Summary:

"Father, the throne you have envisioned for your eldest son will be the funeral pyre to all your remaining sons." The boy declared in a hard tone. Turning towards her, Suyodhana continued. " Amma,I promised you that I'll never cross any boundary that was drawn by you. You heard every argument put forward from my side. Even after all of this, if you order me to take the throne after all of this and I'll break my Dharma as a big brother and will place my name as the contender for the throne. I'm asking you to weigh all the possibilities and decide if it's worth it."

-A son to his mother.

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Gandhari always thought herself to be a good wife and a good mother. She tried her best always to curb her husband's influence on her son. But she forgot that in the formation of a child's psyche, both the mother and the father have an equal responsibility.

The throne had long been a source of division and conflict between her husband and his brother, its shadow looming large over the brothers. It now threatened to engulf their sons in a war that promised only loss and destruction. But Suyodhana's decision to step away from this path appeared as a beacon of hope, the possibility of peace suddenly within grasp, a dream she scarcely dared to believe could become reality.

Yet, beneath the initial wave of relief, Gandhari was troubled by a deep sense of perplexity. Suyodhana, known for his ambition and unyielding determination, was the last person anyone would expect to relinquish power so readily. His actions were out of character, a deviation from the stubbornness that defined him. The timing of his decision, just three months after the return of the sons of Gods, only added to the mystery, suggesting that there was more to this choice than met the eye.

So she was silent when her husband asked him why he was making that hard decision.



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"Have you lost your mind Suyodhana..." Her husband screamed at her son. "The throne of Hasthinapur is your right. How could you give up your right to the throne?"



Suyodhana was silent for a few moments. "Because I don't want me and all my brothers to die."



The answer stunned both the king and the queen to silence. "Amma, if you won't be angry with me... can I ask you a question?"



Swallowing a lump in her throat, Gandhari nodded. "Father was born blind... but why are you blind, Amma?" The bitterness in her son's voice swallowed the anger that rose in her. Her child challenged her act of service towards her husband and yet the sadness in his tone made her stop. But she cannot let this go. Because if she's not strict with Suyodhana when he's a child, he will turn even more obstinate. It's easier to bend a sapling than a tree. So hardening her heart, she replied.



"This blindfold is the symbol of my devotion towards your father, Suyodhana." She said injecting steel in her tone.



"I didn't ask why you are wearing a blindfold Amma. I'm asking why you chose to be blind?" Suyodhana replied his tone turning harsh but she could hear helplessness in it. "Father, did you ever ask Amma to blind herself for you?"



"Why does that matter, Suyodhana?" Dhritarastra asked after retaining his senses. "You are asking me to announce that you are renouncing your rights as a Crown Prince. That's our conversation. So why does your mother's decision she made even before you were born matter?"



"It's crucial to this situation, Father." was the answer. "So Father did you ever ask Amma to blindfold herself?"



Deciding to humour his obstinate son her husband replied. "No."



"Father never asked you to blind yourself Amma." The Prince replied calmly. "So why are you blind Amma?"



"I don't want any advantage your father does not have Suyodhana. Since last year, you have been good. So where is this obstinacy coming from?" Gandhari asked helplessly. She was so hopeful. In the last year, his son stopped being obstinate and began listening to her, going far as to promise that he'd never cross any boundary she drew. Now his obstinate nature is back and it pained her heart.



"Because..." Suyodhana took a deep breath. "...because you chose to blind yourself, I and my brothers are now stuck in a quagmire that threatened to swallow us whole. Because you chose your devotion to your husband over your duty towards your children..." Here his laugh was so hollow that it crushed her heart. "...now your children are prepped for a slaughter with a death sentence hanging over their head even before they were born."



"Suyodhana..." Both she and her husband roared.



"Angry are you both?" He continued in a fierce tone. "Alright... let's play a game." Her eldest son stood before them both and took each of their hands. "Tell me what is the expression on my face."



"Obstinate and angry." Both she and her husband replied at once. Suyodhana didn't say anything but put both of their hands on his face. It was wet and was filled with tears.



"I'm crying in helplessness, amma." Fresh tears wet her hand and instinctively, both she and her husband instinctively took their clothes and wiped off those tears. "I'm crying in helplessness and you couldn't even see my tears, amma." He said walking away from her after batting their hands from his face. How long was her child carrying anguish in his heart? "I'm not angry that you are devoted to father amma. I'm disappointed because I and my brothers are never your priority."



"How can you say that Suyodhana?" She cried. "How can you ever say that?"



