Serve!

Brhadbala, the King of Kosala, pierced Abhimanyu in the chest with a barbed arrow. Arjuna’s heroic son retaliated by killing Brhadbala’s horses & driver and knocking down royal insignia. At this Brhadbala picked up his sword & got down from his chariot, hoping to cut off Abhimanyu’s head. But as Brhadbala rushed at him, Abhimanyu pierced him in the heart with a fierce arrow that took away his life

After Brhadbala’s fall, Abhimanyu continued to kill numerous Kaurava soldiers & so Karna and Sakuni went to Duryodhana to express their great frustration. They lamented: Dear King! It appears that Abhimanyu cannot be defeated by any of us. Therefore, you must devise some ploy whereby he can be killed

Duryodhana went to Drona for advice. In reply, he said: As Abhimanyu’s armour is impenetrable & because he is the foremost of bowmen, he is unconquerable as long as he continues to release his arrows. But, if Abhimanyu’s bow can be broken & his horses killed, then we may be able to overwhelm him

After receiving this advice, Duryodhana went & urged Karna to make an all-out effort to execute the Preceptor’s plan. Karna rushed at Abhimanyu & after a fierce exchange of arrows he managed to break his bow. Krtavarma took opportunity to kill Abhimanyu’s horses while Krpa killed the two drivers. Thus, seeing how their enemy had fallen into a helpless condition, the Kuru warriors began ruthlessly showering their arrows upon him with great force

Abhimanyu took out his sword & jumped into the air so high that he appeared to be flying. All Kaurava warriors became struck with fear, thinking that Abhimanyu would fall upon them at any moment. But Drona broke Abhimanyu’s sword with an arrow & Karna smashed his shield to pieces

Being deprived of weapons, Abhimanyu jumped from his chariot & picked up a broken wheel he found lying upon battlefield. Then, as Abhimanyu rushed towards Drona with the wheel upraised, he looked like Lord Vishnu wielding his Sudarshan Chakra. Although this sight certainly terrified them, the Kuru warriors smashed Abhimanyu’s wheel into hundreds of fragments with their arrows

Krsna says:

antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ

anāśino ’prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata

The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata

The material body is perishable by nature. It may perish immediately, or it may do so after a hundred years. It is a question of time only. There is no chance of maintaining it indefinitely. The best use of such body is to serve the higher cause as per Supreme Lord’s instructions. Not for any material consideration or bodily conception

Serve & Utilize!

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife