INTRODUCTION

Regardless of the versions of Mahabharata, the only Character or personality who admires in the
humongous mythological epic is Shakuni. The entire epic is a brainchild of this witty Gentleman.
Although, Mahabharata was a war of siblings which led to the sacrifice of plenty of lives in
Kurukshetra, essentially, it was a battle of strategies between Shakuni & Krishna. Both of them
had played their cards in such a way to design the destiny of the epic. They have cautiously
inscribed the every segment of the epic with their ingenious directions to their respective cadres.

Eventually, as Krishna was a God down to earth in that generation, he was thoroughly
appreciated as the mastermind of the victory of Pandavas which was reasonably untrue. He was
indeed the strategic advisor of Pandavas throughout the war since its infancy with an objective
that Pandavas to win the biggest mythological battle. But, his counterpart, Shakuni was
surprisingly having the same objective with a different dimension that the dynasty of Kauravas
should be destroyed. Incidentally, he was playing the role of betrayal to his own cadre by
creating a false faith on him with his wicked & sly nature which is strategically impeccable. Lord
Krishna was equally crafty in his moves to take his folks towards the journey of victory.
Surprisingly, both of these masterminds had the same objective and the rest of the people who
had been involved in the epic were singing to the tunes of these two inadvertently. Hence, it was
actually a one sided game with planned plots throughout inclined towards one team. Kauravas
were thoroughly deceived by both the strategic decision makers.

According to one of the anecdotes of this historic epic, Shakuni was taking a revenge to
demolish the dynasty of Kauravas. Here goes the story of conspiracy behind Shakuni's revenge
towards the Kaurava clan.

Shakuni was actually Ghandhari's beloved brother. As per the astrological sign of Ghandhari, it
was told that her first husband would die immediately after marrying her. So, she was married to
a Goat and it was killed after the ceremony. This was a secret known only to Ghandhari's family
which comprised totally 100 sons and she was the only daughter of King Subala, their dad. Later
on, King Subala got her married to Dhritharashtra who was visually challenged since birth yet
king of Hastinapur, one of the powerful kingdom of the era. As her husband was blind,
Ghandhari had intentionally blindfolded herself to ensure that she should not see the world which
her Husband couldn't see.

Eventually, Dhritharashtra got to know about the secret of Ghandhari's first marriage and her
astrological signs. He got pissed off as he was deceived with this fact. He had imprisoned
everyone in Ghandhari's family including King Subala. Subala and his hundred sons were
tortured and were poorly fed in the prison. They were slowly dying due to inadequate food and
sanitation. Shakuni was the youngest of his hundred sons and wittiest also. Subala and his sons
started feeding their food to Shakuni so that eventually he could at least survive. Subala had
requested Dhritharashtra to free Shakuni alone out to ensure his clan survives. Dhritharashtra
agreed after Ghandhari's request and finally freed Shakuni out of his prison. By the time, all of
Shakuni's siblings expired and Subala was fighting with his last breath. Subala had asked
Shakuni to take the revenge for Dhritharashtra's horrible act by demolishing his clan completely.
Shakuni had taken his dad's words in the death bed and had made them as the mission his life. It
was also told that Subala had asked to use his thigh bone to make a magical dice which could be
used to engender the most massive war of the era. He had told Shakuni that whatever he wish,
the dice would display accordingly. It was the superpower given by Subala to Shakuni to
facilitate his mission of declining Dhritharashtra's kinship. So, it was the driving factor behind
Shakuni's story of revenge towards Kauravas as per the above storyline.

The absolute inference from the above finding substantiates my admiration of considering
Shakuni as the Hero of the greatest mythological battle. I have recently read in an article that
Krishna's strategies used in Mahabharatha are being discussed as case studies in few top business
schools of the world. I would strongly recommend the strategies of Shakuni should also be
studied to get a wholistic abundance of thought process behind the best strategies and tactics
being used in the story of the biggest Indian battle.

If there wouldn't be Shakuni, there wouldn't be a decline for Kauravas!

If there wouldn't be Shakuni, there wouldn't be triumphant Pandavas!

If there wouldn't be Shakuni, there wouldn't be appreciation bows to Lord Krishna!

If there wouldn't be Shakuni, there wouldn't be 'BhagavathGeetha'!

If there wouldn't be Shakuni, there wouldn't be an epic called 'Mahabharata'!

Shakuni had no real animosity toward the Pandavas. He was actually targeting Bheeshma, since
he was the reason that Gandhari had to sacrifice so much after her marriage to Dhritarashtra.
Additionally, Bheeshma's ancestors had been responsible for destroying Gandhara in the past; as
also for torturing Shakuni and his family. Hence, he wanted to wreak revenge on them. He was
well aware that Duryodhana was no match for the Pandavas and yet, he instigated his nephew,
knowing that this was the only way he could bring doom to the the Kuru Dynasty. To that extent,
he probably never really loved Duryodhana the way he claimed to love him.

Shakuni was also referred to as Saubala. His father, King Subala, had hundred sons and one
daughter, Gandhari. Shakuni was the youngest son; also the most intelligent of the lot. Since he
was the hundredth son, he was named Saubala.

Shakuni had two sons, namely, Uluka and Vrikaasur. These sons, however, were relegated to the
background, as his constant focus was on Hastinapur. Uluka always wanted his father to return to
Gandhara before the Pandavas returned from their one-year-long Agyaatvaas (anonymous stay).
However, he opted to stay on, in order to put the Kurukshetra war in motion.

He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Gandhari was a devotee of Lord Krishna and always
prayed to him to protect her and her family. However, Shakuni's Ishta Devata (favourite deity)
was Lord Shiva.

Shakuni has a temple dedicated to his worship, in the state of Kerala. Although he was a negative
character, there were some undeniably good traits in him, which were acknowledged by the
Kuravar community in the Kollam District of Kerala. The Pavithreswaram shrine there is
dedicated to him. It houses a throne, which he was believed to have sat on. They say this was the
very place where he attained Moksha (liberation). Shakuni was believed to have traveled across
the country with the Kauravas. When they reached the place where the temple is now located,
they divided their weapons amongst themselves. Ever since then, the place was called
Pakutheswaram and then later came to be known as Pavithreswaram. Interestingly, there is
another temple nearby, which is dedicated to Duryodhana. Shakuni is considered to be the
personification of the Dwapara Yuga and Duryodhana, as Kali of Kali Yuga. No Puja or ritual of
any sort is performed at Shakuni's temple. Offerings to him include tender coconut, toddy, silk
and so on. The temple is maintained to this day by the same Kuravar community.

