Dhritarashtra is a weak king. Duryodhana secretly plans a palace coup and establishes a rule by a junta. His father is retained as titular ruler. He becomes the secret ruler behind the anonymity of the military rulers.

The head of the junta is the generalissimo or "shogun" ( a term we appropriate with apologies to the Japanese). Bhishma is shogun. He does not want to be, but agrees because he is told that Dhritarashtra will be killed otherwise.

Bhishma agrees to be shogun as long as Karna (who suggested the blackmail idea) is kept out of the junta.

The Pandavas ask Krishna-Vyaasa to mediate a solution between them and their enemies.

Hastinapur claims that the Pandavas are planning war and that they need a big army to protect themselves. Krishna offers his own army in case war comes. Duryodhana accepts, but continues to build his army in secret.

Both sides built up their armed forces as a mutual deterrent. Alliances are made with far-flung kings and kingdoms.

Hastinapur and the surrounding enemies declare a "cold war" against Indraprastha. The aim is to repeat the temporary victory of the famine years -- drive out the Pandavas without war. However, this time there is no famine and the Pandavas have learnt at least one lesson about ruling. The people rally around the Pandavas.

The official role of the junta is to run the cold war effort against the Pandavas.

Bhishma is not an aggressive proponent of cold war. He manages the usual border incident, but he does not initiate the kind of secret war that would be necessary to subvert Indraprastha.

Duryodhana was in a hurry to destroy the Pandavas and he was unhappy with Bhishma’s approach. This made him susceptible to a Pandava plot that results in the death of Bhishma.

It was not just Duryodhana’s doing. The Pandavas plotted the killing of Bhishma. Sikhandin executed the plot. Ordinarily, Bhishma would not have succumbed to the plot. But the Pandavas had planned well -- Duryodhana’s greed for a quick victory over them caused him to accuse the old Bhishma of treachery. To prove his point, Bhishma enters an ambush laid by Sikhandin.

And Sikhandin kills Bhishma? But that is not what you said earlier.

You have a good memory. No, the plot fails. Bhishma, despite his age, kills Sikhandin. Arjuna who was supposed to protect Sikhandin was delayed by a counter-ambush laid by Bhishma. When he arrives, he sees an unarmed Bhishma crouched over Sikhandin’s body and in anger at an atrocity that he thinks is being committed he shoots Bhishma with an arrow and kills him.

So what plot was it that inveigled Duryodhana and caused the untimely death of Bhishma. And why was Bhishma unarmed when he faced Arjuna? Did he realize that Sikhandin was his son?

The cold war hurt Indraprastha. The cost of smuggling in necessities and luxuries was extremely high. The Pandavas determined that if the war continued they would have to surrender in a few years. They determined that the biggest obstacle to an active war was Bhishma -- that his policies were the ones driving them to the wall. Bhishma had to be eliminated. Once Bhishma was gone, they felt that the Kauravas would either give up or attack Indraprastha directly in ruinous active war. They felt that they had a better chance in an active war in getting support for their position from their far-off allies.

Sikhandin offered to lead Bhishma into an ambush that would be lead by Arjuna and Krishna. His plan was to offer to guide a Kaurava force lead by Bhishma into the Pandava palace. This force would be ambushed and Bhishma killed or captured. In either case, Bhishma would be neutralized.

Sikhandin was a captain in the Pancalan army -- Pancala supported Indraprastha in the war, but this support was costing it a lot. The only reason for the support was that Drupada’s daughter was married to the Pandavas. The Pancalan king’s policy was mostly unpopular with his people, who would rather have peaceful relations with the Kurus.

Sikhandin initiated the plot by sending a secret message to Duryodhana offering to lead a small Kaurava expedition into the Pandava palace. This would give the Kauravas an opportunity to kill the Pandavas and end the war victoriously. The payoff he expected for this treachery was that Drupada (who was visiting the Pandavas at that time) and his sons be killed too. Then, he, Sikhandin, could rule the kingdom of Pancala. He offered to accept the Kuru suzerainty over the Pancala kingdom. He pointed out that switching sides would be generally popular with the citizens of Pancala.

Duryodhana was intrigued by the plan -- Sikhandin goes secretly to Hastinapur to present his plan. There Sikhandin reveals a condition on the expedition -- either the king or Duryodhana had to be part of the expedition. Sikhandin insisted that this was necessary -- after the Pandavas were killed, a prince royal was needed to take command of the leaderless army. He himself had no standing, and without royal support would be killed as a traitor.

