Mahabharata: Chapter 5. Perseverance Summary & Analysis

PERSEVERANCE. After the wedding of Abhimanyu, Krishna gives a speech to try to avoid a destructive war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Others, like Drupada, however, argue for a more forceful approach to Duryodhana, in order to take back Yudhishthira’s kingdom. Krishna advises them to only to resort to this if Duryodhana refuses to make peace.

As both sides make preparations for war, Duryodhana travels with a small force to a city where he hears Krishna is staying. He asks Krishna to help him in the upcoming conflict. As it happens, Arjuna is also around. Krishna refuses to take a side, saying that, while Duryodhana asked him for help first, Krishna saw Arjuna first. Krishna offers a choice to Arjuna (because he’s younger): he can either gain 100 million fighters known as Narayanas, or he can gain Krishna himself (although Krishna will not wield weapons or actually fight). Arjuna chooses Krishna himself, leaving the 100 million Narayanas to Duryodhana, which pleases him too.

After Duryodhana leaves, Krishna asks Arjuna why he chose him over the 100 million Narayanas. Arjuna says he did it because Krishna has fame and Arjuna also wants to be famous. Krishna is pleased to see that Arjuna is competitive, so he agrees to be Arjuna’s charioteer in battle.

INDRA’S VICTORY. Yudhishthira hears about a time when Indra himself suffered a setback, and he asks to hear more about it. In the story, one of Indra’s enemies creates a demon named Vritra that is too strong even for Indra. The other gods despair, and Vishnu decides he needs to intervene to make peace between Vritra and Indra. Vritra agrees to the peace terms, but then Indra finds a loophole and kills him. Afterwards, Indra feels guilty. Eventually Indra atones for what he did by offering a horse sacrifice and performing other deeds in penance.

SAMJAYA’S MISSION. Meanwhile at the Kauravas, Dhritarashtra gives instructions to his aide, Samjaya. Dhritarashtra disagrees with Duryodhana’s warlike attitude, and so he wants Samjaya to go to the Pandavas and say whatever it takes to stop a war. Samjaya goes to present this message to the Pandavas, who agree they want peace but warn that their dharma allows a king to go to war against someone who seizes his land. Samjaya reports back to Dhritarashtra that he believes Duryodhana’s aggression against the Pandavas will lead to the Kauravas’ doom.

WAKEFULNESS. Dhritarashtra summons Vidura, saying he’s been disturbed ever since Samjaya’s visit to the Pauravas. Vidura tells Dhritarashtra that there are many different types of wisdom and foolishness and that the best advisor is one who can give good but unwanted advice.

SANATSUJATA. Dhritarashtra speaks with an immortal seer named Sanatsujata and asks him why Sanatsujata believes there is no death. Sanatsujata doesn’t quite answer the question, explaining instead that he believes distraction and passion are death and that ascetism is the best course of action.

WAR AND PEACE. At dawn, the Kauravas all assemble in a hall. Samjaya enters with a message from Arjuna: if Duryodhana doesn’t relinquish Yudhishthira’s kingdom, the Pandavas are ready to go to war. At the hall, Bhishma also speaks up against Duryodhana. Dhritarashtra believes that it would be a disaster to fight the Pandavas, and yet Samjaya counters that Dhritarashtra nevertheless keeps listening to Duryodhana.

Duryodhana and Karna both speak up saying they want to fight anyway. After everyone leaves, Dhritarashtra privately asks for a prediction from Samjaya, who says that he believes the winner will be whoever has Krishna on their side, and right now that’s the Pandavas.

THE MISSION OF THE BLESSED LORD. Yudhishthira asks Krishna for advice about how to proceed, and Krishna agrees to go to the Kauravas in person to try to bring about a peaceful solution. Uncharacteristically, Bhima also strongly calls for peace, causing Krishna to laugh at how unusual this is. Bhima gets angry at his laughter, saying that he’s not afraid of war and simply advising what he thinks is best. They all discuss strategy in more detail, until finally Krishna leaves to see the Kauravas.

Dhritarashtra plans to receive Krishna lavishly, although Vidura warns him that no amount of opulence will sway Krishna away from the Pandavas. When Krishna arrives, he refuses to eat a meal until he’s finished with his mission. In the morning, there’s a great assembly where Krishna speaks in front of many of the Kauravas and their allies.

Krishna gives a speech about how Duryodhana has led them all away from dharma. He says the Kauravas are strong, but he asks them to imagine how much stronger they would be with the Pandavas on their side. Krishna talks about how Yudhishthira follows dharma and how his request to return his old kingdom is reasonable.

DAMBHODBHAVA. Krishna’s speech silences many in the audience. Rama Jamadagnya, however, tells a story about a mighty but boastful warrior king named Dambhodbhava. Dambhodbhava picked a fight with a great seer, however, and the seer defeated him by nullifying his arrows, then throwing reeds at his army. After finishing the story, Rama Jamadagnya warns that Arjuna and Krishna are like that great seer from the story.