Shakuni was the brother of Gandhari, the wife of Dhrutharashtra and mother of Kauravas. As per
Wikipedia, it seems Gandhari was married to a goat initially (without the knowledge of
Dhrutharashtra) before being married to Dhrutharashtra, according to Sooth Sayers advice. Later
on, when Dhrutharashtra came to know about this, he got angry and imprisoned all members of
Gandhari’s family.

Shakuni was the youngest brother of Gandhari among 100 other brothers. Since all of them were
sparsely fed (with one speck of rice each per day) in the prison, the family decided that at least
one of them could survive and gave all the rice to Shakuni so that he could live on to take
revenge.

Shakuni not only survived, but became very close to Kauravas and especially Duriyodhan. From
there on, he weilded his influence on Duriyodhan and master minded the great battle of
Mahabharat. He played a key part in inciting the Pandavas to play the game of dice and made
them lose their kingdom and everything else to Kauravas. The dice, it seems was made of a bone
from his fathers leg and would listen to Shakuni’s command. If Pandavas lost the game, it would
inevitably lead to a war between Pandavas and Kauravas.

It revolves around the Kauravas, Pandavas and Karna the pre-marital son of the mother of
Pandavas, Kunti. The former is portrayed as the villains and the later as the hero's, saviors of
justice, good deeds and virtue. In a game of dice, the Pandavas are compelled to play with all the
things they have including the brothers, the king and their common wife Draupati. All were won
by the Dhartarashtras, the Pandavas were humiliated and sent to forest for 12 years. In their
return to claim their lost things, a war is declared between Dhartarashtras and Pandavas with
Karna at Dhartarashtras' side due to pure friendship and Lord Krishna at Pandavas' side due to
the family relationship. Lord Krishna plays tactically outside the war frame and also within the
frame to defeat the Dhartarashtras. The entire story is written as a book called the Bhagavad
Gita.

Now you may ask a question why "Lord Krishna" is the villain. After all, he saved the
Pandavas who are considered to be "Good" people and won the battle for them. Let us see why?
 I would like to introduce another hero rather the "hidden hero" of Mahabharata, Karna.
Bhagavad Gita portrays him as an all time generous and a good individual. He never says no to
anybody whatever they may ask for. After all, he also carries the same blood as that of the
Pandavas. He is the son of the "Sun" and "Kunti". Since he is a premarital son of Kunti, after his
birth he was rolled in a cloth and set afloat on river Ganga. He was then picked up by a
charioteer of the king and raised was by him. He was born with armour and earrings. He was a
great warrior and learnt the art by himself by just observing the guru. He was better than the best,
Arjuna. Karna is a true friend of Duryodhana, the king of Dhartarashtras.

So now let us come to the point. We all know that Lord Krishna played a vital role in
Mahabharata. Why do I portray him as a villain?

I call Krishna the Villain keeping Karna in mind as my hero. The only mistake, people
say, he did wrong was being in the bad company. Otherwise Gita portrays him as a gem of a
person. At one stage after the war Krishna himself says to Arjuna that Karna is the real warrior
and better than him. There are reasons how he was pulled into the bad company. Karna was
denied his rights in several kingship activities saying he is not a Kshatriya and son fo a
charioteer. He was humiliated and cursed for the reason of his birth. Naturally, he accepted the
person who extended a friendly arm. Though Duryodhana involved in evil activities, he was a
good friend of Karna and he saw Karna as his Commander in his army. Here, Krishna doesn't
have anything to do, but as we all call him "GOD" he could have stopped Karna ending up with
bad company. This was his first fault as Karna is worth a human being.

During the "Game of Dice" still Karna refused to support the activities of Shakuni and
he didn't like him. The climax of the "Game of Dice", the humiliation of Draupadi, is heart
breaking from the Pandavas point of view but it all started and ended with the knowledge of
Krishna and I would say it of no mistake from Duryodhana. In the game of dice the Pandavas
lost their wife, Draupadi. Krishna didn't stop Pandavas from playing their wife. He didn't do that
or he was not there to advice Pandavas and Pandavas, didn't know how to respect a woman,
leave alone their wife. They saw their wife equivalent to objects to play with. Krishna didn't
advice them but had decided to play it against Duryodhana and his friend Karna, who didn't have
his presence in the court room. If Krishna had to punish, he should have done it with
Duryodhana and Shakuni and not Karna.
 Just before the great battle of Kurukshetra, Krishna strategizes on the strengths and
weaknesses of Duryodhana. He understands Karna to be the biggest strength and meets Karna to
reveal the truth of his birth and mother and asks him to join Pandavas, ditching Duryodhana, but
Karna refuses. Now Krishna, as he had failed, tries to get Karna through the back door by using
his weakness, generous nature etc. He orders Lord Indra to meet Karna and ask for his golden
armour and earrings fearing that these two will guide Karna to victory. Karna though, knew that
the person who had come was Lord Indra in disguise and also of his intensions, still cut off the
armour and gave it to Lord Indra. In return Indra gave him to use the "Bhramashtra".

Krishna was worried by the meeting of Lord Indra and Karna, though he succeeded
50% in his plan. Still Karna had the bhramastra which Lord Indra gave him. This time Krishna
tries to play with Karna's emotions and asks Kunti to meet Karna and let him know the truth.
Kunti tried to get him with Pandavas but as usual Karna refused. He also gave her a word that he
will not harm the Pandavas but "Arjuna" and also use the ashtray only once. Since Arjuna is in
the hands of Krishna, Karna knew that nothing may harm him. In return Karna didn't ask for
surety of his own life.

During the war, Karna spared every member of the Pandavas. When he met Arjuna
with Krishna, Krishna plays a trick. When Karna used his Bhramastra, Krishna cunningly sunk
the chariot down to save Arjuna. Karna's aim was the neck of Arjuna and since the chariot was
sunk, it missed Arjuna. The charioteer for Karna, said not to aim his neck but the waist. Karna
didn't consider that advice, due to that the charioteer left the battlefield angry leaving behind
Karna helpless. When Karna tries to get his chariot running, Krishna orders Arjuna to attack him
and so does Arjuna, but Karna remains alive. The Dharma that Karna did unto others was saving
him from dying. Krishna knew that killing Karna is difficult when they face him and ordered to
kill him when he was busy pushing the chariot.

