#chakravyuha

[mplanetleaf]

అభిమన్యుడిని శ్రీకృష్ణుడు ఎందుకు కాపాడలేదు? | Why didn't Krishna save Abhimanyu in Mahabharata...

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

enter the karna zone

[stxrrynxghts]

Mentions : cursing ahead. Please refrain from reading if it bothers you. DO NOT BASH ME IF YOU DISAGREE. I am up for all forms of civil conversation on this topic.

Now, let's start.

So, like the useless human I am, I spent my time scrolling through Instagram. And what happens? Post after post praising Karna pops on my feed. See, you can like anyone who you want, I don't give a flying fuck. But, what I hate, is how people just make up some random shit, and then make a reel saying that it is "true" And written Mahabharat.

Now, I don't consider myself an expert or smth, but I have read 3 versions of Mahabharata, in two different languages. I think that I can say that I know some stuff about Mahabharata.

So, despite being PISSED af, I did my research. I saw these reels, scrolled through some comments, and even saw some stuff on Wattpad related to this.

Some of you might say that "if it bothers you then don't see it". Yes. That's what I have been doing. But now I am fucking pissed, and this is how I release my anger.

As always, Karna HAS to be compared to Arjun. How Arjun is such a weakling, that without Krishna he wouldn't win at all. First, if Karna is so good, and Arjun so bad, then why is Krishna supporting Arjun? Surely a god had better judgement skills than we do.

Arjun fought against SHIVA, THE GOD OF THE GODS. THE SUPREME GOD. Yes, Arjun didn't win, and he never stood a chance, but SHIVA was pleased by him, and blessed him. He gave him the Pashupatastra.

Some idiots say that Karna had it too. In a quote someone wrote that Krishna said that Karna was undefeatable as he had Brahmastra and Pashupatastra. Kindly enlighten me as to when did Karna please Shiva, and get this Astra as his blessing.

Then some people say that Shiva blessed Ravan too. Don't you dare. Don't you DARE compare Ravan, the man who ABDUCTED Sita, to Arjun. Arjun was a human, and he had his flaws. He committed mistakes. But he is, in no way, comparable to someone like Ravan.

People are writing stories where Abhimanyu respects Karna and shuns Arjun as a result. ABHIMANYU, WHO CHOSE to enter the Chakravyuha because he wanted to make his father and uncle proud. Abhimanyu, who wanted nothing more than to avenge his father. He hates Arjun in these stories.

Don't get me started on the Draukarn and Karnbhadra fandoms. Don't, please. I don't have the energy left for that. I just wish to say that you are so brave to pair Draupadi with her abuser.

Now. These are the more controversial ones. There are ppl writing stories where Karna is SHIVA'S SON.

Oh wow. Karna is comparable to KARTIKEYA AND GANESH. Speaking of Kartikeya, did you know that Karna is a better warrior than Kartikeya, THE GOD OF WAR?!

And ofc, Karna was a farrr better King than Ram was. And he was a better person too. It isn't like Ram had made a gr8 example of how to run a kingdom, that Ram Rajya has been so revered since centuries. Ofc not. That has nothing to do with this.🤡

Also, Karna had a better claim to the throne than Yudhishthira did! He was Kunti's son, and according to dharma, a wife's son is considered the husbands son too. It doesn't matter how Karna wasn't conceived when Kunti was married to Pandu, or with Pandu's permission. He STILL has a claim to the throne guys. 🙄

Last, but not the least, do you know how Krishna absolutely hated seeing Karna die, even when he was the one who had instigated Arjun to chop off Karna's head? *gasps in shock*

Also, saving the best for the last, but apparently, Krishna couldn't have defeated Karna when he still had his armor and earrings!!!! Gasppp!!!!

Okay. So half of this post is written a sarcastic manner guys, do understand my sarcasm TvT

It's fcking hilarious how Krishna, who whooped the asses of literal demons as a kid, who gave INDRA PTSD and who LIFTED THE FCKIN GOVARDHAN MOUNTAIN ON HIS LITTLE FINGER FOR SEVEN FUCKING DAYS CONTINUOUSLY is weaker than Karna. And this is just 1% of what he has done.

Like cmon. Karna is a gr8 warrior, I won't deny. But he was NOT a good person, and definitely not comparable to the people I mentioned above. Karna was defeated multiple times during the Kurukshetra war. He ran away from many battles as well. If you like him, then gr8. Do so, no one is stopping you. But don't compare him with the likes of Ram and Krishna.

Ohmigawd. This post has gone a bit out of hand. Sorry loves. 😞

[blue-lotus333]

Arjun’s children.

(+ his kids in the Javanese mhb‼️)

Abhimanyu.

Info: Abhimanyu, the most popular child of Arjun, was a great warrior, portrayed as young, strong and talented. Abhimanyu was one of the people to know the technique to enter the Chakravyuha, a powerful military formation, unfortunately, he died unfairly while in this formation.

Iravan.

Info: Iravan is the second popular son of Arjun, he is the central deity of the cult of Kuttantavar & a village guardian deity. Iravan is revered for his sacrifice & his protection. In one legend, he is married to the enchantress mohini.

(there is much more interpretations/stories of Iravan, so its better to look him up)

Babruvahana.

Info: The harsh son of Arjun & heir of Manipura. Babruvahana was the only child who defeated Arjun, but was about to kill himself after knowing arjun’s identity, but he was given from his stepmother, the Nagi Ulupi, a gem called Nagamani, which revived Arjun.

Shrutakarma.

Info: the youngest of the Upapandavas. Shrutakarma was a capable archer like Arjun and fought very well, he fought many warriors such as Sudakshina, King Chitrasena, Jayatsena, Dushasana and Ashwathama. Unfortunately, he was killed brutally by Ashwathama.

Wisanggeni.

Info: Wisanggeni is a son of Arjun & the lava goddess Dresnala. When he was born, he was already hated by Brahma, in which the creator god threw him into a caldera. However, wisanggeni didn't die but got empowered. In rage by Brahma, he attacked the heavens. No one could defeat him except Antasena (who could only reach him to a draw)

Kumaladewa and Kumalasekti.

Info: Kumaladewa & Kumalasekti are the (male) twin children of Arjun with the demoness Asmarawati. Both siblings are mostly hybrids of a Demi-god and demon, making them possibly powerful. The siblings are seen as hero’s in wayang.

Wilugangga.

Info: born from Arjun & apsara Wilutama, Wilugangga is seen as a hero in Wayang. He helped a king who was facing a hardship, namely a marriage contest, & promised to help him as long as he was told who his father was, the king agreed & after Wilugangga succeeded, he was told who his father was. In the Javanese mhb, he fought Drona but later got killed by him.

Dewi Pregiwa & Dewi Pregiwati.

Info: Pregiwa & Pregiwati are daughters of Arjun & the princess Manuhara and they are only told in wayang.

Pregiwa is said to be loyal, honest, patient, & charming. She had married Ghatotkacha. She is identified with Pragya(?)

Pregiwati is said to be kind, devoted & gentle, and is the twin sister of pregiwa, she once went on a journey to find her father. Pregiwati is identified with Pragati (?)

Sumitra.

Info: son of Arjun and the archer Dewi Larasati, Sumitra is kinda known in wayang. Sumitra is also shown as a charioteer of Abhimanyu, and took part in the Bharatayuda war. he died on the battlefield against Bhishma. (Another version says that he was killed by karna.)

Honorable Mention: Pancala (son of Arjun & Srikandi), but there’s not much info about him I could find.

((Correct me if I got something wrong!!))

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

Ok sooo, Arjuni AU suggested by Lotus di!

Bg info: Abhimanyu is Krishna's and Arjuni's son ok?

Draupadi too had married Arjuni along with her brothers.

It was Draupadi's Cheerharan that had been done.

Uttar didn't die.

*Thirteenth day of the war*

Arjuni had defeated King Susharman's army. Suddenly she had a bad feeling about her son, Abhimanyu.

"Madhav! Please take the chariot to the Kurukshetra! I- i have a bad feeling about Abhi!" Krishna had no power to deny so he obeyed.

Arjuni reached just in time to see her darling son stuck in the eleven layered Chakravyuha, harboring minor injuries. Jayadrath was holding off her brothers from entering the complex formation.

