Yudhishthir's Blood

In the meantime, Raajaa Viraat had come back from Susharmaa's battle. His wife and daughter welcomed him and told him that after he had left the palace, Kaurav took away cows from the Northern side of the kingdom, so Uttar had to go to rescue those cows. He took Brihannalaa along with him as his Saarathee. Raajaa got worried about Uttar, because Kuru army had the best warriors and he did not trust Brihannalaa at all. Kank tried to assure him - "If Brihannalaa is with him, you need not to worry about him at all. I know Brihannalaa's greatness. If she is there as prince's Saarathee, she can win even Indra. So be patient."

After a few hours some cowherds came and told him that they saw Uttar and Brihannalaa (as his Saarathee) on the way to palace. Brihannalaa told them to give this news to palace that they were coming after winning the war. Viraat got very happy to hear this news that his son had defeated Kuru army and was coming back safely. Sairandhree was looking after the decoration of hall. Raajaa Viraat got so happy to hear about Uttar's victory so he asked Sairandhree to bring dice to play. Yudhishthir said - "Mahaaraaj, Please do not play dice now as your mind is not normal. Wise men say that one should not play at such times." King said - "Kank, We are not playing with stakes, we are just playing to pass the time, so don't worry." Yudhishthir again said - "This game is a terrible thing, Raajan. The game of dice robs a man of sane thinking. I have seen Yudhishthir losing everything in dice game, so I don't trust it any more." But the king was very keen to play so they started playing.

Both Viraat and Yudhishthir were happy for their own reasons, Viraat for Uttar's victory and Yudhishthir for Arjun's victory over Kaurav. King said - "I am very happy for Uttar that he defeated famous Kaurav army." Kank said - "There is no wonder at Uttar's victory when Brihannalaa is along with him as his Saarathee." Viraat said - "You are comparing my son with that eunuch? You mean that defeating Kaurav army is so easy to defeat? I warn you this time but mind it, do not displease me again."

Kank said - "I can tell you what must have happened. Please announce the victory of Brihannalaa. It is sure to be, and when I say something it has to be true. It must have happened the other way that your son must have been the Saarathee of Brihannalaa, and Brihannalaa must have fought with it. Just think about that army, it cannot be defeated even by Devtaa. How can a child like your son can defeat it?" Now the king's anger was on top of his mind. He took the dice and hit it at Kank's head. This caused bleeding from his head. Now Yudhishthir would not let the blood fall on the ground. He looked at Sairandhree in pain, she immediately took his blood in a gold bowl filled with water. Yudhishthir washed his hands in it and Draupadee wiped his eyebrow with her cloth and tried to stop bleeding.

King asked Sairandhree - "Why are you wiping the blood of this foolish Braahman with your silken garment?" Draupadee said - "Mahaaraaj, If a drop of blood of this good man touches the ground your kingdom will not have rains for one year. Every drop of his blood means one year of famine. Besides if his blood fell on the ground, you would be killed by the person who has vowed to do that. I am saving you and your kingdom from ruining by preventing his blood from falling on the ground." Viraat did not understand a word what Sairandhree said, so he kept quiet.

The then a messenger informed the King that Prince Uttar had entered the palace and was coming to him. Yudhishthir said to the messenger secretly - "Please see to it that they should not enter the hall together. Uttar should enter first and Brihannalaa should come later. It is in the favor of your King's life."

Uttar entered the hall first. He was warmly embraced by his father. Uttar looked at Yudhishthir's face covered with blood. His heart stopped beating. He said angrily - "Who has done this to this noblest of men? Who has committed this crime?" The King said - "Why, I hit him with dice. He was praising your charioteer instead of you, so I hit him." Uttar beat his head and said - "Father, You do not know what have you done? Ask his pardon, not his forgiveness, immediately. Do not invite the curse of God on yourself."

Now king was really puzzled, how his statements were matching with Sairandhree's? But obeying his son, he went to Yudhishthir and asked his pardon. The blood had now stopped. Yudhishthir said - "I was not at all angry with you. I was only worried about your welfare. If my blood had fallen down on ground, you would have been killed at once. I have routed the calamity, so nothing to worry now." The king could not make anything out of the words of all of them.

Now Brihannalaa entered the hall. The king was still praising the bravery of his son, but Uttar was just standing silent lowering his eyes. Somehow he spoke - "Father, I was helped by a divine person. I could not have won them without him. He defeated all of them alone." Then Uttar mentioned everything whatever had happened in the battlefield but the name of Arjun, to the King. The King said - "I also want to see him and thank him. I will give him all I have, even my daughter." Uttar said - "In fact he disappeared after defeating them, but he may appear again in a couple of days time."

The King thanked Brihannalaa for being his son's Saarathee. Arjun went to Uttaraa and gave her the cloths and jewels he brought for her. Arjun had a doubt in his mind about Yudhishthir, because when Uttar was describing the incident, he did not look at all towards Arjun. So he went to Bheem and asked - "Is Yudhishthir angry with me that why did I go to fight with Kaurav? You know, I had to go, what was the alternative with me?" Bheem said "I don't know, let us go to our brother and ask him."

They went to see him. He received them affectionately. They looked at the wound on his forehead and asked about it. He said "Do not think about it now, king hit me with dice. I did not want you to see me that is why I kept my face on the other side." Bheem said - "If he had shown this anger before, I would have killed him long ago." Arjun was also angry, he said - "Your patience has been testing us too much, but now I will not stop. I will kill Viraat and his relatives and then kill all Kaurav." Yudhishthir said - "You need not to kill him because he didn't know who I was. We will tell him tomorrow that who we are. Then we will occupy the throne and if he will defend it then we will kill him."