The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a very important point with regards to the “Karma Phalam” that we’ve to experience for both our “Paapa Karma” and “Punya Karma”. There is definitely a time lag that happens between our actions and the results of them. This time lag is highly unpredictable as the effects do not happen immediately. The effects of our actions can come sooner or later during the same birth or even several births later as well. It is up to Bhagawan to decide when to give the effects of our Karma and this is exactly what we’re seeing as part of the discussion between Karna and Bhishmachaarya. Upon seeing Bhishmachaarya’s pitiable condition, Karna wonders why the effects of “Punya Karma” that Bhishmachaarya are not taking over prevent him from being in such a sad state of affairs. This is a very vague question that Karna is asking, as there is a huge philosophy behind how the “Karma Theory” works. We’ve seen that precisely in the previous episode and because there’s a time for everything, Bhishmachaarya’s time now is to perhaps experience the results of his accumulated “Paapa Karma” at the moment. Perhaps, he would pass through a time when he would experience all the fruits of the “Punya Karma” that he has performed during this current birth. But we would not be knowing it. Or, maybe perhaps, Bhishmachaarya might have already experienced the fruits of his “Punya Karma” in this birth itself – May Be with the luxurious life that he led at Hastinapura palace with all the possible comforts and respect that he had. So it is very difficult for us to conclude an answer to this question from Karna. 

Now that Karna has asked this question, Bhishmachaarya has to give a reply, isn’t it? Hence Bhishmachaarya says to Karna thus, “Oh Karna! You may be right in your question, but this is not the time to talk about all that. Your first duty now is to go back and assist Duryodhana in all ways possible. Be with Duryodhana and finish off all your debts with him. Go to the battlefield and fight the war!” Upon this, Karna replies back thus, “Oh Bhishmachaarya! Yes! I’m going to the battlefield straightaway, but I understand one thing very clearly – This war is beginning to move towards the finishing stages. Till the tenth day, you were holding fort and was a stumbling block for the Paandavas to proceed further. However, now that you’re not available, I don’t think anyone else is as capable as you to hold fort and prevent the Paandavas from advancing. I know that the entire Karuava camp is going to be destroyed within a few days from now. I know that in this process I’m also going to die. However, I do not fear for my death. I’ll take it as it comes. I’m going to fight Arjuna on the battlefield shortly. However I know for a fact before the fight commences itself that I’m not going to win against him. It is only for a mere competition sake that I’m fighting Arjuna. Duryodhana’s destruction is confirmed towards the end of this war. I know it very well. However, it is just for the purpose of gratitude towards my friend, I’m wanting to be loyal to him!” 

It is so sad to note here that Karna is going to fight this war, knowing the result beforehand! It is not only the case with Karna – Everyone in the Kaurava camp knows that they are going to face destruction. Still they fight the war just because of one person’s arrogance and attitude! Hence, as far as this war is concerned, the outcome has already been decided by Bhagawan Krishna and all that happens on the battlefield is a mere formality! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode to witness the commencement of the proceedings of Day Eleven at Kurukshetra! Stay tuned! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Karna picking up an important conversation with Bhishmachaarya as he is on the way to the battlefield. Karna asks an important question: Why Bhishmachaarya’s “Punya Karma” did not come to protect him from this disaster in this birth? Bhishmachaarya has committed enormous “Punya Karma” by holding the entire family together against so many odds. He has made sure that all the children in the family get quality education, ensured that they are married and well-settled in life. For this, he had even sacrificed becoming the successor of the Hastinapura kingdom. If such a disaster can happen to a person who has done so much, does the “Punya Karma” that we do in this birth have no effect at all? How can we keep waiting till the next birth or till the end of this birth to experience the fruits of it? Why can’t we experience the results of our “Punya Karma” now itself? We ourselves will have this question several times when we go through some difficult times in our lives as well, won’t we? In this context, we’ve seen one perspective to this – If we’ve to experience the fruits of the Punya Karma now itself, it should be the same for our Paapa Karma also! When we want to experience the resultant of our Paapa Karma, we want to postpone it to the end of this birth or even to the next birth or several births later! However, when it comes to the resultant of our Punya Karma, we want it now itself! How can this be fair from Bhagawan’s point of view? Thus, experiencing the fruits of our Karma is not in our hands. It is Bhagawan who decides when we should experience what! Sometimes, the fruits of our Karma can be experienced in this birth itself, and many times, it could be postponed for some reason to the subsequent births as well! So we never know, and these are things that are beyond our control. Hence, there’s no point lamenting about all this, as it is Bhagawan’s will and wish as to what we should get at what time!

