In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important accord of Sage Vyaasa wherein he gives a brief on how Yudishtra obtained his name. Since he was an epitome of Dharma and the son of Yama-Dharma-Raja himself, Yudishtra is often referred to as “Dharma-Putra”. Also since he was stubborn with his decisions and since he would never back out on what has been taken oath upon, he obtained the name as “Yudishtra”. Here, “Sthiraha” means “standing firm on something”. Once the decision of going on an all-out war against the Kauravas was taken, Yudishtra was firm on to it without backing away at the last moment. Because of this, he is referred to as “Yudishtra”. Whereas, all of us know how Arjuna tried to back away and run away from the battlefield at Kurukshetra and how Bhagawan Krishna had to narrate around 700 slokas to bring him back! Thus, Yudishtra, as we’ve witnessed, is the eldest of the Paandava brothers. We’ve seen an accord about Karna and how he was born to Kunthi Devi, but that was before her marriage with King Paandu. Hence, Karna wouldn’t fall under the Paandava category, although he was Kunthi Devi’s son.
Next in the list is Bheemasena – The second of the Paandava brothers. Sage Vyaasa now explains who this person is. Bheemasena is an epitome of the quality called “Drithihi”. This means, being steadfast in whatever we’re doing. Once we take up a task, we should strive till the end to finish it off successfully. We shouldn’t back away from anything in the middle. This is very important in modern-day management too, wherein we refer to this quality as “perseverance”. If we’ve taken up an important job, just because it might seem to be difficult, we shouldn’t leave it half done and run away. We should ensure that the job is completed so that all stakeholders are benefitted, isn’t it? This is exactly what Bheemasena illustrates. Thus, if Bheemasena decides to fight against someone, he would make sure that he does that and kills him. During the phase wherein the gambling happens, Bheemasena takes a pledge that he would kill Duchaasana (Duryodhana’s brother) in the battlefield and drink his blood there itself, isn’t it? We’re going to witness all of this when we enter into the “Sabhaa Parva”. Subsequently during the Kurukshetra war, Bheemasena made sure that he fulfilled the pledge that he made in King Dhirdiraashtra’s courtroom! This is where perseverance comes. Bheemasena waited and waited and finally when the opportunity presented itself in front of him, he grabbed it with full force and did the needful. Thus, Bheemasena is an epitome of the important quality called “Drithihi”.
Moving on thus to the third person in the list – Arjuna. Sage Vyaasa explains an important quality through Arjuna, which is nothing but “Vikramaha”. “Vikramaha” means fearlessness. No matter who is the enemy and what is his strength / weakness, Arjuna had the guts to get inside the enemy’s territory, fight them out and neutralize them, isn’t it? Also, Arjuna is an epitome of “precision” and “concentration”. We’re going to witness in the detailed text as to how Arjuna stood for these qualities. Finally for Nakula and Sahadeva – Nakula was known for the way in which he did service to his Guru. Nakula illustrated to the world how one should behave and conduct himself in front of a spiritual master. Sahadeva was known for his patience. No matter what the situation might be, one should keep himself calm and composed, isn’t it? Sahadeva stood as an epitome of this character.
Thus, today we’ve witnessed the reasons behind each of the Paandava brothers obtaining their respective names. So let us understand this clearly as we move on further with Sage Vyaasa’s introductory accord further in tomorrow’s episode! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 