Original subtitles

[dramatic music playing]

Even if peace comes at the expense

of all our anger and bitterness, it is still preferable to war.

[Draupadi] You paragons of virtue, have you all forgotten my humiliation?

Draupadi's dishonour will certainly be avenged.

Even after so many attempts at making peace,

if the Kauravs still choose the path of destruction,

then that is what it shall be.

[Sanjay] The great war between the Pandavs and the Kauravs…

[Arjun] I cannot fight this war, Keshav.

[Krishn] Do your duty, Parth. Take up your weapons.

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

[dramatic music continues]

[Krishn] If the Kauravs are to be defeated,

then Bhishm must be removed from our path.

-[electric crackling] -[grunts]

[Bhishm] There is no man present on earth,

and no god up in the heavens

who can kill me.

[dramatic music continues]

The Chakravyuh.

[Jayadrath] Let them come.

That is why we created this gateway to hell.

The more that come in, the better it is.

[Abhimanyu grunts]

[Jayadrath] You took far too long to reach Kurukshetra, Arjun.

[Arjun] I take this oath

that before the sun sets today, Jayadrath will be decapitated by me!

[Krishn] The sun is about to set.

As soon as you see Jayadrath, put an arrow in his chest.

The sun has already set.

[Jayadrath's sinister laugh]

[grunts and groans]

[Duryodhan] Karn, forget about Arjun, and stop Ghatotkach!

[Shakuni] Please save us from him, Karn!

[Duryodhan] Use your Ekagni arrow now!

[music intensifies]

[energy pulses]

[groans in agony]

[dramatic music playing]

[Krishn] The Acharya must be disarmed to be stopped.

We can kill him, or simply give Acharya the news that Ashwatthama is dead.

[Yudhishthir] But that is not the truth.

[Krishn] Do not consider only your personal values, my King.

Think about the welfare of your people, too.

Because, in fact, that is your prime duty as a king.

Ashwatthama has been killed, Acharya!

[dejected sigh] My faith

does not allow me to carry on after this. [sobbing]

[Sanjay] A half-truth is more damaging than a lie.

[conch blows]

[music fades]

[opening theme song playing]

[song fades]

-[tense music playing] -[Ashwatthama coughs and pants]

[Ashwatthama] Where is everyone?

[panting]

[horse neighs]

[soldier 1] Everyone, retreat! Hurry back to the camp!

-[Ashwatthama] Where are they going? -[soldier 2] This war is futile.

They…?

[soldier 3] Come on. Let us go back.

Where are you all going? Retreating from the battlefield, you cowards?!

Stay where you are. Stand your ground!

Don't you dare take another step in retreat!

-Stop right there! That's an order! -[soldiers speaking indistinctly]

[Duryodhan] Ashwatthama?

[Duryodhan sighs]

[grunts]

[sighs]

[sombre music playing]

Prince Duryodhan, why are our soldiers retreating?

Will someone please tell me what's going on?

None of this makes any sense.

[Sanjay] Today, the very pillar of the Kaurav army had fallen.

[Sanjay] The one who taught many young hands to hold a bow,

who taught the young princes

all about life, statecraft and the art of war,

Acharya Dron,

who, after Bhishm, had been the answer

to all of the Kauravs' problems, was no more.

[Sanjay] And far greater than his death

was the huge void he left behind in the Kaurav army.

[Sanjay] To the Kauravs, it was like a gaping wound.

The Pandavs had Krishn to show them the way.

But who would lead the Kauravs out of the crisis they now faced?

Uh… Kripacharya, you are an elder to us, and… you are Ashwatthama's uncle as well.

-It's only right you give him the news. -The news?

What news? What's the matter?

Son, yo-your father, Dronacharya…

[hesitating] Father? What happened to Father?

-What happened to him?! -[sighs]

[ominous music playing]

[growls and grunts]

Who dared to do this?!

Shikhandi? Dhrishtadyumna?

Who is responsible for my father's death? I want a name!

[charioteer] Ashwatthama.

[groaning in pain]

You dare utter my name, Charioteer? Huh?