"You had one hundred sons, amma. Tell me when we ran around the palace of Hasthinapur, who played with us? Who will give us guidance when we make wrong steps?" Suyodhana's voice was harsh but the pain in it was not gone. "Have you ever thought for a single second...'If I blindfold myself, who will take care of my children? Who will raise them? Who will look after their well-being? Who will teach them decorum?' Have you ever thought this in your life amma?" He asked. "We are never your priority amma. Deny anything but not this."



Gandhari's blindfold turned wet with tears but Suyodhana didn't bother to wipe them off. "Are you done, Suyodhana?" she wailed. "Did you say whatever you had to say?"



"Suyodhana.. why are you hurting your mother so much?" Dhritarastra asked softly. "She has sacrificed so much for our family. What did you ever miss in your upbringing? You and your brothers have the finest clothes, delicious food and everything a child needs. Why are you like this, Suyodhana?"



"What we don't have is a person who loved us unconditionally Father," Suyodhana stated. "A person who will be our friend when we play. A person who gives us time when we are sad. A person who dresses our wounds when we get hurt. When we make a wrong step a guide who will teach us what is right or wrong. A person who watches over our conduct and teaches us manners. Father has Putra Moh amma, not love. And our mother whose first priority should be her children has placed devotion towards her husband and respect to her elders before the well-being of their children."



"Pati..." Gandhari spoke with a voice filled with emotion. "...our son became a man even before he was a Kishore. He became a man enough to question his mother. But I have to answer his questions. Tell me Maharaj Dhritarastra, you too are blind, aren't you? Then how was the administration of Hastinapur going so smoothly? Hmm..." Her voice trembled. "The administration is going softly because you have placed wise and trusted members to lead you, isn't it Maharaj?"



"Suyodhana... you asked why I wore this blindfold didn't you?" Gandhari took a deep breath and composed herself. "I'm wearing this blindfold because of my pati dharma. And you questioned it. Because of your father's disability and my pledge, we may never be able to raise you but we haven't neglected you. Just like your father has the help of administrators to guide him, you too have many people in this place to love you. You hundred brothers have driven away every caretaker we provided for you with your recklessness and obstinacy..."



Suyodhana snorted but didn't say anything so she continued. "Whenever you and your brothers are hurt we have the best physicians in Aryavartha to heal you. You have Pitamah Bhishma, the world's greatest warrior and one of the wisest men in the world to guide you whenever you take a wrong step. Your Kaka Vidhur could teach you conduct, decorum and manners but you never listened to him.



Your great-grandmother and your grandmothers loved you. Tell me Suyodhana. Aren't they enough?"



Her son stood silently for a few moments before he started laughing. Irritated by his laugh, her husband snarled. "Which of your mother's words is so humorous Suyodhana?



"Mahaamahim Bhishma? Prime Minister Vidur?" Her heart stopped for a moment. When did her child stop considering his Kaka and Pitamah as his relatives? What actually happened? "Mahaamahim Bhishma and Prime Minister Vidur, amma? Really?" Her son didn't even bother to hide his scorn. "At least my Rani Ambalika and Maharani Satyavathi tried to love me even though they ultimately failed. But Mahaamahim Bhishma and Prime Minister Vidhur. Have you both lost your mind?"



"Suyodhana, they are your elders and well-wishers of Hastinapur." Her husband scolded her son. "What happened Suyodhana? Why are you showing so much scorn towards them?"



"Why you ask father? Really...that's your question?" Her eldest child scoffed. "You used to call us Mahadev ka prasaad. But do you know what me and my brothers are called all over the kingdom, amma? Hastinapur ka kalank. The child who should be thrown into the forest to die. Doesn't that sound familiar, amma?"



"Suyodhana..."



"They are familiar because I was declared as such by Prime Minister Vidhur. He was the one who declared that I should be abandoned in the forest to die. And you placed my well-being in his hands. The well-being of me and my brothers you placed in the hands of such a person amma, really?"



Sweat started to gather over her forehead. When put it that way she could understand why her child called her and her husband fools. "What have you said amma? We have Pitamah Bhishma, the world's greatest warrior and one of the wisest men in the world to guide us whenever we take a wrong step." The contempt in the tone can be heard clearly. "Ask him first to spend time with us without thinking that I and my brothers are kul nashaks."



"Suyodhana..." her husband shouted.



"He couldn't even stand to look at us. And you both are saying he was the person who would lead us in the right way." The sarcasm in that tone could be heard even by a deaf person. "As for Prime Minister Vidhur... the bastard who never forgot to remind everyone of my birth conveniently forgot that Bhimasen too was born on that same day. That bastard who deprived us of the love of my grandmothers and great-grandmother. Who poisoned the minds of the entire Hasthinapur against us to the point where even a servant could sneer at the hundred of us without a consequence? You really thought I would listen to such a person, amma?"



