Prakriti P.O.V

Finally the day came for the war, for the establishment of righteous.  Our legion started getting ready, preparing their weapons and doing last minute training. I was walking around inspecting our army. Some men were hurt during training, I helped them with my power before the start of war. Every men count in this war. I saw Arya in the weapon room, staring at his bow with faraway look in his eyes. I trudged towards him, I put my hand on his shoulder "What are you thinking Arya?" I asked him.

He turned to look at me. "What will happen in the war, these people are ready to die for us, for our cause, are we doing justice to them?" he questioned, I exhaled a deep breath before answering. "Arya, these people are standing with us by their own choice, they know about the outcome of war yet they stand with us because they choose righteousness" I explained to him.

"Is this the god of will?" he asked.

I chuckled thinking how right he is. "Don't worry about the future Arya, you will have Brother Krishna guidance with you, nothing could go wrong" I said while rubbing his shoulders to sooth the tension away.

I could clearly see Brother Krishna getting ready to ride his chariot so that he can usher us into the war, towards the change.

***

Third Person P.O.V

Ten aksauhinis of Duryodhan moved towards battlefield with ten commanders leading them. The eleventh legion was deployed ahead of these ten and Bheeshma himself had charge of it. Pandavas seven aksauhini army also moved to the field with their army. It was a view to behold as both army faced each other, ready for the battle. Bheeshma stood up in his chariot and looked at the kuru army. His voice was loud and clear "The gates of heaven have yawned open to welcome those who die in battle! I say to all of you, fight with no thought for tomorrow. Let your courage rule you, for glory is in store for every man here. A warrior does not wish for a peaceful death in his bed, of old age, or illness. He longs to die in battle! Know, then, mighty warriors, that for you there is no defeat on the field of war. For either dying nobly, you will find heaven, or victorious, you will inherit the earth! There is no defeat for those who fight; but only heaven or victory. So tell me, my friends, are you prepared to die?"

Like an ocean, they roared back, "We are!"

Yudhishtira looked at the kuru's army, eleven aksauhinis are much larger that their seven aksauhinis. He turned towards his younger brother "How do you mean to deploy our men against Grandsire Bheeshma?" he asked to Arjuna, they need to forge a strategy for the battle. Arjuna replied in his smooth voice "We will form our men into a Vajra, a diamond phalanx. My father Indra uses this vyuha; it is both a fluid and an impregnable formation,which maneuvers more quickly than any other." Pandavas army moved towards kauravas legions.

Dhrishtadyumna was at the head of the army and Bheema was at the side. Yudhishtira rode at the heart of the diamond and Satyaki patrolled its right flank. The banner of Hanuman flew above Arjuna's chariot. As a promise to his younger brother, the majestic vanara himself seat in the banner of Arjuna looking at the battlefield.

Arjun chariot was a sight to see, given to him by Chitraratha himself but the most magnificent vision was the sarathy of Gandhivdhari, with reins in his left hand and a whip in his right, Krishna was like a dark sun risen on that field of fate.

Krishna brought the chariot to the front of the Pandavas army. "Parth, remember, to win this war, we need to defeat Mahamahim Bheeshm. His death is necessary to win this war".

When the two forces were face to face with each other, silence fell on them. Then in the silence, a strange thing happened, Yudhishtira removed his armor and put down his bow. He removed his sandals and climbed down from his chariot, walking barefoot towards the army. For a moment, no one moved. Then Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva all laid down their weapons and followed their brother. Krishna, who wore no armor and carried no weapon today, went with Arjuna.

Watching the scene in front of him, Duryodhan started cackling, "He is coward, I guess he realized that he can never win against us" he said smugly. Bheeshma frowned at Duryodhan but has a small smile on his face. He knew why Yudhishtira was coming their way.

Yudhishtira walked towards Bheeshma's chariot. The ring of warriors around Bheeshma parted to let the Pandavas through. Bheeshma waited for Yudhishtira with a smile. With tears in his eyes, he bowed down to his elder and touched his feet, Bheeshma eyes teared up as well and he put his hand on his grand child and embraced the Elder Pandavas. Soon all the pandavas followed their brother and took the blessing from their Elders.

