“The Unsung Hero” from the Mahabharata - BARBARIKA

 

Barbarika, a furious warrior who could have ended the great war of Mahabharata in just a minute. Surprised? I know you must be thinking how? Who was he? Well, let’s know.

Barbarik was the son of Ghatotkach and the grandson of Bheem. Having learnt the art of warfare from his mother, Maurvi, he was a brave warrior even in his childhood.

THE “BEARER OF THREE ARROWS”

Pleased with Barbarika’s penance, Lord Shiva granted him three meticulous arrows as a boon. Hence, he was honored as “Bearer of three arrows.” Later, Agni Dev (The God of fire) gave him a bow which was capable to mark his victory in the three Worlds.

 3 powerful arrows:

1. The first arrow would mark his enemy with red ink
2. The second arrow would mark the things that he wanted to save
3. The third arrow would destroy enemy target marked with red ink in the first step or destroy everything not marked in step 2

 

THE MAHABHARAT WAR

Before the Mahabharat war began, Lord Krishna asked all the warriors how many days it would take them to finish the war alone. Bhisma replied it would take him 20 days. Dronacharya said he would take 25 days. Karna said it would take him 24 days and Arjuna said it would take him 28 days. But Barbarik astonished Krishna with his answer. He said it would take him 1 minute to win the battle by himself.

THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN KRISHNA AND BARBARIKA 

Once, while Barbarika was riding his blue horse, a Krishna came in the way. Krishna asked Barbarika who he was? “I am the son of Ghatotkacha and Maurvi (Ahilyavati) and the grandson of Bhima and Hidimba and I am the most powerful warrior in the world,” answered Barbarika.

Krishna then asked him in how many days he can end the Mahabharata war alone? Barbarika proudly answered that he is skilled to finish the war in a single minute. With the sound of disbelief, Krishna asked him how can he end the war with just three arrows?

·       “With the first arrow, I can mark everything I want to destroy. When I release the third arrow, everything that is marked will be destroyed and the arrow will return to the quiver.

·       The second arrow can mark everything that I wish to save. Now again when I fire the third arrow, everything that isn’t marked will be destroyed.” replied Barbarika.

In a challenging manner, the Krishna asked Barbarika to destroy all the leaves of the peepal tree below which they were standing. Barbarika, before releasing the arrow closed his eyes. In meanwhile, Krishna plucked a leaf from the tree and hid it beneath his foot. When Barbarika released his arrow, it destroyed all the leaves and pierced Krishna’s foot to mark the leaf that was hidden under his foot.

Krishna then asked Barbarik from whom side will he participate in the war? Without any thought, Barbarika answered, “I have promised my Mother that I will support the weak side. As the Pandavas have only seven Akshauhini armies compared to the eleven of the Kauravas, I will fight for the Pandavas.”

PARADOX OF BARBARIK’S IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE

Krishna then asked Barbarik about the side he was planning to fight for in the war of Mahabharat. Babrbarik expressed his desire to fight for the Pandavas as they were the weaker side. (as promised to his guru).
But Krishna then revealed the paradox of Barbarik’s impossible promise: since the power of the 3 arrows made him the most powerful warrior on the battlefield, whichever side he joined would make the other side weaker. Eventually, he would end up switching sides infinitely until he destroyed everyone but himself. So to avoid this consequence, Krishna asked for Barbarik’s head

But Barbarik expressed his desire to witness the epic battle of Mahabharat. Krishna promised him that even after his head was severed from his body, his head would be in a conscious state and that it would be placed on a hill overlooking the battlefield, so that he could witness the whole war.

Barbarik, being a true warrior and disciple of Lord Krishna, readily agreed and severed his own head. Bheem then took the head of the greatest Kshatriya and placed it on the top of a hill as promised.

BARBARIK’S CONCLUSION

At the end of the war, the Pandavas argued amongst themselves as to who was responsible for their victory. Krishna suggested that Barbarik should be allowed to make that decision as he was a neutral witness to the whole war. To this Barbarik concluded that it was Krishna alone who was responsible for the Pandava’s victory: his advice, presence of mind and game-plan were the most crucial.

BARBARIKA AS KHATU SHYAM JI IN KALIYUG

Obliged by the sacrifice of Barbarika, Krishna grants him a boon. “You will be wholeheartedly worshipped by the name of Shyam in my form when Kaliyug arrives. The devotees who will seek your blessing would be granted their wishes.”

