Tethered ; Arjun and Draupadi

7. Arjun Declares War

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Arjun continued holding Draupadi. She had asked him to not leave her alone with his brothers and had said that Yudhishthir was the one responsible for her plight. He was furious at his brothers for silently witnessing as his wife, their wife, was dishonoured. He demanded answers.

As he continued to hold Draupadi, Maharani Gandhari and Raj Mata Kunti entered the court running. The two women breathlessly approached Draupadi. "Draupadi, Putri", Kunti said as she extended her hand to touch Draupadi's arm. On feeling Kunti's touch, Draupadi stirred and broke away from Arjun's embrace and stepped back. Sternly, she turned to Kunti and said, "Raj Mata Kunti, do not touch me. You will turn to ashes if you do. I am no longer your four sons' wife. I should have never been their wife. I am no longer your daughter-in-law. I am no longer Kuru Dynasty's bride. I am no longer a woman. I am Death. Only Death". Draupadi stared at Kunti with eyes that could release fire if they wished to at that moment.

Draupadi's words increased Arjun's need for answers. He turned towards his brothers with a glare and asked, "Jyesht! Why is Panchali blaming you for her plight? What did you do?". Yudhishthir lowered his gaze as he sobbed. The wise Yudhishthir experienced a shortage of words for the first time in his life. Arjun's fury grew by the second. He then asked Bheem, "Bhrata Bheem! You have always been the most protective person in our family. How could you sit there and watch this terror occur?". "Nakul, you are the most opinionated one among us and yet you could not vehemently oppose whatever happened?", Arjun questioned his younger brother. "Sahadev, I am sure you had premonitions about this. Why didn't you stop Jyesht? Why didn't you convince him?", Arjun questioned his youngest brother. None of them could answer Arjun's series of questions. On not getting answers from his brothers, Arjun turned towards Bheeshma. For the first time, Arjun didn't look towards his grandfather with respect and adoration. Furiously, he questioned Bheeshma. "Pitamaha! You are the one responsible for Dharma in Hastinapur. It was your oath to be the protector of Hastinapur's Dharma. How could you allow such a taint to fall on your principles?". It felt as though there weren't enough words in the world for Bheeshma to string together to give his most beloved grandson an answer. Bheeshma allowed the flow of his tears to match with that of his mother Ganga's. "Tashri, Kakashree, Draupadi is like a daughter to you both. How could you let her honour be harmed in this manner?", Arjun collectively questioned Dhritarashtra and Vidur. The two men too did not have any answer for their nephew. Defeated, Arjun looked at his revered Gurudev. "Gurudev, how could you? How could the one voice that has taught me to be a man with a strong character and to adhere to the right path stay silent today? She is your friend's daughter Gurudev. Why did you not protest?", Arjun cried.

None of them had answers for Arjun. Arjun, who demanded answers could feel the string of his patience slip gradually. He looked at Draupadi. "Even after all that has happened, this court still remains silent", she said with a voice devoid of any emotion. Kunti and Gandhari engulf Draupadi in a hug. Draupadi did not fight it. Draupadi dropped on her knees and allowed herself to be embraced by the two women. Gandhari stroked her hair soothingly, internally seething at everyone but especially at her husband. Kunti broke away from the embrace and faced the entire court. With a strong glare, she declared, "Cowards! Each one of you self-proclaimed warriors is a coward. Let alone protecting a woman's honour. You all cannot even answer my son Arjun's questions. When none of you wields the courage to even answer a man's questions, how do you think you will wield the courage to raise your weapons against an enemy on the battlefield from this day onwards? Is there any Maharathi present here who would like to showcase true valour and say the truth without stuttering?". Kunti challenged.

"I will answer Rajkumar Arjun's questions", declared a husky voice. Everyone in the court turned to look at the owner of the voice. The absence of the crown of Anga and the ornaments did not take away from his luminescence. Karn stepped forward and stopped near Arjun. "When he was crossing the city, I had told Rajkumar Arjun that I would answer all of his questions. I will be the one to present the truth to him. Nothing but the unfiltered truth", declared the divine warrior. Kunti looked at her son who she could not claim and felt her heart swell with pride.