Extending this point of discussion further – Let us imagine for a moment that Bhagawan has to give all the fruits of our Punya Karma and Paapa Karma together one after the other instantaneously. If this happens, we will not be able to take it! For instance, if we’ve to experience the resultant of our entire Paapa Karma immediately, we would have to undergo enormous suffering for all that we’ve done till now! If such is the case, we will literally die of suffering! This is why Bhagawan doesn’t want to give such a shocker to our life. He gives the “Karma-Phalam” in small doses so that we do not feel the burden too much upon us. Moreover, the resultant of both our “Punya Karma” and “Paapa Karma” will be randomly put upon us, so that we will have a balance between the two. This is precisely the reason why we say that life is a complete package of happiness and sorrow. If we’re happy, we can’t have that happiness in a long-lasting way. There will always be a period where we will undergo some suffering. That doesn’t mean that suffering will be the order of the day for our entire lifetime. Again there will be a time when this suffering will go away, which will pave way for happiness. Hence, life keeps alternating between happiness and sorrow. 

For instance, if we see someone leading a luxurious life with all possible wealth and good health, we shall obviously understand that this person is experiencing the result of some big “Punya Karma” that he / she has done in the past. This “Punya Karma” might have been committed by this person during this birth, or in some previous birth(s). We never know! But we’ve to understand one thing clearly here – Just because this person is experiencing happiness and joy everytime, it doesn’t mean that this person has no “Paapa Karma” attached to him or her. It only means that this is the time wherein the fruits of his / her “Punya Karma” are to be experienced. However, there might be a time in the future in this same birth, or in subsequent births, wherein the fruits of the “Paapa Karma” will also have to be experienced. There is literally no escape! Meanwhile, while experiencing the fruits of the “Punya Karma”, we would tend to do more “Paapa Karma” and that will also keep adding to the endless list! So we’ve to experience the result of this “Paapa Karma” somewhere, isn’t it? This is how the cycle of life and death keeps continuing on and on. 

Thus, in the middle of all these, we go and stand in front of Bhagawan to exhibit “Sharanagati” and we want to exhibit our “Bhakti” towards Him. So what does Bhagawan do at times when we go in front of Him like this? This is what is said in the Bhagawad Gita and in many other scriptural texts as well – If we exhibit “Sharanagati” towards Bhagawan, all our “Karma-Phalam” becomes His responsibility. In other words, Bhagawan ensures that all our “Karma Phalam” is destroyed and thereby paving the way for us to attain the highest “Moksha”, which would in turn free us from this birth-death cycle and the “Samsaara” of this life. This is the ultimate concept that our “Vedanta” talks about in our “Sanaatana Dharma” and for today, let us understand this thoroughly and ponder over it. We shall wait till the next episode to continue witnessing the conversation that took place between Karna and Bhishmachaarya! Stay tuned! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Guru Dhronachaarya taking over as the next “Senapati” from Bhishmachaarya from the eleventh day onwards. Now as we conclude the Bhishma Parva, we now move into the next Parva called “Dhrona Parva” wherein Guru Dhronachaarya is going to unleash his full potential in the battlefield. As we know, Bhishmachaarya has fallen down and the war has to continue and move forward, it is now the turn of Guru Dhronachaarya and Karna to take charge of the Kaurava army. Now getting into the “Dhrona Parva” straightaway, we get into the first “Upa-Parva” called “Dhrona-Abisheka Parva”. As this Upa-Parva begins, Duryodhana goes to Karna for some consultation. Duryodhana asks Karna thus, “Oh Karna! Now that Bhishmachaarya is not going to be available from today onwards, who should be our next Senapati? You suggest a good name for me!” 

We might wonder why Duryodhana asks Karna for this suggestion. It should be noted here that Karna hasn’t even stepped into the battlefield as yet even for a single day so far, and yet, Duryodhana goes for consultation with Karna. The reason is very simple – Duryodhana’s trust upon Karna is unimaginable and is of a different level! It is for this reason that Karna also wanted to repay this trust to Duryodhana by standing alongside him even though he knows that Duryodhana’s ploy is going to be entirely destroyed. Thus, as Karna starts to the battlefield the next morning, all of them coronate Guru Dhronachaarya as the next “Senapati” of the Kaurava army. On his way, Karna meets Bhishmachaarya once more to seek his “Anugraha”. Upon seeing Bhishmachaarya in this pitiable state of affairs, Karna couldn’t hold his tears back! He says thus, “Oh great Bhishmachaarya! You are such a great warrior! More than that, you are someone who gives a lot of importance to performing “Punya Karma”. If such state of affairs can happen to you, doesn’t it mean that no amount of “Punya Karma” can protect us in this birth? Can we infer that the fruits of our “Punya Karma” will never come to us while we live? Won’t we be able to enjoy the fruits of the “Punya Karma” in this Lokha at all?” 

