Original subtitles

All that has passed is never truly in the past.

History is always unseen and remains unchanged.

For time assimilates it into itself

as it ticks on and turns it into chapters of our civilisation.

The Mahabharat is the story of a great war

in which the conflict over duty and action

drew all of Bharat to one place,

Kurukshetra.

This was a war between two families who were from the same dynasty.

There were five Pandavs and a hundred Kauravs.

The family's warriors and elders were on the Kaurav side,

while the Pandavs had their family and Lord Krishn.

A game of dice was played in King Dhritrashtra's court.

When the upholder of truth, Yudhishthir,

lost his wealth, honour, dignity,

he wagered on Draupadi, wife of the five Pandav brothers.

The truth has many shades.

Lies take many twists and turns.

The rules of the battle

were as unrelenting as the blade of a sword.

Once broken, they scattered all over Kurukshetra

like the beads in Draupadi's bracelet.

For 18 days, the sun would rise over a smouldering horizon

and set with a blaze of countless funeral pyres.

We still live in the shadow of that war of dharm and karm.

We've never really left Kurukshetra behind.

KURUKSHETRA

The air, alive with music,

a grand wedding celebration.

This is the occasion that marked the beginning

of the most calamitous end in history.

Glory to Prince Abhimanyu! Glory to Prince Abhimanyu!

Glory to Princess Uttara! Glory to Princess Uttara!

This is utter injustice.

Such a beautiful, celestial angel with a name like Uttara?

It should have been "Uttama" for your supreme beauty.

Well, then… I feel my future husband,

Prince Abhimanyu should be called

"The Great Poet Abhimanyu" instead.

As you wish.

The flowers are rose-red The heart within is red

And this ring of love I wear Glows ruby red

Flushed red with joy, little did Abhimanyu know

that this battleground would soon be stained red

with his own blood.

My Lord!

I may be blindfolded, but…

but can you not see as well?

How many more deceased sons

is this unfortunate Gandhari fated to mourn?

Huh? Huh?

Abhimanyu!

How has this come to be?

My dear child!

These hands that should have rested on a bed of flowers,

now lie lifeless amidst a sea of corpses.

Ceremony and debate,

both were held in equal measure that day.

For not one, but two unions were being forged at the same time.

The first, tying Abhimanyu to Uttara,

and the second,

tying the Kuru clan to the great war,

which led all of Bharat into the Mahabharat.

Had Gandhari not worn a blindfold,

she would have witnessed not one, but two suns that day.

The one that was rising in the sky

and the other that arose from the earth itself,

formed by the funeral pyres of countless warriors.

The fires of war may have turned the warriors' bodies to ashes,

but they could not erase their stories.

Stories of great valour,

vengeance,

sacrifice

and the endless pursuit of power.

Stories in which each and every word proclaims

Kurukshetra.

Whenever there is a decline In righteousness, O descendant of Bharat

And unrighteousness rises Then I manifest myself

To protect the noble To destroy the wicked

And to restore righteousness I am born age after age

The guardian of justice,

the defender of truth,

the king of dharm, Yudhishthir.

Infinitely strong,

a giant among men,

the great mace-wielding warrior, Bheem!

An unparalleled archer.

Fearless. Invincible.

Bearer of the Gandiva bow, Arjun.

Queen Madri's twin sons, Nakul and Sahdev.

-So the other day… -Umm…

They need no further introduction.

Supremely virtuous,

a divine beauty,

the princess of Panchal, Draupadi.

Shall we start the debate, Keshav?

After the most sumptuous royal feast yesterday,

my hunger is finally sated.

But I am still hungry for action.

It's time to go out and use my might!

-I say we go and take over-- -Patience, Bheem, my brother.

Don't you think we should at least wait

for the one whose grand wedding feast has sated your hunger?

Oh, here he is. Our dear Abhimanyu.

-Greetings, dear father. -Hmm.

-Greetings, dear uncle. -May fame favour you, son.

I'm afraid I had to disrupt your wedding celebrations. I apologise.

But the times that we live in are such.

Time, riding a chariot full of spikes,

was hurtling towards us like a gathering storm.

While I made a futile attempt to overtake its lightning speed,

along with my deeply worried friend Purohit.

Huh? The Pandav and Kaurav banners side by side?

Commit this sight to memory, Purohit!

Who knows when the two will be seen together again?