Both she and her husband sat down silently. They cannot answer their son. "If you haven't willingly blinded yourself... you would have seen the expressions on their faces whenever they talk about us. You said you fulfilled your Pati dharma, amma?" The vitriol in his voice shocked her. "Then where is your mata dharma? For your pati dharma... you have neglected all your other duties. The duty of a mother, the duty of a queen hell even the duty of a wife you have failed amma."



"How can you say that Suyodhana?" she wailed. "How can you ever say that?"



"If your other half is unable to walk you should be their support. If he/she is deaf, you should be their ears. If he/she is mute you should be their voice. And if he/she is blind, you should be their sight. That is kalyana dharma amma. Not what you have deluded yourself into believing. Whatever one lacks the other should make up for it in a marriage. Say I am wrong, amma. I dare you to."



Never in her life had Gandhari felt such sorrow. Because she cannot refute it. Suyodhana is speaking the truth. "I and my brothers have no one amma. No one who loved us and made us their priority. Tell me amma even you started to hate me and my brothers right? Don't lie."



"Suyodhana..." her husband started



"You told Dussashana that stealing was wrong without even listening to him when Bhimasena kicked him down from that mango tree." Suyodhana snarled. "My brother... my poor little brother just wanted to escape from all others and simply relax on a tree. He didn't touch even a single fruit and yet was branded as a thief by the great Mahaamahim of Hasthinapur and you believed him."



Is that what really happened? She never knew. "My brother who got fractures in his right hand and in a world of pain was expecting his mother to at least listen to his side. What did you do? Tell me amma, what did you do?" Suyodhana's voice didn't raise but Gandhari felt it would be better if he screamed on her face. The disappointed voice of her child pierced her heart worse than a blade. "You scolded him."



He took a deep breath. "Ok let us assume that he really did steal them. Is it really the time to scold him, Mother? When he is lying in pain... is it really a good time for your lectures? Do you know he asked me if his mother too started to hate him just like all the elders in the court? You branded him a thief even after knowing his character. For all you decry our actions by saying we never listened to you... you abandoned us long ago. Just from the words of the great Mahaamahim..." He snarled. "...you too began to hate us.





अप्रियस्य च प्रियत्वं प्रियस्य चाप्रियता।

प्रियं च अप्रियं चैव गुणवानस्य बुध्यते॥"





"Love covers a hundred wrongs but hatred makes even a virtue look like a vice." Her husband translated the words spoken. Her children truly thought that she stopped loving them.



"Even when that mad elephant was the one to nearly kill us... I and my brothers were told by you and the elders to make peace with them. "



"Bhimasena didn't try to kill your brothers, Suyodhana... Even the healer said the bruises you got are mild." Her husband spoke on behalf of her. "He was just playing around. "



"Mild..." the tone of her child turned glacial. "Mild he said, right. Well, give me a few minutes."



Footsteps are heard before an order is heard. "Sanjeev... bring the royal physician to me immediately. I don't care if he's busy. If he's not here in the next ten minutes... I'll have you both beheaded."



A few moments later, the arrival of the royal physician was announced by the door guard. "So you are the royal physician who relays the well-being of our hundred brothers to our parents."



"Yes, Prince Suyodhana." was the reply.



"Last week... in 'rough-housing' with Prince Bhimasena, five of my brothers got injured. What are their names?"



"Prince Vikarna, Prince...." The royal physician could not recall other names and was silent. "No need I'll tell their names myself. Vikarna, Suvarma, Balvardhana, Anudhara and Chitrakundala. Out of these five who was least injured? I'm not asking about their injuries. " The sneer in his tone was heard clearly. "According to your experience, which amongst them is least injured?"



The healer was silent for several moments. "Prince Vikarna is the one who is least injured." He answered hesitantly.



Suddenly the screams of the healer filled the room. She was startled by the sound and her husband too was surprised by the screams. "What is happening?" He ordered. She could hear several footsteps entering the room.



"Me and the royal physician are just 'rough-housing'." Her son said with a false cheer. "No need to be so worried. All of you... leave." He ordered his leaving no space or argument. When none of them made to leave, her son added. "Vasusena was my teacher in the law of the land." He started in a low voice. "Does any of you want to test how much I learnt from him?" In a matter of seconds, the room was cleared except for her child and the physician.



