Episode # 1164 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – Arjuna collapses on his chariot as Karna attacks him relentlessly!!! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna slamming Karna left and right for his relative double-stance on “Dharma”. When Karna laments about “Dharma” not protecting him at a crucial time even though he had been a staunch follower of “Dharma”, Bhagawan Krishna has other thoughts – He lists down Karna’s deviance from the path of “Dharma” one after the other, right from Abhimanyu’s saga till what happened at Vaaranaavaram where Duryodhana and Co. tried to burn the Paandavas to death inside the “Laaksha Griham”. At every stage of “Adharma” happening, Karna has been on Duryodhana’s side, aiding him in all his “Adharmic” activities. However, only when he is in a spot of danger to his life, Karna is now talking about “Dharma”. Bhagawan Krishna asks Karna as to why he didn’t talk about all these “Dharma” aspects then. So when it comes to his life, Karna would take the side of “Dharma” and talk about it, whereas when it comes to other situations wherein others are suffering, “Dharma” would never be spoken about! Thus, Bhagawan Krishna exposes Karna’s double standards and continues further with a very important point, which we’re going to witness today! 

Bhagawan Krishna continues thus, “Oh Karna! This has sadly become the habit in the entire world today – People who does not have the “Shaastra-Gnyaanam” (Knowledge about the “Shaastras”) try to take credit for themselves, when they are extremely happy and when they are winning. However, when they are in danger and when they have a threat looming large around them, they simply put the blame on Bhagawan and “Dharma”, and try to escape! Oh Karna! How unfair this can be? I’ll be happy if people would take a single stance for both positive and negative outcomes – For instance, if a positive outcome results, let people take credit. I do not have a problem with that. However, when there is a negative outcome, people should take it upon themselves and rectify what went wrong with them, isn’t it? How can you squarely put the blame on Bhagawan or “Dharma” when it comes to negative outcomes only, and not when things are going well?” 

This is a very important concept in today’s management and psychology subjects too, wherein we call this as “Attribution errors” of human beings. So what Bhagawan Krishna is pointing out here is nothing but “Self-serving bias” under the “Attribution Errors” that humans make – If for instance, we score high marks in the exam, we attribute this positive result to our own hard work and dedication towards studies (Internal factors). However, if we fail in the exam, we tend to put the blame on several other factors like Bhagawan not helping us on the day of the exam, the professor not teaching us properly, etc. (External factors). This is exactly what Karna is doing here – When Karna was having all sorts of happiness around him, he never thought of “Dharma” at any point in time. Whatever success and happiness he experienced (positive outcomes), Karna attributes everything to internal factors. However, when his life is in danger now, Karna squarely puts the blame on “Dharma” and Bhagawan, which are external factors. He doesn’t want to own responsibility for the mess that he is in right now and this is what makes Bhagawan Krishna extremely sad. 

Highlighting all these points thus, Bhagawan Krishna instructs Arjuna – “Oh Arjuna! Please do not mind all these verbal arguments between Karna and myself. You keep attacking Karna with all your arsenal that you have in your possession! It doesn’t matter whether Karna is on the ground or on a chariot. It doesn’t matter whether Karna possesses weapons or not. It doesn’t matter whether Karna is not able to fight against you at this moment! Go ahead and launch a scathing attack on him!” As Bhagawan angrily instructs thus, Arjuna prepares himself to show his mighty prowess with his “Gaandeepa” bow. He launches a scathing onslaught against Karna, who is still not in a mood to relent. Karna equally launches a scathing attack on Arjuna with whatever he had in his possession at that moment. A huge war breaks out between the duo once again and the fight goes on for a long time unabated. Karna is in no mood to give up! He wants to see the end of this war with victory written against his name somehow. Another round of “Asthra-Yuddham” begins between the two, wherein Karna once again comes up with his “Brahma-Asthram” over Arjuna. In return, Arjuna launches the “Aagneya-Asthram” to neutralize the former. With whatever is his remembrance, Karna launches several “Asthrams” back to back, and Arjuna successfully neutralizes all of them with counter “Asthrams”. Looking at how the war is proceeding, all the Devas and Celestial Beings are extremely thrilled! All of them appreciate Karna’s “never-give-up” attitude on the battlefield. Bhagawan Krishna too looks at the war proceedings with awe and respect! At one stage, Karna launches a powerful arrow upon Arjuna, which is equivalent to giving a high-voltage electric shock! Hit by that arrow from Karna, Arjuna collapses on his chariot in an unconscious state! For a few minutes, Arjuna could not come out of this shock that his body was injected with. He has to compose himself and then stand up and continue fighting against Karna. Meanwhile, within these few moments, Karna is trying to once again lift his chariot which is stuck within the ground! 

