Dhṛtarāshṭra and the Iron Statue
In Chapter 12 of the Strī Parva, the Pāṇḍavas come to Dhṛtarāshṭra after the war to pay their respects. Bhagavān Kṛshṇa sees that the blind king is full of rage against Bhīma, who killed Duryodhana and all his sons. He quietly puts an iron statue (āyasa mūrti) of Bhīma into the king’s arms.
The event
The Pāṇḍavas came to the aged Dhṛtarāshṭra and to Gāndhārī and bowed to them. Yudhishṭhira went first, and the others followed in order.
When Bhīma’s turn came, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa had already seen the tension in Dhṛtarāshṭra. He knew the old king held a deadly anger against the man who had killed all his sons. Quickly he placed an iron statue of Bhīma before the blind king.
Dhṛtarāshṭra seized what he thought was Bhīma. He crushed it with all his strength and broke the iron form to pieces.
When Dhṛtarāshṭra understood that the figure was not Bhīma, he wept. Bhagavān Kṛshṇa spoke to him gently and plainly: “O king, you have behaved as a man of adharma today. Be at peace.”
The king was shaken and then humbled, and he recovered himself. He then met Bhīma and the other Pāṇḍavas sincerely, and the reconciliation went forward.
What Bhagavān Kṛshṇa did
Bhagavān Kṛshṇa saved Bhīma’s life without shaming Dhṛtarāshṭra in front of others. He did not send the old king away, and he did not turn the meeting into a quarrel. He let the king pour out his rage, and then he spoke to him in private and gave back his dignity. He told the truth firmly and with mercy.
What the episode shows
- Dhṛtarāshṭra’s rage at Bhīma was real and deadly.
- Bhagavān Kṛshṇa’s care for the Pāṇḍavas went on after the war had ended.
- The Strī Parva could go on toward reconciliation. Without this episode the visit of mourning would have ended in another death.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapter 12