'I am Time.'
'Neither sorrow can impede my flow nor happiness.'
'But sometimes my flow is impeded by the lines of fate.'
'I stand on the banks of river Ganga..'
'..caught up in the story of Shantanu's lineage.'
'Ganga, the daughter of Lord Brahma, has..'
'..killed seven of her own sons born of Shantanu..'
'..by drowning them in her own waters.'
'The King of Hastinapur stands on the bank with me, too..'
'..watching quietly, unable to do anything..'
'He was tormented like a fish out of water..'
'..because he's bound by his own oath.'
'He can only weep and so, he weeps.'
'But he cannot question Ganga.'
'So, he remains silent.'
Let's see, Sister what happens to the eighth prince.
What a mother!
I cannot even congratulate the king.
It's surprising..
..that the king doesn't even ask her the reason behind it.
What a mother!
Killing her children at birth!
When she went to drown the seventh prince I followed her.
How should I say?
She placed the baby on the water like an offering to God.
Eighth prince!
Poor king.
Now she'll surely drown the eighth prince.
There she goes!
No! No!
I can bear this no longer, Queen.
You're bound by your oath, King.
A king of the lunar dynasty gave the oath.
But the one who's stopping you now is only a father.
You've drowned seven of our new-born sons.
But I won't allow you to kill this eight one, Ganga.
Why are you doing this?
A mother..
..killing her own offspring!
What a mother you are!
I haven't killed these children, King.
I've freed them from a curse.
A curse?
Yes, King. A curse.
I, Ganga, a princess from Heaven..
..am living on this earth due to a curse, too.
You're living due to a curse, too.
What curse?
Whose curse?
My father Brahma's curse.
Tell me the entire story, Queen.
'You were King Mahabhishak in your previous birth.'
'God Indra was a friend.'
'You'd come to his court to see the celestial damsels dance.'
'One day I came there with my father Lord Brahma.'
'You were there, too.'
'You saw me.'
'I saw you, too.'
'We were lost in each other.'
'Just then a light breeze blew away my stole.'
'All those present averted their gaze..'
'..but you kept looking at me..'
'..and I at you.'
'This angered my father..'
'..and he cursed us to be reborn on earth.'
'Mahabhishak, you've transgressed..'
'..the bounds of propriety.'
'Ganga, you were a willing participant, too.'
'I curse both of you..'
'..to be reborn on earth.'
'I curse both of you.'
Since your oath is broken I'm released from the curse.
This means.. that it's time for me to leave you.
What about my seven sons who died?
Were they mere pawns in God's hands?
Don't hold a grudge, son of Arya.
Your sons are Vasus who were..
..cursed by Sage Vashistha to be reborn on earth.
Unable to bear their anguish I promised them..
..that I'd give birth to them on earth..
..and then release them from the curse.
But unfortunately..
..this last Vasu is not yet free of the curse.
He has to live with it.
Okay.
I'll now take your leave, son of Arya.
But..
..at least leave my son with me.
At the proper time, King.
For now, I shall take him with me..
..and return him to you when the time's right.
I've named him Devavrata.
But who knows.. what his name will be in the future.
'After Ganga left him..'
'Shantanu's life lost all meaning.. and direction.'
'It was as if his soul had left him.'
'But the longing for his beloved remained.'
'Whenever this longing tormented him he'd go to the river bank..'
'..and search for his beloved Ganga.'
"There is a moral of life in ancient history.
"As long as there is the breath of life there is hope in the heart."
"There is hope in the heart."
Let's go, charioteer.
Where to, King?
Where you wish to go.
A deerskin mat and a holy vessel!
These seem to be children of some sage.
But why has he left them here?
Charioteer we're but ordinary mortals.
It's not for us..
..to understand the ways of sages..
..or the language of their grace.
This is the sage's grace..
..and so, I'll call this boy, Kripa.
What about the girl?
If the boy is Kripa..
..his sister must be Kripi.
Welcome, King.
Won't you..
..ask me about these children, Royal Priest?
King, how can I ask questions?
I'm here to answer them.
But I see you have a question to ask.
I found these children in the forest..
..lying on a deerskin mat..
..with a holy vessel nearby.
No one else was around.
So I brought these orphans with me.
There are..
..no orphans in God's world, King.
God works..
..in mysterious ways, King.
No one knows how that God..
..sees everything through someone eyes..
..no one knows and how he has used someone as an instrument..
..of His own grace. He is the only One.
Assume, King that God saw these children..
..through your eyes and used you..
..as an instrument of His grace..
..and placed them in your care.
Look upon them as Lord Shiva's blessing..
..and bring some joy into your childless life.
Don't call me childless, Royal Priest.
You know..
..that Ganga has promised to return me my eighth son.
I'm merely waiting for that son's return.
I cannot look after these children.
I am a king.
I cannot do them an injustice.
They are Brahmins.
You take care of them.
My entire life will..
..be spent to and fro between the palace and the river bank.
'In this manner tormented by separation..'
'..waiting for Ganga sixteen years went by.'
'But one day when longing had reached its peak..'
'..when longing had reached its peak then..'
'..Shantanu saw through the palace window, that a dam of arrows had..'
'..stemmed the flow of the river Ganga.'
'He frowned and strung an arrow from his bow..'
'..but when he pulled the bowstring..'
..Ganga appeared before him.
Son of Arya.
Ganga!
So, at last, you've come.
How are you, King?
How is the body without its soul, beloved?
Do not delay.
Let's free the river water and return to the palace..
..which, without you has like..
..a light-less festival of lights..
..and colourless festival of colours.
Yes.
Let's lead a peaceful and happy life again, beloved.
Water once flown cannot return, son of Arya.
No, I cannot return.
