Instruments!

 

Asvattāma mounted a chariot & came before Sātyaki, who pierced him even more deeply than before. Still Drona’s son challenged: O Sātyaki! I will never enjoy peace of mind until I kill all the Pāncālas. You will never be able to stop me from accomplishing this feat

 

After saying this, Asvattāma released a fierce arrow that passed thro’ Sātyaki’s armour & body. As the wounded Yadava hero dropped his bow & sat down on his chariot, covered with blood, his driver quickly took him away from battlefield. Asvattāma next released an arrow at Dhrishtadyumna, piercing him between the eyebrows so that he had to grab his flagpole while losing consciousness

 

Bhima, Arjun & other Pāndava warriors came & surrounded Asvattāma, but the undaunted son of Drona quickly broke the son of Vāyu’s bow & beheaded three young princes. Becoming deranged, Bhima picked up another bow. While rushing at Asvattāma he broke his bow & deeply pierced him in shoulder. Because of extreme pain Asvattāma closed his eyes but the next moment he regained his composure & angrily rushed at Bhima

 

When Asvattāma once again broke his bow, Bhima picked up another & continued discharging arrows. Drona’s son pierced Bhima’s driver in the forehead, making him fall onto the floor of the chariot. As the unguided horses carried Bhima away from the battlefield, Asvattāma triumphantly blew his conch shell & then proceeded to slaughter the fleeing Pāncāla soldiers in great numbers

 

Arjun had gone to another part of battlefield while Bhima fought with Asvattāma. When Arjun hastily returned to check Drona’s son, the Pāncāla soldiers rallied. Formerly Arjun had shown the highest regard for his guru’s son, but now he challenged him with harsh words as an unprecedented anger swelled in his heart

 

In response Asvattāma became highly enraged & released a very special & irresistibly powerful Agneya weapon, causing a thick gloom to envelop entire Pāndava army while showers of arrows fell from sky. The weapon also created a scorching heat so that entire universe appeared to be on fire. Due to the combined effect of intense heat & sharp arrows, thousands upon thousands of warriors fell dead upon battlefield & countless chariots were reduced to ashes

 

In the dense darkness, as Kaurava warriors were heard shouting with joy, Arjun invoked a Brahmāstra that immediately began counteracting Asvattāma’s weapon. As darkness was gradually dispelled, the light of day revealed that a full akshauhini of Pāndava soldiers had been killed. It was an exceedingly ghastly scene to behold, because their bodies had been almost completely burnt by the Agneya weapon, so that their identities no longer be easily ascertained

 

Asvattāma had assumed that Sri Krsna & Arjun would also perish. When he saw that they were alive & unharmed, he became depressed. Indeed, when he understood that Arjun had counteracted his ultimate weapon, he threw down his bow in disgust & ran away from battlefield

 

Krsna says:

kālo ’smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho lokān samāhartum iha pravṛttaḥ

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people.

 

Nobody can beat time, and we all will be beaten by time, however big we may become. We are not the independent doers but just instruments in Krsna’s scheme. Our constitutional position is to serve the Supreme Lord. Let’s surrender ourselves & utilize our skills in His service

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife