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aisling-writes · 2 months

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Why the real villain of Chhota Bheem was King Indravarma: A meta-analysis of who he really was.

Alternative Title: An episode where I go nuts and have zero backing behind my essay.

(A note to the readers: This essay does not take into account the existence of the Mighty Little Bheem show. The matter at discussion is purely based on the Chhota Bheem show only.)

Most Indian Children born in the late 2000s can easily recognize the musical ensemble of the theme song of Pogo’s crowned jewel: Chhota Bheem. Eyes were glued to the television and clock ticks were memorised for when the show would start because Chhota Bheem to them was not just an animated show; it was an expression, a memory, a piece of childhood, if you will.

And yet, while watching the show through an “adult” lens, Chhota Bheem leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Why?

The answer, I personally believe, is of two aspects. One would be the obvious irritation in how King Indravarma ruled the land, and the other is about how Chhota Bheem was a Mary-Sue and how the show perhaps needed to be styled around Kalia, his imperfections and his character arc. (But that’s for another time.)

Let’s focus on the topic at hand: King Indravarma. He was, bluntly put, a stupid King.

Imagine a King as such in the real world. A King who had no strong Military, who constantly relied on a 10-year-old for any trivial matter whether it was an external threat to the kingdom instead of sending out an army, did not invest in new technology for the betterment of his people and used it for personal gain. The list can go on and on.

The argument presented here is that King Indravarma as a villain is not a bad evil person but rather how his aloofness was the one reason his kingdom suffered. Being a “villain” does not always necessitate violence and crude language; all it requires is to bring harm to others. And King Indravarma, indirectly, does that.

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“Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. Dietrich Bonhoeffer ----------------

On the other hand, we can theorize that King Indravarma was merely “acting” to be stupid and always had ulterior motives behind his every move. This argument is also proven along the way when I dissect his character in this essay.

In fact, this essay reaches a conclusion that King Indravarma was a strategist who was…. stupid. A perfect balance. (But not for Dholakpur.)

I.Outsmarting a kid; getting outsmarted by the world.

When scouring through the deep dark pages of the internet, one question plagued me: How did Chhota Bheem get his powers?

Yes, it’s common knowledge that eating a Laddoo gives him super-human strength but how does he get such a power in the first place? Alas, that’s not an answer that the cartoon canon can answer but it is integral to the next question that follows: How did King Indravarma realize Chhota Bheem had such powers? Maybe he never found out because had he, he definitely would’ve chosen to make all his citizens the perfect citizens. (A strategist, remember?)

It’s natural for any parent to desire the safe protection of their child from the dangers of the world. As seen in Spider-Man, Aunt May chooses to protect the identity of Peter as his alter-ego and would go to any extent for his safe keeping. But why didn’t Bheem’s mother do the same? Why didn’t she hide the powers of Bheem?

Or maybe, she did.

She did try to hide it but somehow it reached the ears of King Indravarma. And King Indravarma strategicallydecided to use it to his advantage.

And I say strategic because, by all rights, Bheem deserved official employment. He worked as a protector of the kingdom more than the soldiers ever did. He could’ve been a member of the royal guards, or a leader of it too. But instead, the king always played along with the HA-HA Bheem- is- just- a- loyal- citizen- who -helps- sometimes card and gave him no remuneration.

This could’ve had two motives: An economic perspective where he didn’t have to pay Bheem for his services and/or a jealous King perspective where he wanted to avoid a 1789 France Bastille-Storming situation. Empowering Bheem and giving him more administrative power on top of the physical power he already had would make him a dangerous weapon. He was already charismatic and loved by the villagers; it would only be a matter of time until they felt that Bheem would be a better leader than the King himself.

The king further added on to this plan by employing some of the most useless soldiers in his army ever therefore making it seem that the King did try to save his kingdom, but it was to no avail. And at some point, he stopped using the soldiers (probably dismissed them, thus saving even more money for his personal gain) and purely relied on Bheem, a kid who he didn’t even have to pay! (And Bheem, being a “kid” did not have the sense of asking for remuneration as well.)[1]

Smart, isn’t he? (King Indravarma, I mean.)

But also, stupid.

By following this method, he made sure that the one key asset that Dholakpur had was revealed to the entire world. He placed the country in danger from threats all the time! (And I truly mean one asset because by its looks Dholakpur had nothing else to offer. The crops often struggled due to pests, the landscape was unappealing to the eyes, it had no tourist’s income etc.) It’s truly surprising how Dholakpur was not already overtaken by some other colonizer or king because all they had to worry about was defeating one kid. Just one kid. (Yes, he’s strong and what not, but Bheem’s got to have some limit?)

