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My comments on this episode: Finally, after a number of disappointing weeks, a good episode to end the year. 👏
After playing all good roles in every appearance since leaving BAVD, finally Shoubik Attray plays a grey character, but one who at least turns out well in the end and doesn't have to be killed by Shani. Similarly, Archana Taide too played the role of Bharti's sinful previous birth, and has been very good in this serial, although not present in today's episode. Maybe Sagar Arts can get Darshan Gandas & Asita Dhavan and have her reform too, since they provide reform to actors whose characters have sinned in BAVD 😆 Jokes aside, I had mixed reactions to Shoubik's character, as he played it.
First of all, when his charioteer was unwell, wouldn't a king have reserve charioteers on standby, and failing that, be more likely to use their ministers, rather than priests, for such a role? In those times, I doubt that Brahmans ever drove chariots. If needed, kshatriyas did - like in the Mahabharata, it was Krishna who drove Arjun's chariot, and if I recall right, on some occasions, Arjun would drive one himself. In the Ramayan, Dasharath drove his own chariot the night he killed Shravan Kumar, and otherwise, used Sumantra, not Vashistha.
Anyway, this aspect of the episode seemed an echo of the one some weeks ago, when the Yuvraj Devdhar accidentally killed bullock cart driver Giridhar while he was still having a hangover. In this episode, the purohit drove over a sleeping pilgrim, while later, Chakrasena hit Shani the farmer. Like in the case of Devdhar, both of these were unfortunate accidents. Granted, this was a forest and the road didn't seem paved, but that doesn't mean one lies down and sleeps anywhere - one usually picks a safe spot, like a tree, under which to sleep. In the latter case, however, I don't even agree that either Arghya Baba nor Chakrasena were @ fault. Chakrasena did call out to Shani, who unlike the pilgrim, was awake and fully aware, and Shani just ignored them, since he wanted the accident to happen. I know what Shani was upto, but aside from that, if somebody stands in the middle of the road while a car is approaching him and doesn't get out of the way and gets run over, is it the car's fault? In India, people always assume that it's always the fault of the bigger vehicle, but if pedestrians are reckless, drivers ain't responsible if pedestrians ignore warnings and get hurt, or worse.
When the pilgrim's wife came to the kingdom for justice, the first thing Chakrasena should have done should have been to recuse himself from judging the case, since he was one of the parties. In the West, there is a concept called 'conflict of interests' where one cannot be a judge of matters when one himself is one of the parties to a dispute, since that would make it prejudicial. Chakrasena should have immediately handed it over to his dharam sabha, and just been a witness. Of course, the fact that they were more interested in their bribes than in justice was disgraceful in itself - maybe they ought to be sent to the Life OK program 'Sach ki saamna - bhrashtachar ki khilaf' 🤣 They didn't show whether those 2 were finally cured and wiser for the experience - they should have shown that as well. But yeah, aside from all that, what Chakrasena did to his priest, after forcing him to drive a chariot that he had no experience in driving, and then blaming him for the consequences, was disgraceful in itself.
Rest of it - Arghya Baba manipulating the king so that Chakrasena was found guilty - only to be expected. But after Chakrasena was released, it didn't make sense to make him walk all the way back to his kingdom - while he did get the required pain, it just increased the risk to the purohit. Arghya Baba/Shani should have provided him a chariot, or at least a horse. The other things that didn't make sense is that in those times, Brahmans, even if they were killed, were certainly not killed by a firing squad in that manner - that's more likely how a kshatriya would have been slain. The other strange thing was that once the order to fire was given, how come only one arrow flew off? Chakrasena should have been like a Bheeshma like pin-cushion following that order.
Anyway, the widow of the pilgrim seemed more generous than Maithili a few weeks ago, maybe b'cos she saw Chakrasena on the verge of death. Had Maithili been allowed to witness the flogging of Devdhar, she too would have been more easily @ peace, instead of having to be emotionally blackmailed by Shani.
The final statement that Arghya Baba made to Chakrasena - that everybody has to pay for their sins in this life itself - contradicts a central theme of Hindu belief that often explains why a lot of unjust things happen to seemingly innocent people, while guilty people go scot free. Under the theory of punishing people for sins committed previously, there is @ least a sense of ultimate justice, but under the concept that everything is done in this birth itself, that sounds more fair & just, but leaves a lot more unexplained in the bigger picture.
Anyway, glad to see a good Shani episode after so many weeks 👏
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