The Mahabharata is one of the finest pieces of literature in this world. No other work brings out the complexity of human problems in such a profound way. Four of the most striking characters in the Mahabharata are Arjuna, Karna, Drona and Bhishma.
Out of Karna, Drona, Bhisma and Arjuna, It’s Arjuna who stands out from the four as the hero who future generations of Hindus admire the most. The other three are remembered as tragic heroes. They all met sad deaths on the battlefield. So Why Lord Krishna choose Arjuna?
Why not Karna:
Karna was a great warrior, in many ways greater than Arjuna. They were equally good archers, but physically, Karna was by far the stronger of the two. While they both wanted to stick to their principles, the one flaw that crosses Karan names out of the ideal candidate list is his friendship with Dhuryodhan.
Karna used all his strength to serve his friend Duryodhan, without even one selfish thought for himself. He made his friendship and loyalty to Duryodhan higher than anything else, even higher than right and wrong, and even higher than God.
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Loyalty is a virtue, but a blind virtue only leads to a sad end. His tragic story warns us to choose loyalties wisely. Only Krishna deserves such unflinching loyalty.
How could Bhishma not qualify?
Bhishma was known to be a most selfless man all his life. But he too had joined the wrong camp, which eventually led to his demise. His oath to follow the King of Hastinapur, irrespective of who it is, made him sway from the path of righteousness. He had disregarded advice from the Lord himself.
Mahabharata demonstrates that if your attachment to a personal vow stops you from doing what is blatantly right, and ends up making you serve evil, such a vow should be discarded and set aside.
And Drona, why not him?
Drona was an employee of the king of Hastinapur & he was the greatest Guru of his time. He trained the Kauravas in the art of warfare. He chose to be loyal to his employer rather following the path of Dharma.
When Duryodhan was doing wrong, Drona was fully aware of it. On some occasions he even tried to stop Duryodhan, at which Duryodhan would say: “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.”
When the battle finally dawned, Drona fought on Duryodhan’s behalf. He put his loyalty towards his employer above the bidding of Lord Krishna who tried to tell Drona not to keep supporting the side of evil just because of his loyalty to his employer.
The big question- why Arjuna?
Arjuna no doubt was a great warrior, but when you compare his flaws with others, they are far outnumbered. Arjuna had one over riding quality which sets him above and apart from the others. To Arjuna, it was Krishna’s words that were absolute. He had complete trust in his master. He was willing to carry out Krishna’s orders even at the cost of his promises or principles.
Lord Krishna had chosen him for this very quality. He chose him to be the hero of that era. The instrument for God to pass the message of Dharma to the world.
The comparison between Karna, Drona, Bhishma and Arjuna was done to bring to the forefront certain facts. A person’s loyalty to a friend, loyalty to their employer and dedication to their principles or promises, all of these things are an admirable trait, but if it becomes an obstacle in the path of greater good, it should be abandoned.
Krishna, the divine guide, will always shower his grace on people who will put Him first, and thus we remember Arjuna as the true hero above any of his contemporaries.
Hence, Arjun will always be remembered as the eternal hero, who had the Lord on his side to guide him every step of the way.