So for today, let us appreciate this fierce encounter between the remarkable duo and we shall wait till the next episode to witness what is going to happen next! Stay tuned! 🙂

Episode # 1163 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – “I’m happy that atleast now you’re talking about “Dharma”!” – Bhagawan Krishna tells Karna!!! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the fierce battle between Arjuna and Karna, wherein Karna had lost his chariot and his weapons as well. He had forgotten the key “Mantras” of the “Asthrams” that he had learnt from his Guru Parasurama. Moreover, as his chariot gets stuck in the ground, one one hand Karna is trying to pull its wheels with his hands itself, while on the other hand, he is trying to keep himself away from Arjuna’s relentless attack. Meanwhile, Bhagawan Krishna is also motivating Arjuna and pushing him to go for the kill even if Karna is weaponless and is standing on the ground without a chariot. Bhagawan Krishna’s reasoning is very simple – As a “Kshatrya” warrior, Karna should know how to navigate through tough times and come out victorious, rather than brooding over what is not there and what is lost. If he has lost a chariot, he should get into another one and continue fighting. At no place it has been mentioned that the fight with the enemy should stop if the enemy is weaponless and standing on the ground. Hence, Bhagawan Krishna instructs Arjuna to go ahead in attacking Karna even if he’s weaponless! 

Moreover, most importantly Bhagawan Krishna asks Arjuna to take this extreme step because of the fact that Karna’s curses are coming to reality at this crucial moment. At a time when Karna is being deserted by everyone in the battlefield, even though he is the “Senapati”, indicates that fate has taken over! His time of death has come closer, and this is “Deiva-Sankalpam”. If Karna has to die at this point, nobody can stop it from happening. At this point, as Karna once again laments about “Dharma” not coming to his rescue at this critical juncture, Bhagawan Krishna gets angry upon Karna. Now, Karna is talking to Arjuna that he has to wait till the chariot wheel is pulled out. Karna says thus, “Oh Arjuna! You are a disciple of Guru Dhronachaarya! Don’t you know which is “Dharma” and “Adharma” in a battlefield? Is it right on your part to keep attacking me relentlessly when I’m on the ground without any weapons? Is it right on your part to pierce me with your arrows when I’m struggling single-handedly to lift up my chariot once again? You have Bhagawan Krishna beside you! Now I understand one thing clearly – “Dharma” is never going to protect anybody who is going after it! “Dharma” is never going to protect anybody who is striving to protect it! I’ve followed so much of “Dharma” in my life till now, but all of it has gone in vain at a crucial juncture like this!” 

As Karna once again laments for the second time in a row, Bhagawan Krishna angrily replies back to Karna thus, “Oh wow! Look who is talking about “Dharma”! When Abhimanyu was also on the ground sans weapons in hand, all of you teamed up to attack and kill him, didn’t you? Where did “Dharma” go at that time? When Abhimanyu shuddered for help, all of you blocked Yudishtra and Co. to come for his defense. Where did your “Dharma” go at that time? When Drauapti was publicly humiliated and molested during that fateful gambling episode, where did your “Dharma” go? You were one amongst Duryodhana and Co. to verbally abuse Draupati as a “Daasi” (Servant), weren’t you? Where did your “Dharma” go then? When Draupati was being insulted, you were the one who wanted her to come and sit on Duryodhana’s lap. Where did your “Dharma” go then? All of you teamed up and tried to burn the Paandava brothers inside the “Laaksa-Griham” (Wax Palace), didn’t you? Where did your “Dharma” go at that time? Oh Karna! Do you want me to point out more and more such instances where you’ve compromised “Dharma”? So having done all this, why are you lamenting now?” 

Saying these angrily, Bhagawan continues further to answer Karna’s points. He says thus, “Oh Karna! Whatever you’re saying about “Dharma” is totally wrong! Now let me tell you one thing very clearly – It is the same “Dharma” that you are talking about, which is protecting Arjuna. Please understand – “Dharma” is not as opportunistic as you think! Arjuna walked the path of “Dharma” along with his brother Yudishtra and hence they are being protected by it today at a crucial juncture. However, in your case, “Dharma” will not protect you because, it was you who was opportunistic towards it. “Dharma” is common for all and never try to twist and turn it according to your whims and fancies! Oh Karna! I’m happy now that atleast at this juncture you’re realizing and talking about “Dharma”! 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna is going to convey an important message here, which we shall witness in the upcoming episode! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue with what Bhagawan Krishna has to say next! Stay tuned!

Episode # 1162 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – “Attack Karna relentlessly!” – Bhagawan Krishna pushes Arjuna!!!