"A partially fractured rib along with few broken teeth and buckle fracture in both wrists and ankles. Those are just the injuries Vikarna got." Suyodhana spoke again in false cheer. "We are just 'rough-housing' royal physician. And I broke them cleanly for you and not beating you repeatedly till the injury occurred. So you won't feel that much pain, unlike my brothers. These are mild injuries, aren't they? So why are you squealing like a pig?"



"I'm sorry... Please forgive me, Prince." The physician sobbed.



"What's there to forgive, Vaidhya?" The cold tone was back. "Vikarna was the least injured one. And yet you a grown man of thirty and five years are wailing after receiving similar injuries to him. You didn't even receive injuries similar to Suvarma or Chitrakundala... theirs is far more worse. Shall I inflict them on you? No wait there's still a part left."



For the next few moments, there are sounds of struggle but no screams are heard. Then a hand with a bent wrist held one of her feet. It was suspiciously wet. "Show mercy, my King and Queen. He's going to drown me." The royal physician wailed. "My queen, everyone knew Prince Suyodhana only listens to you and Vasusena." She filed that name for later. "Please tell him to show mercy."



"At the age of thirty and five... you are unable to bear the least of the injuries my brothers have gone through." Every trace of amusement was wiped off from her son's voice. "I have half a mind to kill you in the very place you stand. And I would be within my rights to do so. You lied about the injuries of my brothers to my father and mother. Lying to the King and queen constitutes as treason, you know. Shall I bring all your family to be beheaded right away, Vaidhya?"



"Please... p-please show mercy on me Prince Suyodhana." The royal physician sobbed. It's an ugly sound. "Please spare me just this once,"



"Why should I?" The voice didn't waver a bit. "It's not your children who got hurt. It's my children. I raised all the other hundred of them as my own children because none in this bloody court cared for them."Her heart squeezed in pain at those words because it was true. Then as if commenting on the weather he continued. "I wonder if your children will scream when I behead them."



"That's too cruel, Prince Suyodhana." The vaidhya sobbed.



"I do agree... but that's the law of the land vaidhya." Even her husband trembled at the cold words of her son. "And I'm not in a particularly forgiving mood these days. Because of your negligence... my parents didn't even come to comfort my brothers. And their tormentor got away scot-free. My brothers are very sad you see. So why should I bother showing mercy for a traitor?"



"Because I was ordered to keep it under wraps, Prince Suyodhana." He wailed. Her husband crushed the armrest with his bare hands and asked a simple question. "Who?"



"By Mahaamahim Bhishma." the vaidhya cried out.



"Not really surprising." Her son commented without any surprise in his tone. "Did he say that Bhimasen lost his father and is lashing out, so don't say this to the king and queen and blow it out of proportion which will get him punished?"



"Yes." the vaidhya agreed wailing softly.



"You are just following orders... so you may leave." The tone was bitter. "Not a single thing in this room must go out. Have your injuries treated well" He ordered throwing a sack of coins on the ground. The vaidhya's footsteps raced out of the room.



"Mahaamahim Bhishma, amma? Really?" He sneered. "That's the person with whom you trusted our well-being?" Gandhari started to cry helplessly. "A virtuous man, huh?"



"I didn't know Suyodhana." She cried. "I really didn't know. Please believe me."



"If you cannot see you should have bloody listened when we came to you." He spoke in a bitter tone. "Both of you. Like I said for you, your so-called pati dharma and then showing respect to elders is more important and father never goes against the Mahaamahim. We were never your first priority. That cursed throne made it so. You tell me father... is it worth it? Is it really worth being called a curse on the family you are born? Just because I would be a competitor for the throne when I grow up... from the very day I was born... I was marked for death. And just for being my brothers, all of them will follow me to the grave."



"I'm playing a rigged game." The melancholy was clearly heard in his voice. "And that game thirsts for the blood of me and my brothers."



"I know very well that I can kill that pig who dared to lay hands on my brothers with nothing more than my bare hands. I'm angry enough to do so. Vasusena made sure that I was very skilled in wrestling. But even when my brothers are tortured in front of me... just for the word I gave that I'll always follow your command, I can't do anything but watch helplessly. If you had seen our faces... our pain, you would have understood amma. So I'm asking you again amma... My father was born blind, but why are you blind?"



Her husband placed his hand in hers for support.

All three of them are silent for several moments. The eerie stillness was broken by her continued sobs. Her foolish decision to follow Pati Dharma caused this. "Don't cry, amma. I didn't say these words to hurt you amma. Contrary to what you believe... I still respect you. I'm saying these words because Hasthinapur is a place where even my mother hates me and my brothers. No love is greater than a mother's love and no care is greater than a father's care is what people say. This place poisoned you against me and my brothers. If my own mother started to hate me... why would I expect others to love me?"