The past can never replace the present..
..and I am your past..
..who's come to return your future.
There's no future without you.
Yes, there is, son of Arya.
I've brought your future with me..
..because in essence the future is born from the past.
There's your future.
Mother.. Mother..
Mother, look..
I'd stopped the river again today.
Yes, Son, I've seen it and so has your father.
My father?
What is it, King?
Here, take care of your son.
Son bow down to your father.
"Hope tells the breath of life."
"Learn to be patient."
"You may get pearls without asking.."
"..but nobody gives you anything without asking.."
"..but nobody gives you anything without asking."
What's your name, Son?
Mother named me Devavrata.
Who taught you archery?
Sage Bhargava, Sire.
What did you presume, son of Arya?
That my love would compel me, to call him crown prince?
I know the Indian tradition..
..that believes in merit and not birth.
That they are doers and not mere inheritors.
Our son had to be worthy.
Not necessarily!
Only merit can occupy the throne of Hastinapur.
That is why I arranged..
..for Sage Vashistha to teach him the Vedas..
..and Lord Brihaspati to teach him politics.
He studied all this and so when sage Bhargava said..
..none in the universe could stand up to Devavrata..
I thought that the time..
..was ripe to return the crown prince to Hastinapur.
Ganga.
Hastinapur is grateful to have him.
Now return to Hastinapur with your father..
..where history awaits you.
And you, Mother?
The tree's shadow is bound to the tree.
It cannot leave with the traveller even if it wishes.
For you, I'm a shadow which is..
..bound to the tree of time.
Now go with your father..
..and fulfil your duty unto Hastinapur.
As you wish, Mother.
I take your leave son of Arya.
Beloved!
Son, why are you sad?
Because of my incompleteness, Father..
..I'm not destined for both..
..my mother's and father's love.
I'll try to give you both, Son.
Yes.
Come now.
Bow to him, Son.
He's not only my charioteer but a friend, too.
That's necessary.
Long live the prince!
No! Long live Hastinapur!
Nations take precedence over kings and princes.
Long live Hastinapur!
Long live the prince! Long live the prince!
Long live my son!
But, Son your mother has taught..
..you all the wisdom there is.
A student will always remain a student, Father.
Only God is All-knowing.
We can attain only a part of this knowledge.
Share your knowledge with me, Son.
Knowledge begets humility.
Humility makes one worthy.
True worth brings wealth.
Good acts bring happiness.
Well said.
Well said, Son.
Knowledge begets humility.
Humility makes one worthy.
True worth brings wealth.
Wealth if used for righteous acts..
..and righteous acts leads to happiness.
Very beautiful.
After partaking of this no other desire remains.
Be happy!
Under your shadow, Father..
..there's nothing but happiness.
Only a disciple of Sage Vashistha can say this.
What else did he teach you?
He taught me, too..
..that the swan flies on two wings.
The wing of knowledge and the wing of action.
If it had only one wing it would be of no use..
..because its flight would be impossible.
What a poetic thought!
What did Lord Brihaspati teach you?
If you decide to act then see the act to its completion..
..or else the act will be the end of you.
And what do ethics say?
Ethics say that the eventual result..
..determines whether the act was right or wrong.
What did the master of weapons, Sage Parshuram teach you?
He said that "obeying one's father is the ultimate good."
"That's the only path to happiness."
What about the mother?
About her, he said..
"..the Sage's right is ten times more than the teacher's."
"A father's right 100 times more than the sage's."
"A mother's right is 1000 times that of the father."
Why so, Son?
"Because.."
"..a son can be a bad son.."
"..but a mother can never be, a bad mother."
Very true.
Any mother is like Mother Earth.
Mother Earth can never betray her own fruit.
Without the mother, there would be nothing but God.
In heaven..
..how do Gods entertain themselves?
They play dice, too but..
..the game is played differently.
Men are used as pawns.
I see.
Yes, Father.
There is another difference.
Death throws.. the dice.
He moves the pawns..
..and eliminates them, too.
Long live the king!
Long live the son of Ganga!
How did you know of Devavrata's return?
The entire universe knows of it, King!
You tradesmen have a glib tongue!
What have you brought?
A horse, King.
Only a horse?
This is a unique horse.
Worthy of the Sun God's chariot.
A mighty horse, King.
We must see it.
If the horse isn't good enough I'll order your death.
Suppose he's better, King?
I'll make you a king from a tradesman..
..and give you 50 villages to rule.
Come, Son.
You've rejected every horse in my stable.
Why these arms, Son?
Arms are the warrior's pride..
..for a warrior without arms seems bare, King.
Son, the horse is an excellent one.
I've roamed all over India.
There isn't a single warrior who can saddle it.
It isn't good for a trader to have such pride, tradesman.
I'd warned you, King.
It's a rebellious horse.
I'll saddle the horse myself.
You shouldn't demean Yourself for a mere horse, King.
- Allow me to do it. - No!
Don't, Son.
Forgive me, King.
My mind is made up.
Your father is right, Prince.
Don't take this risk.
Princes are born to take risks, tradesman.
With your permission, Sire.
Be victorious, Son!
Never dare test the courage of a soldier king or a prince, tradesman.
It was afraid of its own shadow, Sire.
May I take it for a run?
Sure, Son.
Long live the prince! Long live the prince!
Halt!
This arrow marks the border of Hastinapur, Shalva Kumar.
Return with your army.
I've come to conquer Hastinapur.
Go home, lad, before you get hurt.
I'm warning you again Shalva Kumar.
Who are you, lad?
Devavrata, son of Ganga.
If you are the son of Ganga, then flow.
Move forward!
"Enemies are overpowered by a storm."
"It was the first battle" "of Ganga's son."