We’re yet again at a crucial juncture wherein Karna is at the brink of defeat and getting killed. Arjuna is almost at the verge of killing Karna, and the latter is now standing on the ground without a chariot and weapons in hand. Thanks to the curse from his teacher Parasurama, Karna forgets the key “Mantras” of important “Asthrams” with which he could have fought with Arjuna. Now as Karna is standing helplessly, he starts lamenting that “Dharma” is extremely opportunistic – It doesn’t protect people who follow it, but everytime people should keep protecting it. As Karna laments thus, Bhagawan Krishna gives a quick counter that Karna should not talk about “Dharma” at all. He cannot term “Dharma” to be an opportunistic entity and that, he should not twist “Dharma” to his whims and fancies. To substantiate this, Bhagawan Krishna recollects a few past incidents and highlights how Karna ended up acting against “Dharma” at many points in time. As this conversation goes on, Arjuna stops attacking Karna for a moment, which angers Bhagawan Krishna! He shouts at Arjuna by saying that he is showing compassion towards the enemy, rather than showing the necessary aggression to finish him off. Bhagawan Krishna explains that Karna is well within his right to get into another chariot and start fighting again. Even if “Asthrams” aren’t there in Karna’s possession, it doesn’t mean that a “Kshatrya” warrior like Karna would succumb to lack of availability of resources! He should find several other weapons to continue the fight, rather than standing in the middle of the battlefield and lamenting about what he has lost! 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna continues further – “Oh Arjuna! If Karna is not able to mobilize resources at this crucial juncture and if nobody is coming for his aid to lift the chariot and start fighting again, please understand that Karna’s curses are starting to work upon him. Karna’s inability is not because he cannot do things. It is because of Bhagawan’s divine will. Nobody can go against fate and destiny. Hence, Arjuna! Please take the arrow and lock into your “Gaandeepa”. Let it out immediately and this should kill Karna right away! Oh Arjuna! Stop talking about the rules and regulations of “Raaja Dharma”. I’m telling this because Karna is not less than a “Maharati” (A great talented warrior). Moreover, he is the current “Senapati” as well. If a “Senapati” has to be protected, the entire army should come for rescue, isn’t it? But just think why it is not happening here! Just because Karna’s chariot has been destroyed, should he repair it all by himself? Even at this crucial juncture when nobody is coming to Karna’s rescue, please understand the situation clearly – Karna is in this state of affairs not because he is not a “Maharati” – But fate is taking over! The curses that he had accumulated from Parasurama and the Brahmana Rishi for killing a cow are taking their effects! So Arjuna! Please do not keep talking! Take your bow. Take your arrow and kill him!” 

Now after listening to Bhagawan Krishna, Arjuna reluctantly takes his bow in hand, locks a powerful arrow and employs it over Karna. In return, Karna is still not ready to give up. He directs several arrows not only towards Arjuna, but also a few towards Bhagawan Krishna as well! Karna’s frustration knows no bounds now! He is in a state of mind that whoever comes in front of him, he will go for the kill just like that! Thus, Karna doesn’t see the difference between Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna, and employs his arrows upon the latter as well! As Karna does so, Bhagawan Krishna smiles beamingly and receives all the arrows from him. Bhagawan Krishna is internally happy that Karna is showing his prowess to the fullest extent possible and is living up to the expectation, when it comes to doing his duty on the battlefield. 

Now as Arjuna is attacking Karna with more and more arrows, Karna gives a befitting reply standing on the ground itself. However, in the middle of these arrows, Karna is also trying to lift the wheels of the chariot from beneath the ground where they’ve been stuck even while Arjuna is relentlessly attacking Karna with his arrows. At this point, Karna says to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please wait for a while! Let me lift this chariot and we shall then continue the fight after this!” As Karna says thus, Bhagawan Krishna immediately retorts – “Oh Arjuna! Do not listen to Karna’s words. There is nothing in the “Yuddha-Neethi” saying that war has to stop if the enemy is not ready to fight! Go for it! Do not stop your arrows towards Karna!” Thus, the battle continues and Arjuna is relentless in his approach. Meanwhile, Karna is still trying to take the chariot’s wheel out of the hole in which it is stuck. However, the wheels are refusing to come out even after a lot of effort from Karna! On the other hand, Karna is also trying to defend himself from Arjuna’s relentless attack and he is slowly failing in doing so! Arrows get stitched all over Karna’s body and blood starts flowing out. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall take this forward to the next level! Stay tuned! 🙂

Episode # 1161 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – “Dharma is extremely opportunistic!” – Karna laments with tears!!!

We are at a critical juncture on Day Seventeen at Kurukshetra wherein the marquee showdown between Karna and Arjuna is continuing for hours together unabated! Even though Karna faces several setbacks especially with the “Naaga-Asthram” being neutralized, he is in no mood to relent. Karna is giving more than his 100% to the fight and at times, Arjuna is struggling to keep up with his intensity. At one point when Karna is weaponless, Bhagawan Krishna asks Arjuna to destroy Karna’s chariot. Accordingly, Arjuna targets the chariot’s wheels and as a result, Karna’s chariot breaks down instantly. Also, the chariot’s wheels get stuck into a hole on the ground and are unable to move any further. Sensing this, King Shalya knows that Karna has got into a huge trap and at this crucial juncture, leaves Karna behind and walks away! So now, Karna has to defend himself all alone in front of Arjuna. On one hand, he is trying to lift the chariot back to its position, and on the other hand, Arjuna is aggressively calling Karna to fight. At this time, Karna decides that ordinary arrows are not going to kill Arjuna, and the only way to do so is through powerful “Asthrams”. However, Parasurama’s curse is starting to work on Karna at this crucial juncture and Karna forgets the key “Mantras” which are essential for the correct “Prayogam” of the “Asthrams”. 

As all these events unfold rather quickly, Karna realizes thus, “Oh! It seems that my time of death is nearing! As per the curses that I had accumulated, the Brahmana Rishi and Parasurana have said that their curses will come true at a crucial point which would lead to my death! It now looks as if this time has come closer, with Bhagawan Krishna in the forefront as well!” Thinking thus, Karna’s heart breaks and starts shedding tears! This is a very emotional moment in the entire Mahabharata story wherein an epitome of “Dharma” is reduced to this extent. Karna laments loudly thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Till today I’ve worked tirelessly for the protection of “Dharma” at all times. However, look at my pitiable state today! My chariot’s wheels have given up! My charioteer has deserted me! There’s nobody around me to defend and protect me! Is this what “Dharma” is all about? Will “Dharma” forsake its ardent followers? Now let me tell this openly in front of Bhagawan Krishna Himself – “Dharma” is extremely opportunistic! It will never protect anyone who follows it properly! We should only keep protecting it every time! This is the truth of this entire world!” 