"Unsatisfied public is the ruler's doom. And in a Kingdom where a king cannot trust his own ministers is like a house built without foundation." Gandhari's heart squeezed. Those were her brother Shakuni's words. When did her child become so wise? "I'm hated in this kingdom. I would rather show my back to an enemy with a sword in his hand than these bastards." The sheer loathing in her child's voice is gut-wrenching.



"Father, the throne you have envisioned for your eldest son will be the funeral pyre to all your sons." The boy declared in a hard tone. "They will nitpick every small fault of ours and make us adharmis in the face of this kingdom. There will be civil war in our nation and even if they outwardly support us they will stack up the chances so it would be favourable to those Pandavas. I don't know if you can take the death of your hundred sons but I cannot bear to see my brothers dying before me. Because I'm not lying when I said I raised them."



Turning towards her, Suyodhana continued. " Amma, I promised you that I'll never cross any boundary that was drawn by you. You heard every argument put forward from my side. Even after all of this, if you order me to take the throne after all of this... I'll break my Dharma as a big brother and will place my name as the contender for the throne. I'm asking you to weigh all the possibilities and decide if it's worth it."



"The throne is not worth it Suyodhana." Both she and her husband spoke softly. When she raised her hand to tear off her blindfold, Suyodhana stopped her. "It's too late for you to do so amma. We are ready to start the Brahmachari phase in our lives. You should have done this when me and my brothers were born. And me and my brothers stopped expecting anything from you long ago." Her decisions did this. Her choices alienated her from her sons and for now, all Gandhari could do is to accept it.



"So Suyodhana... what do you want to do then?" Her husband asked him softly. "Because if we go down this path, you and your brothers will be branded as cowards for the rest of your life."



"In Gurukul, father I'll dedicate my body, mind and soul to be an excellent warrior. When my Gurudakshina is completed, I'll wage a war against the rest of Aryavartha. Keeping peace is difficult but calling for war is rather simple. Me and my brothers will win kingdoms on our own merits without even taking help from Hasthinapur's army."



"I accept your decision Suyodhana." Her husband declared with a heavy heart. "Vijayi Bhava." Both of them blessed him when he bowed down to touch their feet to take blessings.



"Suyodhana..." She ordered. "If that bastard dared to touch you and your brothers again... teach him." She snarled. Never again... never again will her children suffer because of her passiveness and her choices. Till today, she always thought like a queen who wanted good for her kingdom. Never again. "Teach him a lesson he will never forget in his life."



"I will amma." The voice was soft... but she heard the oath in it clearly.

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Suyodhana always fought for the respect of the elders. He was a stubborn child. Even though all the mistreatment has occurred, he would never turn his back because children cannot understand emotional abuse. They cannot understand rajneethi. They are not this wise. They needed to be taught these things and the emotional abuse needed to be pointed out. Kripacharya was a friend of Mahaamahim and Vidhur, so he is ruled out. So the culprit must be the other person in Suyodhana's life.

The person whom Suyodhana respected equal to her according to the words of the vaidhya. The person whose name is enough to cause shivers among the servants in the palace, Vasusena.

Asking around the palace about him solidified the fact that this was the child who poisoned her child against Mahaamahim Bhishma and Vidhur. While he was certainly not wrong, a person carrying poison in his mind should not be around her child.

Yet for the respect Suyodhana had for this Vasusena, she would speak to him and give him a chance to explain himself.

So after the festivities to appoint Yudhistir as the Crown Prince have gone down... she summoned Vasusena to her chamber through Suyodhana.

"Pranaam... Devi Gandhari." The boy's voice was very pleasant to hear and it seems he bowed down to touch her feet. "Ayushman Bhava." She blessed him.

"Do you know the reason why you are here, Vasusena?" She questioned.

"You summoned me to ask me the reason why I have poisoned your child's heart against the elders of Hasthinapur." was the reply. 'Perspective child this one' She thought.

"Amma are you still supporting those...." "Suyodhana... stop." The boy ordered and surprisingly her son obeyed. No wonder the servants say that she and Vasusena are the only people his son respects. "No mother wants a snake to sleep on the chest of her child. She wanted to see if I'm a snake or not."

"Everyone who met you says you are a brilliant child." She smiled despite herself. "Guess the rumours are not exaggerated."

"That's only one part of what they say about me, Devi Gandhari." The smile in his voice can be heard clearly. "I know my reputation well. I was called a cruel, obstinate but highly intelligent person. The three natures should never be present in one person. If I had a child I would never let him befriend such a person. So I understand your dilemma Devi Gandhari."