As a result of Krishna’s boon, We now worship Barbarika in the form of Khatu Shyamji. The famous temple named Khatu Shyamji is located in the Sikar district of Rajasthan. There is a Shyam pond at a little distance from the temple where the head of Shri Shyamji had appeared. Many devotees believe that by bathing in that pond, the diseases of the body are cured.

 

Why Lord Shiva is Under the Feet of Kaali Devi ?

    

        Goddess Kali is regarded as the most fierce and destructive form of Shakti. She has a dark complexion, red eyes and has four arms. In one of Her hands She carries a sword (khadaga) and in another hand She carries the decapitated head of a demon. The other two hands are in the position of blessing Her devotees. She also wears a garland of heads of the demons She has killed which makes this form of the Goddess even more fearful and divine. Apart from all Her fierce looks, You will also see that the tongue of the Goddess is always out. The most important part is that the Goddess is shown as stepping over the chest of Lord Shiva, who is Her husband. This episode of Goddess Kali stepping over Lord Shiva has an interesting story behind it. So, would you like to know why Kali stepped on Shiva's chest? 

        There was once a very powerful demon known as Rakta Beej who had acquired a boon that he could duplicate himself as soon as his drop of blood touched the Earth. Due to this boon, the Gods were unable to bring the notorious demon under control. Hence, Shakti in the form of Goddess Durga was summoned to kill the demon. Armed with all the weapons, the Goddess charged at the demon. But as soon as She wounded him with Her sword and his blood fell on Earth, the demon kept on multiplying. Huge armies of Rakta Beej were formed by the puddles of blood which fell on Earth. Enraged by this, the Devi took the fierce form of Kali. Then She went on to destroy the demon with sword in Her hand. She would slay each demon and drink his blood immediately. Soon She finished the whole army of Rakta Beej and only the real Rakta Beej was left. Then She slay him and drank all his blood till he fell down lifeless. It is said that the Goddess became mad with blood lust after this incident. She started dancing the dance of destruction and forgot that She had already killed the demon. She kept on slaying the innocent after that. 

        Seeing this, the Gods became extremely worried and approached Lord Shiva for help. Only Shiva had the power to stop Kali at this stage. So, Lord Shiva went and lay down among the corpses where the Goddess was dancing. Accidentally, Kali stepped on Shiva and soon She realised Her mistake. It is then Her tongue immediately came out of embarrassment and She calmed down. She was ashamed that Her blood lust had prevented Her from recognizing Her own husband. Thus, She came back to Her original form and the destruction was stopped. Shiva lying at Kali's feet also symbolises the supremacy of Nature over man. It clearly shows that without Kali or Shakti even a powerful force like Lord Shiva is inert. Hence, Kali is shown as stepping on Shiva's chest.

Happy Navratri !

Amazing Facts About Ganesh Deva

 In Hinduism we mostly preach the feelings attached with science and behind it. When we bow down down to Ganesha, we don't bow down to work of art but we bow down to a divine figure which has some significance and meaning for our motivation in life and spirituality explains it as source of energy . This picture above explains the same with mentioning how the most beloved God of Hindu has so much meaning to its figure.

Big Head (Think Big): Think big means only create pure and positive thoughts and do whatever you want to do. If you create positive thought, the first thing you will get is happiness. Then you can bring these thoughts into action and can create the new world around you.

Small eyes (Concentrate): Eyes are our sense organ and work to take the information from outside. The concentration here means, from every situation which occurred around you, only absorb positive from that situation. When you absorb positive, your mind stay free from tension, stress, anxiety and it stay calm. So that you can take right decision in any situation happening around you.

Large ears (Listen more): Ears also takes the information from outside, we can take that information as raw material and can create the positive one by our own intellect. Whenever you are in a conversation or in any situation, first try to listen to others. Then take everything as a detached observer and then respond.

Axe (To cut off all bond of attachment) : Cut the rope of appreciation you wants from others to make you feel happy. You are attached to your objects and the appreciation which you got from the other person, cut all these attachment and be a detached observer.

Rope (To pull you nearer to the highest goal): To reach the highest goal, first you have to set small goals. These small goals may be as small as possible to make you perfect in every situation. These small goals can work like a rope and by climbing that rope you can reach your highest goal.

