Mahabharata is one of the most popular mythological sagas of our country. The characters in Mahabharata are a source of inspiration as well as lesson for all of us. The things which we can all learn from this epic saga can be very useful for all of us in our daily lives. Today we will have a look at the story of one of the characters from Mahabharata named Barbarik.

He was the son of Ghatotkach and Ahilawati. Right from his childhood days his mother also played the role of a teacher in his life. She taught him the art of weaponry and taught him warfare. So, he was a very capable warrior from his childhood days.

He was also very big devotee of Lord Shiva. One day Lord Shiva became very impressed by his devotion and gave him a present of three unbeatable arrows or Teen Baan. So, for this reason he was also called as Teen Baandhaari which depicts a person who has three arrows. Along with that he was gifted an arrow by God of Fire, Agnidev. The uniqueness of this arrow was that it made him invincible in the entire universe.

One day, he came to know about the war to be held in Kurukshetra. After that he had the wish to witness it. So, he decided to go on a journey to witness the war. But before going on the journey, he promised his mother that if need arises then he would fight for the side which would be weaker.

On the other hand, Kurukshetra was going to be held. In relation to that historic event Lord Krishna asked the best warriors from Pandavas and Kauravas that how may days would it take them to finish the war on their own. In response, Karna said 24 days, Bhishma said 20 days, Arjuna said 28 days and Dronacharya said 25 days.

After the meeting, Lord Krishna came to know about Barbarik. So, he decided to talk to him also. So, he disguised himself into a brahmin and asked Barbarik the same question as he did to Pandavas and Kauravas. The answer he got was 1 minute.

That answer astonished him. So, then he decided to take a test and check Barbarik’s power and capability. So, he asked him that how he would be able to end the war in 1 minute. Then he explained that he would use an arrow to mark each and everything which he wanted to destroy. Then secondly, he would use a second arrow to mark each and everything which he wanted to save. Then finally he would use a third arrow to eliminate all the things which he had previously marked to destroy and ultimately the arrow would come back to him.

After this explanation, Lord Krishna asked him to tie each and every single leaf of the tree below which they were standing. After getting his task, Barbarik took one arrow from his quiver and started to meditate. While all of this was going on, Lord Krishna quietly plucked one leaf from the tree and kept it under his foot.

Now, Barbarik released his arrow to hit each and every leaf he had previously marked. But after getting every leaf present on the tree, the arrow pierces Lord Krishna’s leg for the leaf which he had hidden previously.

This can be astonishing for some people to know that Lord Krishna, in spite of being a God, was hurt during this incident. The reason is that, long before this incident Rishi Durvasa had given him a boon that his entire body, except his legs, would be immune to all the weapons. So, this is the reason that the arrow of Barbarik was able to pierce the leg of Lord Krishna.

So, after the demonstration of his power Lord Krishna decided that Barbarik should not take part in the war. Otherwise, the consequences would be tragic. So, then he had a conversation with Barbarik during which he came to know about the promise he had made to his mother. On that note, Lord Krisha explained to him the demerit of his promise. He said that if Barbarik decided to choose the weaker team then he would first fight for the Pandavas as they had a smaller army. But then the Kauravas would become weak. So, he would have to shift to side of Kauravas to fight the war. This to and fro movement of Barbarik would ultimately go on until everyone would be eliminated and he would be the only one left in the battle field.

So, in order to stop him from participating in the battle Lord Krishna asked him for his head as he had promised him that he would give anything to him. But before taking his head Lord Krishna granted him a wish that he wanted to see the complete battle until the end.

So, after the Battle of Mahabharata ended, then Pandavas started to fight that who was the real reason for their victory in the battle. Then Lord Krishna suggested them that they should ask Barbarik as he was the only one who did see the entire battle from beginning till the end. Then Barbarik said that Lord Krishna was the reason that Pandavas were able to win the battle. As he had a plan and his correct decisions at the correct point of time helped them in winning the battle.

Ultimately, Pandavas realised the importance of God and the reason that they fought the battle. It was the plan of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Mahamaya in which they helped in eliminating the evil from the Earth.

All of us can learn many thigs from this story of Barbarik. First of all, we should always trust the plan of God as whatever he does is for our own well-being. Secondly, we should all try to live our lives by following the path of truth as it will help in making the world a good place. It will also help us in avoiding the fate which the Kauravas faced at the end.

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