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.