"So how will you prove yourself then?" She asked softly.

"For the next two minutes, if Prince Suyodhana, Devi Sughanda and yourself follow my commands without talking unless asked to talk, I'll prove myself." The boy stated boldly. Two minutes are not enough to prove one's character. But surprisingly she liked this boy despite all the rumours about him. So she agreed.

"Prince Suyodhana, I'll tell you something in your ear. Do it."

Even to her sharp ears, she could not make out what the boys were speaking. Suyodhana then took her hand and placed it on an object. "Do you know what you are touching, Devi Gandhari?" Vasusena asked. "Just yes or no please."

Gandhari scoffed. She cannot call herself a shiva-bhakt when she doesn't recognise what she has touched. "Yes." She replied. But this alone was not enough to prove his nature

"What did Devi Gandhari touch just now, Devi Sughanda?" Vasusena asked with mirth in his tone. 'Stupid question.' She thought. But the answer chilled her bones.

"You touched Vasusena's eye, Devi Gandhari."

She felt faint and her heart stopped for a moment. Because the boy's eye felt like a rudraksha. Suyodhana rushed to her in fear. She never knew when she collapsed but three sets of hands helped her up to a chair.

"What did you do to her?" Sughanda snarled at the boy. Before he could reply she ordered. "Suyodhana and Sughandha...leave this room."

"Devi..." "Amma..." Both of them protested.

"I need to talk to Vasusena alone." She said her voice gaining strength. "Both of you leave."

"What did you feel when you touched my eye, Devi Gandhari?" The boy asked in a curious tone. "Did it feel like the mani on the forehead of Ashwathama? Or something else?"

"Why would your eye feel like mani on the forehead of Ashwathama, Vasusena?" She asked emotion filling her voice. "Do you really not know what your eye feels like?"

"I try not to poke my own eye Devi Gandhari." The boy replied. "All I know is that Parameshwar has touched these eyes and filled them with his energy." This boy claimed to see the Mahadev and was blessed by him. "As for why I mentioned Ashwathama... he's an avatar of a Rudra. So I thought my eye might feel similar to the mani on his forehead."

"How do you know all of this, Vasusena?" She asked softly.

"You might have asked about me in the palace, Devi Gandhari." He said after a few moments. "You might have heard that in pursuit of learning astras, I left Hasthinapur for Parashurama Kshetram and came back empty-handed wasting four years of my life." When she nodded, Vasusena continued. "That's a lie. I lied to everyone about what really happened during those four years."

"So what actually happened." She asked.

"I walked ten miles away from the capital of Hasthinapur on the banks of the Ganga river." He started. "In a place where there is no civilization... I jumped into the river and sat down on the riverbed. Then... I started to meditate chanting the name of Mahadev and Mata Parvati."

"So you started a tapasya without food, air and water?" She asked softly.

"For one year, even when crocodiles bit me, I didn't stop. With all my heart, all my mind, all my soul I prayed to the Mahadev and Mata Parvati. Because I wanted to wield astras, which I knew would be out of reach because of my caste, I worshipped them. I thought Mahadev who loved even the asuras enough to fulfil their wishes when they are devoted... wouldn't he hear this sutaputara's anguish?" The love for the divine couple was heard in his voice. "After one year... my faith was rewarded and I got their darshan. I asked them to teach me to the best of their capability. Mata Parvati said that wish will be fulfilled by her."

"You didn't just ask for the knowledge?"

"No. Because if I asked them for knowledge in a few subjects, that's all is what I would have gottn. Human knowledge is finite, Devi Gandhari. We sometimes don't know what we need. But if the divine couple are my teachers... well I will be knowledgeable in everything that matters. Because they know what is best for me."

Small wonder Vasusena is this intelligent. He was already a bright child before his tapasya but after that, he became one of the wisest people in this world. "They then took me to their place and I was trained vigorously in several things. The things I have learnt, the tests I have gone through... I never imagined our universe is so vast Devi Gandhari." The childishness and passion with which he spoke warmed her heart. "He said that my Guru Dakshina is if I ever find injustice occurring in front of me... learn why it happened and stand by the side of dharma.

Mahadev said that there are a few things I need to learn which cannot be taught by him. So he said he'll arrange another teacher for me."

"Bhagwan Parashuram."

"Bhagwan Parashuram." Vasusena repeated. "But before letting me go... well Mahadev said his own boon was still not granted."

"What did you ask of him?"

"The things I learnt under the divine couple humbled me. But I felt that if I ever got too prideful of my knowledge, it would lead to my downfall.