Now this is a new aspect that Karna is raising here! Of course, many of us might be having the same question in our minds as well. We might still have an answer for this question thus, “Oh! Only because of all the Punya Karma that Bhishmachaarya has done so far in his life, he is going to get the “Svarga Lokha” to experience all the happiness and pleasures there!” However, Karna’s question is not this – His question is that, only if we get the fruits of our Punya Karma in this Lokha itself, will we be able to motivate ourselves to perform more and more Punya Karma, isn’t it? If we would obtain the fruits of the Punya Karma in some other world, which we would not know about, how would we get that desire to perform the Punya Karma? Moreover, in Bhishmachaarya’s case he knows that he will transcend to the Svarga Lokha at the beginning of the next Uttharayana season. However, in our case, what is the assurance that we will also transcend to the same Svarga Lokha only? What if we go into some other Lokha where we might not be able to enjoy the fruits of all the Punya Karma that we do today? 

So let us see the answer for this question here. But before that, we should realize that every coin has two sides. We’re only looking at one side of the story, which is the “Punya Karma”. If we’ve to immediately get the fruits of our “Punya Karma”, shouldn’t this logic apply for the “Paapa Karma” also? For instance, if we commit any blunder which accounts to our “Paapa Karma”, we should also obtain the fruits of it immediately, isn’t it? Are we going to accept the fruits of our “Paapa Karma” immediately in our existing birth itself? Many of us would hesitate, wouldn’t we? If we’re hesitating for this, why are we longing for the other one alone? Thus, Bhagawan knows when to give us the fruits of our “Punya Karma” and when we should obtain the fruits of our “Paapa Karma” as well. There is a time for everything in life and Bhagawan knows this perfectly well. So for today, let us keep pondering over this answer and in the next episode, we shall continue with what Bhishmachaarya has to say to Karna on this! Stay tuned for an important accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Karna’s conversation with Bhishmachaarya wherein the latter is advising Karna that he should be on the side of Yudishtra and not on the side of Duryodhana. Bhishmachaarya highlights this point with the startling revelations about Karna’s birth story and he emphasises that he is the elder brother of Yudishtra. Even after Bhishmachaarya’s revelation, we’ve seen how Karna is steadfast to his “Dharma” of being behind Duryodhana. When Karna was publicly insulted in the Ranga-Bhoomi during his early days, Duryodhana was the only one who was his saviour. Preventing Karna from being insulted further by anyone, it was Duryodhana who made Karna the king of “Anga Desha”. So, Karna is today what he is, only because of the timely help and intervention done by Duryodhana. If such is the case, how can Karna desert him at a time when he needs his help badly? Hence, Karna asserts to Bhishmachaarya that he will never leave his friend Duryodhana even if it is sure that he’s going to be killed in this war. 

With this, we come to the end of the Bhishma-Vada Parva, which is the Upa-Parva under the bigger “Bhishma Parva”. Now we move into the next Parva, which is the “Dhrona-Parva” wherein, Guru Dhronachaarya is being made the next leader of the Kaurava army. Till the tenth day, we’ve seen that Bhishmachaarya was the leader and now with Bhishmachaarya not available to fight anymore, Guru Dhronachaarya is crowned as the next “Senapati” of the Kaurava army by Duryodhana. During the tenure of Guru Dhronachaarya, two important events unfold – One is the death of Abhimanyu and the other is the death of Ghatodgaja. Finally after all this, Guru Dhronachaarya was killed by Drishtadhyumna, who had taken birth exclusively for this purpose. We’ve seen this in our earlier episodes as well, wherein Drishtadhyumna was the son of King Drupada who was insulted by Guru Dhronachaarya. Unable to satisfy the revenge by himself, King Drupada wanted a son to do it and hence he conducted a huge “Yagnya”. Out of this Yagnya was born Drishtadhyumna and Yaagnyaseni, who is none other than Draupati, wife of the Paandava brothers. Now, in this Dhrona-Parva we’re going to witness all these incidents one after the other and with this introduction, we shall move into the Day Eleven of the Kurukshetra war. 

