The Gall of Gammon

Disclaimer: This story is my humble attempt to write a fanfiction of the epic Mahabharata. My intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiment.

Aum Namah Shivay!!

Major Jayant Roy, SM is a fictitious character. Any similarity with any living person is merely a coincidence.

Chapter 28

Hastinapur, Dwapar Yuga

Vidura POV

Twelve years had been passed.

The young princes would come back tomorrow from Guru Dronacharya's Gurukul. From the last twelve years, they were trained in both the 'shashtras' and 'shastras' there. Now the time had come to choose a successor for the throne and this was the situation that feared me.

Yudhisthir was the oldest among the Kuru Princes. He had become a great warrior under the tutelage of Sage Drona. He was also well versed in the shashtras, and his heart was full of righteousness. So, in the entire basis, he was the most eligible to be the 'Yuvraaja' (crown prince).

But there was a very big problem. The problem was none other than the eldest son of Maharaja Dhritarashtra, the one and only Duryodhana.

Duryodhana would never agree to accept Yudhisthir as the Yuvraaja of Hastinapur. He was the result of every single ambition of Maharaja Dhritarashtra. I had to oppose his coronation because only a fully able man could sit on a throne. Then brother Pandu became the king of Hastinapur. Everything was going well until the accidental death of Sage Kindama at the hand of Maharaja Pandu and the curse given by him.

My wife, Sulabha's voice entered my ear, "What are you thinking, arya?"

"I am thinking about the time and fate. They are the most powerful forces in the whole world. Now, I am worried about the fate of Hastinapur. I can clearly see the clash between Duryodhana and Yudhisthir. We all have thought that the sacred environment of the Gurukul would change his mind, but after the incident of Eklavya, this hope became shattered. That incident increased the hatred of Duryodhana for the Pandavas."

The name of Eklavya made my wife's eyes moist. She wiped her eyes with her cloth.

"Arya, do you still remember that night, when Duryodhana took the injured Eklavya in our house?"

I nodded affirmatively. That night was something which I could never forget in my whole life.

Flashback:

A powerful thunderstorm struck Hastinapur that night. Dark black clouds were covering the sky. Due to the bad weather, the royal assembly closed before it's time. With the passing times, the storm started increasing along with the thunder.

We both slept earlier than our usual time. But I was having trouble sleeping. I didn't know how much time passed like this, when suddenly I heard a sound. The sound was unfamiliar to me. It was not the sound of any animal, or not a sound of metallic clanking. The strange sound ceased then I heard someone loudly knocking at my door.

The knocking woke up my wife too. She hurriedly lit up a small lamp in our bedroom.

"Who is it, arya?" She asked.

"I don't know. Let me check." I took a knife in my hand then went to the door. Sulabha followed me with the lamp. But, when I opened the door, I was shocked to my core.

Duryodhana was standing outside the door. He was totally drenched in the rain water. But he was not alone. There was another boy on his shoulder.

"Duryodhana, what are you doing here? You are not allowed to leave the Gurukul..." I could not finish my sentence, because a horrific sight greeted me.

In the light of the small lamp, I saw the right hand of the boy on his shoulder. The boy had a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his right hand. The hand was missing the thumb.

I was so shocked that I stood up there like a statue. Luckily, my dearest wife saved me.

"Hey Narayana! Rajkumar, come inside."

She quickly lit some more lamps. The room was well lit now. Then I properly looked at the boy, whom Duryodhana just lied down on a couch. He was probably the same age of Yudhisthir. His dress and the feathers in his hair denoted that he belonged to the hunter tribe. But who was he? What happened to his hand?

"I am going to get the Vaidya." I heard Duryodhana's voice. The voice was hard as iron.

End of flashback

"The name of Eklavya will be immortal throughout the yugas. He becomes the topmost example of a student's devotion to his teacher." I said.