Duryodhana did not like this condition at all. It made sense, but he was afraid of an ambush. Or even, if there was no ambush, something could go wrong. The king, Dhritarashtra, was frail and had weakened visibly after his powers had been snatched away by his son. He clearly could not go. In any case, Duryodhana still needed him to maintain the legitimacy of the junta’s rule. Of Duryodhana’s numerous brothers, only Dushasana had the gall and foolhardiness to attempt the stunt of getting the Pandava army to switch allegiance. But Dushasana was known for his cruelty and people feared him rather than respected him. Instead of switching allegiance, the army might lynch him. The other brothers simply did not have the recognition or status to make the Pandava army accept one of them.

Duryodhana suggested that Bhishma could go. Bhishma did not like the offer at all. He thought that an ambush was likely. He stated often that they were on the slow road to a sure victory and that the Pandavas would surrender in a few years without a fight. Duryodhana found this anathema -- he wanted a fight. He had been waiting all his life for just this fight, and now he was faced with a commander-in-chief who won battles by sitting still.

Duryodhana accused Bhishma of treachery. He shouted that Bhishma preferred not to fight because he favored his other grand-nephews. He ranted and raved in front of his brothers and Karna about the ingrate that Bhishma was. Insulted and upset, Bhishma agreed to go. Duryodhana was mollified, even if not satisfied. He did not think that Sikhandin would accept the offer, but if he did and Bhishma died, he would still have his hot war. If Bhishma succeeded, the war would be over and he could do what he wished. He would not need Bhishma anymore.

Sikhandin surprised everybody by accepting Bhishma’s offer to lead the secret party instead of Duryodhana. He praised the choice of Bhishma -- Bhishma, he said, was known as the protector of the kingdom. Bhishma, now even more convinced of a potential ambush, decided to take precautions. He knew that his conduct of the war was critical to its success. If Duryodhana went and got himself killed in an ambush, it would not stop the war -- his brothers would carry on. However Bhishma’s death would change Kaurava strategy and could lead to a Pandava victory. Bhishma wondered if Sikhandin had managed to out-maneuver Duryodhana -- he wondered if the object of Sikhandin’s condition had been to trap himself. In any case, he had committed himself to leading the expedition.

Indraprastha was founded on the west bank of the Yamuna. The Pandavas had built their Palace of Illusion in a garden fed by canals from the river. The opposite bank of the river had been left forested and was their private hunting preserve. It was to this forest that Sikhandin would lead Bhishma. The plan was to cross over in a pleasure-boat that the hunters used to return -- the palace guard would think that this was a returning hunt and would challenge them. Sikhandin would have the password.

Bhishma had anticipated that the crossing site might be the place for an ambush. He arranged for a small contingent of troops to be stationed some distance north and south of the site to watch for such a setup. When Sikhandin and Bhishma arrive at the site, there is no pleasure boat. Sikhandin cannot explain the lack. Nor is there an ambush, but sounds of battle can be heard in the distance. At a sign from Bhishma, his troops grabbed Sikhandin.

Bhishma questioned Sikhandin, "This is treachery, Sikhandin. Can you justify this? Why shouldn’t you be executed on the spot?"

Sikhandin had been on edge all through the execution of the plot. The failure of the ambush and the uncovering of the plot demoralized him. When Bhishma questioned him, his rage boiled over, and he said, "Ask your henchmen to kill me, old man. Just like you murdered my father."

Bhishma was puzzled. "I never murdered anybody -- I have only killed in battle and even those, I have tried to avoid."

Sikhandin replied, "There’s no liar like an old one! You killed my father! You dishonored my mother! I have lived to challenge you to battle. You say that you have never killed anyone except in battle. But you threaten to kill me now. If you are true to your word, you will duel me. Let us fight like warriors."

The soldiers holding him laughed and mocked him, "Hey! My great-grandfather has never fought a duel. You want to fight him, too." "Fight someone your own age, buster." "Here, take a broom. Fight the dust."

Sikhandin stood his ground. "Fight me, or kill me", he said.

Bhishma looked thoughtfully at Sikhandin. The sounds of battle were coming closer. It was obvious that they would not be able to avoid the ambush. Sikhandin had to die -- they were in no position to keep prisoners. But Bhishma realized that he could not simply have Sikhandin killed.