II. Economic drain for… what exactly?

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“Th’ abuse of greatness is when it disjoins remorse from power.” Brutus in Julius Caesar (2.1.19-20) ----------------

In one episode of Chhota Bheem, King Indravarma had no qualms or shame in announcing that the kingdom had no new bicycles for a bicycle race when the neighbouring kingdom had brand new, shiny bicycles and therefore, Bheem and his friends had to manage with the old bicycles. Either the kingdom was not financially stable to accommodate the purchase of such bicycles, or the king lied that the kingdom had no money.

Let’s explore both the views, shall we?

The kingdom being too “broke” to purchase bicycles implies how financially unsecure it is! Perhaps the kingdom was knee-deep in debts or just refused to spend whatever reserves it had on importing foreign goods. Maybe the kingdom had an import substitution policy (similar to what the post-British India followed) but was not able to implement it seeing how the kingdom had an agrarian economy.

Which brings us to the question: How is an economy expected to grow without any investment in additional technology?

The only source of revenue that was noticed were from the fairs conducted, the crops reaped and Tun-Tun Mossi’s Laddoo sale. And as anyone with two eyes can note: It is not enough. The policies followed by King Indravarma were dangerous to Dholakpur in the short-run and long-run. Inflation was just a door’s knock away for the citizens of Dholakpur! People would’ve been forced to lead even more horrendous lives and forced to spend a bucketful of cash but a pocketful of things! (Again, how the kingdom survived is such a mystery.)

On the other hand, maybe the King just wanted to hold all the gold reserves to himself and did not wish to splurge on any investment in technology for the kingdom. Which again proves how he is a stupid strategist because if he wanted more money, the country needs development. More jobs, more employment brings about higher level of income, GDP and better lifestyle. How are the people supposed to pay taxes to the King if he doesn’t provide them enough opportunity to make money for paying the taxes? It would’ve been more understandable if he invested in their advancement first and then participated in red-tapism and what not.

(Idiot.)

The King, in my opinion, is begging for a Marie Antoinette situation by running around in gold chains and necklaces while his people slog and suffer.

III. Diplomacy at its finest. Not.

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To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy. -Will Durant

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The third, and final facet of why King Indravarma was the real villain is perhaps the shortest and the simplest. [2]

There’s no doubt why Dholakpur was often plagued with terrorists and external threats and challenges from other kingdoms than the neighbouring countries: King Indravarma’s tongue.

Instead of rallying allies and forming alliances with other countries, the king often chose to goad other rulers into competitions of which-kingdom-is-better game which is humorous to think because Dholakpur had no additional advantage except …Bheem. The entire fragile ego of Indravarma’s was built on nothing but a nine-year old boy!

The demise of the King’s pride would be swift and sweet the day Bheem decides to move out of the godforsaken kingdom.

Conclusion

“It is unwise to let a man who isn't king sit on a throne for too long.” ― Costanza Casati, Clytemnestra

Thus, I bring this essay to its end. A hyper-fixation of my childhood has now become a piece of media that will forever make me think of this 1600+ word essay that brings no added meaning to this world.

To you, Bheem, I wish that you escape from the clutches of Indravarma’s stupid reign. Perhaps if the King was just evil I could’ve respected him more. Alas, stupidity is a turn-off.

To you, Dholakpur, I wish that you understand that it’s better to have no king than have Indravarma as a king. Rise and revolt, fellow comrades. History would look kindly upon you.

And to you, King Indravarma, thank you for spoiling my favourite cartoon.

Aisling Elle 16.04.2024

[1] A further note to be added is that the king was a frequent enabler of Child Manipulation because he always made it seem that Bheem voluntarily decided to choose to fight for the kingdom and was not requested by the King. [2] This argument is in reference to the cycle competition that the King engages in with Pehelwanpur.

Part 1 of Random Essays

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don-lichterman · 2 years

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Mighty Little Bheem FULL EPISODES 13-16 💪 Season 1 Compilation 💪 Netflix Jr.

4 FULL Mighty Little Bheem cartoon episodes! Join baby Bheem (a younger Chhota Bheem), frenemy Vijay, and all the other friends we make along the way for some extraordinary adventures. Mighty Little Bheem is now streaming on Netflix! Episode 13: The King’s Crown Episode 14: Bheem with a Beat Episode 15: Mango Run Episode 16: Doctor Bheem SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/NetflixJrSubscribe About Netflix…

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azul-nova-24 · 4 months

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My Roman empire is that one blink-and-you-will miss-it scene from RRR where in the background Ram falls down after the snake bite and it reminds me so much about a cat flopping onto the ground/floor while Bheem looks determined/confused carrying out his animal attack plan. Here is what that scene reminded me of

#RRR #Does anyone know where to find it on YouTube and yes I know that the dude was close to death's door but I for some reason found it funny #rrr movie #rambheem #rama raju #alluri sitarama raju

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fangirlshrewt97 · 1 year

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RRR - Honey Gold Eyes and Tiger Cubs

Hey guys, long time, no write. Real life has been really busy and I’ve just not been feeling that spark from before. I am not sure how many more stories I will manage to write for the fandom, or how many people are even reading my stories, but I did want to contribute to the Tales of the Tiger 2023 (@talesofthetigerrr) event.

