Mahabharat - Episode 26 - Ran-Chhod

Ran-Chhod

Main naam dekhoon ya parinaam?

Synopsis

Parshuram directs Shri Krishna to Mathura, which is constantly under attack by Jarasandh who wants vengeance from Krishna for killing his friend Kans. While Krishna and Balram manage to win a battle, Krishna suggests a permanent solution- to relocate Mathura. The yadav clan agrees and relocate Mathura to Dwarika, thus avoiding bloodshed. On the other hand in Hastinapur, the question of the rightful heir is ringing in every ear. The royal court is split into two sides, one that wants Yudhishthir as the king, and the other with Duryodhan. It is now up to Dhritrashtra to choose who to please, his city.. or his ego.

Discussion

• Just like the previous episode, another war scene takes place here, between Mathura and Jarasandh. One scene worth noting is a horse getting shot by an arrow. I hope the stuntman was safe, and the horse as well.

• In this episode we witness a rare thing. We get to see Dhritrashtra's spine! I think this is the first time that the blind king stood up to Shakuni. When Shakuni suggests that Bhishma was giving empty threats, Dhritrashtra could not see his childhood idol being insulted like that and promptly told Shakuni that Bhishma does not give empty threats. If he says something, it should be the truth.

• On one hand we saw a god trying his best to avoid a war, and on the other one we will see the same god try to start one. Dharma-Yuddh is a necessity, and cannot be avoided. We also see why Krishna got the name Ran-Chhod, because he left the ranbhoomi (Battlefield) of Mathura to save his people. Balram was not too happy with it, but such is Balram. Whether as an elder to Krishna, or a younger to Shri Ram. Always ready for war.

Notable dialogue:

Veer purush ko yuddh ke liye utavala nahi hona chahiye!

Krodh ki kataar, krodhi ki buddhi ko kaat sakti hai

Yuddh keval tabhi hona chahiye, jab yuddh na karne ke saare marg bandh ho chuke ho.

Har gardan sudarshan chakra ke yogya nahi hai!

To be continued