Mahabharata Quiz -67

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Question - 67

What was the Ganesha moment in Krishna's narration of the peace mission to the Pandava-s?

Answer:

All the events during Krishna's stay in Hastinapura were not told by Vysa in one go. The first narration contained the arrival of Krishna and the talks in the court followed by Krishna trying to bring Karna to Pandava-s side. In that context we come to know that he was in Hastinapura till the day of Uttara Phalguni.

On reaching Upaplavya, Krishna gave a description which contained an important information that the talk had indeed gone on for days. In one of the in-and-out movements of Duryodhana, he made an important announcement about the war. 

While Krishṇa was in the court of the Kuru-s seeking peace, Bhishma, Vidura, Drona, Gandhari and Dhritaraṣhṭra exhorted Duryodhana to give the Pandava-s their due share. Particularly when Dhritaraṣhṭra told Duryodhana that he was not the son of a king who got the kingdom in the normal course, implying that it was given to Dhritaraṣhṭra by Pandu, Duryodhana’s anger found no bounds. He called the fellow kings present there and told them again and again that the day was Pushya and let them all march to Kurukshetra on that day itself. 

It is further said that after the night passed (at day-break), Duryodhana arranged the army divisions and  Bhishma was duly installed as the chief of the army with a ceremony. 

This was on the day of Pushya.

The war ceremony having taken place on Pushya and Duryodhana commanding the fellow chiefs to march towards Kurukshetra on the Pushya day, why did Krishna tell Karna three days later - on the day of Uttara Phalguni to ask Duryodhana prepare for the war? Had he not left to the war field already?  

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