Now as the dawn of the next day arrives, people in the Kaurava camp start talking amongst each other thus, “Oh! Now that Bhishmachaarya is not fit to fight anymore, who is going to save us from the Paandava camp? It should only be Karna and nobody else! The “Pratignya” of Bhishmachaarya was very clear – Either Bhishmachaarya or Karna should be in the battlefield as a saviour. Now that Bhishmachaarya is not there, Karna is our only saviour from here on!” As people start talking thus, Karna gets ready to enter the battlefield for the first time in this war! He takes his first step towards his big chariot and gets into it with a lot of confidence. On his way, Karna decides to seek the “Anugraha” of Bhishmachaarya once again as he proceeds towards the battlefield. Yet again, there is going to be an important conversation between these two! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode we shall witness a very important question that Karna is going to ask Bhishmachaarya and subsequently an answer for it as well! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important event wherein Karna comes to see Bhishmachaarya who is currently down over the “bed of arrows” in the middle of the battlefield at Kurukshetra. As Karna arrives and pays his respects, Bhishmachaarya immediately picks up an important conversation with him by saying that Karna is in the wrong side of the battle. He explains to Karna the purpose of “putting him down” every time. Till that point, everyone was thinking that Bhishmachaarya was sidelining Karna on purpose just because he was a charioteer’s son, but now, Bhishmachaarya reveals the real reason as to why he was trying to prevent Karna from entering the battlefield – Karna is the son of Kunthi Devi and is the eldest amongst the Paandava brothers. Karna is the son of Surya Bhagawan and we know the earlier story as to what Kunthi Devi did to Karna when he was born. Subsequently he was known to be “Raadheya” (Charioteer’s son, because he was brought up by a charioteer family). Bhishmachaarya reveals all this to Karna and says that he should be fighting on the Paandavas’ side and not for Duryodhana, if at all he wants to enter the battlefield. When Karna pledged support unconditionally to Duryodhana earlier, from that moment onwards, Bhishmachaarya was only trying to protect Karna from being killed. This is the real reason why Bhishmachaarya took the “Pratignya” earlier that either he or Karna will only be in the battlefield at any given point in time. It is not because Bhishmachaarya did not like to fight along with Karna, but he tried to prevent Karna from fighting against his own brothers! 

As Bhishmachaarya explains all these, Karna is in tears! He knows this story in a brief already – Thanks to Bhagawan Krishna who earlier tried to bring Karna to Yudishtra’s side of the war by telling this story in a brief. But the detailed accord of his birth, who he actually is and why did Kunthi Devi desert him is being revealed only now by Bhishmachaarya and with this, Karna understands the reality. Upon hearing all these from Bhishmachaarya, Karna weeps for a while and as he composes himself again, he replies slowly to Bhishmachaarya thus, “Oh great grandfather! You’ve highlighted an important aspect today, which is about me and my past. However, what made you to be silent all through these years? Why didn’t you reveal all this to me much earlier itself? Earlier when I was a small boy, when I was publicly insulted by everyone in the Ranga-Bhoomi, where were you? When Guru Dhronachaarya rejected my candidature to be his student just because I was a charioteer’s son, where were you? When I was openly insulted in Duryodhana’s courtroom several times by several people asking what is a charioteer’s son sitting and doing here, where were you? Why didn’t you reveal all this then?” 

Asking several questions back-to-back thus, Karna continues further – “After the Ranga-Bhoomi insult, it was none other than Duryodhana who gave me solace and respect! At a time when I was about to get out of the stadium even though I was able to win over everybody, Duryodhana was the only one who consoled me! Not only that – Duryodhana was even graceful to support me by giving a kingdom for myself! He made me the king of “Anga Desha”. He gave me respect and a status. Hence, if I’m what I am today, it is only because of Duryodhana. If he wasn’t there for me to support me on that day, where would I’ve been? I’ve gone back to my charioteer father and would have become a charioteer only. Had Duryodhana not supported me on that day, I would have never become a warrior like how I am today! Oh Bhishmachaarya! Let me tell you one thing very clearly – Just like how you had debts with Duryodhana to clear, I too have a lot of debt with him. Just like how you cleared everything during this war, I shall also clear everything with him by supporting him, even if he is on the wrong side. Deserting someone at a time when he is in a dire need is not “Dharma”. Hence, I’ve made up my mind to fight on Duryodhana’s side only, even though I know that I’ll be meeting a ghastly end to my life. Duryodhana has done a lot for me and I have a lot to repay him! I shall repay Duryodhana through my friendship and faith that I have with him!” 

