Why is Arjun considered the HERO of Mahabharat?
Recently I was reading something and came across a quote by Christoper Reeve, which reads as follows " A hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."
Which made me think why is Arjun considered the HERO of Mahabharat! After some thinking I came up with this!
Arjun is believed to be a reincarnation of sage Nara, the eternal companion of Narayana (Lord Vishnu). In his many names, he is often addressed as Paarth, Keerti, Savyashachee, Dhanajay etc
Arjun as student was diligent, extremely focused and quick to grasp ... he resembled an embodiment of concentration! He gave up on sleep ... sweating hard during the nights to purse his goals of becoming an ambidextrous and precise archer. Arjun was a peerless archer who had no difficulty hitting a wooden rotating fish at Drapadi's swayamvar coming out triumphant!
His endurance and good will earned him his most precious and cherished gift of all his Gandiv, which he was very passionate and sensitive about. He was handed his Gandiv with a lot of affection from the Vedic God of rain. His divine golden chariot was also a gifted ... a chariot whose horses were said to be super power!
In other accomplishments, Arjun was blessed with Pasupatha from Lord Shiva and many more divine weapons in his lifelong journey. Versatility was another important trait of his ... he excelled in different art forms ... dancing and singing which greatly helped him during agyaat vaas. He fearlessly and courageously fought the Virat war single handedly crushing his opponents to emerge victorious.
On a personal side he fought temptations and dilemmas throughout his life ... yet always choose to remain faithful to his mother and his brothers during their trials and tribulations. He was known to be great human being, a kind person, a dutiful householder, a loyal brother, a great warrior, a devout husband and a sincere devotee of God.
However, Arjuna was highly arrogant and vain many at times during the course of his life. He was egotist and foolhardy at times, and there were times where he was too proud of his achievements and made vows in a split of a second. He sometimes proclaimed that things happened because he was making them happen. He wasn't as noble as others of his era, nor was he physically the strongest and perhaps neither the greatest warrior of them all. But despite his limitations ... we as humans have a certain connect with him ... because he somewhere represented us ... humans ... he was just one of us!
Arjun was far from perfect, so what made him so special after all?
His life gives us an important lessons for our lives ... his quest for perfection in every field ... his unflinching adherence to duty ... his respect towards elders ... and his devotion to his Guru.
But by far, the virtue of his inner purity and his loyalty to Lord Krishna, made Arjun all the more special ... he had the good fortune of receiving the divine knowledge of Bhagwat Gita ... and unknowingly that was Arjun's gift to mankind ... knowledge that will live on till the end of time.
Lord Krishna became his guide and mentor for life. To Arjun Lord Krishna's voice was the absolute. He embraced Lord Krishna's commands unfailingly ... at the expense of principles and promises that he held dear. Completely surrendering himself ... Arjun was fated to be the hero of the era and the instrument of God in restoring dharam.
Arjuna, represents all of us as we struggle with who we are, what we are meant for and our purpose. Lord Krishna represents the voice of insight, inspiration, divine guidance, our highest self or conscience. The divine cannot fight our battles for us but under his guidance and protection nothing is impossible!
Arjuna shows us that while we can admire a person's loyalty to their friend, loyalty to their family and dedication to their principles and promises ... all of these things must never be allowed to become an obstacle in doing what is truly for the benefit of the greater good. Lord Krishna, the divine guide, will always shower his grace on people who will put HIM first, and maybe that's why Arjuna is regarded as the hero of Mahabharat above any of his contemporaries.
