Mahabharata: The Myth of the Death of Bhisma, Drona, Karna, Duryodhana by Indrajit Bandyopadhyay Bookmark and Share The Kuru-war, supposed to be a ‘Dharma-Yuddha,’ gradually degenerated into one with ‘Victory-at-any-cost’ becoming the chief protagonist, and ‘Dharma’ the main victim! The rules of fair warfare framed at the beginning of the war, were thrown to the winds as the war rolled on through its bloodiest phases. Abhimanyu was killed by seven maharatha’s in of one of the most cowardly acts! It is said the four pillars of the Kaurava side - Bhisma, Drona, Karna and Duryodhana were also killed unethically. The Pandavas and Krishna have earned much ill reputation for these killings. Traditionally accepted facts, nay ‘interpretation of text’ hazes our judgement so much that we seldom feel the urge to take a firsthand plunge into the ‘text’ itself to see what is the ‘fact in the text’ if not the ‘fact of history’! However, a close reading of the ‘text’ relating to the death of Bhisma, Drona, Karna and Duryodhana reveals different shades of the accepted myths! Bhisma’s ‘Bed of Arrows’ On the tenth day of the war Arjuna killed grandpa Bhisma using Shikhandi as a shield, goes the story. Bhisma would not shoot at Shikhandi, because he had been a woman! He himself revealed to the Pandavas the way of killing him. He had ‘Ichhamrityu’, so lived another six months on his bed of arrows waiting for ‘Uttarayana’. In the ‘text’, Arjuna was fighting and piercing Bhisma (Section CXIX of Bhishma Parva), ‘placing Sikhandin before him. In the very next Section (CXX of Bhishma Parva) Sanjaya reported -‘Thus all the Pandavas, placing Sikhandin before them pierced Bhishma in that battle repeatedly surrounding him on all sides’. Again, we find in Dhritarashtra’s lament in the Adi Parva - ‘When I heard that Arjuna, having placed Sikhandin before himself in his chariot, had wounded Bhishma of infinite courage and invincible in battle, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of successes’. Does the phrase ‘placing Sikhandin before him’ mean Arjuna used Shikhandi as a shield? If so, then how could all the Pandavas place the same person before them? Why should we take the phrase literally in Arjuna’s case but rhetoricaly in the case of the other Pandavas? In a battlefield, was it really possible for Arjuna to use Shikhandi as a personal shield? With Drona, Kritavarman, Jayadratha, Bhurisravas, Sala, Salya, and Bhagadatta all nearby and attacking Arjuna, wouldn’t it have been ‘harikiri’ of honour for Arjuna? Could Arjuna put his own fame and honour at stake thus? The description of war shows Bhisma showed no leniency to Arjuna that day! He was ‘licking the corners of his mouth.’ Arjuna and Bhisma were fighting face to face. Arjuna gradually cut off all the bows of Bhishma. After that, Bhishma ‘no longer desired to battle with Arjuna’. Undoubtedly, the battle was with Arjuna. Bhisma addressed Duhshashana with a smile and said, these arrows coursing towards me in one continuous line, whose touch resembleth that of heavens bolt, have been shot by Arjuna’. Duhshashana was protecting Bhisma that day. If Arjuna had really been doing any act of cowardice or unfair war, Duhshashana would have commented upon the matter at that very instance! When Bhisma ‘fell down’ from his chariot - ‘There was not in Bhishmas body space of even two fingers breadth that was not pierced with arrows.’ On the tenth day Krishna planned an all-out attack on Bhisma under the Shikhandin Division, which had so long been storing energy. That day, Sikhandin Division led the attack and Arjuna protected Sikhandi himself. That is what the phrase ‘placing Sikhandin before him’ actually means! In the latter part of that day’s war, Arjuna ‘stationed at the head of his troops, broke the centre of the Kuru army’. So, at first, Shikhandi took the lead, but later it was Arjuna. Under tremendous attack from Arjuna, the Kaurava warriors of different nation ‘abandoned Bhishma’. Vyasa, out of respect for Bhisma, did not use the word ‘death’ and left the matter ambiguous. Latter poets taking this literally, interpolated the story of Bhisma pierced with arrows all over his body living for another six months on the bed of arrows! There is no mention of Arjuna’s ‘unethical’ fight in Sanjaya’s report that follows immediately. He only mentioned (Section CXXIV) that Bhisma ‘had become silent’. When Karna went to meet Bhisma that evening, neither he nor Bhisma made any references to Arjuna’s ‘cowardly’ act! Bhisma lived for that night only. His immense pain is evident when he spoke to Karna. His ‘eyes were covered with film’ and he could only ‘slowly raise his eyelids.’ He could not have lived for another six months in that condition. Biology won’t permit that, nor any logical stretch of imagination! Vyasa could never have created such an inappropriate myth! The fourth Section of Bhisma Parva clearly mentions the manner of Bhisma’s death. Sanjaya said to Dhritarashtra -‘Having afflicted the Pancalas and the Pandavas endued with great activity, and slain thousands of warriors, he was at last slain by Arjuna!’ at first Arjuna only wounded Bhisma (evident in Dhritarashtra’s lamentation!). His love for his grandfather did not permit him (despite Krishna’s discourse on duty!) a downright slaughter! Arjuna could never do the ignominious act of beheading Bhisma! Bhisma died that night after giving Karna his due recognition. There is no reason to believe otherwise! - See more at: boloji/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=7380#sthash.rB3a9HSF.dpuf
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 05:48:57 +0000
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