Saying thus, Karna expresses his steadfast and clear intention to fight on Duryodhana’s side only, no matter whatever the outcome might be! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion further in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya appreciating Arjuna for his astute expertise in bringing water for him to drink from beneath the ground. Training his guns towards Duryodhana for the n’th time now, Bhishmachaarya tries to make a comparison of Arjuna’s expertise with that of Duryodhana’s. He warns Duryodhana that if the war proceeds any further, more disasters are going to be in the anvil. Of course, the end-result of this warning is the same as usual – Duryodhana turns deaf ears to Bhishmachaarya’s words of wisdom and as all of them go back to their tents for the night, Karna comes alone to pay his respects to Bhishmachaarya. We’ve seen earlier that Bhishmachaarya and Karna are not in great terms with each other right from the beginning and this is reflected in the strategizing of the war as well. The “soft rule” within the two of them is that, at any given point in time, either one will only be present in the battlefield and one will not work under another! This is why when Bhishmachaarya was the Senapati till Day Ten of the war, Karna did not enter the battlefield even for a single moment. 

Brushing aside all these, Karna now comes to see Bhishmachaarya. Upon seeing Bhishmachaarya in this state of affairs, Karna breaks down and bows under his feet. As Karna arrives, Bhishmachaarya straightaway says thus, “Oh Karna! You are someone who always thinks that I’m talking against you all the time! Under your impression, I’m somebody who is not a well-wisher for you. However, you’ve to know one thing clearly – It is only because I’m your well-wisher and your great grandfather, I tried to prevent you all the time to get into this disaster. Oh Karna! Please understand that I know your full life history. You are not a charioteer’s son (Raadheya) as everyone portrays you. Sage Vyaasa has already told me the truth behind you. You are Kunthi Devi’s son and you are part of the Paandava brothers. You are the eldest amongst the Paandavas, even elder than Yudishtra. However, the world doesn’t know this. Very few of us, including Bhagawan Krishna, know this. So Karna! You are a very good person with a noble heart. By talking harshly with you and by preventing you from coming to the battlefield, I only tried to protect you from getting into a disaster. You are not someone who has to be a scapegoat! Please understand – Duryodhana is using you to gain popularity and kingdom! By fighting the war on Duryodhana’s side, you may think that you’re doing a favor to your friend, but Duryodhana is someone who doesn’t deserve this! This is the reason why I tried my best to prevent you from entering the battlefield. Moreover, if at all you’ve to fight this war, you should be on Yudishtra’s side and that’s the right place for you biologically as well!” 

Bhishmachaarya continues further thus, “Oh Karna! Sage Naarada has also told me this once – You are the divine son of Surya Bhagawan. You were born to Kunthi Devi with the divine “Anugraha” of Surya Bhagawan. You are someone who did not take birth because of a male-female relationship. You are a divine child. This is why I repeatedly kept telling you that you should not be in Duryodhana’s side. Instead, you should be on Yudishtra’s side and if Yudishtra comes to know this truth, he will readily accept you as his own elder brother. Oh Karna! Even now it is not too late! Please trudge towards Yudishtra and tell him all these things. He will definitely accept you. You are not an orphan like you think! You are the deserving son of Kunthi Devi and equally deserving as the Paandava brothers!” 

As Bhishmachaarya says thus, tears roll down Karna’s eyes. Till that point, Karna wasn’t much aware about these aspects of his life. Of course we’ve seen earlier that Bhagawan Krishna tried to nudge Karna to bring him to the side of Yudishtra, but Bhagawan Krishna wasn’t so detailed in his accord about this truth when He negotiated with Karna. Hence, this is the first time that Karna is getting to know something about his past. So what is Karna’s reaction going to be? Is he going to pay heed to Bhishmachaarya’s words and switch sides, or, is he going to still honour Duryodhana’s friendship and fight for his cause? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya getting more comfortable, thanks to Arjuna’s timely intervention by giving a supporting “pillow of arrows” to him as he lies down on the “bed of arrows”. Subsequently, Bhishmachaarya is thirsty for water and immediately Arjuna employs his “Varuna-Asthra” to bring out a fresh-water spring from beneath the ground. This place where Arjuna brought out water for Bhishmachaarya to drink can be entirely worshipped today also and it is referred to as “Bhishma-Kund” just outside the city of Kurukshetra in the Indian state of Haryana. Even today we can see a small pond wherein there is fresh water in it and by the side of it, there is an idol of Bhishmachaarya lying down on the arrow bed. This place is believed to be the one where Bhishmachaarya attained “Moksha” too, and before that, the auspicious Vishnu Sahasranamam also took birth. 