To tackle this Lord Krishna appears as an old aged brahmin in front of Karna and asks
him for the fruits of all the dharma that he has done and as usual Karna gives that and dies. After
the war, when Lord Krishna meets Gandhari, she tells to Krishna "you knew what was going to
happen and you still could've prevented the war".
 Krishna could have stopped the war, he could have brought everyone together well before
anything could have happened.Krishna hit the weak points of Karna before the war could begin
knowing that he cannot win him in the battlefield. This is an ultimate misuse of Krishna's
powers, as he is the god and he knew what was going to happen.

Krishna sent Lord Indra to get Karnas armour, which is the super cunning behaviour one
can show. Krishna sent Kunti to get two promises, which is what we call playing politics. Kunti
didn't have an option. She had to spare Karna life in return for her five legal sons, as Karna is not
a legal child and if the world comes to know about it, they would curse her.

Krishna sunk the chariot to save Arjuna and he knew that Karna would not use the ashtray
for the second time as he had promised his mother. This is against the nature. Just to save
somebody of his interest how can nature be changed?

Krishna uses the chariot which has the divine power of Lord Hanuman, which protected
them from Karna's arrows. This is against the rules of war, as people with equal powers are
expected to face each other.

After all, Krishna knew that Karna is a righteous and generous person. If Karna would have
lived for some more time then dharma would have stood in the minds and hearts of the people.
By killing Karna, Krishna has eradicated dharma from people.

Krishna’s Role in Mahabharata

When Sri krishna was having his rest or say midday sleep, both Duryodhana and Arjuna came to
his place. Duryodhana came a few minutes earlier and, as he was full of pride, he stood beside
Sri Krishna’s head. Arjuna, as he was full of humility and modesty, stood beside Sri Krishna’s
feet. Both awaited Krishna’s waking.

After a while, Sri Krishna woke up and his eyes fell on Arjuna. When he turned around he saw
Duryodhana. He wanted to know why they were there at that hour. Arjuna said, “Now you know
that the battle will take place. I need you.”

Duryodhana said, “I have also come here to take help from you, and I have come before him so
you have to fulfil my desire first.” So Sri Krishna said, “It is true that you came before Arjuna,
but I saw him first, and he will I be given the first chance. Besides, he is younger than you. So he
will have the first choice.

Arjuna said to Krishna with great joy. “I want you!”

Duryodhana thought: What a stupid fellow Arjuna is. He wants Krishna alone.

Sri Krishna said, “You want me? But I will not fight. I will only be your charioteer. One of you
will have me alone and the other I will have my vast army.”

Duryodhana felt, what could Krishna do alone and unarmed? The best thing for him was to have
Krishna’s army.But Arjuna, being an illumined person, said to himself, “What shall I do with his
army? The best thing is to have the Lord with me. The Lord will be able to protect me and the
Lord will bring me the victory.” Arjuna wanted Sri Krishna and Duryodhana wanted the entire
army of Sri Krishna.

Now the promise was that Sri Krishna would never, never fight. Unfortunately, he had to break
his promise; he could not keep it. Twice he ran out of the chariot. To kill whom? Bhishma. On
the third and the ninth day Sri Krishna found that Arjuna was not fighting properly against his
grandsire. Arjuna found it extremely difficult to use weapons against his grandsire.

Sri Krishna said, “Arjuna, you are not fighting. Why?” So he came out of the chariot with his
discus. He wanted to kill Bhishma. And what was Bhishma’s reaction? Bhishma’s joy knew no
bounds. He said, “Come, O my Lord, come! If I die in your hands then immediately I will go to
heaven! I am the most blessed person because you are coming to kill me!”

But, both times, Arjuna followed Sri Krishna and said “No, you have to keep your promise. I
won’t let you fight, I shall fight. I won’t allow you to eat your words. You come, you sit in the
chariot and drive me on. I shall fight.

Here we learn that the Guru, the Master, can at any moment break his own promise in order to
help, to save, in order to win a victory for the disciple. Sri Krishna was the Omniscient,
Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and also the Just. But when the question concerns a most intimate
disciple, the Guru goes against the ordinary light of morality. This was Sri Krishna’s heart for
Arjuna.
Victory is there where there is Dharma

Gandhari’s eldest son, Duryodhana, came to her for benediction. She did not say, “I pray for
your victory!” or “Yours will be the victory!” She said, “Where there is Dharma, victory will be
there.” She knew perfectly well that on the other side, in the other party, was Yudhishthira, the
Son of Dharma, Dharma incarnate, who would win the victory. She could not bless her son
saying, “Yours will be the victory.” So she said, “Where there is Dharma, there will be the
victory.”

There are seven hundred verses in the Gita. Many in India can recite the whole of the Gita in an
hour and a half, from the beginning to the end. However, reciting is one thing, repeating is one
thing, but following the teachings of the Gita is something else. The man who recited the whole
of the Gita by heart perhaps did not follow any of the teachings of the Gita. So, reading is not
enough, follow the Gita because it is necessary to ponder upon what is read.

The early life of Sri Krishna commences from the prayer of the gods for the descent of divine
force to the earth, passing through various lilas until the demolition of Kamsa, the tyrant. Then
starts his more active life in the field of society wherein he has to set right various defects, errors,
anomalies and disharmonies in the society of those days. Then he turned his attention to a new
type of activity to rid the world of the embodiment of evil. That is how we see him making his
presence in the court of Draupada at the Swayamvar of Draupadi.

For the first time, his mention is made in the Mahabharata, in the Adi Parva, where he silently
was seated in a corner in the court of Draupada where hundreds of thousands of kings and
princes had assembled to woo Draupadi’s hand. He had no part to play there; he was a witness.
And we know what happened there. Many kings attempted; Arjuna succeeded.

But these Pandava brothers who were there in the court of Draupada were disguised as
Brahmins. They were out of their kingdom due to their problems with Duryodhana and the
Kaurava brothers, and they had moved away from the capital in the guise of Brahmins, not as
Kshatriyas. Brahmins were not supposed to sit in the court of Draupada, for that purpose at least;
but when all the princes failed in their attempt, one young Brahmin boy got up and hit the mark
and won the hand of Draupadi to the consternation, fury, greed and anger of all seated there.
“How could it be possible, a Brahmin boy defeating all the princes and kings? They could not
understand how this could be. “Is it magic, or are our eyes not all right? We don’t see things
properly.”

