'There are many people in the world..'
'..who would like to rob the present of the right..'
'..to interpret the past.'
'Such people can't differentiate between..
..interpretation and distortion.'
'Or probably they don't want to differentiate..'
'..because of some selfish purpose in the past.'
'If the present cannot interpret the past..'
'..on the basis of its authenticity..'
'..how can it benefit from the past? '
'The present can never go back to the past.'
'It is compelled to move towards the future.'
'However respectable the past may be..'
'..it can't be re-lived.'
'Of course, one can certainly try to understand it..'
'..in order to improve the present.'
'And it is the duty of the present to make this effort.'
'There is one more cause of worry..'
'..that many intellectuals also consider..'
'..narration and presentation as one and the same medium.'
'The poet may say that on hearing something..'
'..a particular character became very happy or very sad.'
'But what is the quantification? '
'The medium of presentation will have to take this decision.'
'Because the poet cannot help in this regard.'
'What I want to say is that..'
'..everybody has the right..'
'..to agree or disagree with an interpretation.'
'But is it right to brand an interpretation as distortion? '
'The story I am telling is from the viewpoint of the present.'
'So, listen to it..'
'..and try to make it relevant to your life.'
Glory to Bheeshma. The king is on his way.
The king is coming?
Come, my son.
My respects, Uncle.
Be happy!
Come with me.
Come.
Sit here.
Now tell me, what made you think of me..
..after such a long time?
It is my misfortune, Uncle..
..that even you think I am against the Pandavas.
Don't raise the issue of what I think and what I don't.
Now, I do not even trust myself.
Forget about me.
Because if my word carried any weight..
..Duryodhan would have agreed..
..that the day he faced Arjun..
..was many months after the conclusion of..
..the Pandavas' year of anonymity.
I've been accused of being partial in my own land, Hastinapur.
And none is willing to defend me.
I am isolated now, son.
I am totally alone.
No.
Uncle, please don't say that.
Both the Pandavas..
..and Kauravas are yours.
And I am always at your service.
I don't need any service, my son.
It is Hastinapur which needs your services.
Hastinapur, which is the legacy of our ancestors.
Dhritrashtra, just think about it.
Warriors fight battles.
Some emerge victorious and some are defeated.
Some return victorious.
While some die in the battlefield.
But the State..
..with its roots intact stands still like a tree..
..and bears the wounds.
It can't even die like the defeated warrior.
The State can only cease to exist over a period of centuries.
Sometimes I get scared thinking..
..that if ever this city is discovered centuries later..
..and history raises questions about me or you..
..what answers will it provide?
Will we be considered good people?
That we defended truth and ethics?
That we were men of action?
I don't think so, my son. I don't think so.
And look at my misfortune, son.
I'm fated to go on living.
There is probably not a single moment..
..of happiness left for me in the future now.
My son, now the Pandavas' year of anonymity is over.
Call them back and embrace them.
And return Indraprastha to them.
I've come to talk to you about that, Uncle.
Yudhishthir has written to me from Upaplavya city of Matsya kingdom.
On the occasion of Arjun's son Abhimanyu's wedding..
..he has asked all of us..
..to bless Princess Uttara and Abhimanyu.
Even I've received Yudhishthir's letter.
But I don't think it is right to go there.
God knows what Duryodhan will say or do there.
The Pandavas have found an occasion..
..of happiness after many years.
Don't spoil it by going there, son.
I told sage Drona the same thing.
Drupad will be there.
It's not right that sage Drona and Drupad should come face to face, son.
It's not right.
Glory to the king.
Prince Shikhandi would like to see you.
Send him in.
My respects, Father.
May you live long!
Come, sit next to me, my son.
You must have received king Yudhishthir's letter.
Yes, Father.
Arjun has also written to say that..
..if all of us don't go to Upaplavya for the wedding..
..he'll assume that we have no love for Abhimanyu.
So, it is necessary that we all should go.
I think we should go with our entire military might.
They may decide..
..to attack Hastinapur soon after the marriage.
I have grown old waiting for sage Drona's death.
I have grown old.
As you wish.
Father, I too am waiting for a war.
My son!
One lifetime's wait has tired you.
Sometimes the wait tends to last lifetimes.
Life itself is a wait..
..moving relentlessly towards its aim.
If the goal is removed..
..life becomes meaningless and directionless.
So don't be afraid to wait, Father.
Sometimes, I don't understand you, son.
You stay so differently and aloof from us.
When I was in Indraprastha for the Rajsuya ritual..
..not only the Pandavas..of course, they are our kin..
..but even Bheeshma was asking about you.
Even I am eager to meet him.
But don't worry, Father.
