THREE
When Duryodhana had gone, Krishna turned to Arjuna with reproach in his eyes.
“You made such a foolish choice! Didn’t you hear what I said, that I would carry no weapon during the war? Did you think the Sudarshana Chakra would be yours to cast at the enemy? I will not strike a blow, Arjuna. You had the first choice and you chose wrongly. Did you see the delight in Duryodhana’s eyes? Ah, what have you done, Pandava?”
Arjuna began to laugh. Krishna cried, “And laughing now? After being so rash.”
Arjuna said, “Don’t make fun of me, my Lord. I have what I came for, though I came slowly and arrived after my clever cousin. Krishna, I will raze the Kaurava army by myself. But will you be my sarathy? So I can fight in your name and in the name of dharma and rid the earth of the evil that chokes her. And if you will, my own name shall become immortal: for they will call you Parthasar-athy!”
Krishna’s accusing look evaporated. He took Arjuna’s hand and said, “I will be your sarathy, Partha. But are you certain you have made the right choice?”
“I know you, Krishna! Where you are, victory shall be. Life is a storm and you are our only shelter. You have come to the world to till this ancient land and let kshatriya blood in a sea to renew her. I will be your priest for that ritual, Krishna.
Spring will be greener, when we have finished our sacrifice. Rain-clouds will be darker and the colors of autumn more resonant. Winter will be purer and the summer more true because your blue feet walked the earth! My heart knows all this, why do you try to make me think it is otherwise? When Arjuna fights, Krishna’s will shall be done through him, not his own. Win or lose, no matter, for posterity will know that Krishna fought on the side of the Pandavas. Not I, or any of my brothers would have it otherwise.”
Krishna embraced Arjuna. Then he led him into another room in his palace, where Satyaki was pacing the floor. Krishna said, “Look, Satyaki, at what this Arjuna has done.”
Satyaki cried anxiously, “What did he do?”
“He chose to take my hand, even if it meant losing the war.”
Satyaki gave a shrill laugh. “I thank God! I was terrified Arjuna would make the wrong choice.” A shadow crossed his face. “But Duryodhana has gone to meet Balarama, to ask him to fight on his side. Kritavarman says your brother is already with him.”
Krishna said, “My brother will take no part in the war. He did his best to keep me out of it as well. But that would not do, would it?” He smiled, mysteriously as ever. “Balarama isn’t happy with his Krishna, but that can be set right later. The vital thing is, he will not fight.”
He took a grape from a silver bowl and chewed thoughtfully on its purple flesh. “It was surely Shakuni that sent his nephew to me in such haste and he will be overjoyed at the news Duryodhana takes back to him. That is the pity with people like Shakuni: they are satisfied with the skin of the fruit. But in the end, it is Arjuna and his brothers who will taste the flesh. This is always the way of time: that the righteous shall have lasting victory, while evil only appears to win and for a short while.”
He spat some seeds through a window, from the grape he had just eaten. “Anyway, I am thankful I did not have to turn Duryodhana down when he came to me. Now no one can say Krishna was not just. Though heaven knows what I would have done if I had not seen Arjuna standing at the foot of my bed when I awoke, while the Kaurava sat haughtily where I could not see him. I really wonder what I would have done.”
Satyaki said quietly, “Shall I tell you what you would have done? You would have told Duryo-dhana that you had already decided to join the Pandavas. That is what you would have done. I know you, Krishna!”
“Do you really, Satyaki? Everyone seems to know me, these days, better than I do myself. A short while ago, when I questioned the wisdom of the choice he made, Arjuna said to me, ‘I know you, Krishna!’ Just yesterday, Balarama said the same thing. Shall I tell you what my brother said?
‘I know you, Krishna,’ he said to me. ‘You will not rest until you see this war fought. You are determined that Duryodhana and Karna must die and I will not fight against you. I don’t much care what happens, either; I don’t care who wins or loses, lives or dies. But I feel sorry for Duryodhana. Time will remember him as the man who sent the Pandavas into exile, the kshatriya who cheated at dice. But what about his other qualities, Krishna? His generosity, his charm, his intelligence, his courage: who will say Duryodhana was a respectful pupil, a softhearted and loyal friend? He will be remembered only for one folly and not for his kindness toward Karna, whom he treats like his own brother. I ask you, would any of the Pandavas have been so generous to a man who is not their own blood, but a sutaputra. Would anyone?’
He sighed. ‘I wish I had gone to Hastinapura to negotiate with Duryodhana; he would never refuse anything I asked him. But that was not what you wanted, was it? I know you, Krishna. Only what you have decided will happen. The others are all your puppets and they don’t even realize it. Once Shakuni twirled loaded ivory dice; now you twirl the dice of fate in your hands, my brother. And they are loaded, too, with the deaths of Duryodhana and Karna, both of whom have never been given a fair chance in this life.’
He said again, ‘I know you, Krishna. I want no part in this war,’ and he stalked out.”
Krishna sighed, “My brother is very unhappy, Satyaki. I suppose it is true, what he says, that one fault has eclipsed all Duryodhana’s undeniable qualities. It is sad, but then this is a sad world, isn’t it? And should Yudhishtira, who is the noblest of men, suffer endlessly for no fault of his? Why should he? Because he is truthful and patient and because he never leaves the path of dharma? No, he has suffered enough for being righteous. The hour of reckoning has come, now Duryodhana must pay for his sins.
Shall Bheema not keep his oath, which he swore when Dusasana tried to strip Draupadi in the sabha of Hastinapura? Shan’t Draupadi have the revenge for which she has waited thirteen years? They shall! Or dharma has no meaning. But, Satyaki, my brother doesn’t really know me. If there was any way at all, I, as much as Yudhishtira, would prevent this war. But I do know Duryodhana. His hatred rules him and he will not relent. And I fear the war on the crack of the ages must be fought.” Softly he added, “As it was always meant to be.”
For a moment, he was plunged in some thought too deep to share. Then Krishna smiled brightly again at Arjuna and Satyaki. He put his hands on their shoulders and said, “But now we must hurry to Upaplavya. As Balarama says, the die is cast and Yudhishtira waits anxiously for us.”