WHEN YOU NEED IT, DOES IT WORK?

In the Mahabharat, Karna was seemingly a greater archer than Arjuna. But whenever there was a real fight, he was seen losing it. Instances like Karna running away in the Dvaita vana episode when Gandharvas captured Duryodhana, him losing to Arjuna in the Swayamvara of Draupadi, Arjuna making him unconscious in the battle with Virata suggest the same. When he had to finally face Arjuna in the ultimate battle, the battle of life and death & victory or defeat, he couldn’t even remember his divine weapon, however much he called for it. Eventually, his head rolled in the soil and dust of the war field.

Imagine someone who needs to attend an important engagement and his or her car fails to work repeatedly; or one is making an important presentation and computer crashes again and again; or a student has studied so hard round the year but his pen starts breaking in each exam. Such situations can be very traumatizing, creating hopelessness.

For many, life seems like Karna’s situations – failing at the wrong moment. But the Pandavas bring new light to such circumstances. They teach us that how many things you have and how special they are is not important; what matters is how you use them when you need them the most.

It is an art of life, use things more effectively rather than just accumulating them. Utility is more important than storing, because what is unused and stored simply burdens the space either in our homes or in our brain.

Karna can be regarded as stuff collector who lacks substance. Arjuna illustrates the art of making substance out of ordinary stuff. Karna may be dressed gorgeously on the outside but his skin is fully diseased. This can be compared to a beautiful appealing showroom that has nothing in its cellar to sell.

Arjuna personifies substance and essence. This is like having a beautiful showroom with a beautiful cellar full of beautiful things, clean and elegant, inside and outside.

Therefore, the fight between Arjuna and Karna is a decisive one. And someone has to win. The opponents are substance and superficial stuff.

So whom are you cheering for?