It’s really rough, and I am definitely out of practice, but I think it turned out ok in the end. Let me know what you think!

///

Bheem puffed up his chest, chubby fist tightening around his small wooden stick. He adjusted the small sling bag his Amma had given him that morning. He gazed around the tall trees, craning his neck as far back as he could to see if something looked familiar. His Nana was going to be mad Bheem had wandered away. Again.

But there had been a really pretty baby squirrel. He'd just wanted to see it closer. He didn't realize he had wandered from the group until he lost sight of the animal. And now he couldn't find them. Oh, they were going to be very angry.

Bheem bit his bottom lip, hard. He was eight years old! He could find his way back! He was one of the best trackers. Peddanna had said so to his Nana. Bheem had heard him, even though he was actually supposed to be asleep. Peddanna said he could even become the Protector one day. Protector! Him!

Bheem had had to curl into a ball to keep from shouting from joy! Everyone knew the Protector was the strongest and bravest and cleverest and coolest person in the tribe! Everyone. So, if Bheem was going to become a Protector, he was not going to be scared. Or cry. And when he made his way back to the village all by himself, Amma would make him a big plate of laddu all for him.

He tried to retrace his steps. He had come from the direction opposite of the sun, so if he walked toward the sun, then maybe he could find his friends. He walked forward, eyes darting between the trees to see if he could catch sight of anybody. He focused so hard on what was ahead, he forgot to also pay attention to his feet.

Accidentally stepping onto a slippery patch of mud, Bheem flailed as he fell roughly to the ground, hissing as rocks scratched his arms. He pushed himself up, falling back on his butt. He bit the inside of his cheek harder as he ran a hand over his red arm, whimpering when it made pain shoot up his arms. Moving slowly, he brushed away the tiny rock and leaves still stuck to his arms and knees.

He took in a few deep breaths, wiping away furiously at the tears in the corners of his eyes. He was not going to cry!

He reached to grab his stick, slowly rising to all fours, and then stood up. He checked that nothing had fallen out of his bag. He took a few more steps, this time, eyes firmly on the ground in front of him till he reached a more well worn dirt path. A road! If the ground was so clear that means other people must come this way often! If he just followed it, he was going to go home!

Pleased at himself, Bheem started to walk down the path.

But.

Wait.

Bheem froze midstep.

Which way was home? What if he was going further into the forest?

Nana always said it was dangerous to be alone in the forest at night, especially if you didn't know that forest.

Bheem definitely did not know this part of the forest.

Bheem bit his lip as he swiveled his head both directions, trying to find a clue for which way led home. As he stood there trying to decide which way to go, he heard a weak whimper.

Someone else was nearly!

Could they be lost too? Bheem perked up. If he could find the other person, then surely between the two of them they could find their way home. Amma always said two heads were better than one.

"Hello?" Bheem called out.

No reply.

Maybe they hadn't heard him.

"Hello?" Bheem shouted, cupping both hands to make himself sound louder.

A couple of birds that had been resting on a nearby tree took off, but there was no response. Bheem didn’t think he should call out again. What if he woke up a bear? Bheem had seen a bear the hunters had killed. A bear would probably step on Bheem and not realize it.

Bheem chewed on his lip. What if the other person was also hurt? Bheem was not very big, he didn't think he could help them much. But maybe they knew the way home! And he could go home and bring help!

Amma always told him that he should try to help people as much as he could though.

Decision made, Bheem squeezed his eyes shut and listened as hard as he could.

There! He'd heard the whimper again. It was coming from beyond that tree!

Bheem darted in that direction, keeping his gait light as he moved through the forest. As he moved closer to the sound, it became louder, and it turned from a whimper to a steady cry.

One more turn, then straight ahead…

Bheem froze.

It wasn't a person.

There was a clearing, about as big as his home.

And on the opposite side of the clearing from Bheem was a tiger.

It was the first time he had seen a real life tiger so close. Its eyes were golden like honey. They sent a shiver down Bheem's back. It looked just like the statue of the tiger Bheem had seen in the temple of Durgamma Devi.

Bheem's grip on his stick turned white knuckled. He really did not want to get eaten. Amma would be angry with him too.

The tiger was looking at him, golden eyes seeming to stare right through Bheem. The tiger growled lowly. Bheem took a step back, trying to calm his racing heart. If he ran, the tiger would definitely chase him. And eat him.

He took another slow step back. The tiger took a step forward.

Tried to.

It jerked back, crying out as it batted at its leg.

Bheem craned his head, gasping when he saw its leg had been caught in one of the hunter traps. It was bleeding a lot.

