THE POWER OF ARJUNA'S PENANCE (TAPASYA)
QUOTE FROM "SHIVA PURANA"...
ARJUNA'S QUEST FOR THE TERRIBLE WEAPON CALLED "PASHUPAAT ASTRA"
ARJUNA OBTAINED THE KNOWLDGE OF THE DEADLY "PASHUPAAT ASTRA" BY SEVERE PENANCE STANDING ON JUST TWO THUMBS OF HIS FOOT WHILE KARNA LIED TO HIS GURU PURSHURAMA & OBTAINED THE KNOWLEDGE BY TREACHERY!!THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KARNA & ARJUNA!!
ARJUNA HAD EVERY UNFAILING & IRRESTIBLE WEAPONS IN HIS ARMOURY -THE BRAHMASHIRA ASTRA,THE PASHUPAAT ASTRA,THE PRAJAPATI ASTRA,THE VAJRA..BUT ARJUNA NEVER USED THEM EVEN ONCE IN MAHABHARATA..HAD ARJUNA LAUNCHED THESE DIVYA ASTRAS ON KARNA,HE WOULD HAVE BLOWN TO PIECES BUT ARJUNA NEVER DID THIS FOR THE SAKE OF HUMANITY AS THESE WEAPONS COULD HAVE CONSUMED MANY LIFES & COULD HAVE CREATED HUGE DESTRUCTION & BLOODSHED..THATS WHY WE LOVE ARJUNA!!
BEFORE PROCEEDING ITS IMPORTANT TO ANALYSE THE POWER OF "PASUPAAT" WEAPON:
THE POWER OF PASHUPAAT ASTRA (WHICH ARJUNA DIDNT USE ON KARNA) AS DESCRIBED BY MAHADEVA HIMSELF:
NARRATIVE FROM KAIRATA PARVA OF VEDA VYASA'S MAHABHARATA (K.M.G TRANSLATION):
Bhava replied, 'O powerful one. I will give to thee that favourite weapon of mine called the Pasuputa. O son of Pandu, thou art capable of holding, hurling, and withdrawing it. Neither the chief himself of the gods, nor Yama, nor the king of the Yakshas, nor Varuna, nor Vayu, knoweth it. How could men know anything of it? But, O son of Pritha, this weapon should not be hurled without adequate cause; for if hurled at any foe of little might it may destroy the whole universe. In the three worlds with all their mobile and immobile creatures, there is none who is incapable of being slain by this weapon. And it may be hurled by the mind, by the eye, by words, and by the bow.'"
JUST NOTE MAHADEVA'S WORDS:
"In the three worlds with all their mobile and immobile creatures, there is none who is incapable of being slain by this weapon"
MAHADEVA SHIVA CLEARLY SAYS THAT THERE IS NONE IN THE ENTIRE THREE WORLDS THAT CANT BE SLAINED BY "PASUPAAT ASTRA"...NOW WHAT KARNA'S FANS HAD TO SAY?? WAS LORD SHIVA KIDDING..LOL!!
EVEN KARNA FEARED PASHUPAAT WEAPON & HE HIMSELF ACCEPTED THE PASHUPAAT ASTRA IS CAPABLE OF WIPING OUT THE THREE WORLDS..JUST FIND OUT YOURSELF FROM KARNA'S OWN CONFESSION:
NARRATIVE:
Who is there on earth that is superior to him? Possessed of greatness of soul,he gratified Mahadeva himself in fair fight, and obtained from him the terrible and mighty weapon Pasupata that is capable of destroying the three worlds.
KARNA WAS LUCKY ENOUGH ARJUNA DIDNT LAUNCH PASHUPAAT WEAPON ON KARNA OR ELSE KARNA WOULD HAVE BEEN RIPPED APART INTO PIECES!!
NOW JUST READ THIS QUOTE FROM SHIVA PURANA & FIND OUT WHY ARJUNA IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS "YOGI" IN BHAGVADA GITA!!
NARRATIVE:
1.3.29 Indra Appears before Arjun
Arjuna's penance generated so much of heat that all the living creature of the three worlds were unable to bear its scorching heat. All the living creatures of the three worlds went to Indra to seek his help.
Indra went to Arjuna in the guise of a celibate and asked about the purpose for which he was doing penance. Arjuna told him that he wanted to defeat the Kauravas. Indra then told Arjuna that it was not in his capacity to help him achieve victory over the Kauravas, because of Aswatthama who was a partial incarnation of lord Shiva.
Indra advised Arjuna to please lord Shiva by his penance so that his wishes could be fulfilled. Indra then entrusted some of his men, the job of Arjuna's security and went back to his abode. Arjuna commenced his penance to please lord Shiva.
1.3.30 Lord Shiva Appears in the Guise of Kirat
Arjuna did a tremendous penance by standing only on one leg and concentrating his gaze upon the blazing sun,. The deities became very impressed by Arjuna's penance. They went to lord Shiva and requested him to bless Arjuna. Lord Shiva accepted their request.
Duryodhan had sent a demon named Mooka to kill Arjuna. Mooka had disguised himself as a boar. Arjuna was engrossed in his meditation, when suddenly his concentration got disturbed by a loud noise. He opened his eyes and saw Mooka being chased by a band of Kirats. In fact it was none other than Shiva who had appeared in the guise of Kirat.
Both Arjuna and Lord Shiva struck the boar with their respective arrows at the same time. As a result the boar was killed.
1.3.31 Kirat Blesses Arjun
Lord Shiva sent his ganas to bring back the arrow. Similarly Arjuna too went near the dead boar to bring his arrow. Arjuna found his arrow lying on the ground. He picked it up in his hand. Right then the ganas arrived there and asked Arjuna to return that arrow as it belonged to their master (Shiva). But Arjuna refused to part with his arrow. Instead he asked the ganas, to convey his challenge to their master to have a dual with him.
The ganas went back to lord Shiva and narrated the whole story to him. Lord Shiva accepted Arjuna's challenge and went to fight him. His ganas accompanied him. Arjuna defeated all the ganas of Shiva. In the end Lord Shiva came forward to have a dual fight with him. Shiva was very much impressed by his valour. He revealed his real identity. Arjuna was very ashamed that he fought with Shiva. Lord Shiva consoled him and gave his weapon Pashupat to Arjuna.
Conslusion-Arjuna managed to please Lord Shiva by his severe penance in just months because his penance generated so much intense heat that was unbearable to all living creatures of Earth & which ultimately forced Lord Shiva to come to Earth (Bhulokam) & hand over the Pashupaat weapon to Arjuna..Even great Yogis like Maharishi Vishwamitra,Maharishi Durvasa,Maharishi Bhrigu,Maharishi Vashist,etc took hundreds & thousands of years to please their respective deities by their penance but Arjuna did this in just months (starting from Kairata Parva to Indralokagamana Parva of Veda Vyasa Mahabharara during Vana Parva - Roughly 6 months as described in Gita Press Edition)..What great Sages & Rishis took years to accomplish,Arjuna achieved that in months!! Such was the power of Arjuna's penance!
JAI JISHNU !!
yeah alright . whatever
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