My rage knew no bounds
My heart was a stormy ocean
That could drown everyone
Even my love for my elder brother, Yudhishthira
Who made the grave mistake of putting
Not only his brothers but also
Panchali on stake in the game of dice.
My rage knew no bounds
My eyes were a volcano of tears
When that inhuman Dushasana
Grabbed Panchali by her hair
To the courtroom.
Although I was compelled to keep quiet,
I vowed to destroy everything,
Kill all the hundred Kauravas
Tear up Dushasana's chest
Before breathing my last.
My life would lose all meaning
If I can't avenge Panchali's humiliation;
Panchali- the woman I deeply loved,
Without ever caring if she loved me back
With the same intensity.
My helplessness paralyzed me
When Panchali cried for justice
From every person in the courtroom;
Despite having the strength
Of ten thousand elephants,
I could not move a limb.
Yes - It was my elder brother's mistake
Of putting us at stake and losing
But it was my mistake
Of obeying my brother
Instead of protecting my wife Panchali
From the humiliation she faced
Panchali - the woman whose happiness
I always placed before mine
Even when I was aware
Her heart longed for Arjuna.
My rage knew no bounds
My heart was a forest fire
Yes, I would avenge the humiliation
That Panchali had to face
But my greatest agony is that
I had failed Panchali-
The woman who meant
The world for me.
My heroism would mean nothing
If I can't protect Panchali;
In the later years of exile,
I- Bhima never thought of anything
When Panchali's honor was at stake
Be it Jayadratha or Keechaka,
Every man who looked at Panchali
With impure intentions
Had to face a fate more terrible than Hell.
I would never forgive myself
For failing Panchali on that fateful day;
Panchali - the strong, opinionated woman
Whose fearlessness always inspired me
To be a better man and a better warrior.
©Purba Chakraborty
09.04.2020
Note: Bhima is the second Pandava. Bhima is responsible for slaying all the 100 Kaurava brothers in the Kurukshetra war of Mahabharata.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteThe plight of those caught in the web of societal politics! YAM xx
Ah Bhima! The one who loved Panchali more than anything even though he knew she loved Arjuna the most. I love how you captured the emotions. Beautiful piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteVery very well written. You have captured Bhima's frustration accurately. Only one thing, Keechaka was killed during their one year of agyathavasam. Not before the humiliation of Draupadi.
ReplyDeleteBHima was a great yodhha. but even such great and powerful people to have deep emotions that they cannot express it to anyone.
ReplyDeleteAnother good one. Love the way you have portrayed the anger and frustration of Bhima!!
ReplyDeleteBhima's heroic words well expressed, Purba.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened in the game of dice is a lesson for mankind...
Are you watching Mahabharat on DD?
Wow..amazing how you gave words to Bhima's emotions!
ReplyDeleteWow. How lovely. I never saw Bhima's this look. Your poem kept me thinking about his character in more details. Thanks for sharing. Very beautifully penned Purba.
ReplyDelete