Small mouth (Talk less): If you talk less, you are always aware what is going in your mind, what to speak and what to not. Say less but it should be so powerful and meaningful that it can create the change in someone mind.

Trunk (High efficiency and adaptability): Denotes what kind of strength a person should have. It is powerful as well as adaptable. In the tough situation, by using this strength a person can handle the thing softly and also to protect himself it can be used as a punching and thrusting weapon.

Mouse : The mouse is a shamanic symbol of wisdom, scrutiny, discovery and organization. Ganesha uses the mouse as his vehicle, means, on riding these qualities you can have everything you want.

Prasada (what you get in return): The whole world under your feet doesn't mean that you can dominate every people it means you can dominate your negative qualities and you will be able to do what you want to do in this life.

Amazing facts of GANESHA

• There are 250 temples of Ganesha in Japan.
• In Japan, Ganesha is known as 'Kangiten', the God of fortune and the harbinger of happiness, prosperity and good.
• An Oxford publication claims that Ganesha was worshipped in the early days in Central Asia and other parts of the globe.
• Ganesha statues have been found in Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Japan, Indonesia, Brunei, Bulgaria, Mexico and other Latin American countries.
• It means the cult of Ganesha was prevalent all over the world in ancient times.
• Ganesha in Europe, Canada and the USA.
• Ganesha's idol and paintings are exhibited in all the important museums and art galleries of all the European countries especially in the UK, Germany, France and Switzerland.
• Ganesha idols and paintings(as goodluck charm) are also present in thousands of houses/offices of successful business/ writers/artists in all the European countries and in Canada and the USA. Recently a figure of Ganesha was unearthed in a village near Sofia, Bulgaria. Like Indians, the Romans worshipped Ganesha before any work was begun.
• Irish believe in Ganesha luck.
• The embassy of Ireland at New Delhi became the first European embassy to invoke the blessings of Ganesha by installing a statue of Ganesha at the main entrance of the embassy.
• Silicon Valley in USA selects Ganesha as the presiding Deity of cyberspace technology
• “Ganesha is the God of knowledge and Ganesha's vehicle is the mouse and, as you know, for software engineers the mouse is the vehicle that they use to take their ideas and innovations from one place to the other.”
• Hence it was decided by the computer industry association to select Ganesha as the presiding Deity of Silicon Valley.
• Ganesha on Greek coin.
• Early images of an elephant headed Deity, including those on an Indo-Greek coin and elsewhere, dating between the first and third centuries BC, represent Ganesha as the demi God Vinayaka.
• Indonesia Currency notes.
• One of the Indonesian currency notes carries the picture of Ganesha.
• Vedic origin of Ganesha.
• 10,000 yr old secret of success.
• Devotees of Ganesha make reference to his Vedic origin which is around 10,000 years old to push his antecedents back in time.
• The Vedas have invoked him as 'namo Ganebhyo Ganapati' (Yajurveda, 16/25), or remover of obstacles, Ganapati, we salute you.
• The Mahabharata has elaborated on his personal appearance and Upanishads on his immense power. “Scholars say artifacts from excavations in Luristan and Harappa and an old Indo-Greek coin from Hermaeus, present images that remarkably resemble Ganesha”. (“Robert Brown in his Book “Ganesha: Studies of an Asian God”. State University of New York, Albany).

These 10 facts are the best way to say welcome to ‘Ganpati Bappa’ this year:

1. Why do we say Ganpati Bappa Morya?
It is because Morya Gosavi, who lived in the 14th century in Chinchwad, Maharashtra was one of the greatest devotees of Lord Ganesha. It depicts the spiritual bond between God and devotees.

2. How did Lord Ganesha get the head of an elephant?
After Lord Shiva severed Ganesha’s head who was standing guard while Goddess Parvati was bathing and refused to allow Shiva to enter the house, Parvati wanted Ganesha to be brought back to life. The head of the first creature (elephant) who Brahma encountered was brought back & placed on Ganesha’s body.

3. What does ‘Ganesha’ & ‘Ganpati’ mean?
Ganesha and Ganpati both are Sanskrit words comprising of two words. Gana means a group while isha and pati mean lord, ruler and master.

