummers

also the best horses, elephants trained

by the best from Gandhar to Carnat.

From Maninan to  Bidarva, the best

ablest fittest overreachers of Bharat.

The energy resources, skills and brains

of this great Bharatbhumi are here

in this eighteen day Dharmayudha,

a war for land, kingdom between brothers

of the same family in the name of

rights, justice and propriety.

Supporters of Duryodhana and Yudhistira

speaking tongues of diversity from Chola,

Chedi, Dwarka, Bideh, Hastina, Kashi

were united to fight taking sides.

There were mercenaries and also

warriors of untested skill and strength

who came just to show their prowess;

The  Kurukshetra war was a chance

of a lifetime to show their heroism.

They are here to kill whoever is on the

other side of the line

drawn by men failing to be at peace

they perform mere duties.

Victory defeat death heroism are the same

for these saints of the Rule Books.

Life is a game without rules for Nature

has no prescriptions for life on earth

all laws are made by men of intellect

wealth and power unanswerable to nature.

Rules were made in Bhisma's camp

attended by Yudhistira, Bhima, Arjuna

Nakula, Sahadeva and the redoubtable Krishna

the Charioteer of Pandava fortunes, the primal

urge of everything in the live theatre.

The Kuru Prince Duryodhana, Karna and the

Demi Urge of the Kauravas in the presence

of Bhisma, Drona, Krupacharya decided

to follow the standard rules of warfare:

Bhisma set the rules all agreed yet

all knew, to kill is the only rule, to win

by crooked tricks has no judge to punish.