Free The Thirteenth Day by Aditya Iyengar Page B

sum of the earrings and armour was greater than the warrior. No man should have to live with the burden of his own legend.
    The troops still insisted on calling me Karna, though a little uncertainly now.
    On the other side, it was happening to Arjuna. I had heard his bow was being called Gandiva, or ‘Conqueror of the Earth’, by the troops who had begun to believe the bow was indestructible and its wielder invincible.
    A misconception I would soon clear.
    I began my pre-battle routine by inspecting my arrows. Today, and for most of my killing career, my quiver was home to Kshurupras with their sharp razor-like heads, Vatsadantas with heads shaped like calf-teeth, broad-headed Anjalikas and my old reliables, Ardhachandra, crescent-shaped arrow heads. All of these were bronze-tipped.
    Apart from these, I also carried a separate quiver with iron-tipped arrows (which the army had named Shakti, meaning ‘strength’). Battles were decided not by courage but metals these days, so I kept my iron arrows close at hand, using them sparingly, only on kings.
    All seven-odd akshauhinis that were left of our army were spread out in front of me. I saw the chariot of Sushasana canter into view and motioned my charioteer towards it. He was a sight, the great lubber—short and muscular with thick ringlets of hair covering his face. His bronze armour had the face of a lion embossed on it. He gave me an embarrassed grin and shrugged his shoulders. Drona had put him in the reserve today and told him not to show his face for the entire day.
    ‘So, Sushasana, live to fight another day, eh?’ I sympathized.
    Sushasana grinned back nervously. ‘Live, yes. Fight, not so much.’ He pushed his hair off his eyes. ‘But it’s a big day for you. Time to show them what stable-boy hands can do, no?’
    This made me laugh, ‘The stable teaches many things, Sushasana. Cleaning shit, most of all.’
    The conch announcing the commencement of battle sounded at a distance. Sushasana bowed mock-solemnly to me, ‘All yours, stable boy. Come back in one piece.’
    My chariot rode towards the front. I heard Sushasana’s voice from the back, ‘And clean some of that shit!’
    I smiled to myself. Today, we had planned after much deliberation, that my Anga troops and Bhagadatta’s elephant brigade supported by Shakuni would lead and cut through to Yudhishthira. Once we had cleared the way, Drona would slingshot in and pick up my brother. Not my usual style, but since yesterday, there was no other choice.
    The conch blew again. It was Drona’s, I could tell from its refrain. Then there was a blast of conches from the other side.
    I took in the sight of our army. Thousands of battle standards hung limply on top of their chariots. The battle standard was another symbol of the puffed vanity of our nobility. A banner that flew on top of chariots of the nobility with symbols that ‘represented the noble value of the house’. In short, it told everyone on the field whose chariot it was. And if you didn’t have one, God help you. The nobility wouldn’t even approach you for a fight. My own was an elephant rope that mahouts used to secure the girth of an elephant. It was meant to depict my position as protector of the Kuru princes…a little tacky perhaps, but Suyodhana’s choice.
    A sense of gloom still pervaded the ranks. Grandsire’s mere presence had put strength into these boys’ arms. Without him, it was as if they had woken from a trance, realizing that without Grandsire they were responsible for their own lives. They would be careful today. Maybe even hesitate a little.
    I made my way to the front. My chariots had been arrayed in a neat line behind Bhagadatta’s heavyweights. I looked left and right for him when a coconut landed on my chariot floor, causing my poor charioteer to invoke his ancestors in fright. I looked upwards and saw Bhagadatta happily munching away, feeding Supritika at the same time.
    ‘’Bout time you came … Thoo…was