It has became the routine of blind Karna fans to degrade Arjuna on the basis of his encounter with Babruvahana, his own son. Did Babruvahana kill his sire, viz. Arjuna ? No, he was neither killed nor defeated by anyone.
Lets go through the epic itself to analyze this incident.
The battle between Arjuna and his son Babruvahana happened, when the former reached Manipura as part of his Aswamedha sacrifice. Before discussing the battle between sire and son, lets check the instructions which Yudhishtira gave to Arjuna and the manner in which Arjuna fought.
Arjuna had clear instruction from his elder brother Yudhishtir not to kill any kings in battles. Yudhishtir asked Arjuna to proceed for the sacrifice in a peaceful manner. Arjuna always was obedient to his elder brother. Both Krishna and Yudhishtir were, under any circumstances acceptable to Arjuna.
Narrative :
"Yudhishthira said, 'Come, O Arjuna, let the
horse, O hero, be protected by thee. Thou
alone art competent to protect it, and none
else. Those kings, O mighty-armed hero, who
will come forward to encounter thee, try, O
sinless one, to #avoid battles with them to the
best of thy power. Thou shouldst also invite
them all to this sacrifice of mine. Indeed, O
mighty-armed one go forth but try to establish
friendly relations with them.'
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14072.htmSo Arjuna was not with an intention to slay any of his opponents. Arjuna always tried to make peace with the kings he met throughout his way. There are many incidents to show the mildness of Arjuna in those battles.
Here are some examples
* Disregarding Arjuna's message, they assailed him with their shafts. The diadem-decked Arjuna resisted those warriors who were under the sway of darkness and passion.
Jishnu, addressed them smilingly and said,
'Desist, ye unrighteous ones. Life is a benefit
(that should not be thrown away).' At the
time of his setting out, he had been earnestly
ordered by king Yudhishthira the just, #not to
#slay those Kshatriyas whose kinsmen had
been slain before on the field of Kurukshetra.
#Recollecting these commands of king
Yudhishthira the just who was endued with
great intelligence, Arjuna asked the Trigartas
to forbear.
The Kuru hero, smiling the while, fought with that youth who resembled an angry snake. The mighty armed Dhananjaya, glad as he was in beholding the valour of Dhritavarman, did #not #take his #life. While, however, Partha of immeasurable energy #fought #mildlywith him without wishing to take his life.
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14074.htm* When the elephant of Vajradatta was prostrated on the ground, the son of Pandu, addressing the king who had fallen down with his beast, said,--'Do not fear. Indeed, Yudhishthira of mighty energy said unto me while commissioning me for this task even these words,--'Thou shouldst not, O Dhananjaya, slay those kings (who may encounter thee in battle). O tiger among men, thou shouldst regard thy task as accomplished if only thou disablest those hostile kings. Thou shouldst not also, O Dhananjaya, slay the warriors of those kings who may come forth to fight thee, with all their kinsmen and friends. They should be requested to come to the horse- sacrifice of Yudhishthira.'--Having heard these
commands of my brother, I shall not slay thee, O king. Rise up; let no fear be thine; return to thy city safe and sound, O lord of Earth. When the day of full moon in the month of Chaitra comes, thou shalt, O great king, repair to that sacrifice of king Yudhishthira the just, for it takes place on that day. Thus addressed by Arjuna, the royal son of Bhagadatta, defeated by the son of Pandu, said,--'So be it.'"
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14076.htm* The mighty-armed hero,
laughing at his foes, who had once more
rallied but who were on the point of death,
addressed them in these soft words,--'Do ye
fight to the best of your power and do ye
endeavour to vanquish me. Do ye however,
accomplish all necessary acts, for a great
danger awaits you all. See, I fight all of you,
baffling your clouds of arrows. Bent as you
are on battle, tarry a little. I shall soon quell
your pride.' The wielder of Gandiva, having
said these words in wrath, recollected,
however, the words, O Bharata, of his eldest
brother. Those words were,--'Thou shouldst
#not, O child, #slay those #Kshatriyas who will come #against #thee for battle. They should, however, be vanquished by thee. That
foremost of men, Phalguna, had been thus
addressed by king Yudhishthira the just, of
great soul. He, therefore, began to reflect in
this strain. 'Even thus was I commissioned by
my brother. Warriors advancing against me
should not be slain. I must act in such a way
as not to falsify the words of king
Yudhishthira the just.' Having arrived at this
conclusion, Phalguna, that foremost of men,
then said unto those Saindhavas who were all
fierce in battle, these words:--'I say what is for
your benefit. Though staying before me. I do
not wish to slay you. He amongst you who will
say unto me that he has been vanquished by
me and that he is mine, will be spared by me.