So I asked him for a calm mind and discerning eye. Because both of them are crucial for a good life. Mahadev seemed to be pleased with my request... So he touched my eyes and blessed me with something which is both a boon and a curse at the same time."

"How can anything that was given by Mahadev ever be a curse Vasusena." She shouted in anger.

"Your one hundred and one children are boons of Mahadev, Devi Gandhari. It didn't stop most people in this kingdom from viewing them as a scourge on the clan of King Shantanu." was the blunt answer.

Those words brought a tear in her eye. "Did you ever see them as kul nashaks, Vasusena?"

"Not even for a single moment, Devi Gandhari." The absolute surety in his voice shocked Gandhari. "No child is born evil and no adult chooses to be a villain. Children are moulded by their experiences, Devi Gandhari. I was like this because of what I endured during my childhood. If the child turns out to be evil, it's the fault of the people around him. When he grew up and does not regret his actions, it's his fault."

Overcome by emotion, Gandhari took Vasusena's face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "Thank you..." She cried.

"Anyway we went off the topic... my boon from Mahadev." He stated. "My eyes can see potential futures when I concentrate on a person. Mahadev called my eyes 'The Eyes that see Fate of the World'."

"That's..." The knowledge of the future in the eyes of a child. No wonder he never told anyone about this.

"Most of the time it's dormant." The boy said calmly. "I try not to use the power granted to me because 'Knowledge prompts change, but change negates knowledge.' If I try to change something... the knowledge I gained will be rendered useless. When I used the power given to me by Mahadev for the first time before and that's the reason me and my family are ostracized in Hasthinapur."

"How?"

"I used it on Bhagwan Parashuram," Vasusena stated softly. "No one asked me why I rejected learning from Bhagwan Parashuram. The reason is because in any future I can see... Bhagwan Parashuram is the person who lays the foundation for my death."

Gandhari's heart started beating wildly. So that's the reason why the great sage was ashamed. But if he's reluctant to do so why... "It's his duty as Narayana avatar to do so, Devi Gandhari. I respected him a lot. Do you know I wanted to pose as a brahmin to learn under him?" The boy laughed. "In most of the futures, I saw I did lie to him and got cursed to die like a dog. Only to learn that he knew all along and was waiting to curse me."

"So that's why you are cruel to him?"

"I certainly didn't act cruel towards him, Devi Gandhari. I told him I knew what his plan was and he's ashamed." The boy said softly. "I never got angry at him and even offered to get cursed if he felt insulted. I swear on my mother Radha that's the truth."

"So your family was ostracized because of a misunderstanding?"

"My attitude didn't help matters, Devi Gandhari." The boy stated in a self-deprecating tone. "I'm too zealous in proving my innocence. I acted that way so that it'll piss off Mahaamahim and in his anger, he'll lose his mind. I did that so because he's not willing to listen to reason. Because in his anger he'll make a mistake and I wanted to exploit it. Bhagwan Parashuram cannot say that he planned to kill me. And I respect him too much to let that fact come out. It'll tarnish his reputation and I'm unwilling to do so."

This boy is a student of Mahadev and Mata Parvati. And he was treated cruelly by the entire kingdom. Tears formed in her eyes at the fate which led him to this condition. "So I decided to act this way. Like an arrogant and cruel person. People say I have killed Vinay and Varadha in cold blood. I did and I will not make any excuses for it. But all forget that if they behave similarly to any other officer, the punishment will be the same. The same sheep will say that both of them are rebels so they have to be put down if they act the same way in front of another officer. The problem lies in their mindset. The same goes for the wife of Vaidhya. If slander is made against a Prince of a kingdom, the punishment is cutting off the tongue of the transgressor."

"Mahaamahim Bhishma ordered the death of my brother... an eight-year-old boy because he studied the Vedas. Tell me are we both not cruel men? The difference is that he is Mahaamahim Bhishma and I'm just Vasusena. Both of us are cruel men Devi Gandhari. Don't try to deny it. But in the eyes of the society, I'm a cold-hearted bastard and he is a virtuous old man. The naked truth is that both of us are heartless men who are just doing their duty."

She cannot deny that. "Now let's get to the crux of the reason why you called me here. The reason why I poisoned Prince Suyodhana against the elders of Hasthinapur."

Gandhari grew alert in a matter of seconds." Nearly a year ago I took Prince Suyodhana to hunt down a tiger that's terrorizing a nearby village. The reason why took him to that hunt was that he was extremely depressed. When I asked him why he is like that he said he and his brothers are hated by everyone around him. He asked me if it would take his death for the elders of Hasthinapur to love him."