She jumped down from her chariot, ignoring her husband's shouts of protest and shoots Jayadrath an arrow that was enough to paralyse him for the remaining time of the war for the day. Her Abhi's safety was her top most priority now.

Krishna sat on the chariot helplessly. He knew what was going to happen, and tried to retaliate but found himself unmoving from the chariot. Niyati and her cruel games. He silently cried in his heart, as his beloved Parthavi broke through the Chakravyuha to protect their son.

Arrows from both Karna and Dronacharya made way towards Abhimanyu, as he closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.

Moments passed. The sounds of the arrows piercing through someone were made, and gasps were heard, but Abhimanyu didn't feel any pain. Heavens, he didn't feel anything.

Abhimanyu opened his eyes to see a tall, lean female figure whose body was bloody and pierced with arrows, her hair cascading down her back. Her arms were in front of him protectively.

That was when he realised...it was his Mother, Arjuni. He let out a soundless scream, calling for his mother.

Arjuni coughed up blood in response to his silent yet loud screaming. Call it a mother's instinct, but she knew how her son had reacted.

Krishna could finally move and tried to run inside the Chakravyuha but Duryodhan had already told Karna. "Mitra! She is wounded! Use the Divyāstra given to you by Dev Indra!" And Karna had obeyed without any arguments after giving a melancholy nod.

The moments seemed slowed down for Krishna and the Pandava brothers and Abhimanyu, as the spear-turned-arrow pierced right through the chest, into the heart, of the female warrior.

Her silent yet loud, painful gasp could be heard throughout the whole of the Kurukshetra battlefield, while the war stopped for a few minutes.

The Pandava brothers stared in horror as electric current passed through their sister's body, making her cough up more blood and making her hair flowing and her eyes wide. Her body shook violently after some moments and she started falling backwards.

The falling body was caught by Krishna, who could finallly move, and stared in equal horror. This wasn't supposed to happen, was it? Parthavi. His Parthavi. Had just dropped dead and...he couldn't do anything...

But now, there was no value to anything. Nothing held value when his Parthavi laid in his lap, not moving and not breathing. What a petty excuse for the earth to keep living... he couldn't even glance at the world for a moment where there was no Parthavi.

There is no value of the world where his Parthavi, the ray of sunshine in his life, the one who loved him and trusted him more than anything else, wasn't there. Krishna had vowed to his charioteer Daruka that if there is not Arjuni in the world, then there is no world that is worth existing.

Krishna had forgotten right or wrong now. And he just didn't care. For him now, no right or wrong existed.

Fuck the rules. Fuck his vows. And most importantly, fuck the wheel of time and fate.

The universe thought it could dispbey him. Heh!

Now the universe what going to pay.

He got up. "Abhimanyu, please. Leave from here." Abhimanyu looked at his father in question. "B-but..Pitashree...!-"

"Now, Abhi." Krishna said in a grave voice and his eyes started burning with tears. He had left no room for argument and Abhimanyu fled from there.

Krishna got up and took the whip with which he controlled the chariot and walked forward.

His Sudarshan chakra appeared, and he swifly cut off Duryodhan's and Karna's head. Shakuni jumped down from his horse.

"Vasudev! Aren't you forgetting you vow?" Krishna looked at the short disgusting man with distaste, took a deep breath, and cut off his head too.

Krishna then turned to Susharman. That king of Trigarta had Arjuni on a crazy goosechase. Krishna cracked his whip towards the king's chariot and disbalanced the chariot, causing Susharman to fall down and get trampled by his own horses.

Krishna then grew, and grew and grew, until the skies and everyone alive looked at him in terror. He grew till the earth shook with his steps.

As he attacked and killed anyone that came in his way, his eyes landed on his deceased lover. Tears cascaded his eyes and formed large pools when then they touched the battlefield.

Krishna's eyes softened at her sight and he smiled fondly, yet sadly. The sight of his favorite human always made him happy, no matter what. Krishna gently picked up Arjuni's limp body with on of his very large hands.

"You still had to die, didn't you? I did so much...just so i couldn't lose you, my love. But you had to die...What did i not do for you to stay alive? I did so much, left the sun worshipper toothless and armorless, sacrificed so many people, just for you...yet, Niyati just had to write it with her cruel quills and inks..." Krishna said sorrowfully, while going on a killing rampage. He had drowned almost half of Aryavart within a few mere moments.

.

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The rampaging Krishna had stopped only after Balaram and Draupadi came in the battlefield, informed by Nakul and Bheem. The Pandavas side didn't have any major lose unlike the Kuru side due to Krishna, yet had lost their family. Their most loved family member. ...

Krishna had cried silent tears on his Baldau's shoulder, who consoled him. The war had ended, yet with many loses.

Arjuni, the one who had been the brilliantly glowing sun of Krishna's life, her pyre burnt with the same glowing brilliance that night.

Credits to @warriorbookworm cuz lines have been taken from their book on AO3, and again I am soooo sorry cuz i wanted to give credits but couldn't find the book or the writer later on when i remebered it 😢

[blackknight-100]

AU: Abhimanyu does not die: Fic II (kind of happy-ending?)

I'm not very sure what is happening here, so if the text looks weird, please forgive the formatting. Part I here.

1. Karna taps insistently on the side of Duryodhana’s chariot as Arjuna's son and – Surya curse them all – his nephew, barges into the chakravyuha.

“What?” Duryodhana snaps. “The boy!” Karna hisses back, just as waspish. “We can capture the boy and bargain with the Pandavas.” Duryodhana turns to him and sneers. “And why should I bargain with my dearest cousins? My army is greater, my commanders wiser, and my victory undoubted. I will not grovel before them.” Karna takes one deep breath, then another. ‘Calm now,’ he tells himself, ‘speak not thoughtlessly.’ “You have far more chance of winning than they do,” he acknowledges, after he is certain he will not lash out. “But war is unpredictable. And they will go down fighting. They will kill at least several of your peoples – your brothers, teacher, uncle and their sons. Even Lakshmana. We can avoid that and win just by taking Abhimanyu captive.” Duryodhana blinks thoughtfully at the young warrior who has, by now, lost his chariot. Kumara is running towards him, whether it is to fight or to catch up with him no one knows. Karna sighs ruefully. “Lakshmana,” he calls, “come here, child.” Kumara breaks course and comes over to him. Surya knows, Karna loves this boy. Duryodhana stares intensely at them, then turns to Guru Drona and commands, “Take the boy captive.”

2. It takes them half a day, and eight tested warriors to take down Abhimanyu. Karna looks at the spitfire youth and feels something that is not quite pride, but close enough. Jayadrath has miraculously managed to keep the Pandava brothers at bay, but he has also forgotten to let Yudhisthir in – and he gets a long tongue-lashing from Guru Drona when he reappears. ‘Yudhisthir would have made a strategically better captive,’ Karna reflects, when he settles down to guard Abhimanyu for the first prahar of the night. ‘At the very least, he would be less troublesome.’ For Abhimanyu had not ceased his rebellion when they had come off the field. As soon as he realised that they were taking him captive, he started trying to kill himself – first with a small blade hidden on his person, next by strangling himself with the tent rope, and finally by trying to hold his breath. It is as difficult a task to keep him alive as it was to capture him. After their paltry meal of rationed flatbread and pickle, Duryodhana sends an emissary to the Pandava camp. They return half a prahar later, and report that the Pandavas are willing to bargain. “They weren’t going to,” the messenger says, “but the Lady Draupadi refused to see her son dead, and Dwarkadheesh said that further war would not be in their favour.” Duryodhana smiles grimly, vindicated.