Well, what has happened has happened. The celebration was over; the Pandavas, disguised as
Brahmins, went to their cottage and narrated this happy incident to their mother Kunti, who was
waiting for them at sunset. Then Krishna came there and offered rich, costly presents to
Yudhisthira and his brothers. Yudhisthira asked, “What is the matter? How is it that you have
brought such valuable presents to us?”

Sri Krishna said, “Because the glory of the Pandavas has been seen today in the court of
Draupada.”

“But how do you know that we are Pandavas?”

Sri Krishna smiled and said, “Fire cannot be hidden, wherever it is kept.” That is all that he said,
and he gave his good wishes and returned to Dwarka. He did nothing else.

Then we know what happened to the Pandava brothers – the great hardship that they had to pass
through. Duryodhana and his brothers, with the help of Dhritarashtra, did not allow them peace.
They knew that these Brahmin boys were Pandavas. Duryodhana said, “Oh, this is very bad.
They are still alive. I thought they had burned in the wax house. They have escaped with the help
of Vidura and they have come back victorious, putting all other princes to shame in the court of
Draupada. Now what to do? Some lesson has to be taught to them.”

The Sabha Parva of the Mahabharata gives us a more stirring description of the conniving of the
Kauravas. The invitation was extended to Yudhisthira for playing dice so that he could be ousted
from the kingdom. There was no mention of Krishna anywhere. After departing to Dwarka and
having given presents to Yudhisthira, he is completely out of the scene. And the next scene is
when he helps Arjuna in establishing himself and his brothers from the tyranny of Dhritarasthra
and the Kauravas.

When Dhirtarasthra knew that the Pandavas were alive and had come back, he said, “Give them
a part of the kingdom. Why do you trouble them? Let them stay somewhere.” Grudgingly, a
piece of dry land was given which was good for nothing – no water, infertile – all stones and
thorns, with wild animals in the forest. For namesake, a part of the kingdom was given, but only
this.

Sri Krishna helped the Pandavas in levelling the ground. It was called Khandava-prastha and
then renamed Indraprastha and is now, at present, Delhi. It was a thick forest once upon a time,
with no human beings living there – Khandava-prastha, which was converted into Indraprastha
with the help of Sri Krishna. Krishna said, “Don’t bother if it is thorny. We shall see that a
beautiful palace is built there which will vie even with the palace of Indra.” And it was built – a
wonderful palace, shining, excelling Duryodhana’s palace.

Narada, who visited Indraprastha, said, “I have never seen a palace of this kind. I have visited
Yamaloka, I have visited Indraloka, I have seen the palaces of all the gods, but they are nothing
of this kind.”

This became known to Duryodhana. “Oh, still these fellows are prospering! Even if I throw them
into the jungle and thorns, they have become like this.” Then it was that he played the trick of
dice. When the dice game was played, Sri Krishna was not present. He was outside. It was all a
miracle that in crucial moments his presence was not seen. Later on he says, “If I had been
present, I would have prevented it. Unfortunately, I was not present.” He was not present; and
why he was not present, he only knew. He said, “I was very busy.” That was all he said. “I had a
lot of work to do in Dwarka.”

Dice was played; the Pandavas were made slaves, and Draupadi was insulted. Then a miraculous
invisible presence was felt in the court of the Kauravas, an incident known to everyone. “Sri
Krishna, can you not see me?” cried Draupadi. Then he saw her in a mysterious way and saved
her honour by the supply of celestial garments which flowed like lightening through the windows
of the court, as it is told to us. This is a miracle. Nobody knew what that miracle was. Nobody
could understand how it could happen, but something happened. Then a second time dice was
played because even though the Pandavas were turned to slaves, Dhirtarasthra pardoned them
and said, “You go back home,” because Draupadi begged for pardon. A second time dice was
played, and this time the condition was, “You go to the forest and do not stay here.” And they
were driven out.
Then the news reached Dwarka that the Pandavas were in the forest, thrown out of their
kingdom, having nothing in their hands – like beggars, suffering intense pain and sleepless nights
in the jungle. The whole Yadava army moved to the forest to see them, sympathise with them,
and ask if they needed any help in their predicament. “I am very grieved at this scene,” said Sri
Krishna. “Yudhisthira, I am very grieved indeed. Very pitiable is your case. I am sorry I was not
present at that moment when you played dice. Someone was attacking Dwarka. I was busy with
him, so I could not come. Had I been present, this dice play would not have taken place. I would
have seen that you are installed on the throne. Anyhow, you are in this condition. Now what help
can we give you?”

Then Satyaki said, “Why do you ask what help you can give him? We will demolish the
Kauravas just now.”

Then Sri Krishna said, “Yudhisthira is a Kshatriya. He will not take charity from others. Why
should you try to tell him that we will win victory for him and hand over the kingdom to him?
He is not a man to take that. He will follow Kshatriya dharma and take it with the power of his
own arms. He is not a beggar! I know his mind. But we can help him in getting the kingdom
back in whatever manner he feels fit.”

But Yudhisthira said, “Krishna, for thirteen years we will not say anything because we have to
fulfil the vow. Afterwards, let us see.”

“All right, as you wish. Thank you. I am going,” said Krishna. He went back to Dwarka. After
his departure, Draupadi said, “You old man!” She called Yudhisthira, “You want to stay here for
thirteen years? You have no common sense! When they offered help, why did you refuse? Could
you not go just now and teach a lesson to these fellows?”

Bhima said, “Right! I am ready just now.”

And Arjuna said, “I think it is all right. There is no point in fulfilling a vow that has been thrust
upon us by a trick, by a falsehood, by a fraud. Should we fulfil this vow? I think a lie is
counteracted by a lie. We shall go back and see our valour.” Draupadi gave a very long lecture to
Yudhisthira, condemning him for his imbecility, for his weakness of thought and his
unKshatriya-like behaviour, and pitying herself for having married him.
Then Yudhisthira said, “I understand everything. I know what you say. And I know that the
Yadava princes came here and offered help. Everything is clear to my mind. But I shall not break
my vow, for reasons known to me alone.” And they cursed him, but stayed with him because
they had no other hope. They had great obedience to him in spite of disagreeing with him. The
reason why Yudhisthira was not agreeable to breaking the vow was twofold. One thing is that it
is immoral for a person of his stature to break a vow. Secondly, it was not the time to meet the
Kauravas because they had great powers like Bhishma, Drona and Karna, and nobody knew the
consequences of a battle with them. “Let us wait for our own time.” And we know Indra and
Rudra bless Arjuna, and Arjuna is invested with Astras; only then he becomes competent to meet
them, not before. All this happens in the Aranya Parva of the Mahabharata, the third Parva.

