A Change of Fate

Burn down the Chess Board (2)

Summary:

"Father, the throne you have envisioned for your eldest son will be the funeral pyre to all your remaining sons." The boy declared in a hard tone. Turning towards her, Suyodhana continued. " Amma,I promised you that I'll never cross any boundary that was drawn by you. You heard every argument put forward from my side. Even after all of this, if you order me to take the throne after all of this and I'll break my Dharma as a big brother and will place my name as the contender for the throne. I'm asking you to weigh all the possibilities and decide if it's worth it."

-A son to his mother.

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Gandhari always thought herself to be a good wife and a good mother. She tried her best always to curb her husband's influence on her son. But she forgot that in the formation of a child's psyche, both the mother and the father have an equal responsibility.

The throne had long been a source of division and conflict between her husband and his brother, its shadow looming large over the brothers. It now threatened to engulf their sons in a war that promised only loss and destruction. But Suyodhana's decision to step away from this path appeared as a beacon of hope, the possibility of peace suddenly within grasp, a dream she scarcely dared to believe could become reality.

Yet, beneath the initial wave of relief, Gandhari was troubled by a deep sense of perplexity. Suyodhana, known for his ambition and unyielding determination, was the last person anyone would expect to relinquish power so readily. His actions were out of character, a deviation from the stubbornness that defined him. The timing of his decision, just three months after the return of the sons of Gods, only added to the mystery, suggesting that there was more to this choice than met the eye.

So she was silent when her husband asked him why he was making that hard decision.

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"Have you lost your mind Suyodhana..." Her husband screamed at her son. "The throne of Hasthinapur is your right. How could you give up your right to the throne?"

Suyodhana was silent for a few moments. "Because I don't want me and all my brothers to die."

The answer stunned both the king and the queen to silence. "Amma, if you won't be angry with me... can I ask you a question?"

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Gandhari nodded. "Father was born blind... but why are you blind, Amma?" The bitterness in her son's voice swallowed the anger that rose in her. Her child challenged her act of service towards her husband and yet the sadness in his tone made her stop. But she cannot let this go. Because if she's not strict with Suyodhana when he's a child, he will turn even more obstinate. It's easier to bend a sapling than a tree. So hardening her heart, she replied.

"This blindfold is the symbol of my devotion towards your father, Suyodhana." She said injecting steel in her tone.

"I didn't ask why you are wearing a blindfold Amma. I'm asking why you chose to be blind?" Suyodhana replied his tone turning harsh but she could hear helplessness in it. "Father, did you ever ask Amma to blind herself for you?"

"Why does that matter, Suyodhana?" Dhritarastra asked after retaining his senses. "You are asking me to announce that you are renouncing your rights as a Crown Prince. That's our conversation. So why does your mother's decision she made even before you were born matter?"