In this episode of Mahabharata Shakuni and the Kauravas continue to conspire to send Yudhistir to a Vanavrath festival in honor of Lord Shiva, so he has to stay in a house of wax that the royal architect has just built for them.
Karna objects to the conspiracy, saying that warriors should settle scores on the battlefield instead of resorting to deception and murder. He walks off in a huff. Vidhur suspects foul play in Shakuni’s insistence that Yudhistir be sent to attend the festival. He meets with Dhritharashtra and advises him to send both Yudhistir and Duryodhan to display a modicum of unity to the citizens of Hastinapur. However Bhishma overrules him and says that sending both of them only sends a message that Yudhistir is politically weak and needs Duryodhan’s presence to shore up his credibility. Sending Yudhistir alone will send the citizens a strong signal that he is the undisputed Crown Prince.
Meanwhile, Karna returns to Duryodhan and informs him that he has secured Jarasandh, Shishupal and Rukmi as allies in a potential confrontation against the Pandavas. Those three are allying with the Kauravas in order to get at Krishna and Balaram, who are staunch allies of the Pandavas. Karna has also somehow secured the alliance of Ashwathama, ensuring that Dronacharya and Kripacharya must also support them against the Pandavas. Ashwathama’s gripe against the Pandavas is not explained though. Karna tries to use this to dissuade them from the conspiracy, but Shakuni convinces Duryodhan to press on, claiming that Karna is limited in imagination because of his lowly upbringing.
The Pandavas go on a victory lap and tribute collection trip, and Bhim goes to Balaram to further hone his mace fighting skills. When they return, they bring back enough wealth to replenish the depleted treasury. However, revealing that Duryodhan depleted the treasury gives Dhritharashtra the pretext he needs to keep Duryodhan in the palace while Yudhistir attends the festival - that Duryodhan is being “punished” for his carelessness with money by making him sit out an otherwise desirable public appearance.
Tropes found here are
- Even Evil Has Standards: Karna refuses to be part of the conspiracy to burn the Pandavas to death, claiming it is a dishonorable way for a warrior to act.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Karna is steadfastly loyal to Duryodhan, but as of now, refuses to do anything evil.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Bhishma’s reason for not sending Duryodhan with Yudhistir is sound from a political public relations perspective. But unfortunately, it plays right into Shakuni’s plot to kill Yudhistir.
- Properly Paranoid: Vidhur suspects that Shakuni has some nefarious motive for insisting that Yudhistir go to the festival. He doesn’t yet know why. To avert this conspiracy, Vidhur suggests to Dhritharashtra that either he or Duryodhan accompany Yudhistira to this festival as a sign of “unity”.
- Plunder: The Pandavas bring a lot of it back to replenish the treasury that Duryodhan depleted.
- Slave to PR: Bhishma says that by sending both Yudhistir and Duryodhan, it makes Dhritharashtra look like this, and it makes Yudhistir look weak.
- Unishment: Duryodhan is “punished” for depleting the royal treasury, by disallowing his participation in an upcoming festival. Of course, he actually desires to be kept back, as it plays into the conspiracy Shakuni has hatched.
- You Do NOT Want To Know: Duryodhan tells his father that there is a plan to get rid of Yudhistir and that it involves sending him alone to the upcoming festival ... and that he doesn’t need to know specifics.
