Destiny

Is what made Arjun the greatest warrior of his times – not his supreme prowess for there were two more warriors greater than him in talent and in deeds.

Eklavaya – Who learnt from the clay image of the Guru who refused to teach him archery skills; and the same guru who took his right thumb so that Arjuna would remain the best archer in the world

Karna: The unlucky one, the one whom Kripa and Draupadi insulted when he could’ve easily won the Swayamwar that Arjuna finally won. The one who gave up his armour and jewels (that made him invincible) to Lord Indra, father of Arjun. The one who spared his brothers of death despite overpowering them. The one who did not disobey his dear friend Duryodhana and gave up the Shakti Shastra to kill Ghatotkacha knowing well this was the sole weapon that could destroy Arjun in the ultimate war.

Destiny is what we cannot fight even if we want to – Krishna and Vyaasa reiterate this truth throughout the epic Mahabhartha.

Since my childhood this mythological tale fascinated me more than any epic narrated to me. Just finished  reading Chitra Banerjee Divakurni’s “Palace of Illusions” – Draupadi’s Mahabhartha; it’s an enticing read and this post might run into a thousand pages if I decide to pen down my thoughts – I may do that later but this I had to write down today.

Can we fight our destiny – can we overcome it? The Mahabhartha seems to suggest otherwise.