Bheem looked at the tiger again. It wasn't very big. It was bigger than Bheem, but less than half as big as the tiger his Nana and the other hunters had brought to the village a while back. Maybe this was a tiger cub?

The tiger whimpered again as it turned back to its own leg, losing interest in Bheem.

Amma had told him he should always help everyone, including the animals of the forest, as they were his brothers and sister too.

This tiger was hurt.

And it was a kid, like Bheem.

Bheem should help the tiger.

Tightening his grip on his stick, Bheem reminded himself. If he was going to be the Protector, he couldn’t be scared of helping! He was not going to be scared of a tiger! He was going to save it!

"My name is Bheem!" He said cautiously. One needed to introduce themselves to strangers. The tiger stared at him.

He approached the tiger slowly, one step at a time. The tiger growled at him, baring its sharp teeth. Bheem swallowed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Tigers could smell really good right? It could probably smell how nervous Bheem was. Bheem took deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart.

He stopped a few feet from the tiger, shifting his stick in front of him.

The tiger snarled.

Bheem avoided looking at its eyes, instead focusing on the leg, and gently reached out to poke it with the stick.

The tiger growled loudly, and batted away the stick.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help!" Bheem said as the stick fell from his grasp.

The tiger just looked back at him. This close, Bheem was more confident the tiger was just a cub. It was only a little bigger than Bheem if he laid down.

"Where is your Amma?" Bheem asked, looking around. Hadn't Peddanna said tiger cubs were always with their mother until they were able to hunt on their own? This cub didn't look big enough to hunt by itself.

"I don't know if you have a name, so I am going to call you Durgamma." He stated.

The tiger kept looking back at him.

Steeling himself, Bheem lowered himself onto all found, and crawled a little closer to Durgamma. The tiger's shoulders bunched but it didn't make a sound.

"I want to help. I promise I won't hurt you. I need to see your leg." Bheem said as he spread his arms to show he was empty-handed.

Durgamma was still looking warily at him but she hadn't tried to claw his face off. That was good.

Bheem crawled closer, till he was behind Durgamma, close enough to touch. Maintaining eye contact, he reached one hand out to rest on Durgamma's leg.

"Oh." The fur was really soft. Like of the newborn kittens Amma had shown him before. Bheem lost himself in just running him fingers through the fur, the heat of the body underneath hot and warm. When his fingers slid a little lower, Durgamma growled.

Bheem grabbed his hand back. "Sorry!"

Durgamma tossed her head back...almost as if she was rolling its eyes.

Bheem blinked and then ducked his head to look at the trap. There should be a pin to open the trap....there it was. Underneath Durgamma.

Hm.

Bheem rose, meeting the tiger's eyes. "I can help you, but you need to get up. You're too heavy."

Durgamma just stared.

Sighing, Bheem pressed both hands against Durgamma's trunk and shoved.

He yelped when Durgamma batted at him, sharp claws scratching him. "Hey!"

He rubbed at the scratch, hissing when it made the area that much redder. He glared the tiger, who glared back at him.

"You are the one trapped. Do you want to get out or no?"

Durgamma flicked her tail.

Bheem harrumphed and tried to shove her again. Again he narrowly avoided getting his face clawed off.

Durgamma growled at him, baring her teeth. Bheem growled back, baring his teeth.

"I am going to do this one more time, and if you push me away I am going to go. And then you will have to wait for your Amma. Who may not be able to help you." Bheem said firmly.

They glared at each other for another moment before Durgamma turned her face away. Bheem gasped when he saw scratches to the side of the tiger’s head, like...like something had tried to claw Durgamma's head.

Bheem shook his head. Leg first. Gathering all his strength, he leaned all his weight against Durgamma, closing his eyes and pushing. The tiger snarled but didn't try to hurt Bheem. Bheem peered down, crowing quietly when he realized he had guessed right to Durgamma being a girl.

Bheem smiled, petting Durgamma's side before he went back to the trap and reached down to pull the pin. His hand was chubby, and his finger couldn't grasp it properly, but he had come so far, and he had promised Durgamma he would help her.

Finally, his fingers snagged the pin, and he yanked as hard as he could. Durgamma roared as the trap opened, freeing her leg. Bheem scrambled back as Durgamma curled into itself, licking at the wound. Bheem wrinkled his nose.

He reached into his bag, and pulled out the water carafe.

Durgamma turned her head when he came closer but didn't do anything else when Bheem sat by her side.

"Peddanna says when we get hurt, we need to wash it with water. It will hurt a little, but you will feel better." Bheem explained.

Durgamma blinked slowly.

Bheem opened the carafe and tilted it over Durgamma's leg. The tiger hissed, batting at Bheem, but Bheem kept going until the carafe was empty. He pulled out the towel Amma had also packed.

He grabbed the injured leg, glaring at Durgamma's warning growl. "Do you want to get better or no?"