Bhishma had not fought a real duel in many years. Despite his almost ninety years, he was in good physical shape. He practiced daily. Unlike his nephew Dhritarashtra, who was almost an invalid by then, Bhishma prided himself on his fitness. He realized that he would probably die in the ambush or in the retreat after fending off the ambushing forces. He resigned himself to fighting this man.

"Yes, I will duel you." said Bhishma. "I choose the sword and the knife."

Sikhandin was thunderstruck. The opportunity he had prayed for all his life was his. "I choose the parasu (double-headed axe)", he replied.

The soldiers remonstrated with Bhishma. But Bhishma said, "Prepare for the ambush and for our retreat from here. I will fight this man. I can kill him."

What a tragedy! So the absence of the great warriors, Arjuna and Krishna leads to this sad battle. Why were they not there? What happened?

That is an interesting digression from the story of Bhishma and Sikhandin. It is the event that we rewrote as the Bhagavad-Gita.

I would certainly like to know this version of the Gita. Please tell me.

Arjuna is restless and Krishna senses this. Krishna asks, "Arjuna, my good friend, what is the matter? You appear restless and distracted and have been so all afternoon. Usually, I see you excited and animated at the thought of approaching battle. But this time, there is a difference? What is the matter?"

Arjuna replied to Krishna, "Krishna, I see us successfully killing Bhishma. In the past, such visions have empowered me and have lead me to fight with great vigor. But, oh Krishna, Bhishma is my great-uncle. As a child, I looked up to him, loved him, and respected him. How can I be a party to killing him in such a vile fashion?"

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At this point, Arjuna and Krishna have a discussion on the issues involved in conducting such a war. Krishna convinces Arjuna that it is right and appropriate to kill Bhishma who obstructs the Pandavas from achieving the greater goal that they have set themselves. He convinces Arjuna that submerging his own self in achieving the rightly conceived greater goal of his family and of the Society of Poets is the path of right action.

Krishna elucidates the principles of ego-less planning and ego-less execution.

Engrossed in their discussion, Arjuna and Krishna neglect to prepare for the battle. When their subordinates finally interrupt them, they are shocked and prepare hastily. But they are half an hour late in leaving and this delays them. In addition, they hit a counter ambush prepared by Bhishma. Fortunately, Bhishma had not planned for as large an ambushing force as the one lead by Arjuna. They break through Bhishma’s defense line but are an hour late. In that hour much happens as we will see in the next section.

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Bhishma said, while ducking another swing from the axe, " Sikhandin, you are not a trained fighter. Why do you wish to die this way? What dishonor have I brought to your mother? Why do you think I killed your father?" Sikhandin replied, panting as he gets ready for another swing, "Ah, Bhishma. What a short memory you have! You are an old man, and it must be time for you to die. At your age, it is easy to forget the evil you have done." Sikhandin whipped his axe around, Bhishma stepped back, and said, "I am sure my memory was much better when I was younger. But now I need help. Tell me -- who was your father?" Sikhandin swung his axe again. This time, he managed to hook Bhishma’s sword and wrench it from his grasp. Thinking that Bhishma was disarmed, he came in for the killing stroke. Bhishma stepped into his stroke, well under the reach of the axe and his dagger plunged into Sikhandin’s side. through the knots in his armor into his lungs. Sikhandin dropped his axe, and fell. Falling, he cried, "Amba, Mother, I have failed you." Bhishma pulled the dagger out. He held Sikhandin in his arms and said, "Why do you call on Amba? I knew an Amba once." "Yes," said Sikhandin. "Amba was my mother and you destroyed her. She told me how you kidnapped her and then would not let her go. She told me how she escaped from your clutches with the help of my father." "I loved Amba," said Bhishma. "She vanished and I thought she died -- I thought my step-mother killed her." "Liar!" said Sikhandin. "My mother told me how your step-mother would spy on her to make sure that your virginity was unblemished. You could not have loved my mother. My mother had to leave my father behind in your clutches." "No!" said Bhishma. "That is not true! Amba loved me. I loved her. Who did she say your father was?" "She never did," gasped the dying Sikhandin. "She would not tell me who he was. She escaped, but he could not. She said that you and your evil step-mother killed him."

Bhishma held the dying man in his arms. His heart hurt for his beloved Amba. The thought that Amba hated him hurt as sharply now as her leaving had fifty years earlier. Who was this man’s father, he wondered. Amba could not have had another lover -- the thought that she might have hurt him too.