Just like you wanted Dhrishtadyumna for a specific purpose..
..and he was born from fire.
Similarly, I too was born from my own ashes with a specific purpose.
You did not ask for me from God.
But I came here on my own.
That means..
..that the path that leads to my aim..
..probably starts from right here.
Brother.
Yes, Brother?
The problem is we're going to meet mother after so many years.
So why are you so scared, dear Shatanik?
Will mother recognize us?
Why wouldn't she?
Mothers have a third eye..
..to see and recognize their sons.
This third eye..
..never fails to identify their sons.
Even then, had uncle Krishna been with us..
..this problem would not have arisen.
It does seem ridiculous to say after touching her feet..
.."Mother, I am Arjun's son Shrutkarma."
She won't give you a chance to say that.
It would have been better if uncle Krishna had been with us.
Brother Shrutsom, don't worry.
Even without any introduction..
..she will recognize you as uncle Bheem's son.
Look, Shatanik, I'll tell uncle Nakul that you are teasing me.
Forgive me, Brother.
But the problem still persists.
How can we introduce ourselves to our own mother?
I don't even remember her well.
Don't worry Shrutsen.
She will remember us very well.
Let's go.
Krishna, what you did was unjust.
Why didn't you bring my sons with you?
Sister, I told him so many times.
But does he listen to anybody?
Oh, so you are on Draupadi's side?
It's not a question of taking sides.
She is also a mother.
Only a mother can feel a mother's pain.
Krishna, you too understand the meaning of 13 years of separation.
Call it my selfishness.
Meeting a brother is different from meeting a son.
I wanted the pleasure of experiencing both events.
What can be more heart-warming than..
..a mother embracing her sons?
I wanted to witness this undisturbed.
So I came earlier with Subhadra.
You must have introduced them to everybody else.
No.
Only a mother has the first rights over her sons.
May you live long!
The scent of your hair matches that of Subhadra's.
You must be Abhimanyu.
What kind of a blessing was that, Draupadi?
'May you live long! '
This is a standard blessing for anyone who touches someone's feet.
This blessing is unacceptable for my nephew.
It is not enough.
He deserves a special blessing, for he is a special person.
Then you tell me. What blessing should I give him?
You are a mother. The three worlds are in your grasp.
Grant him whatever you like.
But bless him so that people should know..
..that it is a blessing from Draupadi to Abhimanyu.
The blessing which you gave him is the standard blessing of Brahmins.
Give him a blessing suffused with the bravery of a warrior.
May God protect your self respect and strength!
May history take your name with the same respect..
..that it will bestow upon your father.
Subhadra's son Abhimanyu, I bless you.
May you make your own identity!
May you be known as the symbol of valor!
May God grant you..
Won't you save some blessings for the rest of your sons, dear?
Son Prativindhya..
..I can't give you an ordinary blessing.
So, I bless you.
You are the son of the most righteous.
May you be the essence of truth like your father!
But Mother, how did you recognize elder brother?
Your mischievousness says you are Shatanik.
Similarly, I recognized Prativindhya by his personality..
..humility and patience.
Brother was right. Mothers do have a third eye.
Not only does a mother have a third eye, dear Shrutasom..
..she has an extra heart as well.
Only her sons dwell there.
Did you see, Subhadra?
It seems as if we're not even present in this room.
I'm off.
No, no. Don't say that, Krishna.
Can you be confined within a room?
The heart which yearns for you should be very huge.
But don't be jealous of my motherhood.
I'm seeing my sons after 13 years.
Go away. I won't even look at you all.
Sister.
I was only joking.
A mother and a son's bond..
..is higher than that of God and His devotees.
If that was not so, the one you call God would have been visible.
He wouldn't have taken birth.
So, shower affection on your sons as much as you want.
I must attend to the guests who have arrived for this wedding.
This wedding is very important for the Bharat dynasty.
[Sanskrit chants]
God bless you.
My blessings.
God bless you.
May you live long!
God bless you.
May you live long!
God bless you.
May you live long, dear! May you attain fame!
God bless you.
May you attain fame, son!
God bless you.
May you be glorious!
Live long, my son!
Now Krishna has also come.
So may we, with the permission of the king of Matsya..
..plan for the war against the Kauravas?
War?
It is not right to talk of war at this juncture.
Krishna, what are you saying?
I haven't said anything as yet, Dhrishtadyumna.
But I do intend to say something.
I, too, know the history of the Kauravas and Pandavas.
I know of Shakuni's treachery in the game of dice.
And I also know what all Yudhishthir lost because of his treachery.
I know about their exile..
..and also about the year of anonymity.
The Pandavas who can win both heaven and earth..