-I'll rip your tongue out and-- -But he's telling the truth, Ashwatthama.

"Ashwatthama has been killed." "Ashwatthama is no more."

When Yudhishthir shouted these words, Acharya Dron was shattered.

On hearing your name, he laid down his weapons in grief and his life too.

[groans in pain]

-[sombre music playing] -[scoffs]

Shame on that Yudhishthir.

Shame on that coward, Dhrishtadyumna.

They disarmed him with lies, and then they killed him dishonourably.

They sacrificed their own guru on the altar of their ambition. [spits]

Duryodhan, return to the camp and make arrangements.

We'll observe a moment of silence for the Acharya.

As you say.

[sobbing softly]

There is no greater honour for a warrior than to sacrifice his life in battle.

[sobbing]

And no greater disgrace than to be slain by deceit.

[Ashwatthama sobs]

Do you know the meaning of my name, son? Hmm?

Yes, I know it well, Uncle. Mercy, forgiveness, compassion.

[growls]

But those Pandavs will not be shown any of that.

It will not be my mercy,

but my wrath that will rain upon them, Uncle!

Show mercy not to the Pandavs, but to yourself, Ashwatthama.

Cast aside your warrior's armour,

and be a son in mourning for his great father,

just for a little while.

It is the son who is standing here, Uncle.

The warrior was killed by those deceitful cowards.

The warrior is right in front of me, Ashwatthama.

Make use of the raging fire within you,

because its light will now show us the way through this war.

The gem on your forehead will now pave the way forward for us.

And it will also make you the next commander of our army.

At this moment, all I want is revenge.

Revenge! Revenge!

Revenge!

[opening theme song playing]

KURUKSHETRA

KRIPACHARYA

-[Ashwatthama] Revenge! -[Bheem] Huh?

Who's roaring in rage?

Ashwatthama.

Stopping him was already a challenge.

And now we won't be able to gauge the extent of his fury.

Armed with the Acharya's knowledge,

a vast array of divine weapons, and Kripacharya as his advisor…

[sighs]

How do we stop the storm Ashwatthama is about to unleash?

And what about Dhrishtadyumna?

He committed such a monstrous crime that--

What about your crime?

Was that any less monstrous, Brother Yudhishthir?

What you did with Acharya Dron was deceitful.

You told a white lie.

And for what?

For the sake of just a throne?

What difference is there between the Kauravs and us now, Brother?

We are doing precisely what they have been doing all along.

We have violated every boundary of righteousness and humanity.

[Bheem] Why all this moral outrage, Arjun?

Don't forget that it was our elder brother

who showed so much restraint

in spite of all the injustices committed by the Kauravs.

Otherwise, you and I would have crossed these boundaries long ago.

I think I got too carried away

with these notions of righteousness and injustice.

But now I wonder,

of what use is this theoretical knowledge?

Of what use is the truth

if it can be drowned out by the sound of a conch?

[Dhrishtadyumna] You all are becoming emotional. [grunts]

And for whom?

Dronacharya?

Who could not follow the path of dharm himself. [scoffs]

What was it that Acharya Drona did?

He waged war which is against a Brahmin's faith.

He used divine weapons against thousands of helpless soldiers.

He stood by the unjust.

And, deceitfully, had Abhimanyu slaughtered.

It is a fitting end for such a dishonourable guru.

Dhrishtadyumna!

[both grunts]

-And you? -[Arjun] Satyaki! No!

What about your dishonourable acts?

What fate do you deserve, Dhrishtadyumna?

The very thing that you deserve, Satyaki.

You beheaded an unarmed Bhurishrava, didn't you?

Is that so? Let me show you the difference between the two.

[grunts]

Stop. Get a hold of yourselves.

Is one great war not enough for you all, that you two are starting another? Huh!

When I was a little boy, I would steal butter from my neighbours.

The whole neighbourhood would drop everything they were doing,

and waste their time chasing after the thief.

You're wasting time with pointless arguments as well.

If you have finally finished arguing, then… look over there. The Kaurav army.

[Krishn] Can your debate on what is right or wrong wait,

while you turn your attention to the question of life and death?

