P for Pasupata Astra: The Battle Between Shiva and Arjuna - Mahabharata Mashup
Namaste,
Have you heard of the battle between Shiva andArjuna? This event happened in Aranyaka Parva when Arjuna was performingtapasya to please Rudra-Shiva and ask him for the Pasupata Astra.
Shiva changed his form into a hunter from the Kiratatribe and went to the mountaintop where Arjuna was his tapasya. Parvati Maa anda group of devotees followed Shiva and were witnesses to the duel.
Both Shiva and Arjuna spotted a boar advancingArjuna and shot it with their arrows. The boar fell dead, revealing itsoriginal form as a demon that came to attack Arjuna.
Shiva picked up a fight with Arjuna by asking why heaimed at the boar. Arjuna said Shiva had no right to kill it since the boar wasabout to attack Arjuna (Arjuna killing it would be self-defense). Thingsescalated, and soon, they went from the war of words to direct war.
During the fight (with bows and arrows), Arjuna’ssubconscious prodded, hinting at the truth. More than once, he considered theidea that the hunter-man could be Shiva in disguise. Yet, he continued with thefight. They even got into a fistfight at one point, and Arjuna fell unconsciousfrom the impact. As he regained consciousness, he prayed to Shiva, visualizinghis acts of worship.
When Arjuna opened his eyes, he found the hunterstanding before him, wearing the same garland and flowers Arjuna mentallyoffered to Shiva. He then realized that his intuition was right. He fell atShiva's feet and worshipped him again.
Pleased, Shiva blessed Arjuna and gifted him thepowerful Pasupata astra (also known as Brahmasira) and shared the mantra tosummon it. Shiva advised that the astra should not be used without reason or ata weak enemy. Interestingly, Arjuna doesn’t use the Pasupata astraduring the war, not for Bhishma or even Karna. It remained unused throughout.However, this episode is vital as it reinforces the role of Gods in the eventsthat occur afterward.
Moreover, Shiva had a prominent role in Mahabharata eventhough Krishna (Vishnu) was the key player. He gave a boon to Amba to take revenge on Bhishma. He gave a boon to Draupadi in her past life. As the god of destruction, Shiva ruled over the battlefield and was sighted by Arjuna (in Drona Parva). He was invoked by Ashwatthaman in Sauptika Parva. Ashwattaman then went on a killing spree by butchering the sleeping warriors in the Pandava camp. The Parva ends with praising the glory of Rudra (the Rudra avatar of Shiva).
Check out this thread by Sutradhar to know more!
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