BRAVE-HEART PRINCE UTTARA RETRIEVES VIRATA'S COWS AND SHIELDS HIS WOMENFOLK

                                       

         

BRAVE-HEART PRINCE UTTARA RETRIEVES VIRATA'S COWS AND SHIELDS HIS WOMENFOLK

Virata in Mahabharatha was a King of Matsya empire which was famous for its abundant wealth of kine (cow) and its prosperity.  The Pandavas spent their last year of exile in Virata's kingdom incognito.

On Duryodhana's instructions, Susarma, King of Trigarta, attacked the southern frontiers of Matsya and stole Virata's cows.  

 

King Virata was caught at his wit's end for without Kichaka or his brothers, he had no great warrior to lead his army.

'I will help you for I am well versed with the spear,' said Kanka.

'I will help you too as I am well versed with the mace,' said Ballava.

'We are well versed with the sword,' said Damagranthi and Tantipala.

 

'But if we leave the city looking for the cows,' said Virata  'who will stay back to guard the women?'

'I will, father,' said Uttara, the king's young son.  'I am well versed with archery.  I will protect my mother and sisters.'  

Virata beamed with pride and rushed with his four servants and other soldiers in search of the missing cows.

 

No sooner did they leave than the Kaurava army appeared on the northern frontier of Matsya.  'They will attack the city and raze it to the ground and drag the women away as slaves, cried Sudeshna in fear.

'Don't worry, mother,  I will ride out and drive them away single-handed, bragged Uttara.  He reassured his twin sister Uttari  and other women-folk in the house.  He put on his armour, picked up his bow and arrows.  But then he realized he had no charioteer for his chariot.  'What do I do now?'

 

'May be I can help?' said the eunuch Brinhalla, smiling coyly, fluttering her eyelashes, 'I was once a man and well versed in charioteering.'

 

'You will have to, 'said Uttara, sounding rather imperious, 'since there is no other.'

 

Soon, the Kauravas saw a chariot coming before them.  The charioteer was a eunuch and the warrior a young boy.  They laughed and then blew their conch-shell trumpets. The sound was deafening.  Suddenly, Uttara saw before him great warriors holding every kind of weapon, seated on horses, chariots and elephants.  He was filled with fear.  He realized talking bravely does not make one brave.  He leapt out of the chariot and started running away.  Brihanalla stopped the chariot,  jumped out, ran after him and carried him back to the chariot. 'I cannot fight them,' cried a totally terrified Uttara, tears in his eyes.  

Brihanalla comforted him and then took the chariot out of the battlefield into the forest and stopped in front of a Sami tree.  On it were dead bodies wrapped in shrouds tied to the branches.  'Climb this tree and bring that down,' said Brihanalla pointing to one of the corpses.  Uttara drew back in fear.  'Don't be afraid.  The dead can't hurt you,' said Brihanalla reassuringly.  Uttara felt his confidence return.  He noticed that the eunuch was no longer feminine.  Her mannerisms were confident and manly.  When the corpse was lowered, Brihanalla undid the shroud.  Wrapped within were not the remains of a corpse but weapons -- spears, bows, arrows,swords and maces.  'These are the weapons of Pandavas,' explained Brihanalla.

'How do you know? asked a wide-eyed Uttara.

 

'Because I am Arjuna, the third Pandava, son of Kunti.'  Uttara fell to his knees as he saw Arjuna standing before him holding the bow Gandiva in his hand.  'Now we have a battle to fight and a war to win,' said Arjuna.

This time when the chariot entered the battlefield, the young prince was the charioteer and the eunuch was the warrior.  Once again, the Kauravas laughed and blew their conch-shells until the eunuch raised his bow, released his arrows and brought down the flags of Duryodhana, Karna, Bhishma and Drona.  

 

'That is not a eunuch,' said Karna.  'Look at the flag fluttering atop the chariot.  It has the symbol of the monkey.  And look at the bow in his hand.  It looks like the Gandiva.  That is without doubt Arjuna.'

Duryodhana smiled at this revelation,  'There we have smoked them out.  The thirteenth year of exile is not over and they have been discovered.  They have to go back to the forest now.'

 

'Don't be so sure,' said Bhishma.  'The Pandavas are no fools to reveal themselves so publicly before the end of the thirteenth year.  Think, Duryodhana, think.  How do you calculate a year?  By the movement of the sun through the twelve solar houses of the zodiac, or by the time taken for the moon to be full across twenty-seven lunar houses, or by the calendar given by the astrologers?  All three are different.  Our astrologers add two extra months every fifth year so that their man-made calendar corresponds with the natural cycle of the sun and the moon.  By that calculation, over five months have passed since the thirteenth year of the Pandava exile.  Yudhishtira could have revealed himself five months earlier.  But he did not want issues raised on the technical grounds.  So he and his brothers waited five more months to reveal themselves.  So you see, they have kept their end of the agreement.' 

'There is merit in what Bhishma says,' said Drona.

 

'You always agree with the elders of the family,'  said Duryodhana.  'As per my calendar, the thirteen years are not yet over, no matter what they argue.  The Pandavas must stay in exile.'  Duryodhana then turned to Karna and Dusshasana and said, Attack.  Kill Arjuna and raze Matsya to the ground.'

 

But before anyone could take a step forward, Arjuna released three arrows, one landed near Bhishma's feet, another at Drona's feet, indicating his reverence for the two of them, and the third one put the entire Kaurava army to sleep.

 

Arjuna then instructed Uttara to go and collect the upper garments of Duryodhana, Karna, Drona and Bhishma.  'When they wake up, they will know that I spared their lives.  They will go away humiliated.'

 

When Virata returned to Matsya, having successfully retrieved his cows from Trigata with the help of his adviser, cook, horse keeper and cow herder, he was told that his son single-handedly driven back the Kaurava army which had attacked the northern  frontier.  Virata beamed with pride at the news.  Can you believe it?  Such a young boy and what a feat!' 

                                 

The king Virata knew little about the fact that with the help of Pandavas in disguise the victory was possible. 

 

During the thirteenth year of exile the Pandavas and Draupati took shelter in King Virata's palace.

 

Yudishtira was adviser to Virata, Bheema was the cook, Arjuna was the dance teacher of princess Uttari, Nakula was the horse keeper and Sahadeva was the cow herder incognito.

 

Draupadi was disguised as the beautician Sairandrhri the hair stylist who also made perfume for Virata's Queen Sudeshna. 

Draupati's  stunning beauty makes the best of men lose all good sense and constantly draws trouble.  Even though she is innocent, her beauty arouses all men who end up wanting to hurt and humiliate her because she is chaste and unavailable.  Kichaka, Jayadratha, Karna, Duryodhana are all victims of her beauty.  So are the Pandavas.  

Bheema kills Kichaka who makes advances on Draupadi while incognito at Virata's palace.  Kichaka was Queen Sudeshna's brother and the commander-in-chief of King Virata's army and Kichaka lusted after Draupadi.

 

King Virata was made to understand that Kanka's (Yudhishtira) sense of fair play, Ballava's (Bheema) strength, Brihanalla's (Arjuna) skills, Damagranthi's (Nakula) beauty/Swordsman and Tantipala's (Sahadeva) intelligence/swordsman with all that success knocked at his door.  Virata and his wife Sudeshna apologized to the Pandava's for keeping them as their servants.  Pandavas in turn extended their hands for friendship.

Though the title of this Blog seems to be bit sarcastic due to the battlefield entry of Uttara (the young boy who was a bragger turned coward) and Brihanalla adds some comic relief to the story otherwise the serious epic.