It is hurtling straight towards you.

[dramatic music playing]

Remember this.

As long as you are alive, so is your dharm,

and the question of right and wrong.

Hmm?

[music fades]

[Dhritrashtra sighs]

[Dhritrashtra sighs]

[sombre music playing]

[Dhritrashtra sighs]

[Dhritrashtra] Huh?

You are awake already, Gandhari?

I thought you would be sleeping at this hour.

How can I know if I'm awake or sleeping?

Whether it is day or night,

this horrifying nightmare just never seems to end.

[Dhritrashtra] Sanjay returned from Kurukshetra

with another piece of terrible news for us.

I know, my King.

Acharya Dron is no more.

It is as if this is not a war, but some kind of a ritual

where, one by one, everyone and everything that is close to my heart

is being sacrificed.

I am reminded of the story of an old man

that a learned sage once told me

when I was a child.

[Gandhari] The old man was walking through a pitch-dark forest at night,

carrying a small lamp.

Along the way, someone asked him,

"Where are you going, old man?"

He said, "To renounce my life in the waters."

"Then why are you carrying a lamp?"

The old man said,

"This is to protect myself along the way."

"From what?" the young man asked him, laughing.

[Gandhari] "What if there is a snake and it bites me?"

The young man was astonished

because the old man was already drowning

in his own narcissism.

[eerie music playing]

[Gandhari] Our Kshatriya pride is similar to that old man, my King.

Heading into the jaws of death in Kurukshetra, drawing its final breaths.

And yet,

clinging to a tiny flame of hope,

trying to stay alive till the very end.

Until both, the hope and the light,

are forever extinguished.

[Gandhari scoffs]

Is that not the Kshatriya way, my King?

A conscious and deliberate suicide.

For us, Acharya Dron was that guiding light.

And now we have lost him, too.

Without his able and loving guidance, our path forward will be lost in darkness.

But the learned sage who told me that story is still with us.

And he can light the way for the Kauravs, Your Majesty.

Who is that learned sage?

Our clan's guru, Kripacharya.

-[dramatic music playing] -[grunts softly]

Ashwatthama, don't waste any more time.

Make use of the powers you have, and unleash the Narayan weapon

which was given to you by your father.

[both chanting mantras in Sanskrit]

[grunts and screams]

[Sanjay] Kripacharya was skilled in both,

the art of war and diplomacy.

His reputation as an advisor was unparalleled.

He had successfully persuaded Ashwatthama

into unleashing the one weapon

that even his nephew's father, Dron, had never used.

-[thunder rumbling] -[ominous music playing]

[energy pulses]

[horses neigh]

-Did Ashwatthama…? -No, no, no!

-Tell me this is not true, Madhav. -No, it is true.

Ashwatthama has unleashed the Narayan weapon.

-[ominous music continues] -[thuderclaps]

[energy pulses]

[grunts loudly]

[grunts loudly]

[ominous music continues]

Hmm.

[horses neigh]

[gasps]

Raise your shields. Brace yourselves!

[whooshing of arrows]

[soldiers talking indistinctly and screaming in fear]

-Hmm? Hmm. -[soldiers continues screaming]

Yes!

[soldiers talking indistinctly and screaming in fear]

-[electric crackling] -[grunts]

[energy pulses]

[whooshing of arrows]

[energy pulses]

-[grunts in frustration] -[soldiers continue screaming

[grunts loudly]

[energy pulses]

[all gasp]

[energy pulses]

[battle cry]

-[Ashwatthama grunts in frustration] -Attack!

[soldiers' battle cry]

[dramatic music playing]

-[horses neigh] -[Dhrishtadyumna pants]

Stop this destruction, Ashwatthama.

[Ashwatthama] This destruction will only end

when you draw your last breath, Dhrishtadyumna.

No matter where you run and hide, your end is inevitable today.

Why would I hide, you coward? Look, I am right in front of you.

If you think you have it in you, then come here and fight me!

[Sanjay] Kripacharya's rousing words

had transformed Ashwatthama into a messenger of death.

