'I'm Time..'
'..and today, I'll narrate to you the immortal epic story of Mahabharat.'
'This Mahabharat is no ordinary tale of some Indian battle.'
'It's the story of the rise and fall of Indian culture.'
'Of the battle between good and evil..'
'..light and darkness.'
'No one else, but I can narrate this story.'
'Since I alone saw history in the making.'
'I've seen all its characters..'
'..and every incident unfold before me.'
'I myself am Duryodhan as well as Arjun.'
'I myself am Kurukshetra, the battle field.'
'It's a story of conflict between relationships..'
'..and its very basis.'
'It's the story of the churning..'
'..that brings up the elixir of principles and truth.'
'Every era has to undergo..'
'..this conflict on their personal battlefield.'
'For every era's truth must battle the current evil.'
'Till I exist..'
'..this great battle shall continue to be fought..'
'..and I'm eternal..'
'..and endless.'
'This story must..'
'..be heard and imbibed all the time..'
'..so that the present can prepare itself for its future.'
'It's the duty of the present to fight this battle..'
'..and the fate of every future.'
'By narrating this great epic, sometimes as a teacher..'
'..sometimes as a mother and sometimes as a guru..'
'..I ready every new generation for this great battle.'
'This story didn't actually begin..'
'..the day Lord Krishna, gave Arjun the Gita discourse.'
'Neither on the day Draupadi made fun of Duryodhan.'
'The story began much earlier.. '
'..when Dushyant and Shakuntala's son..'
'..King Bharat, returned to his capital..'
'..Hastinapur after his victory march.'
Long live the victorious Emperor!
Long live the victorious Emperor.
'King Bharat's greatness doesn't lie merely..'
'..in the fact that he extended, Hastinapur kingdom's borders..'
'..from the Himalayas, right down to the oceans..'
'..and after whom this great country is named.'
'Bharat's greatness lies in the fact..'
'..that he initiated democratic rule in his court.'
'Making a distinction between merit and birth..'
'..he stated that life's worth lies in merit, not birth.'
'For the battle of Kurukshetra is in reality a moral battleground.'
Long live the king.
Our frontiers today, have spread..
..from the Himalayas to the shores of Kumari Antari..
What was known as Aryavarth is named after you.
It's the right time, King, to nominate your successor.
Prime Minister..
..we'll do so on the auspicious day of the full moon.
I've heard you're off somewhere, Son?
Yes, Mother.
Having returned from the war..
..I thought of meeting Sage Kanva.
Don't address him only as a sage.
He's like your grandfather..
Although I'm not his daughter..
..he's the one who brought me up.
Give my regards.
Tell him..
..that he's forgotten his daughter, Shakuntala.
Of course, Mother. I will.
May I take your leave now?
May you live long.
Come, son of Shakuntala.
My regards, Your Holiness.
I bless you, Son. How's your mother?
She's well..
..Holiness and she pays her respects as always..
..but she was complaining..
..that the father's almost forgotten his daughter.
Now ask what you've come to ask.
I'm faced with a problem.
I've nine sons..
..but I can't decide who my successor should be.
The sum and substance of the query is..
..that Bharat who's conquered the earth..
..hasn't yet conquered the self.
You cannot mete justice..
..till you conquer yourself.
Hence, go and conquer yourself.
You'll find the answer to your question.
My blessings are with you.
Live long.
'Hastinapur is glittering with the glory of the lunar race.'
'Even history..'
'..is waiting with bated breath for that moment..'
'..which will bestow the name of the king's successor.'
'This is the unwritten first page of..'
'..the great immortal epic, Mahabharat!'
All rise!
Defender of the faith and guardian of the people..
..upholder of justice, Hastinapur's king..
..Emperor Bharat is on his way..
My respects, Mother.
Prime Minister.
I, son of King Dushyant, would first of all..
..like to thank my brave soldiers..
..who helped me extend my Hastinapur kingdom..
..up to the limits of Aryavarth.
I'm grateful to my subjects, too..
..who not only gave me their blessings..
..but also gave me their brave sons.
Some of whom died on the battlefield.
My heartfelt respects to their parents.
And today, I declare from my throne..
..that no king is, greater than his country or its people.
A king has only three duties.
To mete justice to his kingdom and people and defend them..
..and defend them and to nominate, his successor..
..who could do justice to his kingdom and people..
..and be able to protect them, too.
I regret..
..that I don't find these qualities in any of my sons.
Therefore, I adopt Abhimanyu..
..son of Bharadwaj..
..and proclaim him as my successor.
My respects, Mother.
May you live long.
You look..
..disturbed, Mother.
I'm looking disturbed..
..because I am disturbed.
Why so, Mother?
You're the first father in history..
..to deprive your sons of their rights.
What kind of father are you, Son?
Mother, I am such a father..
..who's not just a father..
..but a king as well.
But a son is a son, after all, Bharat.
You're a mother..
..made helpless by maternal love.