As Karna laments with tears in his eyes, Bhagawan Krishna looks at him and asks back thus, “Oh Karna! Till now where did this “Dharma-Chintanam” go? Why didn’t you realize the significance of “Dharma” earlier? You’re thinking about “Dharma” only after your chariot’s wheels have given up, aren’t you? Oh Karna! Just because you are in trouble today, it doesn’t mean that “Dharma” doesn’t protect the entire world! Do not generalize your case to the entire world!” As this conversation is going on between Karna and Bhagawan Krishna, Arjuna stops attacking Karna for a few minutes, even as Karna is still trying to lift the chariot’s wheels from where they are stuck on the ground. Upon seeing Arjuna stopping to attack Karna, Bhagawan Krishna turns His attention towards Arjuna and says thus, “Oh Arjuna! Why did you stop employing your arrows on Karna? If you have an enemy in front of you, it is your duty to not let him escape. You’ve to go for the kill. Why are you stopping in the middle?” 

As Bhagawan Krishna asks thus, Arjuna replies back thus, “Oh Bhagawan! How can I attack someone who is not having his weapons in hand? Moreover, Karna is weeping bitterly and is having an important conversation with you on “Dharma”. I’m just waiting for this conversation to get over, before I start attacking him again!” As Arjuna says thus, Bhagawan Krishna gets slightly angry. He replies thus, “Oh Arjuna! Why are you bothered about what I’m talking with Karna? Your duty is to fight with Karna and kill him. Do your duty without deviating from it. Oh Arjuna! This is the biggest problem with you – Given a chance, you are only interested in running away from your duty! This is an extremely bad attitude that you’re having! Moreover, if a Kshatrya warrior has lost one chariot, he has to get into another chariot immediately and start fighting again! This is “Raaja-Dharma” and “Yuddha-Neethi”. If Karna has lost one chariot, so what? He can always get into a hundred other chariots around, can’t he? If Karna has lost his bow, he can take a hundred other bows and start fighting again, can’t he? If he loses a sword, he should take another sword immediately and continue fighting, isn’t it? This is the characteristic of a “Maharati”! Moreover, Karna is no ordinary person – He’s the “Senapati” (Leader) of the Kaurava army. He should not succumb so easily like this! So Arjuna! If Karna doesn’t realize his duties, why are you bothered? You go for the kill and do your duty properly!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna lets out a bit of anger upon Arjuna and motivates him to go ahead and attack Karna, even though he is helplessly standing on the ground! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall witness what Arjuna is going to do hereafter! Stay tuned! 🙂

Episode # 1160 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – Karna “forgets”  “Mantras” of key “Asthrams”!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Karna losing his last lethal weapon, the “Naaga-Asthram” to Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Leela”. With this, Karna has lost all his important weapons that he possessed for killing Arjuna. Now Bhagawan Krishna orders Arjuna to “go for the kill” against Karna. As Bhagawan orders Arjuna, He does so in a way of meekly criticising Arjuna for his relatively “slow” response towards Karna’s aggression on the battlefield. Bhagwan Krishna makes fun of Arjuna’s “Gaandeepa” saying that it is a waste of effort in holding such a high-profile weapon if it is not being employed properly. Bhagawan Krishna wantedly does this to increase Arjuna’s fury and to boost his ego to go after Karna more aggressively. 

Even though Bhagawan Krishna is scathing in his remarks, Arjuna starts laughing at one point of time. He replies to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Bhagawan! It is you who have been driving me away from Karna all these days and how can you expect me to win over him within just a few hours?” For this, Bhagawan Krishna explains the reason behind His move of driving Arjuna away everytime when Karna comes forward for a fight. Bhagawan explains how He has performed His duty of protecting Arjuna to perfection and now it is Arjuna’s duty to do the rest. Hearing this from Bhagawan Krishna, Arjuna now takes a lethal sharp arrow and aims at Karna’s chariot. The arrow pierces through the chariot’s wheels and with this, Karna’s chariot breaks down then and there! The horses that are driving the chariot fall dead on the ground. Karna rolls on to the ground from the chariot with all his remaining weapons. Now, as Karna is standing up on his feet yet again, he still has the zeal to fight. He aims ten arrows back-to-back towards Arjuna and employs them one after the other. This extremely powerful valor of Karna impresses Bhagawan Krishna to a great extent. As Karna exhibits this “never-give-up” attitude, Arjuna also is getting motivated to fight more intensely. He employs ten equally powerful arrows to neutralize Karna’s! 

Subsequently, Karna is trying to search for a few more “Asthrams” that he can employ to kill Arjuna. As this happens on one hand, Karna knows that he is on the ground currently and he requires his chariot to be on level with Arjuna. Hence, he looks towards King Shalya, his charioteer to help him out in this situation. However, King Shalya is fed up with Karna now. He has not paid heed to even a single word that King Shalya has said and as a result, King Shalya says thus, “Oh Karna! I do not want to be your charioteer anymore! I’m leaving this battlefield with immediate effect! Till now I’ve told you many things, and you’ve just ignored my words every time. If my words are not recognized in the proper manner, what is the point of me staying here?” Saying thus, King Shalya quickly jumps out of the broken chariot and quietly walks away from that place! 