That is all. We have no mention of Krishna again for a long time, until thirteen years are over
and they entered the fourteenth year. The Pandavas had to live incognito in the court of Virata.
They suffered very much, but nobody came there. They had to live unknown. Then Sri Krishna
came to the court of Virata when the fourteenth year was over. There begins the Udyoga Parva of
the Mahabharata, and there also begins the real scene of the epic. Up to the Virata Parva, we
have one section – the preliminary introduction or the sowing of the seed of the Mahabharata.
Then the germ begins to sprout as the Udygya Parva commences in a glorious manner. Sri
Krishna came to the court of Virata where the Pandavas were incognito. Of course, the period of
fourteen years was over, and they were known as Pandavas then. He comes there and holds a
conference. “Now the time has come for us to think what has to be done.” This is what he said.
“Thirteen years are over; the fourteenth year is over. Now what steps do I have to take to help the
poor brothers in gaining their kingdom back? I ask you, wise friends in this assembly.” That was
all he said. He never gave an opinion or made any suggestion.

Then Balarama got up. He was partial to Duryodhana because he was a Guru of Duryodhana.
He got up and said, “Well, I fully agree that the Pandavas should regain their kingdom, but we
should not hurt Duryodhana; we should not displease him in any manner. He is also a friend of
ours – a brother, an honourable ruler; and if the Pandavas have lost their kingdom, it is of their
own fault, and no fault of Duryodhana. So I do not suggest any kind of insulting or pain-giving
attitude on the part of people here. This is my advice. Very cautiously, amicably, the matter
should be settled.”
Satyaki got up and said, “Birds of the same feather flock together. I understand the partiality of
Balarama to Duryodhana. It is most unbecoming of a hero like Balarama to speak like this when
the poor brothers have eaten humble pie in the jungle. We shall not be satisfied with anything
short of a war.” Then there is a very lengthy process of argument and counter-argument,
suggestion and counter-suggestion, and so on and so forth.

Finally it was decided that a messenger be sent to Duryodhana: “My dear friend, the brothers
have come back. You give the portion due to them.” A Brahmin who knew how to speak was
sent. But the reply from Duryodhana was curt and cutting. “Nothing doing!” he said. “They are
due nothing. Go back and tell them.”

Well, this was the news they received back. And then, in turn, Dhirtarasthra sent a messenger in
the form of Sanjaya. “Sanjaya, you go and tell the Pandavas we shall not be cowed down by a
show of their powers or their threats, and war is the only solution. If they have power, let them
show their strength.”

That portion of the Udyoga Parva is very interesting as a piece of literature, as a piece of poetry,
an artistic presentation of ideas, a glorification of divinity, and many other interesting things.
Sanjaya’s message is conveyed, which is very unpleasant and most unjust, which made out in the
end that the Pandavas are not to be given anything. And then another messenger needed to be
sent from the side of Yudhisthira to the Kauravas to finally settle the matter: “Is war essential, or
can we get on without it?”

Who will go? At present, nobody was left other than Sri Krishna. Yudhisthira said, “Sri Krishna,
I am ashamed to send you as my messenger. I weep. It is better I die than send you as a message
carrier. But I have agreed to this proposal for one reason – not because I am unable to recognise
your greatness, but because nobody can deal with this problem better than you can. This is why,
Krishna, I have agreed to this proposal of your going. But I am afraid, also, from the bottom of
my heart, that I am sending you to a jungle of beasts where one’s life itself can be in danger. No!
Krishna, don’t go! Sit down,” he said. “It is not necessary. I don’t want anything now.”
Immediately he changed his mind, in a minute. “I understand the whole situation. It is dangerous
to go there. They may attack you and harm your life. I have cancelled the whole program. You
sit!” he said. In a few minutes he wound up the whole thing. “I shall live on biksha. I do not want
to endanger your life.”

Then Sri Krishna said, “If that is your fear and there is no other reason behind your cancelling
this proposal – if you are thinking that my life will be in danger – well, I think you need not
worry about it. I can take care of myself.” He said in one sentence, “I am one; they are many.
That is your fear. But I am one like a lion, and they are many like jackals. So you need not be
afraid. If your permission is there, I am going.”

In a glorious, most magnificent manner with all music and celebration, a send-off was given to
Sri Krishna. He went to the court of the Kauravas, but refused the hospitality of Duryodhana. He
never ate salt there because he said, “One eats food only on two grounds. When does a person
take food? For two reasons he can take food: If he is hungry, he will take food. But he will also
take food if it is offered with great affection. Even if I am not hungry, I may eat if it is offered
with tremendous love. But I am not hungry now, and you are not offering it with love, so how
can I take it? So for these two reasons, I am sorry; I cannot take anything from your hand. I will
see you officially tomorrow morning for the business I have come for.”

He went to the hut of Vidura, a poor man who was in consternation to see Krishna coming to his
cottage for no reason whatsoever, uninvited, at an unearthly hour. In his ecstasy, as the story
goes, he offered him whatever he had – a few plantains – and his ecstasy rose to such a height
that he forgot what he was doing. He offered the peels and threw away the plantains. Very
politely, smilingly, Sri Krishna enjoyed the peels. He did not say anything, and ate the peels.
These are the peculiarities of a great man. I cannot describe them in a few minutes. You have to
read between the lines in the Mahabharata, not merely the lines. The greatness of a perfected
person, the greatness which is identical with humility and goodness and unselfishness – that can
be read not only in the lines of the Mahabharata, but also between the lines of the Mahabharata.
The peels were swallowed, and when Vidura realised it, he wept, “Oh, what have I done!” He
then offered plantain. Then Sri Krishna said, “The peel was more tasty than the plantain now,
because the peel was offered in the ecstasy of love. So the peel was better; it was tastier.”
Vidura puts the same doubt, “I am afraid of your going there alone, knowing what they are.” Sri
Krishna gave the same reply, “Don’t bother about it. I shall look to the matter.”
When Sri Krishna arrived in the court of the Kauravas, wonderful arrangements for reception
were made on the order of Bhishma and Dhirtarasthra, against the wish of Duryodhana.
Beautiful, grand arrangements were made. The roads were sprinkled with water and there were
festoons and flower garlands, etc. Everything was ready. The rishis Narada, Parasurama and
others were also present there, and Sri Krishna said, “How did you happen to come here?”

