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| Preparing for the War |
After obtaining the support of the Yadava armies, Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura in high spirits. He had good reasons to be confident. There were others whose support he was sure of. Mighty Jayadratha or Saindhava, the king of the Sindhus and the husband of his sister, was on his side. So were Susharma, king of Trigarata, and his sons, all mighty warriors of the time. Then there was Shalya, the king of Madra Desha and the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva. The wily Duryodhana had tricked and bribed Shalya into promising to fight on the Kaurava side against his nephews. Duryodhana smiled gleefully in remembrance.
Shalya, concerned about his nephews, had set out from his kingdom on the journey to Upaplavya. Hearing this, Duryodhana hastened to devise a cunning scheme. All along the road that he knew Shalya would be traveling, he had wells dug for the thirsty travelers and water troughs constructed for animals. Shalya was certain that no one but Yudhishthira could have been so generous or have provided so many comforts. 'How can I withhold my help from one whose hospitality I have so freely accepted?', he thought.
And when people asked him whom he would support in the war, he replied, "Naturally, the prince who has been my kind got host." Shalya got a rude shock when he heard that the kind host had been Duryodhana, and not Yudhishthira as he had thought. Duryodhana met him at one stage of the journey. "If you are a man of your word," the Kaurava reminded him, "you must fight on our side and give us your support"
Shalya was completely taken aback. He had never dreamt that things would take such a turn. Duryodhana's trick made him feel foolish. Shalya felt cheated, but he could not deny that Duryodhana now had a hold on him. Little did Duryodhana realize that this unwilling ally would not prove a steadfast, faithful friend. To him it seemed that with the allies and the armies he had, victory was already his.
Now, on the eve of the battle, a hot quarrel flared up in the camp of the Kauravas. Bhishma, the veteran hero of many wars and the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces, had been given the task of appointing the commanding officers. It was expected that Karna would be appointed to a very high rank. But Bhishma had never approved of Karna's arrogance and high-handedness. Karna, on his part, disliked Bhishma and doubted his loyalty to the Kauravas. When the time came for choosing the officers, he openly disapproved of Karna. Cut to the quick, Karna shot answered back sharply and a battle of words followed. Karna declared hotly that he would not fight as long as Bhishma was commander. Duryodhana tried to persuade Karna to be more reasonable. But Karna's pride would not allow him to swallow what he considered an insult. | |
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