The Awakened Worrier
Source material : The Hinduism classical mythology epic, The Mahabharata.
Arjuna, the great worrier of the Mahabharata epic,
stands transfixed at the fringe of Kurukshetra battlefield,
hears the thunder of thousand conch shells
announce the start of the valiant battle.
He lifts his heavy bow, but it slips from his hands.
His brave spirit falters,
for he sees in front his kins and mentors,
lined up to fight against him;
he ponders to win the war he needs to kill them.
Faced with humane predicament
the hero in him feels disheartened,
for the load of bravery is too heavy to bear,
urging him to exit the battlefield.
He asks his conscience in despair,
“what is the meaning of victory
if it entails killing the loved and revered ones.?”
He then hears the godly voice of his charioteer
that echoes the eternal truth :
“the soul is immortal and indestructible,
transcends birth and death.
Perform you duty with equanimity as a worrier,
for true karmic liberation lies in seeing oneself
as an artifact of divine will,
balancing the modes of success and failure.”
Transformed by the guidance of his charioteer,
Arjuna comes out of the emotional dilemma,
regains his mental acumen
that expands his vision beyond victory and defeat,
far away from the conundrum life and death
to perceive selflessly the need
for surrender to the supreme.
His gloomy mind is then illumined
by the gracious glare of dharma.
As he picks up his bow and arrow
for the fiercest of all battles,
he realizes that the toughest battle of life
is fought within the awakened soul.
Copyright © Subimal Sinha-Roy | Year Posted 2025
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment