A Change of Fate

Rashmirathi

Results of the Poll

Original Mahabharat- 14

Jain Mahabharat-10

So as you guys have voted.... on this site Original Mahabharat will be followed. If you wish to read Jain Mahabharat... wait for a week or so and it will be available in AO3.

With a sharp snap of his fingers, Vasusena made the entire room melt away, the world around them shifting into a memory. The air thickened with tension as the scene unfolded.

"Yesterday, I asked you a question, Mahaamahim. Today's discussion revolves around that same question." Vasusena's voice was like a blade, cold and sharp. "Are you an incompetent old man... or a manipulative one?"

The memory unraveled before them, vivid and dark. A younger Suyodhana appeared before their eyes, his face twisted in frustration and arrogance. His footsteps thundered across the training grounds, his voice booming with challenge.

"VASUSENA!" The cry echoed through the scene, filled with the fire of childish pride.

They saw Vasusena's eyes flicker with fondness for a brief moment before his face smoothed over, masking any emotion. Kripa, along with the others, watched as the arrogant prince boldly challenged Vasusena, his impatience on full display. Vasusena, irritated yet composed, led Suyodhana out of the palace walls, taking him to hunt a tiger.

The memory jumped forward to the dense forest. There, amidst the trees, the great beast lay slain, its blood pooling neck bent into an unnatural shape beneath Vasusena's hands. Suyodhana, who had once radiated boldness, now stood quietly, terror creeping into his eyes as he watched Vasusena kill the tiger with his bare hands, the sheer force of his strength evident in every move.

It was then that the conversation between them began.

"You know you cannot defeat me," memory-Vasusena said with exasperation only seen in the faces of elder brothers done with the antics of their younger siblings. "I am the one who taught you everything you know of Mala Yuddha. In your current state, you have no hope of beating me. So, why the challenge?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, demanding truth.

To everyone's surprise, the proud Suyodhana apologized, his arrogance dissolving into pain.

But Vasusena wasn't swayed by the apology. He remained firm, unyielding. He pressed the prince further, using his authority as a teacher to probe deeper. "If I do not know what ails you," Vasusena said, his tone soft and kind, "I cannot help you."

Suyodhana broke down then, his shoulders shaking as tears filled his eyes. "It is not something you can solve, Vasusena. No one in Hastinapura or Aryavarta can help me," he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his pain. Soft sobs escaped him.

And the realization struck like a blow—Suyodhana, beneath his mask of arrogance, was suffering. And all of them had failed to see it.