This leaves Karna all alone to defend himself! Nobody is there near him now! Karna is shocked! However, on the other hand, Arjuna is still calling him for another round of intense battle. What does Karna do now? He quickly concludes that normal arrows are not going to be sufficient to neutralize Arjuna. Only “Asthrams” can! Hence, Karna tries to recollect a few “Mantras” for the corresponding “Asthrams”, however, he is just unable to recollect anything! He has forgotten the key “Mantras” for the key “Asthrams” at a critical juncture! This reminds Karna of Sage Parasurama’s curse – To forget key “Asthrams” at a critical point! This pains Karna extremely, as all the curses that he had received earlier are coming true one by one at Kurukshetra! He’s just standing helplessly against a raging Arjuna! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well! Stay tuned!

Episode # 1159 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – “Go for the kill against Karna now!” – Bhagawan Krishna instructs Arjuna!!!

We’re at a very critical juncture wherein the “Naaga-Asthram” from Karna’s powerful bow is making its way swiftly towards Arjuna. Snake Ashwasena coils around the arrow of Karna and fires his poison as he approaches Arjuna. Now Bhagawan Krishna has to act quickly as Arjuna is standing stunned and helpless! He does not have a counter to neutralize the “Naaga-Asthram”. Immediately in a bid to save Arjuna’s life, Bhagawan Krishna stamps His divine lotus feet on the ground with enormous pressure by sitting on the chariot. Unable to bare Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet, the earth’s surface sinks inside by a few inches, and because of this, Arjuna along with his chariot goes a few notches down. Since the “Naaga-Asthram” was aimed for Arjuna’s head, it takes Arjuna’s “Kireetam” and not Arjuna’s head along with it as it wizzes past him. Thus, Arjuna was saved by Bhagawan Krishna, for the n’th time time now during this war at Kurukshetra. We’ve seen several instances where Arjuna and the Paandavas were repeatedly protected by Bhagawan Krishna, and this episode is something unique. 

Now moving on further, as the “Naaga-Asthram” goes waste, Karna is extremely frustrated and sad! Till now he has had two important weapons – One is the “Shakti Aayudham” and the other one is this “Naaga-Asthram”. Karna has been persevering both these lethal weapons to kill Arjuna, but now both have been neutralized. We’ve seen in our earlier episodes that the “Shakti-Aayudham” was neutralized as Ghatodgaja received it instead of Arjuna! Now the “Naaga-Asthram” has also been neutralized, partially because of Karna’s foolishness and ego and mostly because of Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Leela”. As Karna stands stunned on his chariot, Bhagawan Krishna immediately stands from his position on the chariot and instructs Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! Now this is the right time for you to kill Karna! Go for it! Don’t waste any further time! The “Naaga-Asthram” was a huge threat for you and I neutralized it somehow to protect you. This Snake Ashwasena was one of them who escaped when both of us burnt down the “Kaamyaka Vanam”. Now he’s dead and with this, Karna has exhausted all his weapons!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna now starts motivating Arjuna – “Oh Arjuna! It looks as if you’ve forgotten how to wage an intense war! Your speed and invincible nature is slowly getting compromised! Are you feeling tired? Or, are you not wanting to fight and kill Karna? You had earlier pledged in front of me that today you will kill him, but why are you not living up to this pledge? The way in which you’re fighting the war with Karna is just as if you’re playing a friendly match with him! What happened to your significance today? You hold the famed Gaandeepa in your hands and what happened to its significance?” As Bhagawan Krishna asks questions one by one like this, Arjuna gets amused, instead of getting angry! He laughs and replies to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Bhagawan! Till this day, you’ve been the one who constantly drove me away from Karna, and today is the first day wherein I’m facing Karna on the battlefield one to one. It has only been a few hours since both of us are fighting. So how can you say that I did not wage the war properly against him? Oh Bhagawan! Karna has been on the battlefield since Day Eleven! But you’ve never brought me into the close vicinity of Karna till today! How can you expect me to win the war immediately against him?”

Now this is a very important question from Arjuna, even though he asks this on a very lighter note. For this, Bhagawan gives a very important reply here, which is a lesson for all of us. Bhagawan says thus, “Oh my dear Arjuna! I did not bring you close to Karna all these days for a reason – If he would have employed the “Shakti Aayudham” on you, you wouldn’t be alive by this time! Defending the “Shakti-Aayudham” is not easy. This is why I sent Ghatodgaja to fight Karna on the eleventh night. I forced Karna to use the “Shakti-Aayudham” on Ghatodgaja, which he had originally reserved exclusively for you! As the “Shakti-Aayudham” was neutralized, I thought that Karna would be an easy nut to crack. However, I did not anticipate Snake Ashwasena to make a timely entry into the battlefield and team up with Karna to attack you. As this happened, I protected you by pushing our chariot several inches down. Now that I’ve done my duty to protect you, it is time that you do your duty to kill Karna! Now you should go for the kill and it is now or never for you! This is the right time to go after Karna, as he is weaponless against you!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna motivates Arjuna and for today, let us understand up to this point. We shall wait till the next episode to witness Arjuna’s next course of action! Stay tuned! 🙂

Episode # 1158 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – Bhagawan Krishna unleashes His “Leela” to protect Arjuna from the “Naaga-Asthram”!!!