Having heard these words of mine, act
towards me in that way which may best
conduce to your benefit. By acting in a
different way you will place yourselves in a
situation of great fear and danger.'
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14078.htm* Beholding him arrived within his
dominion, O monarch, the heroic son of
Sahadeva, observant of Kshatriya duties,
challenged him to battle. Coming out of his
city, Meghasandhi, mounted on his car and
equipt with bow and arrows and leathern
fence, rushed towards #Dhananjaya who $was
on #foot. Possessed of great energy,
Meghasandhi approaching Dhananjaya, O
king, said these words from a spirit of
childishness and without any skill. 'This steed
of thine, O Bharata, seems to move about,
protected by women only. I shall take away
the horse. Do thou strive to free him.
Although my sires did not teach thee in
battle, I, however, shall do the duties of
hospitality to you. Do thou strike me, for I
shall strike thee.' Thus addressed, the son of
Pandu, smiling the while, answered him,
saying, 'To resist him who obstructs me is the
vow cast on me by my eldest brother. Without
doubt, O king, this is known to thee. Do thou
strike me to the best of thy power. I have no
anger.' Thus addressed, the ruler of Magadha
first struck the son of Pandu, showering his
arrows on him like the thousand-eyed Indra
showering heavy downpour of rain. Then, O
chief of Bharata's race, the heroic wielder of
Gandiva, with shafts sped from his excellent
bow, baffled all the arrows shot carefully at
him by his antagonist. Having thus baffled
that cloud of arrows, the ape-bannered hero
sped a number of blazing arrows at his foe
that resembled snakes with fiery mouths.
These arrows he shot at his flag and flag-staff
and car and poles and yoke and the horses,
#sparing the #body of his #foe and his #car-driver. Though Partha who was capable of shooting the bow with the left hand (as well as with the right) #spared the #body of the prince of Magadha, yet the latter thinking that his body was protected by his own prowess, shot many arrows at Partha. The wielder of Gandiva, deeply struck by the prince of Magadha, shone like a flowering Palasa ( Butea frondosa ) in the season of spring. Arjuna had #no #desire of #slaying the #prince of Magadha. It #was #for #thisthat, having struck the son of Pandu, he
#succeeded in #remaining #before that foremost of heroes.
When his foe became
deprived of his car, his bow, and his mace,
that foremost of warriors, viz. , the intelligent
Arjuna, did not wish to strike him. The ape-
bannered hero then, comforting his cheerless
foe who had been observant of Kshatriya
duties, said unto him these words, 'O son,
thou hast sufficiently displayed thy adherence
to Kshatriya duties. Go now. Great have been
the feats, O king, which thou hast
accomplished in battle although thou art very
young in years. The command I received from
Yudhishthira was that kings who oppose me should not be slain. It is for this thou livest yet, O monarch, although thou hast offended me in battle. Thus addressed, the ruler of Magadha considered himself vanquished and spared.
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14082.htm* The unvanquished Vibhatsu of righteous soul addressed them peacefully, but they were
unwilling to accept the beneficial words of
Yudhishthira (through Arjuna). Though
forbidden by Partha with sweet words, they
still gave themselves up to wrath and
surrounded the sacrificial steed.
Unto the
Gandhara king who was fighting with him,
impelled by Kshatriya duty, Arjuna said, 'I do
not intend to slay the kings who fight with
me, in consequence of the commands of
Yudhishthira. Cease, O hero, to fight with me.