3. The first day of negotiation dawns cloudy and dull. Karna – who has no intention of ever being in the same room as Kunti again – volunteers to look after their charge. Duryodhana does not protest, but gives him a sharp look that makes it abundantly clear that they are going to talk about it later. Karna sighs. Abhimanyu is not a bad captive as long as he is not trying to send himself to an early pyre. He does not taunt unless taunted, and usually listens to whatever is asked of him, provided it is sensible. Karna gets bored of poking at him before the hour runs out. He is almost glad when Duryodhana rushes in a prahar later, seething with rage, until he realises he is coming for him. His friend hauls him up and off his feet by his shoulder, slams him against the tent pole (which shudders dangerously) and wraps two hands around his throat before he can even open his mouth. “Wha-" he begins, but Duryodhana shakes him by the neck, hard, and he falls quiet again. “When were you going to tell me?” Duryodhana demands, face close to his own. “Were you going to tell me at all?” “Tell you what?” Karna asks, concerned. He is not particularly afraid of Duryodhana, even now, but it is unlike his friend to throttle him, and alarm bells start ringing in his head. “DO NOT ACT INNOCENT,” he roars, “you… you…” Duryodhana flounders, and Karna? Karna knows. He feels something startlingly like betrayal. “The Dowager Empress said she wouldn’t tell,” he whispers, and Duryodhana shakes him even harder. “She didn’t,” Duryodhana says bitterly. “She got Uncle Vidura to do it.” ‘Of course,’ he thinks with a sinking heart, ‘of course.’

+1. Duryodhana comes to visit him on the second day of his… captivity? He is in a huge room in the guest wing of the Hastinapur palace, and while no one has told him he could not leave, Karna thought it was rather obvious. Duryodhana stands at the threshold and stares at him. Karna stares back wearily, thinks about his wife and sons, and prays for them. “Do you know what happened?” Duryodhana asks, almost kindly, and Karna shakes his head. “We were discussing about their surrender,” he tells him, moving forward to take a seat on the couch. “I said they had to go back to the forest, or some other place, that I would provide residence as long as they swore oaths to cease stirring up trouble for me. Bheema said he would rather fulfill his oath of breaking my thigh, and Aunt Kunti said she was unwilling to see anyone but the rightful king on the throne. I told her I was the rightful king. Uncle Vidura told us that you were.” Karna stares at him after the speech, watches as he picks a thread on couch-cushion. “I’m not,” he says. “Emperor Pandu could not have known of my existence, and Adhirath baba adopted me in all ceremony. I am no Kuru.” “And is Aunt Kunti not your mother?” Karna doesn’t know what to say to that, so he says instead, “Radha maa is my mother.” Duryodhana shakes his head wryly. “You did not tell me. They said you knew before the war. You made me look like a fool, Karna.” Karna’s eyes burn – 'so stupid'. “I didn’t think I needed to. You didn’t care before. I wanted to see you on the throne, and no matter what you think, I wasn’t going to betray you. I don’t want to be king of anything beyond what you have already given me.” “I know,” Duryodhana says, softer. He gets up from the couch, walks over to where Karna sits on the bed. “I’m giving back Indraprastha to the Pandavas, with the condition that Vrishsena becomes king after Yudhisthir.” Karna gapes foolishly at him. “What?” Duryodhana laughs. “You think I will let my enemies rule the neighbouring kingdom for generations? Pfft. Vrish is in our team, and their nephew. Let them put him there.” “You…” Karna begins, but then words fail him. Duryodhana rolls his eyes and tugs on his hand. “Come cousin,” he teases, “let’s go and put some ice on the bruises on your neck, and then you can go tell your brothers what we discussed.” Karna gets up, and follows him outside.

[alokastrology1]

Mahabharata War Aftermath: What happened?

Some people died in the great war of epic size that was fought to get rid of evil. In the battle for what is right, good, or evil, everyone has to deal with the results, which are their Karma. Mahabharata was a great story about how people feel, including greed, acceptance, sacrifice, and, in the end, death.

Know about the Kurukshetra War of Mahabharata. Get an online astrology consultation by the world-renowned Astrologer Mr. Alok Khandelwal.

Throughout the epic, the rules of Dharma and moral superiority are always changed to fit the purpose or need of the time. All men take advantage of, hurt, and use women to satisfy their egos. Men fight against their ambitions, talents, and birth. Even the pious Bhishma’s efforts to seek wives for his brother and nephew caused severe injustice to the women in question.

The Battle of Kurukshetra

Many people died in the Kurukshetra war, but the death of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, was the most heartbreaking. Drona made a Chakravyuha creation while Arjuna was sidetracked by Susharma and Bhagdataa. Only Arjuna knew how to get in and out of the formation, but Abhimanyu just knew how to get in. Once he was inside, Jayadratha made sure that nobody would follow him, and the killing started.

While Abhimanyu killed Brihadbala and hurt Duryodhana and Karna caught his bow from behind, Drona hit from the front. The Kauravas attacked at the same time, and Dushashana’s son hit the king with a mace to kill him. Abhimanyu was able to kill him with the same mace because he was so brave and stubborn.

As a form of revenge, Bhima cut off the head of an elephant called Ashwatthama and told Drona that his son had died. Drona dropped his arms, and Dhristadyumna killed him. When Ashwatthama heard that his father had been killed by a traitor, he, Kripacharya, and Kirtvarma killed all of the Pandavas’ sons while they were sleeping.

Ashwatthama let go of the Brahmashira just to kill the Pandavas and their only grandson, who was in Uttara’s womb. The others had died in the war. Lord Krishna went into Uttara’s womb to protect her unborn child from Brahmashira, who was sent by Ashwatthama to kill it. So, it was called Parikshit. The Sanskrit verb root – pari-ki means “around-possess” (or, less likely in this case, “around-destroy”). This is where Parikshit’s name came from.

Read Also:- What is the significance of Adhik Mass in Hinduism?

King Parikshit's family tree

After Parikshit was born, the chief priest Dhaumya told King Yudhishthira that he would be a great follower of the Supreme Lord Vishnu. Since Krishna saved him, he would be called Vishnurata, which means “one who is always shielded by the Lord.” Dhaumya Rishi says that Parikshit will always be dedicated to morality, religious fundamentals, and the truth. He will also be a wise king, just like Ikshvaku and Lord Rama. He would be a good example of a warrior like his grandfather Arjuna, and his family’s reputation would grow. He is called Parikshit because he would look for the Supreme Lord, whom he had seen as an unborn child, all over the world and in every person.

Hastinapur’s king After Krishna Avatar leaves the world and the Kali Yuga, the dark age of sin, begins, the five Pandavas brothers leave the world. Young Parikshit is made king, and Kripa is made his advisor. Under Kripa’s direction, he did three Aswamedha yajnas.

When King Parikshit was out searching in the woods, the demon Kali, who was the personification of the Kali Yuga, came up to him and asked to come into his kingdom. The king refused. Parikshit gave him five places to live after he kept asking: places with gambling, drinking, prostitution, killing animals, and gold. Kali sneaked into Parikshit’s golden crown and messed with his mind.

Takshaka, Janamejaya, and Parikshit

Since Kali had gone into the gold, this made people want gold. Parikshit went into the forest to hunt. At one point, he stops and takes a bath in the lake. He takes off his crown and puts it on the river bank. Takshaka, the king of the snakes, sees the throne and wants it. He tries to steal the crown, but Parikshit’s guards catch him. Parikshit jails him. When he is finally free, Takshaka gets revenge on Parikshit and brutally kills him. When Parikshit’s son Janamejaya hears this, he swears to kill Takshaka in a week.

He commences the Sharpamedha Yajna, which makes every single snake in the universe fall into the hawankunda.  But a snake got tangled around God Sun’s Ratha, and due to the power of the Yajna, the Ratha also was pulled into the Hawankunda. This could have put the God Sun Ratha in the Hawankunda and ended God Sun’s rule in this universe. All the gods then asked that the Yajna be stopped. Astika Muni stopped this Yajna from happening when Takshaka came, which is why Takshaka is still alive.

Read Also:- Rare Mars-Moon conjunction brings luck or not?

[blessed1neha]

How was Chakravyuha Rachna in (Mahabharata)?

First off, it is difficult to imagine the scale of this formation. The Mahabharat was one of the largest wars ever fought, and armies used a scale of measure known as Akshauhini to measure strength. As single Akshauhini consisted of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants; 65,610 cavalry and 109,350 infantry[1]. Now, it is said that over the course of the war, 18-20 Akshauhini senas (armies) were killed. I do not have to do the calculations for you to figure out how huge the armies actually were. And this in a concentrated around the Kurukshetra, which is roughly 48 x 128 Km in area[2]. That makes a very dense war.

