Story

Kumar Puru gave away his youth willingly to his father King Yayati in order to free him from Shukracharya's curse. Puru was not the only one to sacrifice his youth for his father's infatuation. Later in the same dynasty which gave many kings like Kuru and Bharat, Devbrata took a vow that he would never marry and that he would always serve the throne of Hastinapur, the seat of the dynasty. This he did in order to facilitate the marriage of his father King Shantanu to Satyavati.

Devbrate, later called Bhishma for his great vow, could not free himself from guilt ridden conscience after that event. Had he not taken that vow, probably Satyavati would not have had to marry a king far older to her, Satyavati was only the first. There were many more women to follow who were wronged and Bhishma was involved in every case.

Serving the throne of Hastinapur from outside became ab obsession with him. He allowed his reasoning to be guided by politics alone. Daughters of Kashiraj were abducted for Vichitravirya who died early, heirless. Recourse was taken to 'Niyog' to get the heirs. Dhritarashtra and Pandu were born. Dhritarashtra was blind and Pandu deseased. Dynasty seemed to end there, for which princess would marry such princes!

Bhishma went very far from Hastinapur to Gandhar to get one princess as wife for the blind Dhritarashtra. Princess Gandhari was not told about the blindness till the eve of her marriage. She was, but, made of different material. She took her revenge on the great Kuruvansa.

This is the story of Gandhari by Dr.Shankar Shesh.

Was Gandhari really a Mahasati as the great epic tells us, or was she a victim of political reasoning, who took her revenge but who herself was trapped in the hell of darkness?

Cast