"Pitama, we have not been able to prevent the war. I have come for your blessing, so my brothers and I will win" Yudhishtira said and joined his hands in front of his grand father. Bheeshma smiled "My son, victory already belongs to you. Krishna himself is on your side with the nature and where they are so is dharma. Men are slaves to wealth and I must fight against you today. The throne I renounced a life ago has supported me all these years. My duty is to fight for the king who has kept me; but Yudhishtira,my love and my blessings are with you, because yours is the cause of dharma in this war. Jaya vijayi bhava! Fight and be victorious, noble child."

Yudhishtira then went to take blessing from his gurus and to his uncle Shalya. After taking the blessing from his elders, a thought struck to him and he turned to the legions of Hastinapura. He addressed everyone "If there are any Kaurava soldiers who want to fight for dharma, they are welcome to join us!"

Duryodhan and his brothers looked shocked at the declaration of Elder Pandav. There was silence for few seconds when suddenly a lone voice called out from the kauravas side "I will join you if you will have me, Brother Yudhishtira! "

It was Yuyutsu, half brother of Kauravas and loyal childhood friend of pandavas. Elder Pandav smiled and welcomed his friend with open arms. On the other hand, Duryodhan was fuming in anger from the betrayal. "At least now, when our uncle Dhritarashtra dies, he will have one son left alive to offer tarpana for him" Bheem said loudly, for a moment, a tremor of fear spread on kauravas remembering the oath of Vayu son Bheem. Yudhishtira went back to climb on his chariot with Yuyutsu following behind him on his own chariot.

Duryodhan watched as pandavas formed the Vajra formation. He quickly rode up to Guru Drona "Finally the moment is here which I was waiting for so long" he said to his guru. Drona looked at the men which were against him, his pupil, he smiled "Yes, Duryodhana, the moment of truth is upon us".

***

Now both armies erupted with conches of every pitch, ringing back and forth across Kurukshetra. Heaven and earth quaked at the sound they made. This was the sign that war is about to start. As the sound of conches shook the Kurukshetra, Arjun looked at his charioteer "Madhav, let us ride out some way between the armies before the fighting begins."

Krishna smiled his serene smiled and moved the chariot forward. A hush fell again on the two armies, when they saw Arjuna's chariot emerge from the Pandava ranks on its own. When the chariot was in the middle of both army. Krishna looked at the army of kauravas and turned his head towards his beloved Parth "Look, Parth, at the glorious Kuru armies! And the one we must fight, With Bheeshma and Drona at its head. Look at all the kshatriyas who have come to die at your hands."

Suddenly Arjun grew very still, his hand started trembling. When he looked at the enemy, he did not see his foe but his grand father, Guru, Uncle, Brothers, sons, grandsons and childhood friends. A sob erupted from his mouth and his eyes became moist. "Am I doing justice by killing all this people, my own family, I don't want victory! I don't want a kingdom, its power or pleasures. These Men who could be my father and grandfather, others that are my masters, uncles, nephews and cousins—with whom, for whom, I could enjoy a kingdom—stand armed to fight us to the death. I cannot bear it!"

Krishna knew that he doesn't bore a weapon in this war but he must win the battle of the spirit. As the two armies froze in time, he knew if he lost this duel of soul the price would be the destruction of whole world.

"They are my cousins. Let them be the most monstrous men. I shall be worse than they are if I kill them; my crime shall be more horrible than any of theirs. How can I dare spill the same blood that flows in their bodies and mine, blood that unites us? How will I ever find peace again? Even if they are demented with envy and greed, even if they see no fault in murdering family, or in being treacherous to childhood friends, should we imitate them? Shouldn't we know the sin in this hideous thing and shun it?" Arjun said in broken voice. All he saw his family, his blood as the opponent. Krishna said nothing, he let Arjun rant about his emotions before the war. Arjuna sat down in the chariot, buried his head in his hands and wept.

Krishna realized he must answer the Pandava and get him out of the despair. Calmly, Krishna opened his mouth "From where this cowardly spirit at such a critical time? This is not for a kshatriya. It will not lead you to heaven, Arjuna, but to disgrace. Remember the time when Duryodhan ordered to drag Draupadi into the court as a slave"

"Look at your Mama Shakuni, he used treachery in his entire life, remember how did he try to burn your family in Varnavrath"

"Now look at Dushasana, he is the one who pulled Panchali by her hair and dragged her in the court".