As Arjuna does this feat, Bhishmchaarya calls him nearby and appreciates him. Bhishmachaarya says to Duryodhana who is also standing nearby thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Getting water from beneath the ground with a “Varuna-Asthra” is not an easy art. It requires a lot of dedication and sincerity. Arjuna has both of them in him. Moreover, making sure that the water directly falls into my mouth is something extraordinary and unimaginable! If Arjuna is able to achieve this feat, he is capable of achieving anything in this world very easily! Oh Duryodhana! Please understand – When I asked for water, you went to bring a keg full of water for me. I appreciate your helping nature, but this is not what I expected from a “Kshatrya” warrior like you. I wanted water in the apt way and Arjuna was quick enough to understand my requirement. Thus, Arjuna acted immediately in the right direction as well to obtain water from beneath the ground directly. This is the level of expertise and shrewdness that a “Kshatrya” warrior is expected to have, and I think you’re not up to that level as yet, even after so many years. Oh Duryodhana! Hence, atleast now please let go of your ego and protect your remaining brothers and army. Please do not let the entire clan get destroyed by your ego and jealousy. If this continues further, whatever happened to me today will happen to everybody around you and at that point in time, there is no option to repent for your mistakes. Hence, even now it is not too late! Please let go off this war and avoid any further disaster from taking place! Bhagawan Krishna and Arjuna can never be defeated when they are together! There’s no way that you can separate both of them and even if you do, you’ll not be able to win over either of them! Please understand this and recollect whatever I told you last night!” 

As Bhishmachaarya says this to Duryodhana, he turns towards Arjuna now and says thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please understand one thing clearly – All these things that you’re doing today are only because of the divine “Anugraha” of Bhagawan Krishna who is standing by the side of you every minute! If He is not there with you, nothing is feasible! So please never forget the help that Bhagawan Krishna is rendering to you, which is unprecedented in nature! I’ve never seen anybody in this world till now for whom Bhagawan is totally devoting 100% of His time! You are extremely fortunate in this regard! Hence, please do not waste this golden opportunity away! Bhagawan Krishna will always stand with those who follow “Dharma”. You are doing it and please continue doing it in the future as well! He will guide you and take care of you adequately! Of course you might have some challenges during the pursuit of “Dharma”, but don’t get demotivated. Always be sure that Bhagawan Krishna is by your side and He will bring you out of any catastrophe that you might have to face!” 

As Bhishmachaarya talks to both Duryodhana and Arjuna, with a last-ditch attempt to stop the war from proceeding any further, we come to the end of the “Bhishma-Vadha Parva”. Now, as this talk comes to a conclusion, everybody disperse away without uttering anything much to each other. The entire atmosphere is extremely sad and sorrowful. Everybody is upset upon Bhishmachaarya’s fall and upon his suffering. Arjuna is the one who is upset the most, as he is the one who had to hit Bhishmachaarya and bring him down to this level! However, as all of them disperse from that place for the night, something strange happens! Karna makes his way to meet Bhishmachaarya in the middle of the battlefield. Upon learning the fate of Bhishmachaarya, Karna comes to see him and enquire about his health. Of course, Bhishmachaarya and Karna are at loggerheads with each other, but this conversation between the two of them is going to have some significance, which we’ll wait till the next episode to witness! Stay tuned! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya in the “bed of arrows” talking to people around him. Bhishmachaarya is respected by all of them who gather around him from both the camps. Yudishtra and Co. are also there to pay their respects to him, as Arjuna makes him comfortable by providing a “pillow of arrows” to comfort Bhishmachaarya’s head in a stable position. Moreover, when the doctors come to cure Bhishmachaarya’s wounds, he sends them away by saying that his body has to undergo all this pain for being on the part of “Adharma” and for consuming Duryodhana’s food and hospitality all these years. Also, as a “Kshatrya” warrior, he is steadfast that his body has to bear all this pain and should not back out of it at any moment. 