We’re at a very crucial juncture, wherein it’s a “do or die” situation for both Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna at Kurukshetra on Day Seventeen. Karna has employed the “Naaga-Asthram” which is powered by Snake Ashwasena, who has coiled around Karna’s arrow. Snake Ashwasena had been a long-term enemy to Arjuna, ever since Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna had teamed up to destroy the entire snake community at the Kaandava Vanam several decades ago. Now, Snake Ashwasena has found a great alliance partner in the form of Karna, who is also determined to kill Arjuna. Thus, as the “Naaga-Asthram” approaches Arjuna, it has Snake Ashwasena in it and he is breathing fire with his intense poison. One bite of Snake Ashwasena, and Arjuna would be instantly finished without any remedy! Upon seeing the incoming “Naaga-Asthram”, Arjuna is helpless as he doesn’t have a solution to counter this unique “Asthram”. Now the onus is completely on Bhagawan Krishna to protect Arjuna. So what is Bhagawan Krishna going to do? Let us continue witnessing from this point. 

As we’ve seen, King Shalya had advised Karna to aim the “Naaga-Asthram” towards Arjuna’s chest portion, however, Karna declined his advice and instead aimed it at Arjuna’s head. Now Bhagawan unleashes His divine Leela. He looks at Arjuna, who is stunned and standing helpless against a fast-incoming “Naaga-Asthram” and hence, Bhagawan immediately presses His toe finger on the earth’s surface, giving a lot of pressure. Unable to bear the pressure exerted by Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet, the ground around Arjuna’s chariot sinks a few inches. We’ve seen that Karna had aimed the “Asthram” towards Arjuna’s left eye. The distance between Arjuna’s eye and the “Kireetam” (Cap) which Arjuna is wearing is not much. Hence, Bhagawan Krishna quickly sinks the earth’s surface to that equal height and all of a sudden, Arjuna moves to a lower level! Now, since Arjuna’s level has gone down, the “Naaga-Asthram” cannot adjust itself to come to Arjuna’s level and attack. Karna had already aimed it at a certain way and the projectile motion of the arrow is only aimed to take the arrow to Arjuna’s head, when he is at the normal ground level. But now, since Arjuna’s chariot has moved a notch below the normal ground level, the “Naaga-Asthram” can only hit the “Kireetam” of Arjuna and not his head. 

This “Kireetam” which Arjuna is wearing above his head is not an ordinary one. It has been gifted to him by Indra when he had once transcended to the “Deva Lokham” to meet the Devas. We’ve seen this in our earlier episodes that when the Paandava brothers were going through their forest life for twelve years, Arjuna had gone to the “Deva Lokham” for several months and had never returned back. It is during this time, Indra had gifted Arjuna several things, and this “Kireetam” was one among them. It is because Arjuna wears this very highly revered “Kireetam”, he is often referred to as “Kireeti”. Thus, the “Naaga-Asthram” of Karna now hits Arjuna’s “Kireetam” and takes it away from his head! With this, the “Kireetam” is flying along with the “Naaga-Asthram” and Arjuna’s head is saved! Ultimately, what should have killed Arjuna, goes away with just his “Kireetam”. This is one of Bhagawan Krishna’s greatest “Leelas” at Kurukshetra. Of course, He had performed several other “Leelas” right on the battlefield, but this one stands out, because the “Naaga-Asthram” is extremely powerful and none of them could have defended it. Atleast when it came to the “Narayana-Asthram” from Ashwatthama, when everybody stepped down from the chariot and stood on the ground with folded hands, it was neutralized. However, the “Naaga-Asthram” cannot be neutralized with all these kinds of gimmicks! 🙂 It required Bhagawan Krishna’s special “Leela” to handle it. 

Thus, with Bhagawan Krishna’s timely divine “Leela”, the “Naaga-Asthram” is completely neutralized and after flying for a distance, it bursts into pieces! Snake Ashwasena also dies, notwithstanding the heat and pressure that the arrow had created! This completely thwarts Karna’s plan of killing Arjuna. Thus, as Karna fails yet again against Arjuna, King Shalya claps his hands and bursts out into a huge laughter! We should remember that King Shalya had given a golden piece of advice. Had Karna listened to King Shalya’s words and aimed it towards Arjuna’s chest, the story could have been completely different by now! These kinds of critical moments are where Karna lost his plot completely due to his fat ego. So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! 🙂

Episode # 1157 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – Karna releases the “Naaga-Asthram” towards Arjuna!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a brief background of Karna’s “Naaga-Asthram”. When Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna together destroyed the “Kaandava-Vanam” several decades ago, all the snakes in that area bore the brunt of Arjuna’s assault. However, one of the snakes, Snake Ashwasena managed to escape from there and hide somewhere for all these years. Now as Arjuna and Karna take on each other at Kurukshetra, Snake Ashwasena sees this as the right opportunity to seek revenge against Arjuna for the heinous crime that he had committed. Snake Ashwasena crawls to Karna and explains the whole background and in turn, Karna is also happy to welcome Snake Ashwasena towards him, as both their agendas are similar – To destroy Arjuna. As decided by both of them, Snake Ashwasena crawls and coils around Karna’s arrow and now Karna is locking it into his bow for one decisive blow against Arjuna, even as Bhagawan Krishna is watching all this unfold! 