So I imagine that there were enough men to spare for a formation like the Chakravyuha, more so when:

It was designed by Drona, one of the smartest tactician on the side of the Kauravas

The prize was (originally) Yudhisthira, who was the leader of the Pandavas

The formation was designed as a spinning wheel (hence the "chakra" in the name) and a puzzle (hence the "vyuh"), with the formation in a constant state of rotation.... the rotation may be seen as the motion of the helix of a screw. The formation was also called Padmavyuh (or the Lotus formation)[3]. Also, the inner layers were made of of soldiers, each stronger than the ones on the immediate outer layer. Let us use a gaming terminology and call the warriors as levels. Level 7 being the strongest, and lower level warriors at the outside. Here is what would happen to anyone entering through the mouth (now imagine the same thing happening DURING WAR)....

And remember, this doesn't mean the person who entered ran around the maze. The maze engulfed him.. yeah, imagine that:

Think about it... the warrior is in a constant state of battle while the formation circles around him. He keeps getting tired, while the further inside he goes, the less worn out fighters he meets! Both physically and mentally, this makes it difficult for the warrior who has entered.

Now, the Chakravyuh was a brilliant military tactic. Basically it was a juggernaut. The whole formation continuously spun across the battlefield, continuously fighting, and the moment one member of the formation was killed, there was a sliding motion that propagated from the position held by the killed man, right upto the center of the formation, thus ensuring that at all times, there existed a continuous maze.

At last fighting with the opponent soldiers, one reached to the centre of the Chakravyuh that is shown as a ‘point’ in the above figure. This was the time when one was surrounded by the most ferocious of soldiers.

Indeed, it was not easy to reach to the centre and definitely very hard to come out of the ‘Vyuh Rachna’!

It is the evidence of how efficient and tactful our ancient Indian cavalry was!

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshauhini [2] http://www.dharmakshetra.com/holy%20land/kurukshetra.html [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmavyuha

[tfgadgets]

Rahul Gandhi's Speech, Nirmala Sitharaman's Viral Reaction And A BJP Pushback - NDTV

Rahul Gandhi’s Speech, Nirmala Sitharaman’s Viral Reaction And A BJP Pushback  NDTV First ‘Abhay Mudra’, now ‘Chakravyuha’: How Rahul Gandhi is using Hindu symbols, scriptures to attack BJP  The Times of India Watch Nirmala Sitharaman’s viral reaction to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Budget ka halwa’ jab  India Today Top News on 29 July: Nifty 50 at 25k, Rahul Gandhi’s ‘chakravyuh’ jibe, MCD’s bulldozer action…

[deepkingstudent]

'6 people at centre': Why Rahul Gandhi cited Mahabharata's 'chakravyuha' to attack BJP in Lok Sabha - The Times of India

http://dlvr.it/TBCLGv

[mythoughtsverbatim]

Krishna's (wisdom, guidance, also ethically complex, manipulative)

6. The Charadhamna Formation: During the Kurukshetra War, Krishna arranges the Pandava army in a unique formation called Chakravyuha, a complex maze-like structure, to confuse and weaken the Kaurava forces.

7. The Illusion of Ashwatthama: To trap Drona, a powerful Kaurava warrior, Krishna creates an illusion where it appears Ashwatthama, Drona's son, has been killed. Drona, believing his son is dead, loses his will to fight and is subsequently slain.

8. The Karna Revelation: Krishna reveals Karna's true identity as the eldest Pandava brother to Karna himself just before the war. This revelation creates internal conflict and influences Karna's decisions, ultimately impacting the battle's outcome.

9. The vyuha (formation) changes: Throughout the war, Krishna suggests changes in the Pandava army's formation to counter Kaurava strategies.

[indiejones]

RAJESH KHANNA AND HIS EQUAL PART PHENOMENAL LEADING LADIES!

RAJESH KHANNA - MUMTAZ! (8 ALL-TIME MEGA BLOCKBUSTERS & 1 ALL-TIME BLOCKBUSTER TOGETHER AS PAIR!) - THE NO. 1 ALL-TIME SCREEN-PAIR IN THE HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA (@INDIES)!

Mumtaz - "Kaka and I worked so much together, that we literally became like a family & started getting possessive about each other. If I would work with someone seen as outside the family, he'd immediately chide me, & I'd hit back saying how he too was working with so & so elsewhere, so pls don't tell me."

2. RAJESH KHANNA - REKHA ! (6 ALL-TIME MEGA BLOCKBUSTERS PAIRED TOGETHER & 1 ALL-TIME SUPERHIT WHERE NOT PAIRED TOGETHER ! )

IN THE TOP 30 GREATEST SCREEN-PAIRS IN THE HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA (@INDIES)!

Rekha - "Rajesh is a very deep person. But he's also really a very simple person. To those in media that say, it's not so easy to understand him, I say, you have to be at a certain intellectual level for that. If you are, he's a joy. The thing is- how many are or can be?"

P.S. And they, as I now know, (both also riding the same poor unfair boat all life), were jointly a big part of me staying alive as a small kid too!

🙏....😥

3. RAJESH KHANNA - RAAKHEE ! (2 ALL-TIME MEGA BLOCKBUSTERS & 1 ALL-TIME SUPERHIT TOGETHER !)

IN THE TOP 90 GREATEST SCREEN-PAIRS IN THE HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA (@INDIES)!

Raakhee commenting in the 2000's, when Project Troll Rajesh Khanna was at it's peak -

"Rajesh Khanna has given many very good & eternal movies to Indian cinema!

To those that demean or compare him to this & that, what have they done for Indian Cinema?!"

Also Raakhee - "Hrishikesh Mukherjee used to say that it was impossible for anyone to compete with Rajesh Khanna. He wasn't there for his body or height, but what a personality! Just those eyes, face, & smile. And I totally agree with Hrishida!"

Also, on the frivolous criticism (more of a excuse to troll) of Rajesh Khanna arriving late on the sets, Raakhee, who was & continues to remain crazy about him, immediately hitting back-

“Tell me, why shouldn’t he come late?!? Everyone knows Rajesh Khanna never spent anytime on make up, while all his co-stars, including male co-stars, would waste hours upon hours on it.”

(Another even more wonderful defense of Rajesh Khanna’s hugely overblown latecoming on sets, was made by his ‘Chakravyuha’ director Basu Chatterjee- “Rajesh Khanna gives you in half an hour what other artists take pains to give you in 5 hours. So even if he does arrive late someplace, & utilizes his very precious time elsewhere, I’d say he’s a very smart man.”)

4. RAJESH KHANNA - ZEENAT AMAN ! (3 ALL-TIME MEGA BLOCKBUSTERS & 1 ALL-TIME SUPERHIT & 1 ALL-TIME HIT TOGETHER AS PAIR!)

IN THE TOP ~60 GREATEST SCREEN-PAIRS IN THE HISTORY OF WORLD CINEMA (@INDIES) !

Zeenat - "When I got 'Ajanabee' opposite Kakaji in the early 70's, he already was the biggest thing ever, even then! And I was working with the same actor-director pair that gave us 'Aradhana'! And I remember how my hands & legs would literally shiver at the prospect, & I'd keep mugging my lines, so I didn't make a total fool of myself on the sets. I really had a major complex working with him at that point. But Mr. Rajesh Khanna instantly realized that on the sets, & quickly put me at ease, & made me feel very comfortable."

[stxrrynxghts]

Facts about Subhadra

Subhadra is one of my favorite characters of the Mahabharata. I have a somewhat different perception of her personality than most ppl do, but that is kind of fine. So, I am here to share some facts about our Yadava princess :D

According to Bhagavat Purana, Subhadra has 45 LIVING elder brothers. Vasudev apparently had more sons apart from Balarama and Krishna.

She is also said to have a full blooded elder sister, named Tara.

Subhadra is 19 years younger than Krishna is, according to Bhagvata Puran

So she is probably 20-21 years younger than Balarama, and 18 and a half year younger than Arjun

The Northern and Southern recension of the Mahabharata have somewhat different versions of her love story with Arjun. The northern version shows him abducting her, and in the southern one, their love story is very much elaborated.

However, in both, her consent is there, in the Northern one, she doesn't say anything while abducted, but is actually smiling when she returns, so she is most likely happy

And we all know, she and Draupadi had a lovely relationship together #sisgoals

Subhadra is directly related to Nakul's wife, Karenumati, as Karenumati's grandmother and Subhadra's father are siblings.