Durgamma was watching him closely as he clumsily threaded the towel underneath the leg before bringing the ends up to tie it as tight as he could. The tiger huffed but lifted her leg back from Bheem. She pressed her foot lightly on the ground, and seemed to blink in surprise.

Bheem grinned back, as wide as he could. "I've been practicing with Amma! How is it now?"

Durgamma rolled back, and Bheem stood up to give her more space.

It took a few tries, but with Bheem holding onto her sides, Durgamma managed to stand up.

Bheem was still smiling widely, so proud of himself.

Durgamma stared at him before pouncing.

The joy immediately flipped to fear as he thought Durgamma had decided she actually wanted to eat him.

Except.

Durgamma licked him.

Her tongue was rough and it tickled, making Bheem giggle and squirm.

Durgamma then nuzzled her head against Bheem's chest, exhaling a breath against Bheem's face before she got back up.

Bheem rose up to prop himself by his elbows. Suddenly he heard someone shouting his name.

"Here! I'm here!" He called back.

Durgamma turned to leave.

“Wait!”

The tiger paused, looking at him over her shoulder.

“Will I see you again?”

Durgamma tilted her head, blinked at him before turning away and walking back into the forest.

Bheem got up from where he was and walked to the edge of the clearing through which Durgamma had disappeared. Within a couple minutes Nana and another one of the hunters, Akhil babai, burst into the clearing. They went pale at the sight of him.

Nana scooped him up in his arms, holding him so tight Bheem felt it hard to breathe. "Nana..." he choked out.

His Nana let him go far enough to seat him on his hip, running a hand over Bheem. "Bheema, chinna, are you hurt? Where is this blood from?"

Bheem blinked up at him before looking down. He noticed his hands and belly were all red and itchy from the blood.

"It's Durgamma's."

"Dur-Durgamma? Who is that?" His father asked, surprised.

"Anna, look, something was caught in the trap here!" Akhil babai called out from the other side of the clearing.

"Durgamma was trapped!" Bheem clarified.

"Bheem, did, did you free that animal?" Nana asked slowly.

Bheem nodded his head fiercely. "Yes! It was hurting her!"

"What animal was it Bheem?" Akhil babai asked.

"She's a she! Not an it!" Bheem responded, offended on Durgamma's behalf.

"Who is she, chinna?" Nana asked, stemming the argument.

"The tiger!" Bheem replied, voice giddy.

His eyebrows scrunched when his father seemed to pale again. "Nana?"

"You...freed a tiger, Bheema?"

Bheem nodded his head again. "Yes! She was trapped, and her leg was bleeding, and she was crying Nana. Amma said we have to help every person and creature right? She was hurt! So I helped her!"

His Nana seemed to be stunned for words, instead just hugging him tightly again. Bheem was confused but wrapped his arms around his Nana's neck.

The trek back to the village was faster with Nana and Akhil showing him the way, and his Nana told him he had done well to find him way back to the path all by himself. He promised he would show Bheem how to find his way home if he got lost again.

When they got home, Bheem narrated his adventure to his Amma with a big smile, and then laughed joyfully when he got his reward of a plate of laddus all for himself.

The other kids were all in awe of his adventure, and the adults had even gone back to try and find Durgamma, but couldn’t find her, even if they did find evidence she had been there.

As Bheem grew up, and kept venturing into the forest, he grew more and more certain of his footing. Of every tree and turn and creek and rock.

He explored and trekked and hunted. He ran. Ran through the trees and between bushes.

And if, in between those sprints, he could make out a streak of orange between the trees, or honey gold eyes looking at him from the other side of the river, he kept that to himself.

Durgamma was his friend. And he had promised her he wouldn’t let her get hurt. It seemed like she had made the same promise regarding him.

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Bonus:

Ram yawned again as he scratched his belly, going towards the entrance of their hut. It had been a long few weeks, and last night had been the first proper night of rest he had had in a long time.

The sleep deprivation was also what made him freeze at the threshold, unsure if he was hallucinating, or about to become lunch.

Packing as much urgency and tightly held panic as he could, he called out to his partner. "Bheem!"

"You go ahead Rama! I need to finish this poultice and then I'll join you!"

"Bheem!" Ram ground out again.

There, standing a mere 15 feet from the entrance of their hut was a tiger. Easily as big as any of the creatures from that night at the Buxton mansion, and this one had two very easy prey. This was not going to be a pleasant death.

"What is it with you?" Bheem asked, as he tried to shoulder past Ram, only to pause as he took in the sight past Ram's shoulder.

And then.

"Durgamma!"

WHAT.

"You-you know that tiger?" Ram choked out in disbelief.

Bheem rolled his eyes as he hip checked Ram away and approached the beast.

"Bheem!" Ram whispered urgently, heart racing as Bheem went closer and closer. Ten feet. Five feet. Three, two, one.