4. According to Shiva Maha Purana, Lord Ganesha’s body is green and red!

5. In Tamil Language, Ganpati is fondly known as Pillai or Pillaiyar. In Burmese, as Maha Peinne. In Thai, as Phra Phikanet. And in Sri Lanka as Gana Deviyo.

6. The Mahabharata is written by Lord Ganesha, as Sage Ved Vyasa narrated it.

7. Lord Ganesha had two wives, Riddhi and Siddhi and two sons, Shubh and Labh, according to Shiva Maha Purana.

8. Once, Parshuram came to visit Lord Shiva but Ganesha stopped him from entering as Shiva was meditating. Angered, Parshuram struck Ganesha with his Pharasaa (an axe) which was given to him by Shiva. Ganesha took the blow on his one tusk in respect of his father’s weapon. Thus, Lord Ganesha is known as Ekdanta.

9. There are 108 names of Lord Ganesha such as, Vignaharta, Vakratunda, Pitambara, Lambodara, Mangal Murti and many more. He is knonw to haave eight incarnations – Vakratunda, Ekdanta, Mahodara, Gajavaktra, Lambodara, Vikata, Vighnaraja and Dhumravarna according to Mudgala, Purana.
 
10. While Mooshak, the mouse is Ganesha’s vahan in 5 out of 8 incarnations, Lord Ganesha, in the other 3, is also seen with a lion as Vakratunda, with a peacock as Vikata, and with Shesha, the divine serpent as Vighnaraja. 

Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh Deva, Mata Jaaki Parvati Pita Mahadeva. A very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.

Thanks For Reading

The False Propaganda !

Followed by some, distorted by a few, misconceived and benefited by many by …

What is Hinduism, after all? 

While explaining what it is would take an encyclopedia’s length, I’m here today to tell you what it is not. Many of us and false benefit makers have misinterpreted the religion due to many cultural and linguistic barriers, but I’m here to break those stereotypes. You may be shocked but you will definitely learn, even if you are Hindu. 

Ready? Let’s start.

BY THE NUMBERS, HINDUISM IS THE THIRD LARGEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD WITH MORE THAN 1 BILLION FOLLOWERS

According to latest statistics, there are nearly one billion people that believe in Hindu religion. The number of worshipers of Hinduism will cross 1 billion any time now. At the moment, 14% of world’s population is Hindu worshipers.

And despite the large number, there are still many misconceptions about one of the largest religions in the world. By the numbers, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. By age, Hinduism is regarded as one of the oldest, if not the oldest religion. The belief is that Hinduism “consists of thousands of different religious groups that have evolved since 1500 BC in India”. The most notable feature of Hinduism is freedom of belief and practice, all because of the variety of traditions.

Most of the followers are in India, where Hinduism is the dominant religion. Aside from India, Hinduism is common in Nepal and Sri Lanka (among Tamils). After Christianity and Islam, Hinduism is the largest religion.

NOT ALL HINDU PEOPLE ARE VEGETARIANS

One of the biggest misconceptions is that all people that follow Hinduism are actually vegetarians. The reality is that Hindu people practice vegetarianism, but that is exclusive or obligatory. The reason for popularity of vegetarianism among Hindu people is because they believe “animals are sentient beings”. Because of this, Hindu people refuse to eat meat.

However, statistics show that only 30% to 35% followers actually practice vegetarianism. Others treat themselves with occasional meat. What is true though, is that the minority of Hindu vegetarians actually makes the majority of worldwide vegetarians. According to stats, more than 300 million people in the world are vegetarians, and large number of those are Hindu followers.

One of the principles worth mentioning is “spiritual belief of ahimsa”. This principle preaches for nonviolence against all living things. Negative karma follows after slaughtering and consumption of meat products, but not all Hindu people follow this rule.

Humans are not carnivores, nor are they herbivores. Their physiology and instincts place them 100% firmly in the category of omnivores. So everyone's blood is with the essence of meat !

 And thus, you can eat what ever you want !!!

HINDU PEOPLE DO NOT WORSHIP IDOLS 

Let’s group this misconception together, as people like to joke about Hindus that they are idol and cow worshipers. Let’s start with worshiping of idols. You’ll never hear a Hindu say that he/she is worshiping an idol. According to their belief, idols are “physical representation of God”. The idols worshiped by Hindus are different, and chosen because of their representation. For example, when starting a new business, Hindus worship Ganesh, who is the elephant god representing success. The irony is that even Western people buy elephant figurines for success.

