Amlan Shekhar Baruah
Approximately 5000 years ago, in the midst of the great war of the Mahabharata, there was a momentous day that changed everything. It was the third day that marked a remarkable turning point in the ongoing battle. It was on this day that Bhagavaan Krishna faced a difficult decision that almost led him to break his promise. Before the war commenced, Krishna had vowed that he would never attack anyone during the war. But on that fateful day, he was compelled to almost break his promise. Let us read this spiritual story of Krishna’s unwavering selflessness and duty in the face of crisis.
Bheeshma, the grand uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, was the most powerful and dangerous warrior among the soldiers of the Kauravas. Nobody except Arjuna had the ability to match or defeat him. Bheeshma’s body was so strong that nobody’s arrows except Arjuna’s arrows could cause him any pain.
On the third day of the war, Duryodhana, the leader of the Kauravas, insulted Bheeshma, telling him that he was fighting mildly with the Pandavas and favoring them. Hearing those words, Bheeshma became furious and promised Duryodhana that he would destroy the entire army of the Pandavas. Thereafter, Bheeshma started attacking the soldiers of the Pandavas with full strength and aggression and with no mercy. He caused unimaginable havoc and destruction to the Pandava army. Arjuna, due to his excessive compassion and attachment towards his grand uncle, was fighting mildly with Bheeshma by just defending himself, and so he was unable to defend the other Pandava soldiers. Arjuna tried to fight his feelings, but his strong attachment to Bheeshma dominated him and thus held him back from unleashing his full power.
Seeing this tragic situation, Krishna became worried. The Pandava soldiers were dying rapidly and in large numbers from Bheeshma’s fierce arrows. Finally, Krishna could tolerate it no longer and decided to kill Bheeshma himself in order to save the Pandavas and relieve their burden. Although Krishna remembered his own promise he had made before the war, at that moment he did not care about it at all because he had no other choice. Therefore, Krishna got down from his chariot, raised his Sudarshana Chakra, and started advancing towards Bheeshma, full of rage and resolved on killing him. Seeing this, Arjuna felt very guilty that Krishna was going to break his promise because he had not taken his fight seriously. This gave Arjuna the motivation he needed. So he rushed towards Krishna, stopped him, and promised him that he would fight seriously from then on. Krishna agreed, and both of them returned to their chariot. Thus, Arjuna was finally able to stop Krishna from breaking his promise when he started fighting with full strength and dedication. After some time, he made the entire army of the Kauravas, including Bheeshma, tremble and flee from the battlefield, and thus, the Pandavas achieved victory for that day. Ultimately, Arjuna became the one who struck down Bheeshma on the 10th day of the war, which eventually led to his death. Therefore, had Arjuna not fought with his full strength, Bheeshma could most probably have destroyed all the rest of the Pandava soldiers.
This incident is one of the greatest examples of Krishna’s love and sacrifice. He was ready to break His own promise and destroy His own reputation for the sake of saving Dharma (justice or righteousness), and establishing peace in the world. This selfless act of Shree Krishna teaches us that we should never hesitate to make sacrifices for the sake of doing good to others, even if that requires us to sacrifice our own name or reputation in society. Our duties are always greater than any person’s opinion of us. Also, when situations change unexpectedly in our lives, we should not hesitate to change our plans and actions, including any vow or promise we made to anyone, for the greater good. The past is gone and cannot be changed, so we should not worry about it but instead always focus on the present.