Now it is time for Karna to take aim at Arjuna. He points his bow and arrow towards Arjuna’s head, specifically towards his left eye. As Karna does this, all the Devas standing above the skies start shaking with fear! Indra says to all the Devas out of fear thus, “Oh my God! Karna has found out a new innovative way to kill Arjuna now. This ordinary arrow of Karna has become a “Naaga-Asthram”, thanks to Snake Ashwasena. If this “Naaga-Asthram” hits Arjuna, he will die on the spot! Moreover, Arjuna does not have a counter for this, as far as I know. I was the one who taught Arjuna several things, but little did I know that Snake Ashwasena has managed to escape and he will come as a huge enemy in front of Arjuna today! Now what is Arjuna going to do?” Endorsing Indra’s words, all the other Devas including Vaayu Bhagawan and Agni Bhagawan look at Karna and Arjuna in awe! 

As this happens, simultaneously King Shalya is watching Karna keenly for his actions. As Karna takes aim at Arjuna, King Shalya asks thus, “Oh Karna! Where are you aiming?” Karna replies thus, “Oh King Shalya! I’m aiming for a point just beneath Arjuna’s eye!” As Karna says thus, King Shalya replies back immediately – – “Oh Karna! You’re once again making a mistake! Rather than aiming anywhere at Arjuna’s face, take an aim at Arjuna’s neck or chest portion. Only then the “Asthram” will have its full effect! Oh Karna! I know you’ve locked your arrow. Now change the location to which it has to go!” Now this is where Karna is going to falter big time. Karna has a thought in his mind always – When an arrow is locked by him towards an enemy, it is locked forever! He doesn’t change the target or the location where the arrow has to hit the enemy! If he has to change any of these, Karna feels that it is an insult to him and his bow! Now that King Shalya is asking him to change the location of the target (Arjuna), Karna’s ego gets hurt very badly yet again! We’ve to remember that Karna has already locked his arrow along with Snake Ashwasena, and it is after Karna has locked his arrow, King Shalya comes up with his suggestion! Perhaps, King Shalya also knows this characteristic and potential “weakness” of Karna and times his advice to perfection! 

Now as King Shalya says thus, Karna fumes with anger! His ego is clearly hurt here! He says thus, “Oh King Shalya! Till date, this Karna has never backed out after an arrow has been locked to hit a specific target! Today you are trying to change history! Never will Karna back out or change the location of the target after the arrow is locked! I’m sure this “Naaga-Asthram” is going to suck Arjuna’s life out!” Saying thus, Karna releases the “Naaga-Asthram” very quickly, even before King Shalya could open his mouth and counter him. Thus, the “Naaga-Asthram” is coming with a great speed and with plumes of poisonous smoke towards Arjuna, leaving both Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna in shock! Bhagawan Krishna can be the only saviour for Arjuna now, as Arjuna is just standing helplessly in front of the incoming “Naaga-Asthram”. It is now or never and Bhagawan Krishna has to swing into action immediately if Arjuna’s life has to be saved! So what does Bhagawan Krishna do now? Let’s wait for the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1156 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – Karna’s “Naaga-Asthram” – A brief background!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of proceedings on Day Seventeen at Kurukshetra. We’ve witnessed Ashwatthama making a “last ditch” attempt to convince Duryodhana to broker peace with Yudishtra and Bhagawan Krishna, however, Duryodhana is still reluctant to accept Ashwatthama’s proposal. Duryodhana is steadfast in his mindset to somehow try and capture Yudishtra till the end, even though several people have warned him that such a thing is never going to be possible for him. Meanwhile, the war continues, and now the direct confrontation of Arjuna and Karna is reaching unprecedented levels. Both of them attack each other with several rounds of “Asthrams”, but everything gets neutralized! The “Surya Putra” is at his best on Day Seventeen, even though he loses his son Virochana to Arjuna. This doesn’t deter Karna and he increases the intensity of his onslaught against Arjuna. In return, the “Indra-Putra” is also determined to have the last laugh over Karna. Now we are going to enter the “Adhyaayam” wherein Karna is going to unleash his last lethal weapon – The “Naaga-Asthram” upon Arjuna. We shall see this in detail as to how Karna did it and how Arjuna is going to tackle it. 

As we go into the “Naaga-Asthra-Vaibhavam”, there is an interesting background to it. In our earlier episodes, we’ve witnessed how Arjuna destroyed the “Kaandava Vanam” and Bhagawan Krishna was also there with him. This happened very early in the Mahabharata, wherein all the seniors including Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, etc. decided to give Yudishtra his due portion of the Hastinapura kingdom and Duryodhana reluctantly gave this “Kaandava Vanam” portion to Yudishtra. This was a completely barren land with a lot of poisonous snakes inside it. If Yudishtra has to build his empire here, this forest has to be destroyed. Thus, Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna took it upon themselves to destroy the entire forest area along with all the poisonous snakes within. This area was later built as “Indraprastha” by Mayan and it was an exceptional empire. We’ve seen all this earlier. However, the twist in the story comes here – As Arjuna went on a spree of destroying (burning down) all the snakes with Indra’s “Asthram”, one such snake somehow escaped from Arjuna’s wrath and seeked refuge somewhere else. This snake, known as “Ashwasena” now comes to Kurukshetra battlefield with a resolution of seeking revenge against Arjuna, who destroyed all its family earlier. 