And remember that the actual Hinduism follows a fact that God is Every where !!!

HINDUISM IS NOT AN ORGANIZED RELIGION

Let’s clarify first what an organized religion actually is. Organized religions have one particular leader of the faith. For Muslims, that is Allah, a singular representation of God. Christians believe in the Holy Trinity of God, which is God the father, Jesus Christ his son, and the Holy Spirit. Buddhism has Buddha. Hindu people have no particular leader of the faith, meaning that their religion is not organized.

Hinduism has never been powered by any sort of empire. Hinduism was never organized, and never in the history of the religion, has it spread through political influence or religious teachings. Hinduism has evolved into a list of teachings. There is no founder, no specific origin date, and no leader of the faith.

And that's why the religion went into many hands, and many people made rules so as to benefit themselves !!!

HINDUISM DO NOT ACTUALLY SUPPORT CASTE SYSTEM

Long ago, back when society was divided into upper and lower classes (aristocrats and slavery), a group of upper-class priests and rich people in India decided to create a new social hierarchy system. The system was called the caste system, and it is one that still holds ground today. The tragic is that the caste system has been associated with Hinduism, not the culture. Caste system was a cultural brainchild, never a religious rule. The discrimination that comes from caste is rooted in the culture of India.

Modern Hindus argue that caste-based discrimination should not be religiously sanctioned. According to them, the discrimination is not intrinsic to Hinduism.

Ask yourself this question -

God is responsible for every birth and death - and if god really wanted the so called untouchables to be untouched , why he will allow their birth ?

In my opinion the caste system was created or caused for  and by some groups to be benefited out of it. It doesn't have any religious background !!!

And  let us now discuss who is "GOD"?

Theists (believers) argue that God must exist because we exist. Somebody must have made this elaborate universe. Scientific believers (who claim to have proved the existence of God using scientific enquiry) argue that the universe could have come into being only in a very specific situation. Think from the cosmological perspective of the Big Bang etc. There is a specific set of values of universal constants in Physics due to which it was possible for galaxies to form, stars to exist, planets to revolve, life to appear and ultimately for you to read this answer today. Someone must have tuned these for us to exist.

Atheists counter by saying if everything that exists requires a creator then who created God? As per them there are far too many Gods across the world and either all are imaginary or all are true. But they all can't be true because they contradict each other each claiming to be the One True God. Hence all are imaginary. The onus to prove that God exists should fall on the able shoulders of theists because atheists can not prove a negative.

For a break let me ask you some questions,

When did time begin?

Did we invent Math of did we discover it?

Where does your thoughts go when its forgotten?

LOL ! I know you are in confusion now. Let us continue......

• To understand God you need to understand religion or more precisely the origin of religion. From time to time in our human civilization there have been great leaders who for the sake of good order have given their people a code of how human beings should live. 

• Imagine yourself living in a lawless land overcome with anarchy and misery. No respect for the law, wars and rapes and all sorts of nefarious activities abound. You want to change it all. So you make some rules for the people to follow. 

• Simple common-sensical stuff like “Don't be evil, be good” etc. So you want everyone to obey your laws. You go to the people and tell them to obey and they tell you to put your laws where the sun don't shine. 

• So you can try to become a tyrant and then make people obey you. Easier said than done. Even if you could, it's an extremely temporary solution - what after you die? 

• People need fear of someone to keep them on the righteous path because the righteous path is most of the times the most difficult one. Parents do it all the time with kids “Go to sleep little one or the Boogeyman will come and getcha”. 

Lord Krishna didn't give a citation for Geeta !!!

Learn the good and leave the bad ....

To me God’s existence is self-evident 

If you need his Personal Form , Do good to People and see GOD

If you need him Formless, Do love People to see GOD

Thanks For Reading

By

Vamsi Krishna Mutyala

vamsim88@gmail.com

Why did Krishna choose Arjuna instead of any other Pandava to teach Bhagavad Gita at the war front?

In my previous blog we had discussed Why did Krishna choose Arjuna instead of Karna,Drona or Bhishma ?

As Someone asked me  But why Arjuna alone gets this privilege among the Pandavas?
And here is the answer.......