Speaking of grandmothers, Subhadra's grandma is Marisha, a descendant of Vasuki, through whom Subhadra's descendants have Naga blood.

Subhadra's marriage paves the way for the full blown Yadava-Pandava friendship imagine the Yadavas and their 50,000 relatives spending summer in Indraprastha

Since Subhadra is so young compared to her brothers, her sisters-in-law must have been very present in her childhood. why am I imagining baby Bhadra sitting in Balarama's lap during his wedding

Subhadra is mostly known for sleeping during the chakravyuha thing, but it is mostly folklore i.e. not present in any authentic versions (Correct me if I am wrong)

She is very heavily worshipped in Jagannnath Puri , and is perhaps the most widely worshipped female character from Mahabharata (Draupadi is worshipped in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, Hidimbi is worshipped in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttara is worshipped in some parts of Rajasthan).

In authentic versions, she has only one kid, Abhimanyu, though certain folk tales show multiple children of hers.

Subhadra's mourning is very much highlighted in the aftermath of Abhimanyu's death (Which is a normal thing, Vyasa loves to delve into the mother/wife's pain after someone's death).

After the war, Yudhishthira handed over the kingdom to Yuyutsu, but also requested Subhadra to "take care" of Parikshit and Vajra oh god, she is probably the only one from the elder gen left apart from Yuyustu at that point

A folktale suggests that Arjun drowned Subhadra before leaving for the Himalayas, and I am sorry to say that I hate it a lot. Why you making my man commit uxoricide?

She most probably retired to the forest after sometime, and passed there only.

[indiesole]

Indies (Lifetime) Playlist Tributes to Music Legends ! -PART 9

RAJESH KHANNA 'S TOP 380 (HINDI) SONGS ! (Contd from 191)

Yt Link:

Chandni raat mein – Dil e Nadaan

Kiski sadayen – Red Rose

Aisi haseen chandani pehle kabhi na thii – Dard

O my darling – Aakhri Khat

Ye gotedar lehenga - Dharam Kanta

Haay haay garmi hai – Maqsad

Yeh kya hua – Naya Kadam

Meethi meethi akhiyon se – Maha Chor

Ye raat hai pyasi pyasi – Chhoti Bahu

Ho tere atharoo – Shehzada

Aa gaye hum dildar – Chalta Purza

Gaalon par ye kaise nishaan – Masterji

Sunle Zameen Aasmaan – Hum Dono

Aap ne farz nibhaya hai – Chalta Purza

Rang bhare mausam se - Bandish

Tere bagair ye dil – Wafaa A Deadly Love Story

Ek baat hai hum se kahi nahi jaye – Zamana

Keh de zamane se – Nazrana

O meri pehle se tang thi choli – Souten

Phool jahan jahan – Naya Kadam

Teri aankhon ki chahat mein – Janta Hawaldar

Kaise dekhun - Bharosa

Mashriq se jo aaye – Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka

Dushman na kare dost ne – Aakhir Kyon?

Samay tu dheere dheere chal – Karm

Samay tu jaldi jaldi chal – Karm

Shakti de maa – Ashanti

Koche qurbaan – Tinku

Koi na tere – Amar Deep

Jagmag jagmag si mehfil – Dard

Pyar ka wada fifty fifty – Fifty Fifty

Main tere pyaar mein pagal – Prem Bandhan

(Electricity song) – Chhaila Babu

Arre sasu tirath sasura tirath – Souten

Bulbul mere bata – Masterji

Dekho idhar dekho – Phir Wohi Raat

Tu lajawab bemisaal – Hum Dono

Devi o baby tu ban ja meri biwi - Maqsad

Zindagi mauj udane ka – Avtaar

Chal chal aage nikal – Chakravyuha

Aadhi roti saara kabaab – Janta Hawaldar

Badi dur se aaya banna – Dharm Aur Qanoon

Main bhola bhala hoon – Bhola Bhala

Mehboob se mehbooba mil gayi – Asha Jyoti

Shuru hui pyaar ki kahani – Adhikar

Shaadi karne se – Chakravyuha

Sadke sadke – Sawaa lakh se ek ladaun

Ye sheeshe ye rishte - Khudai

Kis mausam mein – Khudai

Duniya mein jeene ka mujhe shauk tha – Naukri

Awara baap hoon – Awara Baap

Bas meri jaan bas – Aanchal

Paise ka kajal – Aanchal

Ye hawayen sard sard hain – Nasihat

Hunny Hunny – Insaaf Main Karoonga

Shola ulfat ka –Aurat

Aankhen toh kholo swami – Masterji

Aise rang de piya – Babu

Teri aankhon me dhoond li maine – Awam

Agar leta hoon tera naam – Dil e Nadaan

Saaila aaya more mann – Naya Kadam

Dilwala aya hai – Fiffty Fiffty

Jhan jhananana jha – Nazrana

Kuch Humko Tumse – Alag Alag

Ram ho kya tum – Naya Kadam

Tum nahi manoge – Amar Deep

Mera geet adhura hai - Mamta ki chhaon mein

Lanka chale Ramji – Aanchal

Samay bada balwaan – Ghar Parivaar

Kurte ka kya hai – Ghar Parivar

Hari om jab har taraf – Karm

Ajao tum ajao nagraj – Maqsad

Ek khoobsurat ladki mujhe raat mil thi – Shaadi Se Pehle

Arre bhaage arre daudo – Bandish

Shukriya dil shukriya – Bewafai

Kisiko harana kisiko jitana - Bayen hath ka khel

Mera naam dil pe likh lijiyega huzoor - Bayen hath ka khel

Aisa rangeen sama haye – Aanchal

Jamuna ke jal mein – Awara Baap

Pyar tumne kiya na – Maqsad

Idhar aa aa bhi jaa – Dhanwaan

Aaj tu gair sahi – Bandish

Ladkhadane do mujhe – Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein

Sach hai yeh – Agar Tum Na Hote

Tukur tukur dekha karoon – Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtar

Papa mere papa – Ghar ka Chiraag

Chhalkao jhoom ke – Phir Wohi Raat

Ek raja ka ek beta – Tyaag

Yeh mera jeevan – Babu

Yeh mera jeevan (sad) – Babu

Insaanon se jaanwar achhe hote hain – Jaanwar

Ram Rahim mein antar nahi – Alag Alag

Wade nahi karte – Prem Bandhan

Bhula sako toh bhula do – Wafaa A Deadly Love Story

Ek baras mein ek baar hi – Insaaf Main Karunga

Joshe jawani tauba – Hum Dono

Main toh hoon Shree Ram Avtar – Aaj ka MLA Ram Avtar

Sharafat Ali ko - Amrit

O mehfil ki shamma – Muqabla

Main kunwari albeli – Babu

Aashiq hoon tumhara – Dharm Aur Qanoon

Sod maaza haath – Fifty Fifty

Yaaron utho chalo – Avtaar

Zindagi kya hai ek lateefa hai – Amrit

Ye saari duniya hai aati jaati – Avtaar

Na tujhse na mujhse - Ashanti

Aa janeman aaj tujhe – Awaaz

Pyar ki vadiyan – Jaanwar

Akela gaya tha main – Rajput

Akela gaya tha main (sad) – Rajput

Dil mein aag lagaye - Alag Alag

Hazaar raahen mud ke dekhi – Thodisi Bewafai

Lahron ki tarah yaadein – Nishaan

Tere mere pyar ka – Begunaah

Tere mere pyar ka (sad) – Begunaah

Dheere dheere naach ri jogan – Bhola Bhala

Aankhon mein humne – Thodisi Bewafai

Kaagaz kalam davaat – Alag Alag

Ye qismat hai kya (sad) – Ghar Ka Chiraag

Ye qismat hai kya – Ghar Ka Chiraag

Isse pehle ki yad tu aaye – Nazrana

Kabhi bekasi ne maara – Alag Alag

Ae mere dost laut ke aaja – Swarg

Aisa kyun hota hai – Dharm Aur Qanoon

Zamane ne maare – Baharon ke Sapne

Dukh sukh ki har ek mala – Kudrat

Raghupati Raghav raja Ram – Awam

Jeevan saathi saath mein rehna – Amrit

Tirupati Balaji – Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtaar

Jaane do mujhe yaaron – Fifty Fifty

Hindu hoon main na musalmaan hoon – Maha Chor

Zindagi ka hum itihaas likhenge – Naya Kadam

Tere mere pyar ka - Mohabbat ki kasam

Dil mein aag lagaye – Alag Alag

Tera ghar teri galiyan – Oonche log

Duniya chhute yar na chhute – Dharam Kanta

Duniya chhute yar na chhute (sad) – Dharam Kanta

Jab prem agan lagi jaye – Dil e Nadaan

Zindagi sau baras ki – Awaaz

" (sad version) - Awaaz

Humse kaa bhool hui – Janta Hawaldar

Aaj bichhde hain – Thodisi Bewafai

Dil kya chahe – Oonche Log

Tu mera kya laage – Oonche Log

Mera naam yaaron – Maha Chor

Hi porgi konachi – Zamana

Dil geet milan ke gaane laga – Jaanwar

Tera ishq hai meri zindagi – Dil e Nadaan

Woh nazar leke rahi – Suraag

Arre jana hai toh jao – Bandhan

Teri umar – Awara Baap

Tum bahut haseen sahi – Nasihat

Jab tanhai mein do dil – Masterji

Tum sajan ke ghar jaaogi – Swarg

Beliya ab toh ye bahaar – Nishaa

Balle balle bhai reshmi – Dhanwan

Mehbooba meri mehbooba – Jaanwar

Ladki nahi bijli hai - Dushman Dost

Sooraj se kirnon – Adhikar

Main dil tu dhadkan - Adhikar

Chhaila mera chhaila – Chhaila Babu

Humsaa naa payegi – Nishaan

Bolo pyar karogi – Awaaz

Aap ki nazron se – Insaaf Main Karoonga

Lachak lachak jaye jawani – Sitapur Ki Geeta

Bol sakhi bol sakhi – Woh Phir Aayegi

O jiyo jiyo yaaron – Sautela Bhai

Jab dushman ho gaya waqt – Papi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai

Aaj ki duniya mein – Papi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai

Mubarak ho Mubarak ho – Angaaray

Socha kahan tha aisa bhi hoga – Insaaf Main Karoonga

Tere bin jeena kya – Red Rose

Doli ho doli – Rajput

Iski topi uske sar – Shatru

Uparwaale tera jawaab nahi – Avtaar

Ye jhoth bolti hai - Bayen hath ka khel

Dum tana na dum tana – Insaaf Main Karoonga

Kya tan kya man – Woh Phir Aayegi

Kalma kalma – Jaana Let’s Fall in Love

Jhanak jhanak jhanjhar baje – Nasihat

Tum se mohabbat - Jai shiv shankar

Kisi roz mangi thi - Jai Shiv Shankar

Kisko kahen hum apna – Zamana

Halkisi kasak masak – Amar Deep

Papi pet ka sawaal hai – Papi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai

Main kaun tu jadugar - Dushman Dost

Saawan nahi bhadon nahi – Kudrat

Ek bosa humne maanga - Bayen hath ke khel

Sajaa hai sajaa hai – Riyaasat

Jago re jago – Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtaar

Suraj Aur Dharti – Aavishkar .

BHUPEN HAZARIKA 'S TOP 25 (HINDI) SONGS ! :

Yt Link:

One of the greatest icons of North East & East India!

A truly greatest of Assamese & Indian film directors & film makers, from the Golden era. & winner of the Presidents medal for outstanding film direction several times over!

As also, an eminent & award-winning music composer for a wide range of North east language films & albums.

And ofcourse, known to heartland India, as one of the most mesmerising singers ever! One of Indian playback's most deeply blended & entrancing voices!

As you would expect, with this brief summary of achievements over many a decade..a posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna of India!

Here's a brief docu h/l the above. 👇 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCtEkYNrkUM

Only a few handful of his works have been translated or produced in non-Assamese languages, namely in Bengali & Hindi.

So now, for Indie's humble tribute to the massive legend of Indian art.

INDIES DELIGHTFULLY PRESENTS,

'BHUPEN HAZARIKA'S TOP 25 (HINDI) SONGS'!

Soak yourself in the ancient hilly spirit of India, for all times! And revel, resting under the blissful shade of a giant Indian supermoon!

Dill hum Hum (solo)

Dill hum hum (duet)

Ganga Behti Ho Kyun (fast)

Ganga Behti Ho Kyun (slow)

Ye Kiski Sada Hai

Duniya Parayee Log Yahaan Begaane

Gumsum Gumsum Nisha Aaye

Dola he Dola

Neela neela Aasmaan

Arunachal hamara

"

Haan Aawara Hun

Maub Aur Mera Saaya

Main Toh Sang Jaun Banwaas

Us Din Ki Baat Hai

O Videhi Bondhu

Jorua

Gaja Gamini

Aalsi Sawan Badri Udaye

Zara Dheere Zara Dheeme

Jai yashoda nandan

Vaishnava Jana Toh Tene Kahiye

Samay O Dheere Chalo

Kitne Hi Sagar

Insaan insaan Ke Liye

Hu hu Pagal Pavan Chale

Ganga & Dil song, in Interview .

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

KaJu

Pt.2 -> Masterlist

A day before the departure, Arjuna recieved an unusual parcel, or rather, a gift. From the one and only Vasudev Krishna. That boy was older than him by two years, and was from the royal family of the oligarchy kingdom, Dwarka.

Arjuna opened the box, and saw atypical but adorable blue stones, along with a small letter and a peacock feather.

Hope you like the small gift, Parth!

—Vasudev Krishna

'Why did he send only me a cute yet unusual gift like this? Because none of my Bhrata have got one. And Parth? Is he referring to me? Either way, i really love the name!' Arjuna thought as he kept away the stones in a part of his dhoti, and rummaged through the seven-tiered Chakravyuha formation.

"Arju?" Came Bheem's voice. Arjuna perked up as he jumped on the twenty-one year old lad, who caught him and twirled him in the air ruffling his younger brother's hairs.

"Bhrata Bheem!" Exclaimed Arjuna cheerfully. "Let me guess, you want to eat sweets together with all our brothers and discuss plans about the war tomorrow, right?" Bheem pulled Arjuna by the shoulder and grinned wide. "You guessed right! Now come on!" Vrikodar pulled Phalgun along, who just laughed.

"Yesterday was impressive! You fought sooo well!" Nakul said excitedly.

"I think we should get to serious topics now, Nakul. We have to go to war tomorrow." Said Yudhishthir, being his usual serious self. "As me and the others were discussing, you would have to lead us in the war, Phalgun."

"I agree. Because Panchal Raj is most likely to use that formation. We will clear the way for you." Sahadev added, with a gentle smile.

_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–

It was a pretty windy day. It was still dark outside as he made his way to the stables to see his white pet horse. Arjuna had received him as a present just a few months ago; since he was a young warrior now, he could have a horse of his own. He had named him Vikramaditya — a rather fancy name for a horse. Vikram for short. Arjuna was really fond of him, and stroked and cuddled the animal as he drank water from his tub. As he headed towards the main halls, he heard raised voices coming clearly from a distance. Outside, in the main yard, Duryodhan was up bright and early before sunrise, having a full-blown argument with Drona, as many people looked on.

"But that is unfair, Acharya!"

"I am having none of it! He can not come!"

"But it will be much easier if he goes with us!"

"Then it means that you are not confident in your own skills!"

It was then that Arjuna noticed Karna standing beside Duryodhan, head lowered, jaw tightened in anger and shame. Drona hadn't initially recognised him at the ceremony, since they'd met after several years, but had known who he was the minute he'd introduced himself. Moments later, the argument was interrupted by Shakuni, who bowed before Drona. He already seemed to have something up his sleeve, like he always did.

"Respected Guru", he drawled, "Allow me to explain, if you please." He shoved Duryodhan aside and stepped in front of Drona. "I understand you do not wish to take along a man who isn't your pupil, but I assure you! You can most certainly take him along without letting him participate! You and your son are going as well, but neither of you are fighting. Similarly, you may take Angaraj with you. Let him stay back, but remember, Drupad is tough to defeat. Just in case your pupils find themselves in peril, you may send the King of Anga to their aid in an emergency. Not only would this benefit you, but also ensure that you have a second plan if your first one goes awry."