..wandered in forests without protesting just to keep their word.
They spent the 13th year as servants in the palace of the king of Matsya.
Dhrishtadyumna, I know all about this.
Yet, you think war is not right, Krishna?
Prince, a war should be the last resort.
The last option.
King Yudhishthir is yet to tell the king of Hastinapur..
..that they have fulfilled the condition.
So they should get back Indraprastha.
Do you think Dhritrashtra is just waiting sitting in..
..their father's throne..
..for Yudhishthir to ask him to return his kingdom?
I am not king Dhritrashtra's spokesman.
I suggest that first king Yudhishthir's..
..ambassador should go there.
I agree with Krishna.
Is war necessary now?
Whatever happened was because of Yudhishthir's..
..addiction to the game of dice.
Why blame Shakuni, Karna and Duryodhan for it?
I suggest the ambassador should be such a person..
..who can explain Yudhishthir's viewpoint to the king.
That too not in an aggressive manner..
..but with humility.
After all, these are blood relations.
Wasting water unnecessarily is like insulting the water.
And you are talking of spilling blood.
Hence, whoever goes, should be an ambassador of peace.
A peaceful victory is true victory and pure too.
Balram, I know that you are not a coward.
But you are talking like one.
I am not criticizing you, but I am surprised.
I am surprised that these brave warriors are listening..
..to you without protest!
Kindly tell me, why should Yudhishthir plead for his right?
He is not begging, but asking for his right.
Please don't change a right into alms.
I don't wish to use wrong words.
I can't insult humility by being humble to Duryodhan.
I'll use weapons, not words against him.
If he does not ask for Yudhishthir's forgiveness..
..I'll send Duryodhan to his death along with his friends.
Balram, this is not my arrogance speaking.
But tell me, who can face Arjun's Gandiva bow?
Who can face Krishna's 'Chakra' (disc)?
Does anyone have the courage to face Bheem's mace in battle?
Who can withstand Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi's five sons?
Who is not aware of Abhimanyu's bravery?
And you want an ambassador of these brave warriors..
..to go and beg in Hastinapur?
I had never thought that such talk..
..would be tolerated by an assembly of warriors.
Balram, do you think..
..that Duryodhan will allow king Dhritrashtra to return Indraprastha?
Why not?
Didn't he once return everything to the Pandavas that he had won..
..in the game of dice?
Besides, honorable men like Bheeshma, Dronacharya..
..and Kripacharya are also there.
They will do justice.
Ask my daughter Draupadi about their tales of justice.
Krishna, there is no need to tell you about all that.
In spite of the presence of Bheeshma, Dronacharya..
..Kripacharya and the great Vidur..
..the Pandavas were discriminated against.
Whenever I think of my daughter Draupadi's insult..
..my blood boils like a volcano ready to erupt!
The Pandavas have not violated any ethics.
On the contrary they respected truth and suffered.
Now, just the battlefield separates the Pandavas..
..and Hastinapur's corrupt politics.
Only the battlefield!
There is no limit, no vow.
So, Krishna, tell me the reason to delay the war.
There is only one reason for delay, King Drupad.
Waging a selfish war violates mankind's code.
Is it against the code for a brother to avenge a sister's insult?
Is punishing devious gamblers a selfish goal?
Isn't it the duty of every decent man to punish that man..
..who brands a virtuous woman as a prostitute?
It is.
It certainly is.
But the soldiers who will fight against us on the battlefield..
..did not commit that folly, Prince Dhrishtadyumna.
We are not talking of an ordinary war here.
So many people will die in this war..
..that it will become impossible to keep count.
Before we start a war..
..it is important for us to ponder..
Are you ready to accept the burden of this mass massacre, King Drupad?
I am not ready for it.
So talk of reconciliation in the beginning.
Let the Pandavas ask for their rights.
Let the Kauravas talk of war.
Won't they look upon this proposal as our weakness, Krishna?
Not everyone there is foolish like Duryodhan.
Other warriors will also pressurize Duryodhan to keep his word.
We should give them a chance.
One chance.
King Drupad, you are the eldest here.
So, please tell us what message should we send?
Peace is always preferable than warfare.
Then what about my oath, Krishna?
And Draupadi's unbraided hair?
Should we make peace and return to Indraprastha?
And ask Draupadi to leave her hair unbraided for the rest of her life?
Bheem, is your oath more important than the people's welfare?
If we can have peace at the cost of your oath..
..consider it a profitable deal.
So we decide unanimously..
..to send a peace ambassador to king Dhritrashtra first.
Uncle, we will have to take a decision.
Only one decision can be taken, Vidur.
But before that you will intervene with 'ifs' and 'buts'.