This is a very important moment in the entire Kurukshetra war as Bhishmachaarya has fallen down and the entire Kaurava camp has to regroup to chart out a new strategy. They hadn’t expected such a thing to happen wherein Bhishmachaarya is unavailable for the rest of the battle. Till now the entire strategy of attack for the Kaurava camp was centred around Bhishmachaarya, as he was the “Senapati” (Leader) for the entire camp. However, now as Bhishmachaarya has fallen down, this opens the door for Karna to enter the battlefield, which can add a new flavour of fight for Duryodhana. This was not possible till this point as Bhishmachaarya and Karna had pledged in front of each other that they won’t be on the battlefield at the same time together! Now that Bhishmachaarya is unavailable, Karna can come into the battlefield and add to the strength and moral support for Duryodhana. 

As Duryodhana and Co. leave the place to strategize for the next day thus, Bhishmachaarya calls Arjuna once again besides him. He says to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! Because of your arrows, my body is completely heated up! As a result, I’m feeling thirsty and I need some water to drink. Can you arrange a source of water for me so that I can quench my thirst?” Arjuna obeys Bhishmachaarya’s words once again – He immediately circumvents Bhishmachaarya once and goes to his chariot and stands there. He takes his huge “Gaandeepa” bow once again in his hands and takes the “Parjanya-Asthra” which is also referred to as “Vaaruna-Asthra”, which can bring water from beneath the earth surface. Arjuna aims this “Parjanya-Asthra” near Bhishmachaarya’s head and off it goes! It cuts through the earth’s surface and water starts gushing out of the hole that it has made! Bhishmachaarya gets water to drink directly from the ground. We can worship this place exactly the same way even today – In Kurukshetra, there is a place called “Bhishma Kund”, wherein there is a small pond of water, besides which an idol of Bhishmachaarya in the bed of arrows is present. This is the exact place where Bhishmachaarya was lying down and the pond nearby is the one which was created by Arjuna with his “Vaaruna-Asthra” to quench the thirst of Bhishmachaarya! This “Bhishma Kund” is precisely the place where the Vishnu Sahasranamam also took birth and because of this, it has a lot of significance. 

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

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya lying down on the “arrow bed” as he fell for enabling the cause of “Dharma” to win. As Bhishmachaarya falls down thus, the entire Kurukshetra battlefield, including King Dhritarashtra is under a huge shock and disbelief! Duryodhana rushes to see Bhishmachaarya, who in turn advises him once again to refrain from fighting this futile battle any further. Bhishmachaarya once again reminds Duryodhana about the real nature of Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna by saying that none in this world can defeat this duo as they stand for “Dharma”. Even as Bhishmachaarya says thus, all his words once again goes into Duryodhana’s deaf ears! He is literally not ready to accept his words! Rather, he is more interested in seeking revenge against the Paandavas for bringing Bhishmachaarya to this state of affairs! 

Meanwhile, Bhishmachaarya requests Arjuna to make a “pillow out of arrows” for him to rest his head which is hanging. Arjuna obeys and does the needful for Bhishmachaarya. As Arjuna is a great warrior, he shows his expertise in aiming three arrows at Bhishmachaarya’s head, but not hitting them straight. The arrows were aimed downwards towards the ground, to automatically lift Bhishmachaarya’s head and balance it between them! This is a unique skill that Arjuna possesses and as he does so with astute expertise, the entire set of people standing there are in awe of Arjuna! As this happens, Bhishmachaarya is now able to see everyone around him. Till that point he was unable to see anybody because his head was hanging in an awkward position, but now as he sees everyone, he says thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Please understand one thing clearly – If you’ve to succeed as a leader you should learn to respect others. You should be able to understand the needs, wants and feelings of others! Unfortunately you’re not able to do it. When I had asked for a pillow to rest my face, look at what you did and what Arjuna did – You went to bring some cushioned pillows for me, which I never asked for! However, look at the way how Arjuna understands me – He is a true “Kshatrya” prince and look at the way he has arranged an apt pillow for my head – This shows the significance of a true warrior! Oh Duryodhana! If someone has a better talent and capability than you, you should always learn to respect that person. Rather, if you’re going to keep nurturing jealousy and ego, you are going to meet a ghastly end to your life very soon!” 