“Oh, we heard that you have a mission here in the court of the Kauravas. Naturally you’ll be
speaking something interesting. We want to hear it. So we have come to listen to you.”

“Oh, very good,” Sri Krishna said. Narada and Parasurama and other great rishis were uninvited,
so they were standing outside. They did not enter the hall. But when Sri Krishna entered and all
sat down, Sri Krishna did not sit. He said, “Let all the rishis sit first. Let them be seated. Then I
will sit.” Then Bhishma ordered seats, and hundreds of seats were brought and the rishis were
made to sit in their proper places. Then Sri Krishna sat down.

There is another story that when Sri Krishna entered the hall of the king of the Kurus, all got up
except Duryodhana. He was seated on a throne on the other end of the hall. When Sri Krishna
entered, all got up, but he did not get up. The story goes that Sri Krishna pressed the earth with
his thumb, and when he pressed the earth at one end of the hall, the other end rose up, and the
throne on which Duryodhana was seated fell. He was made to prostrate, which was an insult to
him, and he had very much wrath over it in the presence of all people. He did not know what was
happening. He thought there was something wrong with the throne – that the leg was broken or
something. He was very irritated over this incident but he simply smiled falsely and sat again.

Then Sri Krishna said, “I have nothing to say. All wise people here know the purpose for which I
came. I don’t know if I have to say anything.”

Then Parasurama got up. Drona, Bhishma, Vidura, and all wise people started speaking. “We
know the glorious purpose for which you have come, and nothing could be more befitting than
your having kindly condescended to grace our place. We all agree that the Pandava brothers
should be given their due. Duryodhana, we hope that you agree with this proposal.”

Duryodhana said, “No. I don’t agree.”

Then Parasurama said, “Duryodhana, anger and egoism are bad. No person thrives in this world
by egoism.”

He told the story of a king called Damodava, who was king of the whole earth. He had
conquered all his contemporaries. But he was such an egoistic man that he wanted to go on
fighting – but whom to fight? When everyone had been subdued, there was no one to fight with.
So he prayed to Brahma, “Give me some man with whom I can fight.”

Brahma thought, “Look at his terrible ego. He wants someone to fight with. He is so very
restless.” Brahma said, “There are two persons in Badrinath called Nara and Narayana. You meet
them. They will give you a fight.”

Damodava thought, “Oh, there are still people I have not conquered? Who are these people?” He
went to Badrinath with a huge army, and saw two frail persons seated, meditating.

They said, “How is it that you have come here to this place of tapas?”

Damodava replied, “I have heard of you. Brahma told me I can fight with you, so I have come to
fight.”

They said, “We are not warriors. We are tapasvins, so we cannot fight with you. Go to someone
else.”

“No. Brahma said you are the fit persons to fight with me.”

“This is a place of tapasya, where battle and war cannot take place. You have come to the wrong
place. You can go.”

“No. I am not going. I have to fight with you because Brahma has said that you are the fit people
to fight with me.”

This argument goes on and Nara says, “This is not a place for fighting. We can’t fight with you.
You are a king, we are sages. Go back.” When Damodava still insisted, Nara took up a small
piece of a broomstick and let it off. This small piece of a broomstick became millionfold in
number, and pierced the eyes of every soldier including the king, and came out from the other
side. They all cried at the top of their voices, “Oh, our eyes are gone! We can’t see anything.”
The king started shouting, screaming because his eyes were gone and he was in terrible pain. He
wept and fell flat and prostrated. And all the soldiers started cursing the king for having brought
them there. Then Nara said, “I can withdraw these pieces of astra I threw, but hereafter don’t go
and talk in this way to anybody.”

Parasurama said, “This is the result of ahamkara, Duryodhana. Don’t behave like this.”

Duryodhana said, “Nothing doing! I will give not even that much of land as would be covered by
the pinprick of a needle.” He struck his thigh with pride. Then it was that he got so wild with
Krishna that he wanted to bind him and throw him into prison so that he may not go back at all,
and the question of his helping the Pandavas would not arise. He connived with Dushasana,
Sakuni and Karna: “We shall bind him and put him behind bars.” He was blabbering this in the
court before all people. This news was carried by Satyaki to Sri Krishna: “They want to bind
you.”

Then Sri Krishna told Dhritarashtra, Bhishma and Vidura, “This kind of person you are keeping
in your palace! It is a shame to you. He wants to bind me. And you want to listen to all this? If
you give me permission, I myself shall bind him and take him just now to the feet of
Yudhisthira.”

Gandhari got very wild and went on reprimanding Duryodhana. She said, “What is happening to
my son? Why does he talk like this?” She called him to the court and said, “Have you gone
crazy? Why do you talk of binding him? What harm has he done? He is an ambassador. He is not
your enemy. Have you no shame?”

Then Sri Krishna said, “Duryodhana, don’t be under any misapprehension. You may be thinking
that I am alone here – that I have no friends, no assistance, no support of any kind – and that you
can bind me and throw me into prison. Everybody is here; all help is here. You can see me, if
you like.”

Immediately there was a miracle. The body of Krishna began to grow in larger and larger
proportions, and Brahma and Rudra and Arjuna and the Pandavas and all the warriors –
everybody started shining in his body. Lustrous he became, and blinded were all people who
could not see him. Only four people could see him, they say – Vidura, Drona, Bhishma and
Sanjaya, and the rishis, of course. They saw him and said, “Oh wonder! A marvel! What is this
mystery?”

Dhritarashtra, who was blind, wept, “What is this? Krishna, they say there is a wonder and
miracle I cannot see. Will you not bless me?” Then for a few minutes he was blessed with vision.
Then he again prayed, “Having seen this, I do not want to see anything else, so make me blind
again.” So once again he was made blind.

Sri Krishna withdrew his form and said, “I have done my work. I am going back. Duryodhana,
you wait for your destiny.”

Then preparations were made for war, and Sri Krishna took up the work of the charioteer. He did
not say he would be commander-in-chief. That is the interesting part of it. He wanted to be the
cart driver, not the generalissimo or the field marshal in the army. This arrangement was made
already in Dwarka where Sri Krishna was met and importuned by Duryodhana and Arjuna who
went for help. Duryodhana said, “I have come first to ask for help. Arjuna came later on. You
offer me the choice.”