Now this is the right time for this snake to seek its revenge. As the Arjuna-Karna war is going on at full throttle, this Ashwasena approaches Karna and says thus, “Oh Karna! I’ve been waiting for so many decades now to seek revenge against Arjuna, who had earlier destroyed my entire family at Kaandava-Vanam. He used Indra’s “Asthram” to burn all of us down instantly. I somehow managed to escape from that place and survive till today. However, I’ve got an agenda to fulfil and I think it can be done through you. Oh Karna! Please take me and pin me on to your bow along with one of your arrows. I shall go towards Arjuna and bite him to death with my poison. With this, both our agendas will be fulfilled – You can also win over Arjuna and I will also be happy that I obtained justice for the decades-old crime that Arjuna had committed!” 

Upon hearing this from Ashwasena, Karna is extremely happy and delighted! He was looking for something like this and an opportunity has presented itself beautifully in the form of Snake Ashwasena! So why should Karna let go of this golden opportunity? He immediately replies Snake Ashwasena thus, “Oh Ashwasena! I’m extremely happy and pleased to meet you at this crucial juncture! I was running out of weapons and “Asthrams” to counter Arjuna and now you’ve come from nowhere as a blessing! Please get over my bow immediately and with you, I shall ensure that Arjuna is finished today!” 

Thus, Karna takes out his arrow, and Snake Ashwasena coils himself around it. Karna locks the arrow in his bow and he’s ready to employ it over Arjuna. Now Karna has to aim the “Naaga-Asthram” on Arjuna, isn’t it? So how is he going to do it? A critical juncture awaits us in our next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1155 – Day Seventeen @ Kurukshetra – “There’s no use relenting now!” – Duryodhana declines Ashwatthama’s advice!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Ashwatthama taking yet another initiative to try and convince Duryodhana to relent from his stance. Ashwatthama makes this attempt at a critical juncture wherein almost all brothers of Duryodhana have been killed brutally on the seventeenth day battle. This day is turning out to be a very decisive one wherein several of Duryodhana’s brothers including Ducchaasana have been killed. At the same time, Karna is also at a stage wherein things are going to go downhill for him from here on. Bhagawan Krishna has had enough of this now and He’s slowly going to start unleashing His divine “Leela” to trap Karna into his own “Karma Phalam”. At this time, Ashwatthama approaches Duryodhana for one more round of talks in a bid to convince him that the war has to come to an end atleast now, before it becomes too late. Ashwatthama is also concerned about the dwindling army strength and if Karna loses the battle against Arjuna, there’s nobody who can defend Duryodhana. Ashwatthama wants Duryodhana to broker peace with Yudishtra and seek refuge under Bhagawan Krishna’s divine lotus feet atleast now. Ashwatthama assures Duryodhana that Yudishtra will definitely accept the peace pact even now if he is ready to part with the five villages that Bhagawan Krishna initially asked for. Ashwatthama explains that both Duryodhana and Yudishtra can be happy as kings for their own territories if this pact comes to reality. 

So now, the ball is in Duryodhana’s court. Will he accept Ashwatthama’s words atleast now? Duryodhana replies to Ashwatthama thus, “Oh Ashwatthama! I completely understand what you say. Your points are very valid, given the context of the situation that I am in right now. However, my mind is not in sync with what you are saying. Oh Ashwatthama! At the beginning of this war, I was steadfast in my stance because everybody was there to defend me from all sides. Now also my mind is not in sync with your words because nobody is there with me right now! Hence, what is the point in relenting from my stance right now? When Guru Dhronachaarya and Bhishmachaarya were there with me, I was very confident that I could win over Yudishtra. However, when both of them are not there right now, if I go to Yudisthra for a peace agreement, what will everybody tell of me? Won’t they make fun of me for letting the entire set of senior people sacrifice their lives and then coming and making the peace agreement? Hence, Ashwatthama! There is no use of me coming for a peace pact right now. Even if I do so, what will I do as a king of Hastinapura when nobody is there around me? Hence, let this war take its own course. I shall keep fighting till there is a logical end to this.” 

Saying thus, Duryodhana declines Ashwatthama’s words of advice once again. As Duryodhana says thus, all the kings and warriors who are surrounding Duryodhana appreciate his stance. This happens as there is another bout of war that is happening fiercely between Arjuna and Karna. In between there is a lull for a while and now it again starts with an unprecedented rigour. Karna and Arjuna once again start attacking each other and in this “Adhyaayam” that we’re discussing, Sage Vyaasa is going to describe the “Naaga-Asthra- Prayogam” of Karna, which is almost going to kill Arjuna. We’ve of course seen this as a summary in our earlier episodes, but here we shall look at it in more detail as to how Karna aims for Arjuna’s head, inspite of King Shalya’s advice, and how Bhagawan Krishna is going to save Arjuna by unleashing an important divine “Leela”. We shall wait till the next episode to commence a detailed accord on this! Stay tuned!