Meanwhile, people around Bhishmachaarya bring a lot of medicinal herbs to heal his wounds. Now that he is going to stay alive all the way till the Uttharaayanam season, people are of the opinion that Bhishmachaarya should not feel any pain until he is alive. However, Bhishmachaarya replies to all those people thus, “Oh doctors! A true “Kshatrya” warrior is a person who is able to experience any sort of pain that the body encounters. I’m somebody who can withstand any kind of pain in my body and I’m physically and mentally trained for it. Moreover, I’m amidst a battle in which I’m on the wrong side of “Adharma”. If I’ve to compensate for this blunder, I’ll have to let my body absorb all this pain. Also, I’ve been under the food and shelter of “Adharma” all these years. My body has to reap the consequences for it as well. Hence, I do not require any kind of medicine to cure my body. Let it take all the pain and I shall withstand it till I pass away!” 

Saying thus, Bhishmachaarya refuses to accept any cure for the wounds that his body has. From this, we can see what kind of a resolve that Bhishmachaarya has! We’ve seen this since our earlier episodes as well and the term “Bhishma-Pratignya” has enormous significance! So for today, let us understand up to this point and let us wait till the next episode to witness further! Stay tuned! 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya falling down once and forever at the Kurukshetra battlefield – Courtesy Shikhandi who came in between Arjuna and Bhishmachaarya while the fight was going on. As Shikhandi arrives in front, Bhishmachaarya loses the interest to fight any further and he allows Arjuna to hit him with his sharp arrows. Thus, with innumerable arrows piercing him, Bhishmachaarya falls onto the ground over a “bed of arrows”. His body doesn’t touch the ground and he remains over the arrow bed as everyone in the battlefield rush to have a glimpse of him. As everybody assemble around him, Bhishmachaarya declares that he is going to be alive for a few more months until the “Uttharayanam” season sets in. Currently during the war, the “Dakshinaayanam” season is on, and since Bhishmachaarya has the unique authority to decide when he should die, he chooses to wait until the “Uttharayanam” season kicks in. 

As this happens, Sanjaya is narrating all these events to King Dhritarashtra at Hastinapura. Now we shall shift our scene to King Dhritarashtra here and he asks Sanjaya thus, “Oh Sanjaya! I’m shocked to know that the great Bhishmachaarya has fallen down on the ground! How can this happen? I did not even imagine in my wildest dreams that such an incident would ever take place! Bhishmachaarya is a “Guru” or an “Aachaarya” to all of us! If the “Aachaarya” himself is falling down, how will the others around him be alive? What kind of a disaster is this?” as King Dhritarashtra asks this with a huge disbelief, Sanjaya replies back thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! All this is the game of time! Nobody can do anything about this! It is bound to happen and I do not have anything much to say in this!” With this, Sanjaya gives a diplomatic answer to King Dhritarashtra who is still in a state of shock and disbelief! 

Moving on further with what is happening at Kurukshetra, as Bhishmachaarya falls, the war is called off for the day as everybody is busy assembling around him. As the night falls by, Duryodhana is still there near Bhishmachaarya with tears in his eyes. Bhishmachaarya calls Duryodhana near him and tries to advise him once again thus, “Oh Duryodhana! You’ve done a great mistake! I’ve told you several times in the past to not go against Yudishtra and Co., but you failed to pay heed to my words. Now see what is unfolding! Oh Duryodhana! Defeating the Paandava brothers on an ordinary occasion with a mere “show of strength” is easy, but now it is not possible. This is because they stand by the “Dharma” and Bhagawan Krishna is beside them. Please understand – Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna are the Nara-Narayana combination which has incarnated in this world to restore “Dharma”. Please do not go against them and if you do so, there is no use of doing so! You will certainly be on the losing side! Oh Duryodhana! It is not just about being on the losing side alone – You’re going to be the sole person responsible for the killing of thousands and thousands of people around you, including your own Kaurava brothers!” 

As Bhishamchaarya says thus, Yudishtra and his Paandava brothers come up to see him. Arjuna is all in tears and is feeling guilty within himself for what had happened. Upon looking at Arjuna crying profusely, Bhishmachaarya calls him near and requests a “pillow” for his hanging head! As Bhishmachaarya says thus, immediately many people come up with large cushion pillows and mattresses to comfort him, however, Bhishmachaarya wants something else! He says to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! You’re one of the greatest warriors I’ve ever seen till date and with your own hands, pull out a few arrows, aim them near my head and make a pillow out of them to rest my head there!” 

Upon Bhishmachaarya’s request, Arjuna pulls out his bow and aims two arrows near his face. Both of them beautifully balance his head in between them and this makes Bhishmachaarya very happy and comfortable! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