Fool No More

Long ago, an area known as Kuru-Land was experiencing one of the most intense battles it had known. The fight was between two groups of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, for none other than power. Bhima was a warrior fighting on the side of the Pandavas. He knew that the commander-in-chief of the Kauravas, Drona, was a significant character of the rival alliance. Bhima also knew Drona had a strong, uncompromising devotion to his son, Ashwatthaman. Drona's paternal instinct to protect was how he was able to fight so fiercely for so long.

Bhima told his servant, "If Drona had any reason to believe Ashwatthaman was dead, he would be an emotional wreck. I need him in this state of mind if I have any chance at defeating him. Ideally he will accept death rather than live on. Even if he does not willingly relinquish his power, which I doubt, he will still be vulnerable. His thoughts will be clouded and he will act with his heart rather than head. It will be much easier to overthrow the Kauravas."

The servant responded concernedly, "But sire, are you sure you want to kill the man?"

"Ah, you are right. You have known me long enough to know I am incapable of killing an innocent boy in vain. I will create a plan that will trick Drona into believing Ashwatthaman is dead, but I will not actually kill him. As you may know, Ashwatthaman is away on a hunting trip. His father sent some guards as accompaniment. I will try to convince Drona's men here that one of the guards accidentally shot Ashwatthaman. They told me rather than return to tell Drona out of fear of Drona's wrath. My plan is for the rumor to get back to Drona about his son's death and believe it. I know if he believes this he will be devastated" Bhima proudly stated.

The following day, Bhima made his way to Drona's men's fort area in the Kuru-region. Bhima was not fearful being in rival territory because there was an unspoken rule that men delivering messages would be unharmed. He ached for this moment all day, to finally begin his plan to overtake Drona. "Everyone, everyone! Guards have informed me that Ashwatthaman has been shot with an arrow! He is dead!" yelled Bhima. He continuously shouted this around the fort area.

One of Drona's men doubtfully asked "But sir, how do you know before our own Drona?"

"A guard Drona sent came to me with the news first. We all know how much Drona loves his boy...naturally, he feared for how Drona would react" Bhima said.

The soldiers nodded in agreement and began whispering. They had seen Ashwatthaman just three days prior, he came to the area to borrow weapons and supplies for a hunting trip. The trip consisted of him and some guards, as his father was busy with the on-going battle. They expected him to be on this trip, but little did they know these interactions would be their last with Ashwatthaman.

Word of Ashwatthaman's supposed death finally reached Drona. Drona fell to his knees as his trusted advisors told him. He let his son go on this two-week hunting trip only because he knew Ashwatthaman was surrounded by the best protection available. He asked to be alone and wept for two days nonstop; he did not even sleep. Finally he emerged from his room and demanded Ashwatthaman's bloody shirt be delivered. His advisors and wives advised against this, as they were already fearful of his erratic behavior. Seeing the shirt might be salt on the wound and worsen his behavior. Drona vowed to not eat until he sees the shirt.

When Bhima's people informed him of Drona's request, he first hesitated. He had not planned for this but knew he had to provide some sort of evidence if he wanted Drona to continue believing this rumor. One of his advisers recommended using a dye on a common boys shirt. One of the servant's shirts was drenched in a red dye and delivered to Drona.

When Drona took a look at the shirt, he burst into a cackle lasting at least 10 minutes. His wives and advisors thought he had truly lost his mind, yet feared to speak in case of retaliation. They had no idea what Drona was capable of in this state.

"I have been rich long enough to know a poor man's clothes. To think I'd ever send my son in any material as cheap or scratchy as this! HA! If he were shot, there would be some sort of a focal point. This looks like it was writhed in some red dye to appear as blood."

Drona now realized the extent to which Bhima and his men would lie. Drona was even more furious. This time, he would spare no one.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I wrote this story about Bhima's plan to outsmart Drona. In the original version, Bhima conjures a plan to kill an elephant with Drona's son's name. He knew the bond Drona had with his son made him unable to be defeated, and Drona was their largest threat. He hoped by hearing of his son's death, Drona would become vulnerable and able to be killed. This plan works in the original because Drona talks to Yudhishthira who is incapable of telling lies. He tells Drona that indeed 'Ashwatthaman' (son's name) has died, but really talking about the elephant.

I just thought it would be interesting to twist the fate of this story. I actually was watching an episode of Ugly Betty while trying to come up with the twist. On the show, one of the character fails at their plan to outsmart the other because they underestimate their experiences. I kind of used this concept for this story. I didn't want to harm any animals, even fictionally. I feel for someone accustomed to luxury, it is plausible for them to notice these fine details. I also wanted to highlight the distress Drona feels as a father, to try to create some sympathy from the reader. Whether you like Drona or not, the loss a father would feel in this situation is sad, and the fact Bhima would go to this extent is cruel.

EDIT: 3/23/2019: Though I kept most of the main plot, I did change some details for the story to make more sense. It seemed like the biggest criticism were the coherency of the details. I added more details and modified some of the existing ones. I am not sure if it is too wordy/redundant or if some passages are still unclear. I would appreciate feedback on this if possible!

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Title: PDE Version of Mahabharata

Author: Sister Nivedita (1914)

Source Link: here