Ram opened his eyes when sounds of Bheem being ripped apart didn’t happen. His jaw fell to the floor.

The tiger had one paw on Bheem's shoulder where he was kneeling before it - her? - and was nuzzling her head against Bheem's shoulder. Bheem for his part had wound both arms around the tiger's head and was hugging it.

What. The. Hell?

"Bheem?" Ram asked, still not daring to raise his voice above a whisper. The tiger opened its eyes to look at him. Ram swallowed.

Bheem sank back to sit on the ground, the tiger still right next to him. "Ram, come meet her!"

"I-I'm good here..." Ram muttered.

Bheem's eyebrows scrunched but he shrugged and turned back to the animal.

"Durgamma! So good to see you. And look at you, finally put on some weight again. Been hunting well?"

Durga-the ti-for God's sake, Durgamma bumped her head against Bheem's chest before turning away from him. "Durgamma?" Bheem asked.

The tiger went to the bushes and grabbed something before turning back to them. The two men's eyes widened. Hanging from the tiger's mouth was a tiny cub, barely bigger than Bheem's hand. He grunted softly as the tiger dumped the cub into Bheem's waiting arms. Without waiting for another word, she went back and retrieved two more cubs, depositing them with Bheem too.

Bheem blinked at his now full lap occupied by tiger cubs. "Do...you need me to babysit?"

Durgamma huffed at him, bobbing her large head once, as if she could understand him. And then disappeared into the forest.

After a few minutes silence where Bheem was just staring at the tiger cubs who were staring back at him, Ram was the one to speak.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Ram!" Bheem scolded. "Language! There are children present."

Ram felt his eye twitch.

Bheem stood up with all three cubs pressed tightly to his chest, somehow managing to keep them in his arms despite their wriggling. "Please help me by asking Loki akka for more milk. And Lacchu for any leftover meat? These cubs are probably hungry."

Ram went. Because what other choice did he have?

This is what he got for falling for a child of the forest. He wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

(He did put in a prayer that he would get through this "babysitting" with all limbs attached and un-mauled.)

(Bheem laughed at him when he heard about his prayer. As if Durgamma would ever raise such ill-mannered children. Just because she was grumpy didn’t mean she was rude.)

(Durgamma for her part just thought the two-legger was going to keep her cubs from falling into a ditch. Or at least retrieving them if they managed to fall anyways.)

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aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna · 10 days

Text

KaJu

Pt.2 -> Masterlist

A day before the departure, Arjuna recieved an unusual parcel, or rather, a gift. From the one and only Vasudev Krishna. That boy was older than him by two years, and was from the royal family of the oligarchy kingdom, Dwarka.

Arjuna opened the box, and saw atypical but adorable blue stones, along with a small letter and a peacock feather.

Hope you like the small gift, Parth!

—Vasudev Krishna

'Why did he send only me a cute yet unusual gift like this? Because none of my Bhrata have got one. And Parth? Is he referring to me? Either way, i really love the name!' Arjuna thought as he kept away the stones in a part of his dhoti, and rummaged through the seven-tiered Chakravyuha formation.

"Arju?" Came Bheem's voice. Arjuna perked up as he jumped on the twenty-one year old lad, who caught him and twirled him in the air ruffling his younger brother's hairs.

"Bhrata Bheem!" Exclaimed Arjuna cheerfully. "Let me guess, you want to eat sweets together with all our brothers and discuss plans about the war tomorrow, right?" Bheem pulled Arjuna by the shoulder and grinned wide. "You guessed right! Now come on!" Vrikodar pulled Phalgun along, who just laughed.

"Yesterday was impressive! You fought sooo well!" Nakul said excitedly.

"I think we should get to serious topics now, Nakul. We have to go to war tomorrow." Said Yudhishthir, being his usual serious self. "As me and the others were discussing, you would have to lead us in the war, Phalgun."

"I agree. Because Panchal Raj is most likely to use that formation. We will clear the way for you." Sahadev added, with a gentle smile.

_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–_–

It was a pretty windy day. It was still dark outside as he made his way to the stables to see his white pet horse. Arjuna had received him as a present just a few months ago; since he was a young warrior now, he could have a horse of his own. He had named him Vikramaditya — a rather fancy name for a horse. Vikram for short. Arjuna was really fond of him, and stroked and cuddled the animal as he drank water from his tub. As he headed towards the main halls, he heard raised voices coming clearly from a distance. Outside, in the main yard, Duryodhan was up bright and early before sunrise, having a full-blown argument with Drona, as many people looked on.

"But that is unfair, Acharya!"

"I am having none of it! He can not come!"

"But it will be much easier if he goes with us!"

"Then it means that you are not confident in your own skills!"

