Be a seeker like Arjuna

Be a seeker like Arjuna | Spiritual Readings-Atma Nirvana

Every human being including you and I are seekers in some or the other way. Some seek Aadhyaatma, some seek money, some seek gnaana, some seek happiness and so on as per one’s desire.

Whatever one seeks, if the determination is strong and has an appetite to learn with a clear vision often succeed in their pursuit. One always wonders being a seeker, whose footsteps one should follow, that one icon who symbolises an undisturbed seeker. For this, we need to refer to two of the great Hindu Epics ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Bhagavadgeeta’, where we come across ‘Arjuna’ a great warrior and seeker.

Arjuna was the son of Indra (Maanasaputra) in the Hindu epic ‘The Mahabharata’ which is said to have taken place during the ‘Dwaaparayuga’. He was the 3rd of the great Pancha (Five) Pandavas and a disciple of Lord Sri Krishna. He had gained unmatched skills in archery and was famously known all over the world as ‘Savyasaachi’ meaning the one who could perform absolute archery skills in both left and the right hands. One wonders, how he was able to achieve this with such perfection and unmatched battle skills? Let’s seek answers to this.

As the Pandavas grew up, they got trained in skills of warfare from Dronacharya and got education from Kripachaarya. They set up an empire in ‘Indraprastha’ and were living happily until their cousins, the Kauravas tricked them in a game of dice called ‘Dyuta’ and were sent to the forest on exile for 13yrs. At the end of the 13th year in exile, Pandavas returned to gain back the kingdom which was rightfully theirs. Kauravas denied it and war broke out between the Pandavas and Kauravas at a place called ‘Kurukshetra’. 

Be a seeker like Arjuna | Spiritual Readings-Atma Nirvana

The first day at the great war, both Pandava and Kaurava armies assembled at Kurukshetra, Arjuna on seeing his own relatives and friends in the opposition camp, lost his urge to fight. He insisted Krishna, his charioteer and guide to leaving the battleground as he didn’t wish to fight or kill his own family & friends and seeks Krishna’s advice on this. This is when Lord Krishna steps in and teaches Arjuna life lessons on how ‘one should do his karma and not think of the outcomes’, all of which are encrypted in the epic ‘Bhagavadgeeta’.

One good thing to notice is, it is the seeker in Arjuna who made way for Krishna’s teachings. Had Arjuna not lost his urge to battle and not sought Krishna’s help, the episode of ‘Bhagavadgeeta’ wouldn’t have happened nor the life-changing teachings of Lord Krishna could have been witnessed. Here Arjuna comes out to be a knowledge seeker.

Be a seeker like Arjuna | Spiritual Readings-Atma Nirvana
Dronacharya and Arjuna

Though a noble and knowledgeable person, Arjuna was a seeker throughout his life. During his childhood, he seeks to learn archery with his guru Dronacharya. With high determination and the undying appetite to learn, Arjuna became his guru’s favorite pupil. Dronacharya dedicated to make him the best archer, taught Arjuna with special interest. The seeker Arjuna learnt every trick in archery and was unmatched throughout his life. Here, Arjuna proved to be a determined seeker.

Later, when the Pandavas were on exile, Arjuna leaves behind his family and travels alone to the Himalayas to do Tapasya. This was to gain new weapons to counter the great worriers in the opposition camp. During this pursuit for new weapons, he once moves to a place by name Bhrugutunga and was challenged by a hunter. Arjuna accepts the challenge and fights with the hunter. Both, Arjuna and the hunter battled with equal strength and finally, the hunter turned out to be Lord Shiva. Eshwara, happy with the way Arjuna fought, grants him the prestigious arrow ‘Pashupataastra’. In this episode too Arjuna proves to be a visionary seeker.

Krishna did not give the life teachings to anyone but Arjuna as he was ready to seek knowledge and completely surrendered himself to Shri Krishna.

Dronacharya took special interest in teaching Arjuna as he was willing to seek and learn.

Lord Shiva too gave Arjuna the sacred weapon since Arjuna was determined to gain powerful weapons.

Hence, seeking is the leverage for great things to happen and achieve the great feat. Arjuna the seeker, proves to be an ideal icon for the seekers of the current time. 

So, be a seeker like Arjuna!

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