The Eye Witness

I just couldn’t believe my ears!

I looked questioningly at the blue-bodied persona.

He saw my bewilderment, smiled, and said,

"Yes, you heard it correctly. Will you oblige?"

For someone born in the Asura family,

It would be a privilege, but I was perplexed,"

I asked him, why he wants my head when he can take my entire life?

"Remember the oath you gave to your mother?

I am afraid you will end up fighting war on the wrong side," he said.

"Will you please bless me to see the splendour

of war that is about to unfold?"

So, here I am, on top of the hill,

blessed by the Almighty to witness the war,

virtually surveying all that’s about to unfurl below.

I saw the conch shells being blown with such

ferocity that the ordinary amongst the assembled

almost fell down even before the bow was cast.

I saw the chariot being drawn by none other than

the God himself, right into the middle of

an ensemble of countless soldiers standing on either side

to give up their life; some for the wrong reasons and some

for standing up to what they believed is right.

But I knew that all would perish barring

a few who are cursed or blessed to live.

In the wind that blew across, I could see the orange

flag atop the chariot flutter and the ever faithful

settle on it to withstand the effect of all the vicious weapons

that would be rained on the mighty warrior.

Unexpectedly, I saw the best of the warrior laying down

his bow and arrows and kneel in front of the Almighty.

His face wrinkled and confused.

I wish I could hear what was being said,

but then, that power has been bestowed on another

who sat miles away but heard everything to narrate

verbatim to the overzealous father who can’t see.

Even as I saw, it took the Almighty several hours of

educating, imparting loads of knowledge of wisdom

and some very well-kept secrets

to convince the Ghandeevi to start the war.

Thus began the epic war the likes of which

had never happened and lasted

eighteen days; each day opening a

new window of sorrow, grief, and death.

And I was destined to witness the bloodbath

that was about to flow.

I saw the last but one of the five brothers

maiming the demon who lost all semblance of

decency and disrobed the wife of the brothers

but spared him only to get killed by the Madhyama later.

Several sons of the blind king

were crushed to death by the Madhyama,

but the grandfather of them all on the other side

unleashed his weapons and destroyed

thousands of the opponents without remorse

and made sure that the day one belonged to

his king with whom he unwittingly sided for the war.

The mighty Yadava lord who was blessed to be immortal

and belonged to the ilk of the Almighty himself

made the grandfather retreat by killing his chariot driver.

The old man departed the field to fight the war another day.

The son of Ganga almost destroyed

the might of the opponents

and even made the lord of all beings, break

his own vow and pick the wheel of the chariot to fight.

Vasudeva’s son knew that the key to win

the war was to first finish the old man.

Thus, he sent the eldest of the brothers

seeking ways of defeating him.

The old man smilingly advised that the only

way to disarm him is to make a eunuch stand and fight him.

Bruhannale ended the role of the grandfather

By showering him endless arrows and finally created

A bed of arrows for him to lie down and wait

For the sun to change its course, so that

He could decide when to give up his body.

I also saw the unlawful way the young man

Who Learnt the art of entering a specific war

Formation in the womb, get killed because

He did not know how to come out.

I wept for the young man

Who single-handedly fought warriors mightier and older than him.

It took the almighty to make the eldest of the Panadas lie

About the death of his teacher's son

By blowing the conch shell

To obscure the voice that said something else.

My eyes widened when I witnessed

The younger brother killing his sibling

Who was the first son born

Out of wedlock to his mother

Stealthily while tending to the wheels of his chariot.

The end of the war was near, and the anti-hero who

Had lost all his faithful followers and teachers

Hid in the water hole, only to be drawn out by

The mighty Madhyama who not only broke his thighs

But also, his ego, demonstrating that the truth will always prevail.

One last thing remained; the almighty disembarked from the chariot

Followed by the long-tailed faithful disciple.

Lo and behold, chariot burned to ashes

Taking with it the ego of the man who momentarily

Forgot who was actually instrumental for the victory.