Original subtitles

Huh?

Greetings, Keshav.

Parth, you? What brings you here?

I think it is the same reason, Vasudev Krishn,

that has brought me here today.

-To seek your support in this war. -I see.

So, you are here too. I'm truly fortunate.

The good fortune is mine, Keshav.

But why do you say, "I am here too"?

I arrived here first. You can ask Arjun himself.

Yes, Keshav.

Brother Duryodhan is indeed right.

He was here first.

And therefore, I have the right to present my request first.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Arjun first.

And Arjun is younger than you.

Therefore, it is my duty to let him present the first request.

So, tell me, Arjun. What do you want?

On the one hand,

there is my large, powerful Narayani army.

And on the other, there is me.

Unarmed, empty-handed,

and bound by a vow

that forbids me from taking up arms during battle.

So, whom will you choose?

There is no question of preference here, Keshav.

I will always choose you.

Then your Narayani Army is mine. Hmm.

Very well.

I have no wish to break my younger brother's heart.

I shall have to manage with your Narayani army.

Duryodhan seemed very happy, Parth.

Are you sure you chose wisely?

What will you do with an unarmed Krishn by your side?

I shall place myself in the hands of the one

who holds the three realms together, Keshav.

The army may well be with Duryodhan, but I have its leader on my side.

I need your counsel and guidance, Keshav.

It is I who will strike the target,

but you shall guide me towards it.

I will shoot the arrow,

not in the dark, but in the light of your wisdom.

KURUKSHETRA

VISHWAROOP

The time for battle was now at hand.

But Duryodhan was still restless and impatient.

Pitamah, why are we still waiting?

Blow the conch to announce the start of the battle!

You are a little too eager, Duryodhan.

As if this is a game that is about to begin.

This is a battlefield.

Victory can be achieved here only by carrying out massacres.

It is certainly just a game for you, Pitamah.

You have already sworn

that you will not bring harm to a single one of the Pandavs.

And Karn, who could've done so,

will no longer stand by my side in the battlefield because of you!

I doubt you and your friend have won as many battles, Duryodhan,

as I have won in my lifetime.

War is not merely about winning and losing.

It is about consequences, the price of every action.

Therefore, O Crown Prince of Hastinapur,

I suggest you start counting your losses along with your gains.

Because what will you count later, when there is nothing left?

My son, you perform your duty,

and I will do what is right.

DAY ONE

Attack!

The deathly silence that comes before an apocalyptic event,

in which the faintest sounds of life begin to be heard.

The rhythm of breath,

the flow of blood,

the beating of the heart.

But Arjun could not only hear each and everything,

he could even see everything with great clarity.

All I can see is the eye of the bird, Acharya Dron.

Pierce your target, Arjun.

This is my vow to you, son,

that I will mould you into the greatest archer in the world.

Mother says that you stopped the flow of river Ganga

by shooting arrows into it, Pitamah!

I want to be a warrior like you.

May you be a greater warrior than me.

But I hope my blessings do not lead

to you defeating me in battle someday, Arjun!

Stop the chariot, Keshav!

What's wrong, Arjun?

They are all my own flesh and blood, Keshav.

My brothers, my friends,

Pitamah Bhishm, Guru Dron…

How do I draw this bow and arrow against my own teacher?

How can I send an arrow into the chest against which I was cradled as an infant?

No, Keshav.

How can I wage war against them?

Arjun, what are you sa--

Arjun's concern is valid, Brother Yudhishthir.

Going to war without the blessings of our elders?

No, first go to them and ask them for their blessings.

As Krishn showed the way,

Yudhishthir started walking barefoot.

And the massive Kaurav army watched stunned,

as he strode through their ranks, unarmed.

Your blessings, my Guru.

May you have a long life.

On the battlefield, a man is no longer someone's son nor someone's student.

He is only a warrior.

Uphold and honour my teachings, son.

Where there is dharm, there is victory.

Your blessings, Pitamah.

May victory be yours, Yudhishthir.

If our destiny is war,

then step forward and meet it with your head held high.

Remember, Yudhishthir, I am like your grandfather.

I am always there for you if you need advice.

-Wait, brother Yudhishthir. -Yes, Yuyutsu?

Pitamah Bhishm is bound by the oath he has taken, but I am not.

If it is my duty to fight,

then I would like to fight on the side of righteousness.

I will fight on your side, with the Pandav army.

You are welcome to, Yuyutsu.

You see, Pitamah? A stepbrother will always be a stepbrother.

Yudhishthir's act of respect made it clear

that even though the elders were opposed to the war,

it was inevitable.

Bound by their sense of duty,

each one was compelled to take part in this fight.

But the mind is not like the Gandiva bow, which can be aimed at will.

This war means defeat for everyone, Keshav.

Even if I were victorious, what would I gain?

My hands are trembling.

I cannot fight this war, Keshav. I simply cannot.

A wave of shock ran through all of Kurukshetra.

They were stunned seeing Arjun like this.

The Pandavs as well as the Kauravs.

Hmm…

You were right, Arjun.

It was not Krishn's powerful Narayani army that you needed in this war,

but the guidance of Krishn himself.

When one withdraws

The senses from their sense-objects

Just as a turtle withdraws its limbs

Their wisdom becomes firmly rooted

Gain and loss…

Keshav!

Victory and defeat alike

Then prepare for battle

In doing so, you will not incur sin

What are these different forms you take?

One form divine, the other form demonic.

One moment, there is darkness with no end in sight.

And the next moment, there's such radiance that I…

I cannot see my way through.

What is this illusion, Madhav?

I cannot understand anything.

It's the self, Parth. The soul.

Which is neither born nor does it die.