Sri Krishna said, “Well, I saw him first because he was sitting at my feet. Arjuna, what do you
want?” “I want help in the impending war which is inevitable.” Duryodhana said, “I have also
come for the same purpose. I want help from you. You are an impartial man, so you give me
help, you give him help.” Both were asking. Sri Krishna said, “What help can I give you? I have
only two things. I am here myself, and I have a vast army. You can choose either of these. You
can choose the vast army which is invincible almost – Narayani Sena, it is called. I am a puny
man. I cannot do anything. I can sit with you and chat with you, perhaps. Whom do you like,
Arjuna?”

“You come. I am not in need of the army.”

Duryodhana said, “I have taken the butter. He has taken the buttermilk. I am going. Wonderful!
Foolhardy and stupid is Arjuna.” He said to Sri Krishna, “Thank you for the army.” He thought
he had already half won the victory. “What is the use of one man? The whole army is mine.” He
went and told his brothers, “Victory is ours.”
Victory is ours

Krishna said to Arjuna, “You are a foolish man. Why did you choose me? What made
you choose me, who will do nothing?” Arjuna said, “Even if you do not do anything, your
presence will do more than others can do by hands and feet. I know your greatness.”

“All right, as you wish,” he said. “What work can I do?”

“You guide me in the war.”

Krishna said, “I will be your charioteer.”

And then the Udogya Parva closes and the Bhishma Parva starts, where we have the incident of
cosmic vision bestowed upon Sanjaya by Vyasa for describing to him the events of the
forthcoming war, and people rushed to the field. An array of armies was seen there. Arjuna
looked at the large army of the Kauravas and suddenly his mind changed. He became
despondent. That is the first chapter of the Bhagavadgita. And then the Bhagavadgita continues.
Sri Krishna reprimanded him for his mood of melancholy, and again showed the Visvarupa
which he showed in the court of the Kauravas. Then the war began. A fierce battle took place
where Bhishma was the commander-in-chief of the other side, and he worked for the massacre of
the whole Pandava army. Arjuna’s conscience pricked him. “After all, he is my grandfather.
How can I attack him?”

Krishna began to feel this. “Oh, this fellow has changed his mind again even after hearing the
Gita, and if this sort of thing is to be allowed, today itself Bhishma will finish all the army of the
Pandavas.” Krishna said, “Arjuna, if you cannot fight, keep quiet. I shall do all the work.” Then
he jumped down from the chariot and said, “I shall finish Bhishma today, myself.” And then the
earth shook. Brahma thought the world had come to an end when Sri Krishna jumped from the
chariot like that with a fierce, fire-like energy.

Then Bhishma prayed, “Lord, if you kill me I shall regard myself as blessed, but I shall not stop
fighting.”
Then Arjuna begged pardon, “Well, I shall fight. Please don’t break your vow, because you had
vowed you would not take up arms. Now why are you jumping? You come back!” Twice Sri
Krishna jumped like that in the Bhishma Parva.

The Drona Parva is again a masterpiece of Vyasa’s literary beauty. Only those who know
Sanskrit can appreciate the literary beauty of Vyasa; but even in a translation, one may enjoy it
because of the magnificent high pitch of language used. It is difficult to read it without a thrill,
without hair standing on end, and without a tumult of emotion in one’s mind. In the Drona Parva,
the work was very difficult. It became more complicated, and Sri Krishna had to help Arjuna
from various calamities and catastrophes. Sri Krishna was alone, grooming the horses, while
Arjuna fought alone, singlehandedly, on foot in the battlefield.

And there was a very powerful man called Bhagadatta. He was a very old man. He used to fight
on a very powerful elephant which was supposed to be a descendent of Airavata of Indra. A very
fierce elephant it was; it could simply dash down all warriors. Hundreds started dying and
running away at the very sight of the elephant of Bhagadatta. He was a very old man, past one
hundred years, but he was fighting such a fierce battle. Krishna said, “This man will finish you if
you do not meet him. You go and meet him yourself.” Arjuna with all his might fought with
Bhagadatta, maimed his elephant and killed it finally, but Bhagadatta would not be overcome.
He sent a missile which came like a meteor, a comet. Immediately Sri Krishna raised his chest
and withdrew it into himself.

Arjuna said, “You said you will not take part in the war. Now why are you interfering with me? I
would have done something myself. I could have broken it into pieces. Why did you interfere?”

Sri Krishna said, “You do not know what it was. It was Vaishnav Astra, and nobody can stand
before it. You would have died just now. It was given to Bhagadatta through Narakasura once
upon a time, from a divine source. It has come from Me only, so I have taken it back. Otherwise,
you would not have been left alive just now,” he said.

“All right, whatever you say. Now let the war continue.”

Then we have a portion of the Drona Parva called the Jayadrathavata, a very beautiful section.
Jayadratha killed Abhimanyu through the help of many others who joined together to kill him,
but he was responsible for the death of Abhimanyu the boy because he blocked the passage of
the Chakravyuha. Arjuna vowed that before sunset the next evening he would finish Jayadratha;
otherwise he would enter into fire. Then Krishna said, “Why did you take this foolish vow
without consulting me? How do you know that you will be able to kill him tomorrow? Will you
enter into fire tomorrow?”

“Whatever it is,” Arjuna replied, “let me try.” Then that night Sri Krishna took him to Rudra in
Kailasha in a mysterious manner, and Rudra blessed him with the Pasupata Astra. And then the
battle took place near sunset. Jayadratha was not killed. Sri Krishna cast his Sudarshana Chakra
on the sun and made darkness. Then Jayadratha stood up, thinking it was night, because he
wanted to see the funeral pyre of Arjuna, who would be falling into the fire. He was a very tall
man, taller than others, and when he stood up immediately Sri Krishna withdrew his Sudarshana
and told Arjuna, “Look at that man. Cut off his head.” Immediately an arrow was shot and he
was hit. And then Krishna said, “Shoot another arrow.”

“No. I will not shoot at a dead man,” said Arjuna.

“You foolish man! Do it. There is a purpose behind it.”

Then Arjuna hit him with another arrow. This second arrow was shot because the father of
Jayadratha was doing tapas on the shore of the ocean and doing agya: “Whoever drops the head
of my son, his head may be broken to pieces.” So if Arjuna dropped Jayadratha’s head, what
would happen? Arjuna’s head would break to pieces. So another arrow was shot which brought
the head on the palm of the very same man who was doing this agyam, so he dropped it not
knowing what it was, and his head was broken. The father’s head was broken to pieces because
he did not know what was dropping on him. See the wonder! This is all described in the Drona
Parva.