It was then that Arjuna noticed Karna standing beside Duryodhan, head lowered, jaw tightened in anger and shame. Drona hadn't initially recognised him at the ceremony, since they'd met after several years, but had known who he was the minute he'd introduced himself. Moments later, the argument was interrupted by Shakuni, who bowed before Drona. He already seemed to have something up his sleeve, like he always did.

"Respected Guru", he drawled, "Allow me to explain, if you please." He shoved Duryodhan aside and stepped in front of Drona. "I understand you do not wish to take along a man who isn't your pupil, but I assure you! You can most certainly take him along without letting him participate! You and your son are going as well, but neither of you are fighting. Similarly, you may take Angaraj with you. Let him stay back, but remember, Drupad is tough to defeat. Just in case your pupils find themselves in peril, you may send the King of Anga to their aid in an emergency. Not only would this benefit you, but also ensure that you have a second plan if your first one goes awry."

Drona hesitated. Shakuni had a point. After thinking for a few moments more, he relented. "Alright. He can come. But mind you, young man", he pointed a fonger at Karna. "You can only joun the battle of I order you to do so." Duryodhan and Karna nodded, looking pleased and relieved.

"What's going on?" said a boisterous voice behind Arjuna. He turned to see Bheem with Yudhishthir.

"King Karna of Anga will be joining us too." In response, Bheem scoffed and rolled his eyes. None of Arjuna's brothers took well to Karna, given that he was clearly on Duryodhan's side anyways.

As the princes arrived slowly and stood in front of their teacher, Drona addressed them. "Today is the day of the first battle of your lives. I want you all to do well. But be warned, Drupad is not an easy man to defeat, for he has the same knowledge of and training in warfare that I have imparted to all of you. It is my goal to defeat him with some of the greatest young warriors whom I have taught myself. If any of you are still a bit apprehensive about this, you are free to opt out of the Gurudakshina. Of those who choose to participate, I have faith you will not let me down."

Arjuna felt even more emboldened than before. He bit his lip, struggling to control the excitement from showing on his face. He would do it. They bade goodbye to the elders and set off. Panchal was not very far from Hastinapur, it was a journey of about nine hours on horseback and in chariot-cars. Since they had left in the early morning, they arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Panchal was comparatively smaller than Hastinapur but was blessed with picturesque landscapes worthy of portraits - sparkling lakes, long stretches of deep green meadows and rolling hills.

Without warning, the party marched into the capital of Kampilya. The citizens gathered on the street sides in astonishment and confusion, many shouted and ran out of their homes to watch what was happening. Drona and his pupils headed straight to the palace, and as they approached the gates, he addressed the royal guards in a booming voice:

"Hear, hear, guards of this gate! I hereby command you to call upon your Maharaj at this very moment! Tell him that his old friend, Drona, has finally come to fulfil his part of the bet!"

The guards had no time to protest: seeing a host of over a hundred young warriors all wielding various weapons sent them into a frenzy. They rushed inside at once, yelling out and within minutes, Drupad had come outside, a large army of soldiers in his wake.

Drona ordered the Pandavas, Karna and Ashwatthama to stand back, and sent the Kauravas inside first. All hundred and one brothers ran in like a stream of wild bulls, charging straight at Drupad, who stood back as his soldiers ran at the princes. Chaos ensued. Maces slammed into each other, arrows were shot from all ends, fearsome spears were thrown with great force and swords clashed all around. The fight continued for around twenty minutes. Karna waited eagerly, his bow ready, hoping he would be called, but Drona stood just as resolutely in front of him, watching the scene unfold.

The Pandavas and Ashwatthama stood to one side far from the huge gates, Arjuna and Ashwatthama gossiping like the old friends they were, with Nakul adding his two cents here and there between their conversation.

"Now is not the time to be talking or gossiping, Phalgun." Came Jyesht's voice, in response of which he gave a whine. "Why are you always ruining the fun!?"

The others nodded their heads and crossed their arms as Yudhishthir sweatdropped.

Drona turned to the Pandavas. "It is your turn now, Panduputro. Go." The five hadn't noticed when their literal hunded cousins came back; Duryodhan and Dushasan were the last ones to return, panting and out of breath. They were both a mess; Dushasan had a gash on his thigh and several bruises over his face; Duryodhan’s hair had become terribly untidy and dusty from having fallen several times, and he looked like he’d had the wind knocked out of him.

Bheem would have laughed at them if it wasn't for the serious matter ahead of him and his brothers. They all nodded and the five proceeded towards the gate as Drupad yelled something imperceptible at Drona again. As per the plan, Yudhishthir stayed at the gate, blocking it with his chariot; the twins stood far out on either side of him, preparing to jump on anyone who tried to attack their eldest brother or their teacher. Meanwhile, Bheem ran straight inside towards the army, clearing the path for Arjuna, who entered in his wake on Vikram. Bheem alone was enough to take a little over half of the army; he charged with full force, his mighty mace thrashing anyone who tried to stop him. Meanwhile, Arjuna started his work of breaking the Chakravyuha, while his brothers worked together to defeat all soldiers.