So, should only the Pandavs uphold the peace?

Not the Kauravs?

And what did we even ask for?

Merely five villages.

-Why even ask, Arjun? -Huh?

We cannot be denied our right.

In fact, all of Indraprasth belongs to us.

A 12-year exile in the forest, one more year living in disguise.

And then our kingdom was to be returned to us.

The Kauravs have gone back on their word, not us.

Patience, my dear brothers.

If not the Kauravs,

then let us hope for some good news from Purohit.

I am in such a turmoil.

How am I going to find the words to convey this message to the Pandavs?

Never mind that, Purohit. What about me?

-Huh? -Tell me, who am I?

What sort of question is that?

A seemingly simple but very important question.

"Who am I?"

Disciple of the Great Sage Vyas, advisor to King Dhritrashtra,

son of Gavalgana, the charioteer, and the royal ambassador of the Kauravs,

Sanjay.

Such grand titles for such an ordinary man.

And none reflect who I am in my own right.

Someone's disciple, someone's advisor or someone's son.

It's too big an introduction for just a humble messenger like Sanjay.

Even my words belong to King Dhritrashtra.

Please ask my dear Pandav nephews,

what will they accomplish through this war?

Violence, bloodshed and death.

Please remind them that if they wage this war,

both the battling sides are my very own.

No matter who is victorious, I will be the one who loses.

No matter whose blood is spilled, the tears flowing will be mine.

But, Your Majesty, I have a humble request.

If we could just accept the Pandav's humble demand,

-then this-- -Quiet, Sanjay!

We will not debate this matter any further.

Take Purohit with you and leave for the Matsya Kingdom.

Tell those five Pandav brothers

that Hastinapur has made its decision, and it is final!

But, Sanjay,

what have the Pandavs asked for that Hastinapur cannot give?

Was their demand not a fair one?

Or is Hastinapur blind to the consequences of their refusal?

And what if the Kauravs refuse us, in spite of knowing the consequences?

Then it can only mean one thing.

War!

Bandits!

Purohit!

This land is thirsting for blood, Sanjay!

Hyah!

The first drop of blood had already been spilled.

Let us adjourn this council, Keshav,

-as the sun is about to set. -Undoubtedly.

The sun is indeed about to set on the Kuru dynasty.

And the two of you?

Please carry on, brother.

Until I receive a reply from those in Hastinapur,

I will not be able to rest.

I imagine sleep eludes you too, Madhav.

What do you propose we do until then?

Hurry! Take him at once to the royal physician!

-Yes! -He's wounded!

Uh…

This way. Let me escort you to the guest room.

It would be good if I had an audience with King Yudhishthir.

Uh… I'm afraid King Yudhishthir

and the other Pandavs are resting right now.

Hmm?

Welcome, Sanjay. We've been waiting for you.

Why are you hiding from us?

We'd like you to come in and grace us with your presence.

But it is your presence and blessings that I seek, Keshav.

Welcome, Sanjay. Please have a seat.

Yes, yes, have a seat. And have some of this fruit, too.

Here.

Do not worry, Sanjay.

No matter how bitter your message may be,

you will find the fruit sweet.

I picked them all myself.

Yes, but my words have not been picked by me, Keshav.

How do I say them?

You don't need to, Sanjay.

Your silence is speaking volumes.

Another futile response from the Kauravs.

We have no wish for war,

but the Kauravs have no wish for peace.

It's time to start tightening your bowstring, Parth,

and also sharpening your arrows.

The time to put them to use is upon us.

Go tell them, Sanjay,

that we have received Hastinapur's answer.

Hastinapur's real answer will be on the battlefield.

An answer so powerful that it will put an end to all questions.

This King Dhritrashtra is no longer the same Dhritrashtra,

whose younger brother Pandu claimed the throne for himself,

by taking advantage of the King's blindness.

Only to abdicate when he'd had enough!

This is King Dhritrashtra,

who, despite being blind since infancy, has never shied away from his duty!

Victory to King Dhritrashtra! Victory to King Dhritrashtra!

This is King Dhrithrashtra,

whose eldest son Duryodhan, that is me,

is the one and only true successor to his throne!

And Duryodhan is not blind!

Victory to Prince Duryodhan! Victory to Prince Duryodhan!

The land of Hastinapur is dearer to me than life itself.

And if the Pandavs think they can take even an inch of it,

they'll have to fight me for it!