Uncle, I don't enjoy saying these words.
But do try and speak without using these words.
A nation which has conflicting loyalties..
..needs the support of these words.
I can understand your helplessness well.
But I can't understand the helplessness of sage..
..Dronacharya and Kripacharya.
Why can't they tell the king to invite the Pandavas..
..by sending a messenger before they send an ambassador..
..and give back their kingdom?
Will the king listen to us?
Sage, that's the king's problem.
But isn't it our duty to advise him?
Of course, it is our duty.
We are Hastinapur's well wishers.
Kripacharya, you are right, but..
Once again a 'but'!
Why don't you stop using ifs and buts?
These words are the shield of cowards.
Bheeshma, I don't need a shield.
But I can't betray Hastinapur.
Will you speak thus even if Hastinapur makes you..
..stray from the path of truth?
I know the definition of truth, Noble Vidur.
It is my duty to protect Hastinapur.
Sage Drona, you are not protecting Hastinapur.
You are protecting Dhritrashtra's love for his son..
..and Duryodhan's ambition.
You are protecting Shakuni's treachery.
You are protecting Karna and Dushasan's indecent bravery.
You're protecting the poison which will end..
..Hastinapur and the values of the Bharat dynasty.
It is still not too late, Sage Drona.
Still not too late.
Hastinapur's protection is not under the shadow of Hastinapur's flag.
Uncle..
..go to the king at once.
Go to the king and order him.
Tell him to return Indraprastha to the Pandavas..
..if he wishes to save Hastinapur.
Neither you nor the others..
..can withstand Arjun's arrows.
Yes, Uncle.
Vidur, don't try to scare a Brahmin.
Sage, he is not trying to scare you. He is telling you.
Nobody can defeat you in a war.
I can die only if I wish to.
But does victory lie in defeating the Pandavas?
If there is a war..
..whether the blessing of victory is given to Duryodhan or Yudhishthir..
..but you, Kripacharya and I are sure of losing.
We are surely going to lose.
Because we will be the ones wounded and scarred.
If any corpses fall, they will be ours alone.
So, war is not going to benefit either Hastinapur or us.
But, Bheeshma, what should we do?
Sage, we should try to prevent war! Make an effort.
Let us go to the king and plead with him..
..to start thinking of Hastinapur, rather than his son.
Indraprastha should be returned to the Pandavas.
Uncle, wouldn't it be better..
..if we ask Duryodhan's opinion about this?
Are you the king or is it Duryodhan?
It is your duty to protect Hastinapur. Your duty!
But Duryodhan is the crown prince of Hastinapur.
Who says that a king..
..can't take any decision without the permission of the crown prince?
Vidur, do try to speak sweet words at least sometimes.
Brother, I'm not fond of speaking harshly.
But bitter truth is best spoken harshly.
Glory to the king.
King Drupad's royal priest..
..has brought a message from emperor Yudhishthir.
He's asking for permission to see you.
What I did not want has happened.
Remember, son.
Peace is still within our grasp.
It is still within our grasp.
Vidur.
Yes, Sire.
I will meet Yudhishthir's ambassador in court.
Why don't you meet him here?
Had Yudhishthir come..
..I would have met him here.
But I must meet his ambassador in court.
Who is the ambassador?
Whose ambassador?
Don't shout Duryodhan.
We are not deaf.
He will go back the way he has come.
Why didn't father send him back?
Instead of sending an ambassador..
..they should have gone into 12 years of exile!
They were recognized in their year of anonymity.
Essence of truth!
Why play if he can't lose sportingly?
Now grandsire and guru Drona and Kripacharya will pressurize father.
You won the game, Duryodhan, not the king.
Let them pressurize the king.
But the king can't pressurize you.
Karna is right.
Kampilya's royal priest has come as the ambassador of Yudhishthir.
Let us see what he wants.
Uncle, they must have taught him well.
So what? We too are not uneducated.
We'll teach him a few things.
At least listen to what he has to say.
Yudhishthir has fools surrounding him.
Yes.
The danger is from Krishna!
He is very clever.
He will never talk of war directly.
He will trap us with his words.
Once we hear this ambassador then only we will know..
..what is going on in Krishna's mind.
If we can get rid of this one man..
..I will trap the Pandavas in..
..an unending exile.
That's all.
Duryodhan, keep a close watch on Krishna. Keep a watch over him.
Don't waste your anger like this.
Don't waste it, Karna.
If there is a war..
..you will need this anger.
Keep it under control.
I know Krishna very well.
He'll talk of peace first.
Peace!
"Whenever truth needs.."
"..true peace.."
"..evil Instincts raise their head.."
"..to bar the way."