Arjuna was saved from many calamities. There are many other incidents which cannot be
described in a short compass. Then in the Karna Parva, Sri Krishna pressed the chariot, making it
sink down a few inches into the earth so that the arrow of Karna passed over the head of Arjuna,
taking his crown but missing his head.
Then, when all the war was over and everyone had finished his work, Sri Krishna said to Arjuna,
“By providence, your work is done. Now you get down from the chariot first.” Generally the
chariot driver gets down first. He does not tell the passenger to get down first. But here the
chariot driver said, “You get down first.” Arjuna could not understand what the matter was. He
got down. Then Sri Krishna got down from the chariot. When he got down, the whole chariot,
together with the horses, burst into flames and was reduced to ashes.

Arjuna asked, “What is this miracle, Krishna?”

“That is why I asked you to get down first. Otherwise, you would have gone into the fire.”

“What is this? Why?”

“You know the astras of Drona and Karna had already burnt this chariot of yours at that time, but
because I was sitting there, I kept it intact. Now I have got down, and it is reduced to its original
condition.”

“Oh, I never knew! What would have happened if by mistake you had got down first!”

“Yes, I knew it very well so I did not get down first and asked you to get down first.” That was
the power.

Then through the various Parvas of the Mahabharata – right until the Shanti Parva where Sri
Krishna advised Yudhisthira to receive the blessings of Bhishma – he saw to it that the poor
brothers were helped, and the king was installed on the throne, and he gave the last message to
him. He said, “Yudhisthira, now my work is done. By the power of Bhima and dexterity of
Arjuna, you have won victory.” He did not say, “With my help you have won victory. I have
done so much for you. What are you going to give me?” He never uttered a word about himself:
“Yudhisthira, I am glad that providentially, with the power of Bhima and the dexterity of Arjuna,
you have won victory.”

Yudhisthira knew the secret. “Krishna, don’t say this. Your grace, it was. It was your grace that
has brought us to this state of glory.” He wept. Because Krishna had uttered these words, he
wept. He could not contain it. “You don’t mention yourself. You tell about my brothers only.”
Anyhow, that was his greatness; that was his humility. The height of knowledge went with the
height of humility. That which was everything looked like nothing. That was Krishna.

An Enigma called Shakuni

Who was Shakuni really? I mean not the personal biodata - we all know that he was son of King
Subala (Suvala) of Gandhar, brother of Gandhari, mamashri of Duryodhan and 99 brothers, etc.
No. This is not what I am asking. I am asking about Shakuni, the man. What was his real role in
the whole epic that led to the disastrous war? Was he really responsible? If yes, how much?
What was his motive?

Let us look at the motive angle first. TV Serials have made him out to be an extremely cunning
character who was bent on creating disharmony in the Kuru dynasty. They say that his motive
was revenge - for (near force) marrying his beloved sister to a blind king. They portray that he
wanted the Kuru dynasty finished. Then there are fantastic stories as well But I am discounting
all this supposition and theory. The reason is that original texts do not mention any such
"revenge" angle. Neither is this mentioned in any of the supporting puranas such as Bhagvat,
Harivansh, etc.

No. My take is that Shakuni was a prince of a rather obscure peripheral kingdom. He was
ambitious and wanted to occupy centre stage in the world of politics. As the prince and future
king of Gandhar, he would never get any such opportunity. Then the marriage of his sister to the
one of the most important and powerful kingdoms provided him the perfect stage. But he had to
wait. Pandu was still the king. Luck was on his side. When Pandu retired, Dhritarashtra became
the king and Shakuni moved base from Gandhar to Hastinapur. In my opinion, all he wanted to
do was to ensure that his brother-in-law remains the king and then line continues with his sister's
son.

When Pandavas appeared on the scene, this was the time, the evil and crooked mind started
scheming. No sooner than the cousins arrived, Duryodhan's hatred flared up. Duryodhan for the
first time saw a real threat to his claim on the throne. Shakuni was only too eager add fuel to the
fire and help his nephew eliminate the threat. Shakuni was a master strategist. He saw the first
few attempts, including the poisoning of Bheem, fail. His role was minimal there. The next
attempt was the "house of lacquer" and at this time Shakuni provided the intricate plan and
details.

The second major attempt however failed - Pandavas ended up very strong being related and
allied to Drupad. Shakuni could not do much and the kingdom was partitioned. The Pandavas
went from strength to strength. The Rajasuya sacrifice exposed the Pandava opulence to
Duryodhan and he simply could not think anything above his severe jealousy, hatred and a desire
to deprive the Pandavas, their kingdom. Shakuni realized that defeated Pandavas in war was not
possible and at best result would be unpredictable. So he planned and executed the deceitful
game of dice. The first game resulted in the horrible attempt to disrobe Draupadi while the
second resulted into the 12 year exile followed by 1 year of incognito to the Pandavas.

Shakuni had done his job. It was a bloodless coup. A masterstroke. It is at this point, popular TV
and folklore separate from the original story. They show that Shakuni continued to plan and
scheme even more.

The original texts paint a different Shakuni however. The instance comes at the end of the
Ghosha Yatra. When Duryodhan is freed by Arjun, Bheem and the twins, the severely incensed
Duryodhan wants to commit suicide. At this time, Shakuni comes and consoles Duryodhan and
says that Pandavas have done their duty as the citizens of the country and that they have done no
favour. Then he advises Duryodhan,

"When thou shouldst joy and reward the Pandavas, thou art grieving, O king? Indeed, this
behaviour of thine is inconsistent. Be cheerful, do not cast away thy life; but remember with a
pleased heart the good they have done thee. Give back unto the sons of Pritha their kingdom, and
win thou both virtue and renown by such conduct. By acting in this way, thou mayst be grateful.
Establish brotherly relations with the Pandavas by being friends, and give them their paternal
kingdom, for then thou wilt be happy!". This is indeed surprising to most of us who have been
fed with the ever scheming Shakuni. All along we had been led to believe that Shakuni is one of
the main reasons for the discord and the war.

From this point on Shakuni is not found to be scheming any more. He obviously sides with his
"dear bhanja" in the war. He advises him from time to time on the strategy. But the evil schemes
have more or less gone. His role is minimal. This is another reason why I believe that there was
no "revenge angle".