Paandavon ke vanvaas ke dauraan Duryodhan Hastinapur mein ek aise ghaav ko sehlaata baitha tha jise koi aushadhi nahin bhar sakti thi: eershya. Use samaachaar milte ki Paandav, rajya chhin jaane aur van mein rehne par bhi, apne durbhaagya ko garima se seh rahe hain — aur yah garima use krodhit karti thi. Shakuni ke uksaave par usne atyant kroor yojana banaai. Ghosh-yaatra ke bahaane, Dvaitavan ke goshaalaon ka nireekshan karne ka shaahi abhiyaan jahaan Paandav rehte the, vah apni poorn shaan — patniyaan, darbaari, sainik, sab — ke saath vahaan jaayega, apne apmaanit chachere bhaaiyon ke saamne apni samriddhi ka pradarshan karega aur unke valkal vastron tatha van-bhojan ka uphaas karega.
Dhritarashtra asahaj hokar use rokne ka prayaas karte rahe, par Duryodhan dabaav daalta raha jab tak anumati na mil gayi. Atah Kaurav sena chali: Duryodhan Karn aur Shakuni ke saath, uske bhaai, uski patniyaan, aur chamchamaati sena, aur unhone Dvaitavan ke ek sundar sarovar ke kinaare aanand-shivir lagaaya, Paandavon ki saadhaaran kutiya ki drishti mein bhoj aur aamod karte hue.
Par sarovar pehle se hi vyaapt tha. Gandharv, divya sangeetagya, apne raja Chitrasen ke netritva mein — jo swarg ke dinon se Arjun ke puraane mitra the — apni patniyon ke saath uske jal mein kreeda kar rahe the. Duryodhan ke sainikon ne divyajanon ko jaane ka aadesh diya. Gandharvon ne apne aanand se hatne se inkaar kar diya. Baaton se prahaar hone lage, aur Kaurav sena tatha Gandharvon ke beech poorn yuddh chhid gaya.
Pehle Kaurav achchhi tarah lade, par phir Gandharvon ne apni maaya-shaktiyon ka prayog kiya, aakaash ko chhadm yoddhaon se bhar diya, aur Kaurav vyooh toot gaya. Duryodhan ka yoddha Karn bhi paraajit hokar maidaan se bhaag gaya. Duryodhan swayam veerta se ladta raha, par vah Chitrasen ka saamna na kar saka. Kuchh hi minton mein Kuru rajkumar pakda gaya, baandha gaya, aur apni patniyon, mantriyon aur rathon sahit bandi banaakar aakaash mein ghaseeta gaya.
Bhaagte Kaurav sainikon ke paas keval ek aasha bachi thi, aur use apnaane mein unhein lajja aai: ve Paandavon ke paas daude aur Yudhishthir ke charanon mein girkar apne raja ko bachaane ki vinati ki. Jab Bheem ne katha suni to thahaake se hanse. "Yah nyaay hai!" ve chillaye. "Vah hamaara uphaas karne aaya tha, aur ab vah naachne wale sangeetagyon ka bandi hai! Use apne ahankaar ka phal chakhne do." Draupadi ne, dyoot-sabha ke apne apmaan ko yaad karke, sahaayata ke viruddh katuta se boleens.
Par Yudhishthir ka mukh gambheer tha. "Duryodhan hamaara bhaai hai," unhone kaha. "Hamaare viruddh uske paap jo bhi hon, vah Kuru vansh ka rajkumar hai, aur uska sammaan hamaara sammaan hai. Yadi hum use bandi rehne denge, to kalank hamaare kul-naam par padega. Hamein use bachaana hoga." Bheem aur anya unki aagya ke saamne jhuke, yadyapi unke hriday anichchhuk the.
Chaaron chhote Paandav toofaan ki tarah Gandharvon par toot pade. Baanon se aakaash kaala ho gaya. Par jab Arjun aur Chitrasen aamne-saamne aaye, to Gandharv raja ne dhanush neecha kiya aur apne puraane mitra ko gale lagaaya. Chitrasen ne samjhaaya ki unhone Paandavon se keval halka yuddh kiya tha, unhein koi haani pahunchaane ka iraada na tha — unka vivaad keval Duryodhan ki dhrishtata se tha. Arjun ke anurodh par unhone Duryodhan aur sabhi bandiyon ko mukt kar diya, shishtata se saunpate hue.
Duryodhan toota hua vyakti bankar chala gaya. Vah apmaanit karne aaya tha aur apmaanit hua tha; unhin logon ne use bachaaya tha jinse vah ghrina karta tha. Lajja uske sehne se adhik thi. Usne vahin aamaran anshan ka sankalp kiya, Duhshaasan ko uttaraadhikaari ghoshit kiya, aur na Karn ki na Shakuni ki vinati use hila saki.
Tab ek vichitra ghatna ghati. Daanavon, devtaon ke pracheen shatruon ne, ek kaala yagya kiya aur raakshasi Kritya ko Duryodhan ki aatma ko Paataal lok laane bheja. Vahaan unhone use dhaadhas bandhaaya: vah unka chuna hua saadhan tha, aur Bheeshm, Dron aur Karn ke saath khade hone par use Paandavon se darne ki aavashyakta na thi. Vah swapn se jaaga jaise utha, apna anshan tyaaga, aur Hastinapur lauta, uska abhimaan punahsthaapit aur uski ghrina doguni.
Bheeshm ne poore lajjaajanak abhiyaan ke liye use phatkaara, aur Karn ne apne mitra ke kalank ko dhone ke liye vijay ka mahaan abhiyaan chheda. Par Ghosh-yaatra ki shiksha bani rahi: Duryodhan apne chachere bhaaiyon ki daridrata par hansne gaya tha aur seekha tha ki sabse daridra vanvaasi bhi sabse abhimaani raja se sammaan mein dhani ho sakta hai.
Is katha ke paatra
- Duryodhana
- Yudhishthira
- Bhima
- Arjuna
- Chitrasena
- Karna
- Shakuni
- Draupadi