Do not court defeat.' Thus addressed the son
of Sakuni, stupefied by folly, disregarded that
advice and covered with many swift arrows
the Kuru hero who resembled Sakra himself
in the feats he accomplished in battle. Then
Partha, with a crescent-shaped arrow, cut off
the head-gear of his foe. Of immeasurable
soul, he also caused that head-gear to be
borne along a great distance like the head of
Jayadratha (after he had cut it off in the battle
of Kurukshetra). Beholding this feat, all the
Gandhara warriors became filled with
wonder. That #Arjuna voluntarily #spared their king was well understood by them.
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14084.htmWe can understand from the above narratives that Arjuna was fighting mildly under the instructions of king Yudishtira. He did not wish to slay anyone.
Now coming to the battle between Sire and son, Arjuna vs Babruvahana
After reaching Manipura, Arjuna fought with his Babruvahana as part of his task. Arjuna wished not to slay Babruvahana under the order of his elder brother and also because of love towards his son. At last, Arjuna fell down into a deep swoon. It should be noted that Arjuna was not slained here. He just fell down into swoon.
The delighter of the Kurus, Dhananjaya, deeply pierced therewith by his son, then fell down in a swoon on the Earth.
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14079.htmWhen Babruvahana was weeping with grief on the account of the battle with his father, and also thinking that he slained his own sire, Ulupi, the naga princess comforted him by saying :
The daughter of the prince of snakes taking it up, uttered these words that highly gladdened the combatants standing on the field. 'Rise up, O son. Do not grieve. #Jishnu has #not been #vanquished by thee. This hero is #incapable of being #vanquished by #men as also by the #deities with Vasava himself at their head. I have #exhibited this #illusion, #deceiving your #senses, for the benefit of this foremost of men, viz. , thy illustrious sire. O thou of Kuru's race, desirous of ascertaining the prowess of
thyself, his son, this slayer of hostile heroes, O king, came here for battling with thee. It was for that reason, O son, that thou wert urged by me to do battle. O puissant king, O son, do not suspect that thou hast committed any, even the least, fault, by accepting his challenge. He is a #Rishi, of a mighty #soul, #eternal and #indestructible. O dear son, #Sakra himself is #incapable of #vanquishing him in battle.
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14080.htmNow comes the reason why Arjuna felled into a deep swoon against his son.
Ulupi said :
Formerly, O ruler of Earth, I heard this said by the Vasus while they were in the company of Ganga, O thou of great intelligence. After the fall of Santanu's son, those deities, viz. , the Vasus, coming to the banks of Ganga, bathed in her waters, and calling the goddess of that stream, they uttered these terrible words having the sanction of Bhagirathi herself, viz.,--Santanu's
son Bhishma has been slain by Dhananjaya.
Verily, O goddess, Bhishma then was engaged with another, and had ceased to fight. For this fault we shall today denounce a curse on Dhananjaya.--To this, the goddess Ganga readily assented, saying,--Be it so!--Hearing these words I became very much afflicted and penetrating into the nether regions represented everything to my
sire. Informed of what had happened, my sire became plunged in grief. Repairing to the
Vasus, he solicited them for thy sake,
repeatedly gratifying them by every means in
his power. They then said unto him,
'Dhananjaya has a highly blessed son who,
endued with youth, is the ruler of Manipura.
He will, standing on the field of battle, cast
Dhananjaya down on the Earth. When this
will happen, O prince of snakes, Arjuna will
be freed from our curse. Do thou go back.
www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m14/m14081.htmThe curse of Vasus was the reason for the so called 'Defeat' of Arjuna. All the curses should be respected, so is boons also. Babruvahana in fact was not a match for Arjuna. No one was able to defeat Arjuna except Arjuna himself. A son is ones ownself. It is because of this Ulupi arranged a battle between Arjuna and Babruvahana. Neither Arjuna was defeated nor killed in this battle. If falling into swoon is death, then Karna died numerous times in the entire Mahabharat. I personally feel pity for those dumb illiterate Karna fans, who made such a foolish point out of this battle. Time has arrived to put those illiterate wicked souls in any of the mental treatment centers. Otherwise they will destroy the real epic. I hope all the misconceptions regarding this incident is clear now. Thank you
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