The flame of which glows as brightly inside a newborn child

as it does inside a dying old man.

A physical body is born, it ages and then dies.

But this flame can never be extinguished.

It is that which is indestructible, immortal, unborn and undying.

This is the flame that guides us along the path of dharm.

Keshav, what is this path of dharm?

War, Parth. War.

But to cause the bloodshed of my own family and friends…

How is this the path of dharm, Keshav?

Friends, who? These mortal bodies?

Or that indestructible soul that you do not even know of?

There are no friends here, Parth, nor any enemies.

All of them have the same flame within them

that burns within you, too.

The indestructible soul.

Pick up your Gandiva bow, Arjun,

and cast your eyes beyond these earthly shackles.

And you will soon see the right path yourself.

All I see is death and destruction around me, Vasudev Krishn.

A sea of countless corpses.

My whole family slain by my own hands.

Which family, Parth?

The family that tried to burn you

and your brothers to death inside a palace of lac?

Or the family that banished all of you to live in exile for 13 long years?

Or the family that could not persuade Duryodhan

into granting you five villages to avert a war?

Or the family that was so immersed in a game of dice

that they did not stop their own daughter-in-law

from being disrobed before a full royal court?

Where were your beloved Pitamah and Guru then, Parth?

Perhaps, they were bound by their sense of duty, Keshav.

Just as you are bound by your duty.

The duty of a warrior.

Your deep philosophical thoughts are beyond my grasp, Keshav.

Even now, in this war,

I am unable to see anything beyond my friends and family.

I understand that whatever you are saying to me is the truth, but you--

You wish to see the truth, Arjun?

Then, look.

Behold my cosmic form.

This is the truth.

This universe, its planets and galaxies…

I am all.

I am birth.

I am life.

And I am death, too, Parth.

I am fire.

I am air.

I am water.

This Earth and everything on it,

be it man, beast, consciousness itself.

I am all.

I am dharm. I am adharm too.

I am the bow that you will draw in this war, and the arrow too.

You are just an instrument that serves to maintain the balance

between right and wrong, Arjun.

Because in this great war,

I am the one who will kill, and I am also the one who will die.

This is the foremost truth, Arjun.

It is also the final truth.

O Krishn.

This is the truth. I accept it.

But tell me, how do I arrive at this truth?

Do your duty, Parth. Take up your weapons.

Do not worry about those who oppose you.

Instead, think of those who stand by you.

Even if it means fighting against your own blood.

In this war, righteousness is on your side, Parth.

Because you have me on your side.

Rise up, Parth, and defend what is right.

Leave victory and defeat to me.

Go selflessly into battle.

Because in Kurukshetra,

this is your only duty and this is your only truth.

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.

Hmm!

Soldiers, attack!

Charioteers, forward!

Are you ready for a fight?!

No warrior present at Kurukshetra that day

heard what Krishn had said to Arjun.

But they all witnessed its impact over 18 long, gruelling days.

In this war, every man had only one objective.

Vengeance.

And the man with the greatest desire

for vengeance was Bheem.

Hey, Duryodhan! Dushasan! Come forward, you rats!

Come on! Come forward and meet your fate!

Here I am, Bheem!

Dushasan! Accept your younger brother's good wishes.

Nakul!

Huh?

Son of Drupad, Drishtadyumna,

I believe you were granted a boon that allows you to kill me! Huh?

So raise your bow and fire your arrows!

I stand here ready to face them!

Huh!

Save your boon and your blade for the battle to come tomorrow.

Look, the sun has already set.

The sun god may have saved you today, Acharya.

But you will not escape me again.

Sooner or later, you are destined to die by my hand, Guru Dron!

My father shall be avenged, come what may.

This war had already broken all great ties of kinship.

But it would be a while before its rules were broken, too.

The day ended with the setting sun, and with it, the first day of battle.

Had this war full of great warriors,

remained just a war of men, it would've been one thing.

But it was joined by gods,

demons and immense supernatural forces in the universe.

And Bhishm was one such force.

Forged by Brahma In ancient times

For Indra, one of immeasurable might

Once bestowed upon the Lord of the gods Who aspired to conquer the three worlds

Radiant in form, adorned with bright Markings, embellished with gold and gems

With a brilliance surpassing all beings Shining with the splendour of the sun!

Radiant in form Adorned with bright markings

Embellished with gold and gems!

With a brilliance Surpassing all beings

Shining with the splendour of the sun!

Blazing like the doomsday fire Wreathed in smoke

Like a flaming, wrathful serpent!

Destroyer of chariots Elephants and horses

Swift and fierce in action!

-Chitrasen! -Crush him under the elephant's feet!

If you have any courage, then fight someone your equal!

Courage?

Is dishonouring women

in the middle of an open court, your notion of courage?!

I can fight like this the entire day, Bheem!

You really think I have the entire day to fight you?

I still have all of you 100 brothers left to kill!

As the third day dawned,

it began to appear as if Bhishm's powerful skills alone

would annihilate the entire Pandav army.

In just two days, Bhishm, son of Goddess Ganga,

left two massive legions of the Pandav army in ruins.

On the third day itself, it was obvious

that Bhishm had caused terror within the Pandav army.

But how could Krishn bear to let righteousness bow its head?

What are you doing, Arjun?

Why have you lowered your Gandiva bow in front of Bhishm?

Arjun, you must stop Bhishm!

Or else I shall have to intervene!

Keshav!

O Chakra-wielding Madhav!

What greater death could I ask for

than to be slain in this battle at your hands?

Bhishm, who had the boon of choosing his moment of death,

surrendered himself to Krishn.

But Krishn had taken a vow

not to take up arms in the Kurukshetra war.

So, what of that vow?

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