I'm a king.
Justice has entangled me.
I've a large family, Mother.
In any case, the young man, whom I've nominated as my successor..
..is my son, too..
..as he's one of my subjects.
All the countrymen are like my family.
If I announce my son as the king..
..then it will be injustice to the kingdom..
..as well as its people.
Queen Mother, you should be proud..
..that your son has been just.
'But the bud of democracy..'
'..in Bharat's political firmament, withered away..'
'..after a few generations during the reign of King Shantanu.'
'When birth took precedence over merit.'
'When the present was put at stake for an unknown future.'
'In actuality, that very day..'
'..Mahabharat's Kurukshetra readied for battle.'
'The story of King Shantanu starts thus.'
'One day, King Shantanu..'
'..was out hunting near the banks of the river Ganga.'
I'm Shantanu, lady.
King of Hastinapur, Shantanu.
I'm Ganga.
I was out hunting.
What happened then, sir?
I don't really know as yet.
But it seems..
..that a lovely, doe-eyed damsel has made me her victim.
That's awful.
The king of Hastinapur should be cautious.
Hastinapur without its king will resemble..
..a bowman's shoulder shorn of his bow.
King, what will become of Hastinapur now?
Lady, there's only one way to save Hastinapur.
King, then you should immediately choose that option.
Lady, that's in your hands.
King, I'll pose my query tomorrow..
..about how I can save a powerful kingdom like Hastinapur.
Lady, why tomorrow and not today?
King, every question gets answered in its own time.
'I'm Shantanu, lady.'
'King of Hastinapur, Shantanu.'
'I'm Ganga.'
'What happened then, sir?'
'I don't really know as yet.'
'But it seems that..'
'..a lovely doe-eyed damsel has made me her victim.'
'That's awful.'
'The king of Hastinapur should be cautious.'
'Hastinapur without its king will resemble..'
'..a bowman's shoulder shorn of his bow.'
'King, what will become of Hastinapur now?'
'Lady, there's only one way to save Hastinapur.'
'King, then you should immediately choose the option.'
'Lady, that's in your hands.'
'King, I'll pose my query tomorrow..'
'..about how I can save a powerful kingdom like Hastinapur.'
'Lady, why tomorrow and not today?'
'King, every question gets answered in its own time.'
Did you have to wait long for me, Lady?
Yes, I had to but not too long..
So, you were saying..
..there's only one way to save Hastinapur.
Then, I'd told you to choose that option immediately.
Then you said, "that's in my hands."
Let's proceed further, King.
How is it in my hands?
Now if you agree to become my queen..
..Hastinapur and I both, would be saved.
- I can accept this honour but.. - Lady.
I'm from the warrior clan.
Words such as 'but' don't exist in our vocabulary.
Then you must make me a promise.
From now on, all my promises are yours.
Not all, King, but only one.
Just one promise.
You'll never question me.
Is that all?
All right.
I give you my word, Lady.
I'II be free..
..to do anything I please without question.
Yes.
I promise never to interfere, nor question you.
If you fail to do so..
..the day you question my actions..
..I'll leave you forever after giving you your answer.
Lady, I submit.
Son of Arya, the moon is about to hide..
..and the sun is about to rise.
What have you been staring at wordlessly?
I've been staring at the horizon..
..where the moon dipped from sight..
..and the sun rose.
My present..
..vanished in your eyes..
..which hold my future.
For the first time in my life, I feel..
..I should have been a poet.
I only learnt the language of weapons and battlefield.
If I'd learned the language of love..
..I'd have described, beloved..
..the depth of your eyes..
..and your lips beckon like the forests and glades.
Ganga, take me..
..before I drown.
I'm drowning in the fathomless depths of your eyes.
Surprisingly..
..I'm enjoying this drowning sensation.
I don't want to be swept away.
You must not lose yourself in my eyes..
..and neglect your kingdom, son of Arya.
The people of Hastinapur will blame me for snatching away their king.
Right now, beloved..
..I don't want to even think about kingship and kingdom.
Why, son of Arya?
I'm enjoying my dip in the Ganges.
- Just can't understand our king. - General.
Stop worrying.
Nobody likes getting disturbed.
As a general, I'm very disturbed.
I've not spoken to the king for months now.
Looks like the king has forgotten Hastinapur.
With an able general like you..
..why should the king worry about Hastinapur?
The kingdom is safe in your hands.
The king is busy with the affairs of his heart.
- But there are many duties of a king.. - Same thing again.
A king is a human being, too, General.
He has a right to enjoyment as much as any of his subjects.
He looks after the happiness of his people.
Isn't it the duty of the people, then, to look after his happiness?
If the king isn't happy..
..how can he understand the feelings of his countrymen and protect them?
That's why, General, let him soak in Ganga's joy.
- But for how long, Prime Minister? - For as long as he wants.
How long would that be?
You needn't worry.
Matrimonial pleasures are essential.