As he watched his nephew take this form, his heart overflowed with pride.

[both grunts loudly]

[Sanjay] Because Ashwatthama had yet to achieve his goal.

[grunts]

[grunts loudly]

[panting]

-[chanting a mantra in Sanskrit] -[dramatic music continues]

[panting]

[grunts loudly]

[both grunts]

[both continue grunting]

Oh, are you so easily disarmed, Ashwatthama? [scoffs]

Why don't you accept, you coward, you can never be Dronacharya? Huh!

-[grunts] -[horses neigh]

-Nephew! -[groans in pain]

I swear by my beloved father, Dhrishtadyumna,

I will drench the battleground of Kurukshetra with your blood!

Hmm.

[ominous music playing]

[all gasp]

-[whooshing of arrows] -[soldiers scream]

[soldiers talking indistinctly and screaming in fear]

Hmm… -[soldiers continue screaming]

[hums agreeably]

[soldiers continue screaming]

Hmm? [chuckles]

[Krishn] Fear not, warriors.

If the Kauravs have the Narayan weapon, then you have Narayan himself.

Not long ago,

Duryodhan decided to use my Narayani army and did not pick me.

Today, he will realise what it is that he gave up.

[theme song playing]

[soldier 1] Look! Amazing! The barrage of weapons has stopped.

The barrage of weapons has stopped.

[all gasp]

[theme song continues]

[grunts]

Hmm. [chuckles softly]

[song fades]

[grunts]

[breathing heavily]

[Kripacharya] Ashwatthama!

[grunts in frustration] Krishn has countered my Narayan weapon, Uncle.

You have possession of only Narayan's weapon, Nephew.

But Krishn is Narayan himself.

[scoffs] This is not a war among equals.

[grunts]

The mystical cowherd displays his powers once again.

But there is a silver lining.

When they killed Acharya,

the Pandavs must have thought that the war is over.

But now they will never make that kind of mistake again.

Cowards.

There are a lot of things we still need to get right, Duryodhan.

And for that, we must appoint our new commander before the next sunrise.

What do you suggest, Acharya?

We should take the help of sacred rituals to read the signs of the future.

[Sanjay] Kripacharya knew better than anyone else

that true leadership could completely change their fortunes in this war.

Under his leadership,

Kurukshetra had witnessed a catastrophic battle that day,

the likes of which had neither been seen nor heard before.

That is why only he could resolve the problem

of choosing the next commander.

[ominous music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Kripacharya] I have invoked the sacred fire.

It will determine who between these two Kauravs

should wear the mantle of commander.

One is Karn.

The other is my nephew, Ashwatthama.

[Dushasan] "My nephew, Ashwatthama"?

This is not a family occasion

where you give all your relatives a warm welcome.

[scoffs] What about the warm welcome Ashwatthama gave the Pandavs today?

Did you miss that?

He turned Kurukshetra upside-down to catch Dhrishtadyumna.

And that rat is still alive. [scoffs]

What about his attack on Ghatotkach?

[scoffs] But who was the one who killed Ghatotkach in the end?

[man 1] Who else?

-It was my friend, Karn! [laughs] -[Dushasan laughs]

-That, too, with a single arrow. -Hmm.

But that was the only Ekagni arrow he had.

And now it is gone.

What can he do without it?

-[indistinct comments] -Nothing.

But I have an arsenal of weapons.

I have the blessings of my father, Acharya Dron.

[mocking] What does Karn have?

The blessings of his charioteer father?

Or the home a childless mother gave to him when he was an orphan?

You wretch!

Speak of my mother with respect, Ashwatthama! [grunts]

[Kripacharya] Enough, enough!

Stop your pointless quarrelling.

Both, Karn and Ashwatthama,

have clearly proved that they are great courageous warriors.

But they must present their case to prove they can be commanders.

The one whose argument causes the fire to change colour

will become our next commander.

So, present your arguments, and we will decide.

Let us see in whose blood victory runs.

[Karn] What does blood really prove?

Do the Pandavs not have King Pandu's blood in their veins?

The greedy sons of a useless deserter. [scoffs]

What have they given the people of Hastinapur

apart from this disastrous war?