So his anger started more than a year ago. "So I used this power for the second time on your eldest child. The future of your child has so many possibilities. In most of the futures I saw, he and his brothers are killed just by a single person. Prince Bhimasena." The words chilled her heart. "But the root cause always traces back to the elders of Hasthinapur. I saw the love your child has towards the elders grew twisted due to jealousy and despite the mistakes that were made on both sides... the current Narayana Avatar has branded your son as an adharmi and has all your children and your grandchildren killed on a war that occurred for 18 days. Prince Suyodhana lost everything in his life before dying brutally at the hands of Prince Bhimasena."

"Can you prove it, Vasusena?" She asked coldly.

"Before the war, you asked Suyodhana to come to your room naked. Because you wanted to remove your blindfold and look at him. As your eyes have possessed the strength of your tapasya. If you look at him, his body will turn as hard as a diamond (vajra)." Vasusena was telling the truth. No one knew that she could do it. "Not willing to appear naked in front of his mother... Suyodhana wore a loincloth and the area around his thighs was not protected. Prince Bhimasena on the advice of Narayana avatar... broke the rules of war and hit him on his thighs to kill him. In your wrath...you have cursed the Narayana avatar that he will die and his kingdom will be destroyed in thirty-six years." She suddenly didn't like how the future sounds.

"I swear on Shivalinga that the only futures in which he and his brothers are healthy and alive are the futures in which he let go of the love he has for the throne and the elders of Hasthinapur."

"Oh..." She murmured.

"I told him only a small part of what will happen if he goes down this path. As I'm looking at you with the power given to me by Mahadev in active mode, I can see he didn't tell you even half of what I told him."

"There's even more?" Gandhari wailed.

"You'll curse Prime Minister Vidhur and Mahaamahim Bhishma if you listened to our entire conversation, Devi Gandhari. In their moh for Pandavas, they prepared a funeral pyre for your hundred sons." Gandhari's hands shivered at those words.

"Don't ask him. And I will not tell you our entire conversation. A Kingdom where a king cannot trust his own ministers is like a house built without foundation." So this is where Suyodhana learnt those words. "If you hear everything I have said to Suyodhana, the trust you have in them will be irrevocably broken. He has sense enough to not say it so please don't ask either of us. I broke his trust because the alternative is that he and all your sons will be sacrificed on the pyre lovingly constructed by the so-called elders of Hasthinapur. If you wish to I'll tell you some of the futures where he is hale and healthy."

"Can you also tell me who the current avatar of Narayana is?" The boy agreed.

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Suyodhana paced outside the room of his mother nervously. It has been half an hour and there is no word from either his mother or his friend.

His mother never did know that the royal physician was paid to act that way by him. Even though the injuries are true, the vaidya lied to them before due to the cruelty of Vasusena on his behalf. She never knew he caught the vaidya in the act and blackmailed him to speak against Mahaamahim Bhishma to break the trust the monarchs have in him.

Till now all Mahaamahim Bhishma was guilty of is emotional neglect of a hundred sons of Dhritarastra. Even when they are wounded, he never bothered to check up on them. The bastard who never had time for the Kauravas willingly delegated his work to others so he could play loving grandfather to those Kaunteyas. That was the worst wound the Mahaamahim of Hasthinapur has inflicted on his brothers. It was worse than whatever Suyodhana had conspired against him. He knew that the emotional neglect would grow more so he's tearing down the political power of Mahaamahim and Prime Minister brick by brick.

His mother will never know that this is Suyodhana setting the chess board on fire. In his previous life, Mahaamahim and the Prime Minister wielded a lot of power which allowed them to stack the board in favour of those Kaunteyas.

Now even though he does not want the throne of Hasthinapur... well he's not the kind to make it easy for those Kaunteyas. That bloody Bhimasena should pay for what he did to his family. Till now he's shackled by his mother's words. Now... now there are no strings on him that will make him dance in favour of those Kaunteyas.

In his previous life, his Uncle Shakuni tried to teach him several things... guess a few of those lessons stuck. For now, he will be patient and see where fate leads him to.

After what seems like a lifetime... Karna came out of the room and said that his mother wanted to talk to him.

"Suyodhana... This is your elder brother Vasusena."She declared and he was floored by those words. He already considered Vasusena as his brother and it was a welcome surprise to him. "Obey him and love him just as your brothers love and obey you. Listen to his words and your heart, Suyodhana."

He didn't know what magic Karna has performed on his mother but the happiness filled his heart. "I will, amma." he said, "I will."