Nakula and Sahadeva were less significant characters amidst the Pandavas. They were not shown to be too aggressive nor too inquisitive; they were rather duty minded and content to do whatever Yudhishtra ordained them to do. So, we can say, Krishna perhaps discounted them.

Now, we are left with Yudhishtira, Arjuna and Bhima.

As regards Yudhshitira, we was already a knower of dharma. He was basically satvic, knew pretty well about what is dharma and adharma and he was spiritually quite evolved. He does not really need a sermon.

As regards Bhima, he was thirsting for the war. He was just waiting for the time to plunge headlong into the war. Animal impetuosity was still dominant in him. Such a man was not not fit for receiving the teaching of or practicing any form of yoga.

But Arjuna’s personality stood somewhat in between these two characters. He was more evolved from animal tendencies but not to the level of knowing the higher realms of spirituality and dharma. He is like a normal man where both virtue and vice are intermingled, who has nagging doubts about what is right or dharma and what is wrong or adharma. Thus Arjuna represented the normal man who is fit for receiving the evolved subject of the Yoga for his spiritual betterment.

An Avatara Purusha, is interested in the welfare of all, but they would rather exchange pleasantries with you and take care of your needs when your purpose of going to them is just for mundane existential needs. Only when someone genuinely surrenders and seeks sincere guidance and advice from them on the matters of dharma, God or spirituality, they would opt to teach them by donning the role of a guru.

All along, Arjuna had more of a friendly relationship with Krishna; but when he saw the potential destruction the impending war was going to cause by way of annihilating his own blood relations and teachers, he got scared and jittery. It was at that point that he surrendered with humility to Krishna as his guru and sought his guidance. None of the other pandavas were in such a mental turmoil or confusion as Arjuna was. That’s how Krishna took up His Guru bhava to teach Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita.

Compiled By
Vamsi Krishna Mutyala
vamsim88@gmail.com

Why did Krishna choose Arjuna instead of Karna,Drona or Bhishma?

    The Mahabharata is one of the greatest literature’s in the world. No other work brings out the complexity of human problems in such a profound and entertaining way. It shows us the application of philosophy when it comes to deciding between the right and wrong in such cases where the answer is not straightforward.

    Four of the most striking characters in the Mahabharata are Arjuna,Karna,Drona and Bhishma  . These men were perhaps the four greatest warriors of the era and were also well learned and had firm principles by which they lived.

    They lived their life by different values and their lives came to very different ends. The Mahabharata shows that all four men were great in their own way, but three of them failed in doing what is truly right and therefore came to futile ends, their lives not serving the greater good.

    Out of the four characters, Arjuna is the character who stands out as the hero who future generations of Hindus admire the most. The other three are remembered as tragic heroes. Their names are not associated with the same awe and respect as that of Arjuna. They all met sad deaths on the battlefield, fighting on the side of evil despite knowing in their hearts that they were doing wrong

    There is a fundamental difference in the outlook and character of these four great men that was responsible for their different outcomes.

Karna

    Karna was a great warrior, in many ways greater than Arjuna. They may have been equal as archers, but physically, Karna was by far the stronger of the two. And even in sticking to one’s principles, Karna appeared more steadfast compared with Arjuna. But in Karna’s life there was one fatal flaw. He made his friendship and loyalty to Duryodhan higher than anything else, even higher than right and wrong, and even higher than God. While loyalty is a great value in such cases when it overrides a sense of dharma and even the direct calling of the Divine in the form of Shri Krishna, such loyalty leads one to a tragic end.

    Karna used all his strength to serve his friend Duryodhan, without even one selfish thought for himself. However, his loyalty was so blind that he would even follow his friend when he was doing something totally wrong, selfish and harmful to others. This shows that loyalty to another person can lead even a great man to a tragic end. Dharma, and the call of God, must always be greater than loyalty to another. Karna knew what he was doing was wrong and paid the price for it.

    Karna put loyalty to Duryodhan as his highest loyalty. His tragic story warns us to choose loyalties wisely. Only Krishna deserves such unflinching loyalty.

Bhishma

    Bhishma was another person who never performed a selfish action in his whole life. He was mighty, learned and respected. But he too ended up fighting on the side of adharma, and came to a tragic end. He was actually an impediment to the establishment of a righteous kingdom. Why? Because he put his personal oath on a pedestal and made it the focus and obsession of his life.