Do they only have their father's blood?

Their mother Kunti's blood could be equally at fault.

Hmm?

[Ashwatthama chuckles]

But how could you ever know of such things?

You know nothing about your mother or your father.

[laughs mockingly]

One's bloodline cannot be ignored when deciding who will take command.

The blood of Dronacharya and Kripi runs in Ashwatthama's veins.

There is no doubt that he is as valiant as his father.

If Kripacharya acts as my advisor,

then I give you my word,

the Kauravs will not find a greater commander than me!

[dramatic music playing]

Look at that. The colour of the fire has changed after Ashwatthama's argument.

Bravo! What a clever choice of argument, Kripacharya!

Bloodline?

Alright, let me continue with your argument.

Most here are Kshatriya by birth.

And those of doubtful parentage, like me, are also Kshatriyas through their deeds.

But you are saying that one's blood means everything.

So is the son of Dron and your sister Kripi,

Ashwatthama, not a pure Brahmin?

-Uh-- -[Karn] Why is he here on the battlefield?

[Karn] He should be in a hermitage or forest, deep in study or meditation.

Not here on the battlefield as commander.

Be careful, Karn.

Do not disrespect Brahmins.

You learned to use your weapons from two Brahmins, after all.

You are already under a curse by one guru for lying to him.

Be mindful and do not insult the other now.

Do not forget that Ashwatthama is the son of Acharya Dron,

whose mastery in the art of war is unmatched.

And I'm the disciple of the same Guru Dron.

Such compassion for the son,

and not a bit of affection for the disciple?

You could at least try to live up to your name, Kripacharya.

If you truly have mercy, as your name means,

then show this mercy to all equally.

Otherwise, to me, you are no different from Dronacharya.

What is it that you are trying to imply?

It was his love for his son that killed Dronacharya.

He could not bear to hear one lie about his son's death.

In one stroke, he abandoned both his weapons and his duty.

What sort of father was he? What sort of warrior?

That he accepted the news of his son's death so easily?

Neither did he fulfil the duty of a Brahmin, nor that of a Kshatriya.

[grunts] How dare you, Karn?! [grunts]

[Ashwatthama] There. I cast off my sacred Brahmin thread. [grunts]

I am no longer a Brahmin to you. I'm only a Kshatriya. A warrior!

Your tongue is a lot sharper than your arrows.

That is why that tongue is the first thing I'm going to rip out.

Then I will show you how great my father truly was.

[Ashwatthama grunts]

[both grunt]

[both grunting]

[Kripacharya] Ashwatthama!

[panting]

[dramatic music playing]

-[gasps] -[indistinct chatter]

-[man 2] It is rotating. -[Kripacharya chanting in Sanskrit]

The sun itself?!

The sacred fire has chosen the next commander for us.

See the sun's likeness within the flames.

Our next commander will be Karn.

-[sighs] -[Ashwatthama grunts]

Kripacharya, according to what you said, the fire was supposed to change colour.

But that did not happen at all.

This… this is an injustice. I refuse to accept this decision!

The sacred fire is never, ever wrong,

nor is the judgement of our revered guru, Kripacharya.

[Kripacharya] Hmm.

-[music fades] -Hmm…

Uncle, why were you in such a terrible hurry

to declare Karn as our commander?

Who knows what caste or clan he is from? What lineage he belongs to?

I realise that Karn's true lineage is a mystery.

Nor do we know who his real parents are.

And for this, I myself have humiliated him often.

However, during the ritual,

divine intervention made it very clear

that a warrior's selection should not rest solely on his lineage.

Instead, it should also rest on his true capability.

How do you know what the sign in the fire really indicated?

You think I would not understand the signs after all my years of penance?

The sun's likeness spinning within the flames of the sacred fire

was a clear blessing for Karn from the Sun God.

A blessing

that can only be granted to a true devotee of the almighty Sun, or…

Or? Or to whom?

To the Sun God's own son.

[grunts in anger]

[theme song playing]

[closing theme song playing]

[Krishn] 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

[song fades]