"Bhishma!" said the dying man. "You must have known my father. You say you loved my mother. Do something for her. She gave me a medallion that hangs around my neck. Return it to my father’s family -- let them know that he did not die without descendants." He tried to open his armor, gasped at the exertion and fell back. "Where is Amba? Is she still alive" asked Bhishma. Sikhandin gave no answer. He was breathing in gasps, the dagger having rent his lungs. Bhishma laid him down on the ground and loosened his armor from his body. When he had taken off his armor, he saw the medallion. It was the one that his mother had given him before she committed suicide and the one he had given Amba when he felt that their love had brought him back to life. "Amba!" he cried. "So, Sikhandin is my son." There was no response.

Bhishma looked about him -- his troops were busy battling a small Pandava force.

Arjuna and Krishna Vaasudeva were leading the Pandava party that had found itself outfoxed. After fierce fighting, they managed to break through and reach the planned site of the ambush. When the onlookers of the duel realized that they were under attack, they turned to defense. Bhishma turned to his son and held him in his arms. Sikhandin had fought bravely, but he was obviously not very well-trained. He had not been trained at the Kuru capital under the best teachers and warriors of the world. He had a sharp mind and had conceived of the ambush as a way to get his enemy Bhishma, but he had given little thought to how he would get away if the plot failed. Bhishma wept for the son he had not had, for his failed attempts to treat as his heirs the grandchildren of his step-brothers, Satyavati’s great-grandchildren. He wept for Amba who had been lost to him. Sikhandin’s features reminded him of Amba -- in death he smiled the way Amba had in repose. Arjuna broke in on this. He saw Bhishma holding Sikhandin in his arms. Sikhandin’s armor had been removed and he was defenseless in his enemy’s arms. Bhishma’s hands appeared to be around his neck. In the dim light of the torches, it appeared that Bhishma was strangling Sikhandin. With the speed he was renowned for, Arjuna shot an arrow into the body of the silent, crying Bhishma. Bhishma collapsed. "Bhishma is dead!" shouted Arjuna, exulting. The cry carried over the scene of the fray and Bhishma’s men were disheartened. Some ran away, the others surrendered. Bhishma was not yet dead. When Arjuna approached him, he said, "Oh Arjuna, my brave and beloved grandson. I am glad to see you once more before I die." Arjuna knelt in front of him. He said, "Grandsire, one part of me rejoices that you are dying. But another part cries to see you thus. I am sad I killed you."

"Do not cry for me, Arjuna!" said Bhishma. "I die contented. I have seen the face of my beloved. I will be reunited with my mother and my father. I had a chance to see my only son before my death."

"Your only son Grandsire!" exclaimed Arjuna. "What story is this?" "It is the ending of a sorry tale," said Bhishma. "Sikhandin hated me, and he was the son I never saw." "Sikhandin is your son!" cried Arjuna. "The Pancalas used to tease him as Sikhandin the bastard. They used to joke about how it was a sure way to get him angry as a boy. But he never showed it as an adult."

"He did not know that I was his father," said Bhishma. "I just discovered it myself. Please keep it a secret. If revealed it would destroy Yudhishthira’s dynasty. Duryodhana is a fool, but I owed him allegiance. And I had pledged to protect the Kuru family from its enemies. You and you brothers are the true heirs of Santanu -- not Duryodhana, and not Sikhandin, though he was my son. That is my blessing to you, dear boy." Arjuna was overcome with sorrow. He bowed his head and held his beloved great-grandfather in his arms. The Pandava force gathered around him. He ordered them to load Bhishma onto a cart to take him to the palace. Bhishma declined the offer. "My wounds are deadly. Place me on a raft," he said, "and let me float off to join my mother in the Ganga." "We cannot do that," Arjuna replied. "My brothers would castigate me if I let you die without proper ceremony. If you wish we will take you on a boat to the other side of the river and honor you while you yet live. When you die, it shall be done as you say."

And so it was done. Bhishma saw the rest of Pandavas before he died and blessed them. A few days later he was dead. His body and that of his son Sikhandin and his soldiers who had died with them were loaded on rafts and set free to float down the Yamuna to join his mother the Ganga.

Drona is now made shogun. Karna begins to play a more active role. Border incidents become more serious. The Pandavas are also more aggressive.

Drona is more active than Bhishma was. He effectively stops many of the Pandavas' forays.

Drona's son is visiting a border village. The Pandavas send a false message that tells Drona that his son is dead. Drona rushes to the scene with just his personal attendants. He is ambushed by a much larger Pandava force and killed.