Life isn't complete without them.
Await the birth of an heir to the king.
The day it happens he'll come out of his ecstasy.
Here. The day has arrived.
King.
Long live the King.
Congratulations, King, on the birth of a son.
- Did you see him? - Yes, King.
What's his complexion?
King, his complexion is like somebody dissolved red colour in milk.
How are his eyes?
Just like the lunar race of kings, King.
Long live the king!
'You'll never question me.'
'That's all?'
'All right.'
'I give you my word, Lady.'
'I'II be free..'
'..to do anything, I please without question.'
'Yes.'
'I promise never to interfere..'
'..nor question you.'
'If I wasn't Time..'
'..my gaze would have..'
'..turned flinty, with what I saw just now.'
'But Hastinapur's king, Shantanu, doesn't have my vision, right.'
'He's only a father.'
'The sight that met his eyes, gave him pain..'
'..that was impossible to bear.'
'A mother drowned her..'
'..first born in the river soon after birth.'
'Shantanu is tongue-tied because of his promise.'
'Ganga met his silence by walking off with a challenging smile.'
'But I'm Time.'
'I know the fate of Shantanu's second child as well.'
"Eyes are staring in disbelief and the tongue is tied."
"It is difficult to bear, but a word can't be uttered."
"Destiny written by Lord is difficult to comprehend."
"..is difficult to comprehend."
King.
So late at night, King?
I'm swamped by darkness, Royal Priest.
I don't know day from night.
The days are dark as night.
King, if a man closes his eyes..
..he can see nothing.. but darkness all around.
Open your eyes and see.
The sun rises and sets everyday.
The moon comes out and showers its cool beams.
Enlightenment is the very soul, King.
Nothing is possible without the soul.
Why am I unable to see the light, Royal Priest?
Because you're not trying to see it, King.
This darkness is due to some personal dilemma of yours.
Dilemmas are meant to be tackled.
Royal Priest, that's exactly what I find difficult.
Despite wanting to, I'm unable to face the dilemma head-on.
What's your problem, King?
The queen killed my two sons..
..and I couldn't stop her.
Why, oh, King?
I've bound by my oath to her.
Bound by oath..
..to quietly standby..
..as she kills your sons?
You're a king.
The King of Hastinapur.
You'd no right to give such a blind promise.
The oath that interferes with your justice..
..is not an oath, but a curse.
I'm living under this curse, Royal Priest.
King, you call this living?
Then what would you call death?
The king who cannot protect his own sons..
..how can he protect his countrymen?
I'll pray to God..
..to save Hastinapur from your weakness.
King, couldn't you see this injustice?
Shantanu, who's the king of Hastinapur..
..can see the injustice, Royal Priest.
Then why doesn't the king of Hastinapur stop this injustice?
Because Shantanu, who's a common man..
..holds the king back.
A king is always a king.
He doesn't have the right to become a common man.
Your life is for the people.
You've violated the duties of a king by giving such an oath.
Royal Priest, I came here seeking help.
King, it doesn't befit a king to seek help.
Then what should I do, Royal Priest?
Burn in the guilt of your oath.
This is in your destiny and that is your penance, too.
Suffer sneers and badmouthing against you.
Help yourself come out from this guilt.
From this very weakness..
..will surely emerge the germ of strength.
Brother, did you hear that?
Yes, I did.
But I don't feel like believing it.
No matter if it's river Ganges itself.
But can a mother drown her own child?
A mother is herself a river of love.
I think the queen must be a special mother.
I think so, as these aren't a mother's characteristics.
She's drowned three sons like this.
Brother, tell us what's the news about the palace?
The news is the same. The fourth son is born.
The king is in a bad state.
Obviously, he will be..
..because the children aren't solely the queen's.
But why doesn't the king question her?
If this continues, the king can never get an heir.
You're right.
If the king remains silent even today..
..then the fourth child will be drowned, too.
King.
So late in the night, Prime Minister?
King, I came to console you on the death of the fourth son.
Prime Minister, you're wrong.
It's not death, but murder.
But if these are murders..
..then why is it that the king of justice hasn't..
..yet sentenced the murderer to death?
The murderer's not getting the death sentence proves..
..that these aren't murders.
Prime Minister..
..do you think this taunt's in good taste?
Then why don't you question the queen?
Sir, who is this lady whom you've made our queen?
This lady doesn't have even one of the three qualities in a woman.
Conscience, impetus nor enthusiasm.
If you can't question her as a husband then question her as a king..
..because it's your duty to give an heir to this kingdom, King.
Prime Minister, if I could ask her..
..then there'd have been no reason for you to come here..
..and console me for my fourth son's death.
More depressing is that..
..if I have a fifth son..
..then his future will be my bad luck, too.
'I'II be free to do anything I please without question.'
'Yes. I promise never to interfere nor question you.'
"Didn't think of the consequences.."
"..when giving his word."
"Think twice.."
"..before doing anything in life."