In a last-ditch effort, Krishna came to my palace and assumed the All-Form of Indra to threaten us to make peace with the Pandavas. I thought that he knew that the Pandavas would lose the fight, and was trying to get us to accept peace. I was wrong.
The battle broke out soon after. At first, our forces seemed level with the Pandava forces. I thought we would pull ahead. We had the numbers, and fierce warriors in Bhishma, Karna, Drona, and others. However, we soon fell behind, thanks to Bhishma. Bhishma was not aggressive enough. He failed to exploit the weaknesses of the Pandavas. I'm sure we would have made more progress if he had been a better warrior. I tried to pressure Bhishma into letting Karna take over, but Bhishma denied. Eventually, Bhishma decided he would make a push. I was happy to hear this, but knew a quickly planned battle would not go well for our forces against Arjuna. However, I didn't mind to see Bhishma relinquished from duty. Sure enough, Bhishma perished at the hands of Arjuna - as I expected. Bhishma was not a strong enough warrior or leader to win a fight with Arjuna. Then, I put Drona in charge. In retrospect, I wish I had put Karna in charge. Drona followed in similar footsteps as Bhishma, and faced the same fate. Around the time Drona fell in battle, we also lost many other formidable soldiers. At this point, I knew my forces were doomed to lose. We had hardly anyone left, and the Pandavas still had great forces. Arjuna slew Karna in a cowardly way, but what else could I expect from a Pandava? However, I couldn't live to see my kingdom in the hands of the Pandavas...
I went to hide in a lake - I thought that the Pandavas would assume I fled and would not hunt me down. However, Bhima found me. Bhima had it out for me. Sure enough, we did battle. I thought I would surely crush Bhima. However, he cheap-shotted me in the knee with his mace. What a cowardly way to end a battle. This was my fate. I'd rather be dead than see the Pandavas in power.
In the end, I do not regret doing battle with the Pandavas. I only regret not electing more powerful generals. Bhishma and Drona cost me the war. I should have taken Krishna on my side, he was more powerful than his entire army - even when not fighting. I should have won. The kingdom should still be mine.
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| Me and Bhima fighting to the death. Image courtesy of Wikimedia |
Author's Note:
Instead of rewriting one small story from the Mahabharata, I decided to rewrite the battle from Duryodhana's perspective. Throughout the story, I wondered what the story would be told like if told from Duryodhana's point-of-view. Would the Pandava's be cast as the bad guys? I wrote the story of the war from Duryodhana's perspective, and I felt that he was quick to cast blame to others and was excessively confident. He was quick to throw both Bhishma and Drona under the bus when things went south, and I think that he would blame the loss on the two of them. I felt that Duryodhana and his forces generally did not recognize their wrongdoings throughout the Mahabharata. For example, Karna did not hesitate to ask for safety while he fixed his chariot but fired upon Arjuna while he restrung his bow during their fight. I hope to have captured a sense of arrogance while accurately retelling events from the war from Duryodhana's perspective.Bibliography:
"Indian Myth and Legend" by Donald A. Mackenzie [Online]
"Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists" by Sister Nivedita
"The Story of the Great War". By Annie Besant
"The Story of the Great War". By Annie Besant
First I want to say I like what you did with this story switching to Duryodhana’s perspective. I also think the same when I read the Mahabharata I don’t actually know who the bad side is. I think that there are definitely people that can be called bad but I don’t think there is a side that can. I find myself rooting for certain people all the way through the story. This story was a well written rewrite of the battle. I look forward to reading more from you!
ReplyDeleteMarshall, what a great story! I loved how you wrote the story from Duryodhanan's perspective to see how he was feeling throughout the battle. I personally like viewing both sides of the story, so with your writing, it gave me another side of the battle. I have not seen this done in a story before, so good job on creativity. Cannot wait to read your other stories!
ReplyDeleteHi Marshall, once again I'm really impressed with your story! Duryodhana is such an interesting and complex character, similar to Ravana, and reading from his perspective is great! I always wondered about the palace scene when Krishna assumes the "all-form", and how Duryodhana was not frightened at that! I know seeing my enemy assume the form of a god would trouble me! Anyways, I can't wait to see what else you write!
ReplyDeleteHi Marshall. I really like how you got into the head of Duryodhana and showed his arrogance and overconfidence. Painting him as someone who never takes responsibility for his actions, plays the victim, and constantly blames others, adds a nice layer to the story of this battle and the Mahabharata in general. What from the original story made you see Duryodhana 's personality in such a way?
ReplyDeleteHi, Marshall! I enjoyed your story. I thought your opening line, while foreshadowing, really helps draw the reader in as to how this character lost his life. I think Duryodhana’s perspective is one that we don’t get enough of throughout the Mahabharata. I appreciate the perspective that you offer of how Duryodhana viewed the battle. I think you do a great job of staying true to his character by showing his lack of remorse for his actions at the end of the story.
ReplyDelete