Chapter 24
Guardian on the Battlefield
At last, Arjuna let go the
unending shower of arrows from his ever-full
shoulder-bag. This too had no effect; Arjuna
became desperate like a man robbed of all his
possessions and deprived of all means of
resistance. He stood helpless and filled with
rage. He was like a bird with clipped wings, a
tiger whose teeth have been pulled out and
claws cut, a ship without sails and rudder.
He
made an effort to beat the huntsman with the
bow itself; it broke into fragments at the
impact. Startled at this, Arjuna decided to
use his fists, for they were the only weapons
left. Girding up his loins, he fell upon the
Bhil, and wrestled furiously, for sheer
victory. The huntsman welcomed this new move
with a hearty laugh. They struggled to
overpower each other with such terrific holds
and blows that it appeared as if two mountains
were in mortal conflict; the birds of the
forest were so frightened at the unusual din
that they flew in terror far up into the sky.
The animal denizens of the jungle stood and
stared sensing some great calamity that
hovered over them. The earth shook, unable to
bear the burden of the encounter.
Despite
everything, the Bhil was evincing no trace of
exhaustion; he was laughing in absolute
unconcern; he was as active as when the fight
first began. Arjuna, however, was bathed in
perspiration; he was gasping for breath; his
fist was jammed and bleeding! The Bhil was
unhurt and not in the least affected! Besides,
when the Bhil once caught Arjuna in a light
hold, Arjuna vomitted blood! At this, the Bhil
burst into a cruel laugh, and exulted before
his consort with a meaning look, "Did you
notice that?"
Arjuna
reeled and was in great confusion. He lost his
moorings. He whispered to himself, "Krishna!
Why have you humiliated me thus? Ah, is this
too a scene in your drama? Truly, this Bhil is
no ordinary mortal. Perhaps, you yourself have
come in this Form to trample on my pride.
Alas! To be over-whelmed by a forest-dwelling
huntsman! No, this is your stratagem, your
play. This Bhil is no ordinary fellow. Save
me, for, I believe this is, you yourself."
When he said this and turned to the couple in
front of him, he saw there, not the Bhil and
his wife but Siva and His consort, Gowri. They
were blessing him with a captivating smile;
their hand was raised, with the palm towards
him in the Abhaya pose, assuring him that he
had no reason to fear. Arjuna was overcome
with delight.
He
ran towards them, exclaiming, "0 Sankara!
Mother Gowri!" and fell at their Feet. He
prayed that They should pardon him for his
rashness and ignorance. Gowri and Sankara, who
are the embodiments of Grace, lifted him by
the shoulders lovingly and stroked his head
affectionately. "Son", they said, "You have
attained the fruition of your life; you did
your duty as you were bound to do. That is not
wrong at all. Now, take this; here is the sign
of Our Grace" - and he got from the Hand of
Siva Himself the Divine Pasupatha Asthra. (See
also S'rîmad Bhâgavatam Canto 3, Chapter 14:
The Impregnation of Diti in the Evening)
O,
Maharaja! How can I extol the prowess of your
grandfather who combatted with Siva, armed
with the invincible Trident. The source of
that courage and daring lay in the Grace that
the Lord Krishna showered on him. Your
grandfathers never thought of even the
slightest activity, without His specific
order. Indeed in the Mahabharatha battle, His
Grace was bestowed unasked, every moment in
ample measure. The depth of Love that prompted
that Grace was known only to them; others
cannot gauge it. When Vyasa was remembering
this, he shed tears of joy at the good fortune
of the Pandava Brothers. And, not he alone.
Guardian on the Battlefield
The
person who listened, namely, Parikshith was
even more overcome with admiration and
thankfulness. He was shedding tears of joy;
his lips quivered with emotion; his voice was
broken by excitement. He could not contain
himself. He exclaimed. "Ah, how fortunate I
am, that I am born in this lineage! How brave,
how devoted, how redoubtable were my
forefathers! And, imagine my luck, that I am
able to hear their glories from the lips of
divine sages like you! Oh, I am indeed
thrice-blessed. When I listen to the exploits
of my grandfathers and the glories of
Lord Krishna, I can never say I have heard
enough. I long to hear more.
Pray
tell me how the Lord saved and guarded my
grandfathers in battle. It will be some source
of contentment for my hunger, some quench for
my thirst"
When
the King prayed like this, Vyasa said "0,
King! The Pandavas, as agreed upon, lived
through the twelve years of exile in the
forest and also completed one full year of
'life in incognito.' When at last, they
revealed themselves (on the occasion of the
Rape of Kine from the Virata domain by the
wicked Kauravas) Duryodhana, the eldest of the
cruel clan, that monster of guile, swore that
the full year had not elapsed and that the
Pandavas had broken their contract; so, he
said, they were bound by the penal clause, a
further twelve-year exile and a further
one-year-of-incognito life! He was adamant in
that conclusion.
The
elders, Bhishma and others, asserted that the
Pandavas had scrupulously fulfilled the terms
of the contract; the Pandavas had not
disclosed their place of stay during the
entire year; they had stayed in exile for full
twelve years. But, the Kauravas did not accept
the patent truth. They prepared the path for
their own downfall and destruction! They
listened to none, they gave ear to no counsel.
They swore that the battlefield alone can
settle the issue.
What
can any one do, in the face of that royal
decree? So, both parties engaged themselves in
preparing for war - the King endowed with
sovereign sway, Duryodhana; and the claimants
in exile, the Pandavas! But, Truth and Justice
allied themselves with the exiles and so, a
few kings who were motivated by moral
principles joined them. The others, in very
large numbers, sided the ruling monarch, and
so, the Kauravas were able to command eleven
akshauhinis while the Pandavas could collect
just seven only (An akshauhini consists of
109350 footsoldiers, 65610 horses and
horsemen, 21870 elephants and elephant
warriors, and 21870 chariots and their human
equipment).
Listen!
The chariot of Arjuna had the Lord Krishna,
the Gopivallabha, as its charioteer. Not only
that, He became the charioteer of the destiny
of the Pandavas. The Pandavas had, therefore,
no weak spot in their armour; He was all the
strength they needed. But, yet, in the grand
drama of the Lord, the role of Arjuna took a
sudden unexpected turn which astounded all.
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