My wife was listening silently. I could understand the turmoil in her heart. We didn't have any child of our own. Sulabha accepted her fate, but it still pained her a lot. With Eklavya, I saw her motherly instincts came out with its full force. She nursed him to his full health.

But Duryodhana's behaviour literally astonished me. I saw him sitting beside the unconscious Eklavya, with his head on his lap. His face was full of pain, anger and sadness.

I heaved a sigh. Sometimes, one had to do some harsh task for the sake of the kingdom. Ekalavya was from Magadha. His father, Hiranya was a general of Jarasandha. If Dronacharya accepted him as his student, then it was highly possible that the knowledge would be used against Hastinapur. Jarasandh was the father-in-law of the late Kansa, the tyrant ruler of Mathura. Kansa imprisoned his father, Ugrasena with the help of Magadha army disguised as the wedding procession. Then he imprisoned his own sister Devaki and her husband Vasudev, because a heavenly sound told that Device's eighth son would kill Kansa and end his tyranny. So, Kansa brutally murdered six children of Devaki in the prison. But somehow, the seventh and eighth child was saved. Three years ago, both the seventh and the eighth children, now grown up men came to Mathura. The elder one was Balrama and the younger one was Vasudev Krishna. In a wrestling combat, Krishna killed Kansa, and ended his tyranny. He also reinstated Ugrasena on the throne of Mathura. Jarasandh attacked Mathura multiple times to avenge Kansa but every single time, he faced defeat. Then Krishna left Mathura and started living in Dwarka, a kingdom built by Sri Viswakarma himself. Now, Maharani Kunti was the aunt of Vasudev Krishna that made Hastinapur a natural ally of him.

I stood up to go to the royal court. My wife placed the turban of minister on my head. I smiled at her. But before I left the room, I heard her voice.

"Arya, what are your thoughts about Rajkumar Duryodhana?"

Now that was a tough question.

I took a few moments to organise my thoughts.

"Sulabha, even I cannot properly understand him. He is a peculiar mixture of opposite personality. He has a loving heart, even you surely understand it. But I cannot understand that why the Pandavas have no place in there? The only Pandava whom he likes, no, let me correct my words, the only Pandava whom he loves is Sahdeva. But Yudhisthir, Arjun and Nakul, they haven't done anything to him. So, why he couldn't tolerate them? The throne of Hastinapur made an unbreakable barrier between them. But as a well-wisher of Hastinapur, I must try to break this barrier. I will always take side where righteousness belongs. Otherwise the enmity between them can lead Hastinapur to a very dark path."

We both were silent for a few moments. Then I took leave from her and walked towards the royal assembly. But before I entered the hall, I heard a voice behind me.

"Pranipaat, Mahamantri Vidura!"

That voice literally sent chills through my spine. I hadn't heard that voice from the last twelve years. When he left Hastinapur, we all thought that a dark cloud on our head was cleared. But now, I heard his voice. That meant that the dark cloud of danger was again hovering over us.

I turned my head and looked at the source of the voice.

He was standing behind me. His hair and pointed beard had shades of grey now. But his eyes had the same glow, and his crooked smile was same.

"Pranipaat, Gandharraj Shakuni.", I greeted him politely. But my mind went twelve years ago.

Tatshri and I were planning to banish him from the Kuru kingdom. But, before we could reach onto any decision, we found that he himself was leaving for Gandhar at the next day when the Rajkumars went to the Gurukul.

Now he was here again, and that was not a good sign.

So, this is chapter twenty eight.

Jarasandha had two daughters, Asti and Prapti, both of them was the wives of Kansa. Vasudev was born to Yadava king Shursena and Queen Marisha, the daughter of Aryaka naag. Kunti was his sister, so Sri Krishna became her nephew. After the death of Jarasandha in the hand of Bheem, his son Sahdeva became the king. Sahdeva of Magadha fought alongside the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war and killed by Shakuni.

Oh, before I forget, please read, vote and comment.

By the way,  can anyone recognize that strange sound heard by Vidura?