![]() ![]() He cast a smile of peculiar sweetness at the gentle giant. The priest raised his eyebrows faintly at this unexpected response. ![]() Won’t you tell me who you really are?” he said wonderingly, without a trace of anger at the outrageous demand. The greatest warrior must be sacrificed and you undoubtedly are he,” said the priest without missing a beat. “Anything you please, sir,” said Barbarika. May I ask alms of you before I go?” said the priest. ![]() “No sir,” said Barbarika, shaken by pity and horror. ![]() Not one person will be left on the battlefield. You will then have to keep switching sides. Any side you oppose will automatically become the weaker side. “With your supernatural powers? I don’t think you have thought it through at all and neither did your good mother, although I honour her intention. Also, Prince Bhima is my grandfather, though I’ve never met him.” “I’m told that the Pandavas have only seven divisions while the Kauravas have eleven. “Sir, I am pledged to my mother to always fight on the weaker side,” said Barbarika. “Your targets cannot hope to hide from you. The third arrow then rounded up all the leaves at Barbarika’s feet. Sure enough, a leaf lay below it that he had deliberately stepped on. Instead it hovered over the priest’s foot. The first arrow flew out and marked all the leaves. The first and third are enough for that,” said Barbarika, stringing his bow. “Do show me how, with the leaves of this pipal tree,” invited the priest. “The first one will mark all my targets, the second will mark those I want saved and the third will deliver all my targets to me,” said Barbarika. “What can you do with them?” smiled the priest. “These are special arrows, sir,” said Barbarika courteously, for he was used to speaking the truth. “A warrior with only three arrows?” said the priest without preamble. When he woke up, he found himself being critically regarded by an old priest with curiously bright eyes, his hair in a curly white knot. He then set out on his favourite horse, a rare blue dun, taking his bow and magic arrows.Ī few leagues short of Kurukshetra, Barbarika stopped to rest under a large pipal tree and took a nap. But carried away by emotion, she asked him, as a chivalrous knight, to always fight on the weaker side, which Barbarika promised to do with the most solemn oaths. Thereafter, further news came that the battle would take place on the field of Kurukshetra, all attempts at diplomacy having failed, even those by Sri Krishna, cousin to both warring factions.īarbarika asked his mother for permission to join the battle and she agreed. When news came of the great battle likely to be fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Prince Ghatotkacha set off at once to help his father Bhima. They decided to give Barbarika a suitable present, and gifted him a bow with three magic arrows. This combination of his prowess as a fighter and his gentle, knightly character delighted the Ashta Deva or guardians of the eight directions, who keep a close eye on things. He was also taught to be kind, gentle and polite when not training at arms. With this pedigree, Prince Barbarika was inevitably raised to be a formidable warrior. She was the daughter of the serpent lord Bhashaka, who had a place of honour on no less than Lord Shiva’s neck. His father was their son Ghatotkacha, and his mother was princess Ahilavati. He was Barbarika, the grandson of the Pandava prince Bhima, and Queen Hidimbi, the forest royal. Some burst into tears, and even made fond personal offerings like birthday cakes and bouquets of choice flowers, as they might for a member of the family.īut who was Khatushyamji? Both the Mahabharata and the Skanda Purana are said to speak of him. I have been there and saw devotees, both rich and poor-from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR and other regions-queue patiently for hours to have darshan of the image of Khatushyamji’s head. His chief temple is in Sikar district, Rajasthan. The sticker pays homage to Baba Khatushyamji. ‘Defeated’ here means those struggling with life or dealing with grief, disappointment and loss. Below that is written in Hindi, ‘Haare ka sahara’, meaning ‘Help of the helpless’ or ‘Help of the defeated’. It’s normal in Delhi to see cars with a red sticker on the back window, of a drawn bow with three arrows pointing up against it. ![]()
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