Drona hesitated. Shakuni had a point. After thinking for a few moments more, he relented. "Alright. He can come. But mind you, young man", he pointed a finger at Karna. "You can only join the battle of I order you to do so." Duryodhan and Karna nodded, looking pleased and relieved.

"What's going on?" said a boisterous voice behind Arjuna. He turned to see Bheem with Yudhishthir.

"King Karna of Anga will be joining us too." In response, Bheem scoffed and rolled his eyes. None of Arjuna's brothers took well to Karna, given that he was clearly on Duryodhan's side anyways.

As the princes arrived slowly and stood in front of their teacher, Drona addressed them. "Today is the day of the first battle of your lives. I want you all to do well. But be warned, Drupad is not an easy man to defeat, for he has the same knowledge of and training in warfare that I have imparted to all of you. It is my goal to defeat him with some of the greatest young warriors whom I have taught myself. If any of you are still a bit apprehensive about this, you are free to opt out of the Gurudakshina. Of those who choose to participate, I have faith you will not let me down."

Arjuna felt even more emboldened than before. He bit his lip, struggling to control the excitement from showing on his face. He would do it. They bade goodbye to the elders and set off. Panchal was not very far from Hastinapur, it was a journey of about nine hours on horseback and in chariot-cars. Since they had left in the early morning, they arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Panchal was comparatively smaller than Hastinapur but was blessed with picturesque landscapes worthy of portraits - sparkling lakes, long stretches of deep green meadows and rolling hills.

Without warning, the party marched into the capital of Kampilya. The citizens gathered on the street sides in astonishment and confusion, many shouted and ran out of their homes to watch what was happening. Drona and his pupils headed straight to the palace, and as they approached the gates, he addressed the royal guards in a booming voice:

"Hear, hear, guards of this gate! I hereby command you to call upon your Maharaj at this very moment! Tell him that his old friend, Drona, has finally come to fulfil his part of the bet!"

The guards had no time to protest: seeing a host of over a hundred young warriors all wielding various weapons sent them into a frenzy. They rushed inside at once, yelling out and within minutes, Drupad had come outside, a large army of soldiers in his wake.

Drona ordered the Pandavas, Karna and Ashwatthama to stand back, and sent the Kauravas inside first. All hundred and one brothers ran in like a stream of wild bulls, charging straight at Drupad, who stood back as his soldiers ran at the princes. Chaos ensued. Maces slammed into each other, arrows were shot from all ends, fearsome spears were thrown with great force and swords clashed all around. The fight continued for around twenty minutes. Karna waited eagerly, his bow ready, hoping he would be called, but Drona stood just as resolutely in front of him, watching the scene unfold.

The Pandavas and Ashwatthama stood to one side far from the huge gates, Arjuna and Ashwatthama gossiping like the old friends they were, with Nakul adding his two cents here and there between their conversation.

"Now is not the time to be talking or gossiping, Phalgun." Came Jyesht's voice, in response of which he gave a whine. "Why are you always ruining the fun!?"

The others nodded their heads and crossed their arms as Yudhishthir sweatdropped.

Drona turned to the Pandavas. "It is your turn now, Panduputro. Go." The five hadn't noticed when their literal hunded cousins came back; Duryodhan and Dushasan were the last ones to return, panting and out of breath. They were both a mess; Dushasan had a gash on his thigh and several bruises over his face; Duryodhan’s hair had become terribly untidy and dusty from having fallen several times, and he looked like he’d had the wind knocked out of him.

Bheem would have laughed at them if it wasn't for the serious matter ahead of him and his brothers. They all nodded and the five proceeded towards the gate as Drupad yelled something imperceptible at Drona again. As per the plan, Yudhishthir stayed at the gate, blocking it with his chariot; the twins stood far out on either side of him, preparing to jump on anyone who tried to attack their eldest brother or their teacher. Meanwhile, Bheem ran straight inside towards the army, clearing the path for Arjuna, who entered in his wake on Vikram. Bheem alone was enough to take a little over half of the army; he charged with full force, his mighty mace thrashing anyone who tried to stop him. Meanwhile, Arjuna started his work of breaking the Chakravyuha, while his brothers worked together to defeat all soldiers.

Arjuna repeatedly shot arrows that multiplied into hundreds at once, thus easily fending off the other half of the army. The seventeen year old rode with his head low; whenever his horse began to show signs of panic, he would rub his neck comfortingly, leading him in various directions away from any oncoming soldiers before turning round and shooting at them with impeccable aim.

Arjuna was almost near the center but that was when he saw the Panchal Raj outside the Chakravyuha. He was about to break the last layer and go but was stopped by a shout. "Return to your teacher, you insolent boy! Your Guru is as pathetic as he always was, using his students to fight this battle with me! What else can one expect from a coward? Return, I tell you! Or else you shall meet the same fate as the hundred who came before you!"

Arjuna felt his temper rising at hearing his teacher being insulted this way. He was now more determined than ever to successfully complete this task. He shot arrows at Drupad, who shot back immediately. They collided and fell lifeless to the cracked, sun-scorched earth.

As the fight continued however, many of Drupad's army personnel were left in awe as they looked on; they weren't going to intervene when their King was fighting another warrior; but what had surprised them was that, despite having a positional advantage of standing up high on an elephant (compared to the Rajkumar on the ground), their King was slowly but surely losing the fight.

No one could tell the small gap of a few seconds between Arjuna taking out arrows from his quiver and him finally releasing them. His movements were nimble, agile, skilful. At one point, Arjuna shot an arrow that grazed Drupad's shoulder. The force of it caused Drupad to lose his balance and fall off the elephant.

The former jumped off his horse and ran towards him. Now was his chance to trap Drupad. However, there was a flash of light and the next moment, there were five identical men standing in front of him. Arjuna's mouth fell slightly open. Drupad had used a spell of which he had no knowledge of, one that could create illusions of himself. The five Drupads all looked at him, each with a smug expression on his face, inviting him to capture one of them. There was no way he could tell the real Drupad apart.

And suddenly as one of the Drupad's slashed st him, he dodged at the last minute but the stone he had kept had fallen down.

Five pairs of eyes. The eyes. The eyes on the bluish pebbles…

And then it struck him. It was so sudden that for a moment he thought it was madness to believe it. But could it be? There was a tiny chance it was true. He stole a glance at the eyes of each Drupad. The man on the far left end was looking straight at the man to his own left. The three men from the right were also looking at the man to their right. All as if trying to imitate him. The man in question was staring right at Arjuna.

Then he knew. In a flash, he shot an arrow at the man standing second from the left. It transformed into ropes, which bound themselves around Drupad. The king let out a yell of surprise and stumbled backwards, as the remaining four illusions disappeared. Arjuna too let out an exclamation of triumph, "So there you are!" He couldn’t help but laugh. "You should have instructed your impostors not to make it so obvious that they were trying to copy you."

When Drupad was brought before Drona, he was fuming, humiliated at being defeated by a young boy. Drona was beaming yet again, both at Drupad's defeat and at his favourite student. The teacher and the king began a heated discussion, in which Drona agreed to let Drupad go if the latter gave him half his kingdom (as he had apparently promised to do several years ago before going back on his word). The raging king had to give in in order to be set free.

The Kauravas were sullen and grumpy at their inability to perform well, and at being outshined by their five cousins once again. Karna was dejected as he hadn't had a chance to take part, uet couldn't help but admire the younger archer. Bheem was elated as Drona praised him for his might and strength. Arjuna, Yudhishthir, Nakul and Sahadev each received hugs from Drona for their persistence and endeavours.

Though he was certainly happy at having successfully completed the Gurudakshina task, Arjuna's mind was far from praise and glory at the moment.

All he could think about were the five pebbles Krishna had sent him.

┏━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┓

❍               ❍                ❍

┗━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┛

Yudhishthir was crowned Yuvraj and Duryodhan wasn't able to swallow it down his evil throat. And that was again when Shakuni jumped in. They had planned about how they were going to burn the Pandavas alive and even convinced Raaj Maata Kunti, and Karna, still harboring Dharma in his mind, didn't take well to it. He excused himself. "Mitra, I am going to take some fresh air outside. I- I will meet up with you later on." And walked away without even waiting for Duryodhan's response.

As he walked down the corridors, Karna saw lotuses floating on the water of the fountains and remembered the Raaj Maata's face. He smiled as he took one and peoceeded towards the Queen Mother's room as it was the last time he would see her again.

Arjuna was the first one to arrive at his Kunti Maa's room, jumping all his way excitedly like the adorable child he was, because she had called them to talk and discuss about going to Varnavrat. As he reached outside door of her kaksh, he didn't notice Angaraj Karna behind him because he was coming from the other way and was almost there when they both heard voices and their conversation and it shocked them to the core.

Some lines have been taken from SuaveBlackSwan's book 'Mahabharata — a retelling' as well as inspired from my pyaari si Jiji @bharatiya-naari-sab-pe-bhaari :)

[blackknight-100]

Hey! Hi! Hello! How are you doing? I just found your blog and I absolutely love it. Your laxman Kumar ficlet was so haunting, I just had to come back and read it. Would you mind writing an Abhimanyu lives au? It's alright If you don't want to or if you're busy or if you're not taking requests rn, but I'd love to see the way you imagine it. The post about feeling inadequate as a writer has resonated immensely with me and motivated me to start writing again, so thanks!!

Hey there!

Firstly, thank you for looking through my blog, and taking the time to leave a message. I am so glad you liked the fic and that you read it again!

Secondly, congratulations on finding the motivation to write again! You have no idea how happy I am that I could help even a little bit. And as a writer who (for some reason) can presently write nothing longer than one-shots, I hope you find the exact words you need, that you have no typos, and that all your ideas arrive whenever there is writing materials/devices nearby. I hope you will remain immune to writer's block, and write the story that satisfies you. Good luck!

Thirdly, for your story, I wasn't particularly certain whether you wanted a general tragedy or a comparatively happy ending, so i wrote two for you (even if the second became gratuitous K&D). The first one is in this post, and the second one here.

1. Drona watches the Kaurava army descend on Abhimanyu with a horrified misery he has not known since his fight with Drupada. The young warrior is every inch his father’s son, and every time Drona glances at him he sees Arjuna instead. Arjuna – as a young boy, chariotless and bowless, pressed from all sides by enemies thrice his age, bloody, broken but unbowed.

When Abhimanyu had charged into the chakravyuha, he had cut down soldiers so swiftly and so devastatingly that the spinning arms were all but destroyed. Now the same warrior lies on the ground, delirious and dying.

The feeling that stirs in his chest is not quite mercy, neither is it compassion, but a strange amalgam of pity and longing. He furtively looks around. Of all gathered, the kings of Gandhar and Anga are most likely to challenge him. The other Kauravas he can quell, and Ashwatthama and Kripa are his family. But the two kings are kneeling beside Duryodhana, who sits still and lifeless beside his fallen son. ‘Already a child has left us today,’ Drona thinks, although neither Lakshmana nor Abhimanyu are young enough to be a child, ‘and sundown is close. This valiant one must live another day.’

It is with this resolve he picks up Abhimanyu from the ground, and walks towards the Pandava camp. His feet grow lighter every step of the way.

2. The Pandava brothers fall at his feet when he brings to them their glorious child. Arjuna, having deposited his son in the makeshift ayuralay, tearfully clings to his hands.

“Do not leave, Aachaarya, I beg you. Duryodhana will not forgive you this,” he weeps. “I pray you, do not leave us alone.”

Arjuna is not wrong, but Drona will not leave Ashwatthama alone to shoulder his follies.

Krishna, standing alone in silent vigil at the tent flap, gives him a sorrowful look. “Why did you do that?” he asks.

“Should I not have brought back Abhimanyu?” Drona can hear the incredulity in his own voice.

Krishna shakes his head. “Arjuna will take no vow.”

“I’m sure he will vow whatever you want him to do,” Drona tells him. Arjuna and Krishna’s friendship is well known.

“You do not understand,” he says, cryptic as ever, before walking away.

Bewildered and a little frightened, Drona walks back to the Kaurava camp with leaden feet.

3. At the entrance, there is a motley group waiting for him. “Look who comes,” Shakuni sniffs.

Duryodhana, eyes red and leaning heavily on Dushshasana's shoulder, gives him a scowl so fearsome that he shudders. Karna rubs his back, murmurs something soothingly. The Crown Prince shakes his head. “Guards,” he calls, “arrest him. Take him to Hastinapur. Let His Majesty, my royal father, judge his treason.”

Ashwatthama sobs a little. “Duryodhana, please,” he says.

Duryodhana whirls around at him. “I could have him killed right now,” he says. “My son died today, and yet Abhimanyu still lives. This is all the mercy I can offer you, my friend.”

Ashwatthama bows his head. Drona sinks to his knees and weeps.

4. The fourteenth day dawns bright and clear, and Arjuna, angry with the assault on his son, prevails upon Krishna to charge into the Kaurava ranks.

The first person he meets is Vrishasena, chasing after his brother, and cuts him apart like a reed by the Yamuna – right in front of his father. Next he finds Karna, and the memory of Draupadi’s sorrow burns in his mind.

“To him Madhav, to him!” he insists, but Krishna has already turned the chariot away.

Karna taunts him as he chases them, but his charioteer is no match for Krishna, so in the end, he challenges him to a duel.

They fight long and hard, and nearly exhaust every weapon that laws of battle permit them to use. The other soldiers gather around to watch them fight. Finally, from the depths of his shattered chariot, Karna retrieves a long shaft with a glittering tip. Krishna immediately swings his vehicle away.

“What are you doing?” he asks Madhav, harsher than he had intended. Madhav doesn’t answer.

But he doesn’t need to. Karna has lifted the shaft to his bow. “Vajra of the Devaraj, smite the youngest of Pritha's sons,” he commands, “and do not let him rise again.”

The shaft catches him on his neck, for Krishna still hasn’t turned the chariot. Arjuna falls, and Madhav lets out a haunting wail he will remember for the rest of his life.

Through excruciating pain and mind-numbing panic, he hears Karna walk up and say, “Tell your aunt, Dwarkadheesh, he will live to see another day.”

(Nakula is expressionless when he speaks. “The wound will not heal, but he will live. Though I do not think, he will rise again.”

His brothers, wives, mother and friend all look relieved.

“Small mercies,” Madhav murmurs, but Arjuna thinks he would rather have death than be crippled evermore. )

5. “You did not kill Arjuna,” Duryodhana observes, even as they desperately try to kill Bheema's monstrous son. Karna shakes his head. “No, he acknowledges, “I didn’t.” “He killed Vrishasena.” “I know. I was right there.” Duryodhana bangs his mace on one of Ghatotkacha's fingers. The giant withdraws them with a roar. “So, why?” he demands. Karna's knuckles are white where he clutches his bow. “What greater shame than to have such talent and yet be crippled?” Duryodhana stops swinging and turns to him, unimpressed. “Do not lie to me Karna. Not you too.” “I’m not lying,” he insists, and turns to Ashwatthama. “Thama! What are you doing?” Ashwatthama is tying the soldier’s spears into one long shaft. “The ballista,” he tells them. “Get the bolt throwers.” In the end, it takes eighty three makeshift shafts, and twenty one bolts, but finally, Bheema's gargantuan son falls in a cloud of dust and smoke, and the Kaurava army cheers. Ashwatthama comes up to Duryodhana, kneels. “Please, Your Highness,” he mumbles, “my father…” Duryodhana lifts him up and hugs him close. “He will be alright, my friend.”

+1 Bheema screams well into the night, and it is music to Duryodhana’s ears. When morn comes, the grief-stricken father descends into the battlefield like Rudra reborn, and ravages more than a sixth of the Kauravas army. But rage is man’s one true enemy, and on the fifteenth day, Bheema falls to Duryodhana’s mace. His promises to his lady wife remain unfulfilled. The remaining Pandavas appeal for truce. Duryodhana offers them a palace deep in the forest – guarded by man and nature alike. Shalya whisks away Nakula and Sahadeva to Madra. Duryodhana lets them go. It is in his woodland prison that Yudhisthir settles with the women and children of his household and thus, the last of Pandu's line lies buried under broken oaths and promises.