Arjuna repeatedly shot arrows that multiplied into hundreds at once, thus easily fending off the other half of the army. The nineteen year old rode with his head low; whenever his horse began to show signs of panic, he would rub his neck comfortingly, leading him in various directions away from any oncoming soldiers before turning round and shooting at them with impeccable aim.

Arjuna was almost near the center but that was when he saw the Panchal Raj outside the Chakravyuha. He was about to break the last layer and go but was stopped by a shout. "Return to your teacher, you insolent boy! Your Guru is as pathetic as he always was, using his students to fight this battle with me! What else can one expect from a coward? Return, I tell you! Or else you shall meet the same fate as the hundred who came before you!"

Arjuna felt his temper rising at hearing his teacher being insulted this way. He was now more determined than ever to successfully complete this task. He shot arrows at Drupad, who shot back immediately. They collided and fell lifeless to the cracked, sun-scorched earth.

As the fight continued however, many of Drupad's army personnel were left in awe as they looked on; they weren't going to intervene when their King was fighting another warrior; but what had surprised them was that, despite having a positional advantage of standing up high on an elephant (compared to the Rajkumar on the ground), their King was slowly but surely losing the fight.

No one could tell the small gap of a few seconds between Arjuna taking out arrows from his quiver and him finally releasing them. His movements were nimble, agile, skilful. At one point, Arjuna shot an arrow that grazed Drupad's shoulder. The force of it caused Drupad to lose his balance and fall off the elephant.

The former jumped off his horse and ran towards him. Now was his chance to trap Drupad. However, there was a flash of light and the next moment, there were five identical men standing in front of him. Arjuna's mouth fell slightly open. Drupad had used a spell of which he had no knowledge of, one that could create illusions of himself. The five Drupads all looked at him, each with a smug expression on his face, inviting him to capture one of them. There was no way he could tell the real Drupad apart.

And suddenly as one of the Drupad's slashed st him, he dodged at the last minute but the stone he had kept had fallen down.

Five pairs of eyes. The eyes. The eyes on the bluish pebbles…

And then it struck him. It was so sudden that for a moment he thought it was madness to believe it. But could it be? There was a tiny chance it was true. He stole a glance at the eyes of each Drupad. The man on the far left end was looking straight at the man to his own left. The three men from the right were also looking at the man to their right. All as if trying to imitate him. The man in question was staring right at Arjuna.

Then he knew. In a flash, he shot an arrow at the man standing second from the left. It transformed into ropes, which bound themselves around Drupad. The king let out a yell of surprise and stumbled backwards, as the remaining four illusions disappeared. Arjuna too let out an exclamation of triumph, "So there you are!" He couldn’t help but laugh. "You should have instructed your impostors not to make it so obvious that they were trying to copy you."

When Drupad was brought before Drona, he was fuming, humiliated at being defeated by a young boy. Drona was beaming yet again, both at Drupad's defeat and at his favourite student. The teacher and the king began a heated discussion, in which Drona agreed to let Drupad go if the latter gave him half his kingdom (as he had apparently promised to do several years ago before going back on his word). The raging king had to give in in order to be set free.

The Kauravas were sullen and grumpy at their inability to perform well, and at being outshined by their five cousins once again. Karna was dejected as he hadn't had a chance to take part, uet couldn't help but admire the younger archer. Bheem was elated as Drona praised him for his might and strength. Arjuna, Yudhishthir, Nakul and Sahadev each received hugs from Drona for their persistence and endeavours.

Though he was certainly happy at having successfully completed the Gurudakshina task, Arjuna's mind was far from praise and glory at the moment.

All he could think about were the five pebbles Krishna had sent him.

┏━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┓

❍ ❍ ❍

┗━━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━•❅•°•❈•°•❅•━━━━┛

Yudhishthir was crowned Yuvraj and Duryodhan wasn't able to swallow it down his evil throat. And that was again when Shakuni jumped in. They had planned about how they were going to burn the Pandavas alive and even convinced Raaj Maata Kunti, and Karna, still harboring Dharma in his mind, didn't take well to it. He excused himself. "Mitra, I am going to take some fresh air outside. I- I will meet up with you later on." And walked away without even waiting for Duryodhan's response.

As he walked down the corridors, Karma saw lotuses floating on the water of the fountains and remembered the Raaj Maata's face. He smiled as he took one and peoceeded towards the Queen Mother's room as it was the last time he would see her again.

Arjuna was the first one to arrive at his Kunti Maa's room because she had called them to talk and discuss about going to Varnavrat. As he reached outside door of her kaksh, he didn't notice Angaraj Karna behind him because he was coming from the other way and was almost there when they both heard voices and their conversation and it shocked them to the core.

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