They will receive nothing as charity!

Forget what is fair.

Do they not even care about our ties of kinship?

Kinship?

That's the very reason, dear Yudhishthir,

that they refuse to grant even the tiniest little inch of this land.

Because we have as much of a right to this land as they do!

So, has Pitamah Bhishm never tried to reason with them?

I'm afraid that I'm unable to understand you, Duryodhan,

nor can I explain anything to you.

I'm on your side only because… I have taken a vow to always protect

the throne of Hastinapur.

As long as I am alive, I will not let you come to any harm.

But I will not harm the Pandavs in any way either.

Because the Pandavs are as dear to my heart as you are.

I will not take up arms against my own bloodline.

Bloodline? Huh!

Let me tell you all about bloodlines, Pitamah.

I am King of Anga, Karn.

It was my bloodline because of which I was cursed to lose my warrior skills

when I needed them most, and yet here I am,

completely committed to fighting this war.

I'm not a half-hearted or emotional warrior like you.

I would never accept

fighting under your leadership on the battlefield, Pitamah.

Karn, without you, my army would be at half its strength.

You have nothing to worry about, Duryodhan.

For even amidst such legendary warriors

as Dronacharya, Kripacharya and Pitamah Bhishm,

it is I who will hand you their beloved Arjun's head on a platter.

I am not afraid of death.

But to give in to injustice is in itself an injustice.

The Kauravs' obstinacy must not go unanswered!

Even if peace comes at the expense of all our anger and bitterness,

it is still preferable to war.

I seek your blessings for a victory, Father,

This war that you and your brothers are so very eager to fight,

do you know what it is going to cost you, Duryodhan?

Gandhari,

please reason with your sons.

Judging from their crazed ambition and hunger for the throne,

I would think… they are more your sons than mine, my King.

-Mother, your blessings. -My blessings?

I will certainly give you a blessing, Duryodhan.

May victory be with those who walk the path of dharm.

Dharm. Adharm.

Justice. Injustice. Peace.

They're all debated endlessly.

But do any of my five husbands remember

why I still wear my hair loose, or have they forgotten?

Let me remind them.

That villain Dushasan touched my hair

in the presence of an entire assembly!

He attempted to disrobe me in the middle of the entire Kaurav court!

He dishonoured the Princess of Panchal in front of everyone,

-even though she has five husbands! -Rip it off!

Pull, Dushasan, pull!

You paragons of virtue! Have you all forgotten my humiliation?

But I haven't forgotten anything. My hair bears testimony.

O Vasudev, tell my five saintly husbands

that if they are incapable of avenging this grave assault on my honour,

then my aged father,

my five sons and my Abhimanyu are still alive.

Draupadi's dishonour will certainly be avenged.

Hmm… So, then it is decided.

Pitamah Bhishm will be the leader of the Kaurav army.

I will definitely lead your army, but my heart will simply not be in it.

Relish this moment, my nephew!

Imagine how impotent those kings would have to be

to use their own wife as a pawn in a game of dice!

-What a disgrace! -What a disgrace!

How can they ever protect their subjects

when they can't even protect their own wife?

Victory to Hastinapur!

Victory to Crown Prince Duryodhan!

Victory to Hastinapur!

Victory to Crown Prince Duryodhan!

The Pandavs have seen both, your tears and your humiliation.

It's a testament to their strength

that even after so much injustice and abuse, they still wish for peace.

Do not be angry, Draupadi.

Even after so many attempts at making peace,

if the Kauravs still choose the path of destruction,

then that is what it shall be.

Draupadi, you will most certainly have your revenge.

And your vow to leave your hair untied will be fulfilled.

The Kauravs and the Pandavs,

two trees rising from the same soil,

who could never stand together…

…for a unified Hastinapur.

And became sacrificial pawns to the great ideals of dharm and adharm.

I, Sanjay,

bore witness to a spectacle of destruction

that lasted 18 days.

But in those 18 days, I did not just witness a war,

I watched 18 warriors

and their courageous exploits in 18 stories.

And hidden behind each story

are those 18 reasons

that, despite every effort to attain peace,

imposed upon the fate of the Kuru dynasty, this great war.

All that is dark

The light you see

All illusion

Ends with me

Come forward, be one with me

The end is the destiny

This earth below, the stars above

This is Kurukshetra, this is Kurukshetra