"Look at Mahamahim and Guru Drona, they stayed mute when Panchali was dishonored and there is Ashwatthama who used foul words during the game of dice. Does still your heart doesn't want justice, is there no desire to wield the weapon, does the battle not seem inevitable now?"

Arjun looked down remembering the time injustice happened, not to him but to everyone. "Yes Madhav this war is inevitable" he said clenching his jaw.

Krishna had a small smile on his face "Now you think that the war is unavoidable, look at those people again, look at your Grand-sire, remember how he provided you with love and protection at every step of life, look at your Guru, how he give you his supreme knowledge and made you the world's greatest archer, look at Vikarna who opposed to his brothers during Game of dice, are they worth killing?" he asked Arjun once again.

Arjun looked at his family, tears cascading down from his  cheeks, he slowly shook his head "I can not kill them, they are my family".

"Now look at your family, your Elder brothers, your younger brothers, your sons, friends, they will die in war, doesn't your heart weaken by the possibility of their death?" he questioned once again.

"You grieve for those you should not, Arjuna. Childhood, youth and old age are three stages of life and death is only the fourth: as natural, as inevitable, as the other three. Death is the stage by which the soul passes from one life to the next; with death, the soul assumes a new body. The wise are not troubled by this; because the soul, which pervades all the living, the aging and the dying, never dies itself. It was never born or begun; it neither kills, nor is killed. It is primeval and indestructible. It always was and shall always be.

As the body sheds worn-out clothes, so the soul sheds worn-out bodies. And just as we put on new clothes, the soul dons new bodies, as if they were its raiment. But the soul is not touched by fire or weapons, by wind or water. In most, subtlest element, always the being of beings, it is changeless, eternal."

Arjun frowned, he felt alone at this timeless river of life. He looked at Krishna once again listening to his every word. "But this is not what is crucial. You are a Kshatriya: for you, a battle of dharma is the highest fortune. How can you be so full of doubt at such a time? You should rejoice, Arjuna, the gates of heaven are open!" Krishna went on.

"If you deny your own nature's glory and do not fight, then you will sin. Through all time, men will speak of your shame; for a man like you, who knows honor, shame is worse than death. They will say Arjuna was afraid on the great occasion. This is your dharm Parth, wield your weapon and wage this war as your duty".

Arjun looked at his weapon then at the people around him, his lips trembled "How can I fight against the people to whom I should serve as this is my fortune aspect of life, even if I attain heaven after killing all of them then it will be futile" he said and looked around himself.

"The wise who have yoked their intelligence are freed from the bonds of birth. They reach Brahman, the sorrow-less state. Arjuna, your mind is confused with all that you have read and heard. Your heart is bewildered. When true insight dawns on you, you will see beyond bookish Vedic learning and your spirit will be profound and unshakeable" Krishna said wisely.

Like a child, Arjuna asked, "But what makes a man sin, even against his own will, helplessly, Krishna?"

"For powerful are the senses; greater than they are, is the mind; more potent than the mind is the intellect. But greater than intellect is the atman who sets you free." Krishna said, his eyes were faraway from the Kurukshetra, from this time. He smiled coolly, "I taught this yoga to Vivasat once. Vivasat gave it to Manu, Manu taught it to Ikshvaku; and, handed down the generations, the Rajarishis all knew it. Until the great yoga was lost in the world in a forgotten time, when darkness came. Arjuna, today, on this chosen field, hear the deathless secret from me."

Arjun looked at Krishna incredulously ""Vivasat? He died long before you were born! How did you teach Vivasat the yoga?" he asked in shocked tone.

Krishna laughed "I am not born into this world, but only seem to be; and I am master of my prakriti, my immortal nature and not its subject. Whenever evil dominates the world, I send myself forth into it: to protect the good, who else have they? To destroy the evil, who else will redeem them? To establish dharma I come, again and again, from age to age. All men come to me, at-last and I deliver them all. Whatever path a man walks, it leads finally to me. I am not bound by karma and neither are those who know me. So like the ancients, who worked for moksha, you must also fight".

And at this time, Krishna give Arjun the most important knowledge of life. Bhagavat Gita Gyan.

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Finally an update. I am not getting enough time to update the story but I will not abandon it until it is finished. So bear with me for awhile 😅

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