   That oath was that he would unquestioningly follow and do the bidding of whoever was the king of Hastinapur (Delhi). This vow, he would never break as long as he lived, even when it involved fighting his own beloved nephews who he knew had done nothing wrong.

    Sticking to a vow is important, especially today when people make promises and break them the very next day (or even the very next second). But the Mahabharata demonstrates that if your attachment to a personal vow stops you from doing what is blatantly right, and ends up making you serve evil, such a vow should be discarded and set aside.

    Bhishma put his personal vow above anything else, even when that vow became an instrument of evil. He disregarded Krishna’s advice, which was that to drop the vow for the greater good.

Drona

    Drona was an employee of the king of Hastinapur, who happened to be Dhitirashtra, the father of Duryodhana. He was employed to teach all the princes of that kingdom in the art of warfare and statecraft, and was considered the very greatest teacher of the era. For his services, he was remunerated handsomely. Before he got this job, he was very poor and therefore was very grateful to the King for employing him.

    When Duryodhan was doing wrong, Drona was fully aware of it. On some occasions he even tried to stop Duryodhan, at which Duryodhan would say: “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.”

    When the battle finally dawned, Drona fought on Duryodhan’s behalf and was eventually slain in a scheme engineered by Krishna. Drona, despite being an outstanding warrior, and well versed in morality, put his loyalty towards his employer before the more important and fundamental question of dharma. Despite knowing better, he never quite had the guts to just leave and tell the king – “Enough is enough, what you are doing is wrong, I will not support you anymore.” He was too afraid of being called ungrateful.

    Drona put his loyalty towards his employer above the bidding of Shri Krishna who tried to tell Drona not to keep supporting the side of evil just because of his loyalty to his employer.

Arjuna

    Arjuna was a great man. Yet he had weaknesses that were actually absent in Karna, Bhishma and Drona. He was in some ways foolhardy, saying and doing several stupid things that could have landed his brothers and himself in serious trouble.

    For example, at one point, Arjuna had made a vow that he would take the life of anybody who insulted his ‘Gandiva bow’, which he was exceedingly proud of. During the Mahabharata war, it happened to be Arjuna’s eldest brother and leader, Yuddhistir, who dealt the fatal insult.

    Arjuna drew his sword and was about to kill his own brother, and was restrained only by Krishna’s presence. Instead of killing Yuddhistir, Arjuna instead insulted him in public. But then, Arjuna felt bad for insulting such a virtuous person as Yuddhistir, and said that he would commit suicide as there was no point even being alive after doing something so vile as insulting his own brother in public! Once again, it was only Krishna’s presence which restrained Arjuna. Krishna eventually talked Arjuna out of suicide, but Arjuna was sad that he had not kept his own word,and felt very bad. Krishna gave Arjuna a loophole. According to dharma, praising yourself in public is a sin that is as bad as one’s own death. So Krishna said to Arjuna that just praise yourself in public, and your vow will be fulfilled. And thus were the lives of both Arjuna and Yuddhistir saved.

    Yet despite this foolhardy streak in his character, Arjuna is the one who is etched upon the heart of humanity as the ideal to which to aspire.

    This story illustrates that while Arjuna was far from perfect, he had one over riding quality which sets him above and apart from the others. To Arjuna, it was Krishna’s words that were absolute.

    He would follow Krishna’s words even at the expense of other principles or promises that he held dear. Therefore he had the grace and favour of Krishna’s guidance throughout his life.

    Therefore, Arjuna’s fate was to be the hero of the era, and the instrument of God in being the restorer of dharma to society, rather than a tragic figure who ended up wasting their huge life potential in fighting on behalf of a fake cause. Arjuna put Krishna as his highest guide and ideal, and despite his faults, stands out as the most successful and glorious of the four.

Conclusion

    The comparison between Karna, Drona, Bhishma and Arjuna shows us that while we can admire a person’s loyalty to a friend, loyalty to their employer and dedication to their principles or promises, all of these things must never be allowed to become an obstacle in doing what is truly for the benefit of the greater good. Krishna, the divine guide, will always shower his grace on people who will put Him first, and thus we remember Arjuna as the true hero above any of his contemporaries.

Compiled By

Vamsi Krishna Mutyala

vamsim88@gmail.com