MATALI. The adoptive father of Śakuntula, who is a greet seer, speaks up to tell a different story to Duryodhana. His is about Indra’s charioteer Matali, who believes no god or mortal is good enough as a husband for his daughter, so he goes to the snake realm in the underworld. There, he finds a suitable serpent husband for his daughter. Indra confers long life on the new husband. A celestial bird named Garuda complains, so Vishnu intervenes to ask him to support the weight of his arm. Garuda can’t deal with the weight, and this shows the arrogance of questioning the gods.

GALAVA. Now Narada has a story to tell in the hall of the Kauravas. He warns Duryodhana not to be stubborn by telling him about Galava, a student of the greet seer Viśvamitra. Viśvamitra sends Galava out into the world, but Galava wants to bring him back a gift. Viśvamitra asks for 800 white horses with one black ear. With some help from Vishnu and from the king Yayati, Galava manages to fulfill this request.

For his role in helping, Yayati regains his celestial form and goes to heaven. When he arrives, he asks Brahma why he fell back to earth in the first place. Brahmas replies that he fell due to his pride. Ending the story, Narada believes that Duryodhana similarly risks being brought down by his pride.

Hearing all this, Dhritarashtra says he definitely wants to make peace with the Pandavas. Krishna appeals to Duryodhana directly to try to convince him of the same. He reiterates that the Pandavas are powerful allies and that the Kauravas are likely to lose if they try to challenge them. Bhishma gives his own speech agreeing with Krishna, then Drona does the same. Vidura and even Dhritarashtra all tell Duryodhana that it is dharma to listen to Krishna.

Angry at the advice, Duryodhana defends himself to the others at the assembly. He promises Krishna he won’t surrender any land to the Pandavas, not even a piece of land as small as the tip of a spear. Krishna laughs angrily and tells the whole assembly the various ways Duryodhana has provoked the Pandavas and why they are justified to fight back. Eventually, Duryodhana gets so angry that he leaves the room.

Krishna suggests to the remaining people in the assembly that their best option is to bind Duryodhana and present him to the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra sends Vidura to fetch Gandhari for advice. She agrees that Duryodhana is acting foolishly and should be handed over to the Pandavas. They bring Duryodhana back so his mother can tell this to him directly.

Duryodhana refuses to accept their advice, and so he schemes with Śakuni about how to capture Krishna. But a wise warrior named Satyaki sees their conversation and figures out what they’re planning, so he goes to Vidura with a warning. Krishna hears the news and tells Dhritarashtra that if anyone tries to restrain him, he won’t fight back, even though he could destroy all his assailants. Dhritarashtra decides to make yet another attempt to get Duryodhana to see reason.

Duryodhana still doesn’t change his mind. But when he approaches Krishna to capture him, Krishna laughs and scolds him. All of a sudden, various gods seem to flow out of Krishna’s body, like Brahma and Indra, and so do the five Pandavas. Many in attendance close their eyes in fear. Krishna returns to his normal form and then gets in his splendid chariot to leave and go back to Yudhishthira.

THE INSTRUCTION OF VIDURA’S SON. Krishna rides his chariot to Kunti to tell her of how Duryodhana has refused peace. She has her own messages to pass on to the Pandavas. Krishna travels onward with Karna and talks with him for a while. 

PERSUADING KARNA.  Samjaya was riding with Krishna and Karna, and he reports back to Dhritarashtra what they discussed. Kunti (Karna’s biological mother, as well as the biological mother of the three oldest Pandavas) tried to convince Karna to switch sides and join the Pandavas so that all her sons can be together. Karna refused, but he promised that the only Pandava he wants to kill is Arjuna.

MARCHING TO WAR. Both the Pandavas and the Kauravas prepare their armies. THE INSTALLATION OF BHISHMA. Duryodhana puts Bhishma in charge of his forces. Dhritarashtra asks Samjaya to give him an update on Duryodhana’s battle plans.

ULUKA’S MISSION. Samjaya begins telling Dhritarashtra about battle preparations. Uluka, son of Śakuni, delivers an inflammatory message to the Pandavas. They get predictably enraged, and so Duryodhana orders his troops to be ready for battle. THE REVIEW OF THE MAJOR AND MINOR WARRIORS. Samjaya continues his summary, describing how Duryodhana had Bhishma name all his major and minor warriors.

AMBA. Duryodhana hears the story of how Bhishma will not kill Sikhandin, a mortal male warrior who used to be female and who is a reincarnation of the princess Amba (sister of Ambika and Ambalika). Bhishma initially kidnaps Amba, but although he returns her, this starts a rivalry between him and Rama Jamadagnya. Rama Jamadagnya and Bhishma fight an epic battle that lasts days and leaves both seriously wounded. At last, each man’s ancestors help convince the two of them to put aside their disagreement.

Amba isn’t happy with this outcome, wanting Bhishma dead, and so one day when Śiva offers her a boon, she asks to be reborn as a warrior who defeats Bhishma. To hasten this rebirth, she burns herself on a pyre. When Drupada requests a son from Śiva, Śiva gives him a daughter, Sikandini, whom they raise as a boy named Sikhandin. This causes a scandal when Drupada marries Sikhandin (formerly Sikhandini) to a princess, but a boon from a Yaksha transforms Sikhandin to have full “maleness.” Nevertheless, Bhishma refuses to fight Sikhandin because he used to be a woman.