“Samay” hout balwaan

How many of you have heard the story of great warrior Arjun suffering an ignominious defeat at the hands of a gang of marauders*? I had a vague recollection of it but when someone mentioned it to me the other day, I decided to dig deeper.

Courtesy psych-prism, here is the short story…and within it, a great lesson for all of us.

Once Bhagwaan Shri Krishna was wounded and Arjun decide to go and see him…On the way, he met Narad Muni who advised him not to touch Shri Krishna, otherwise great harm would befell him.

As Arjun entered Shri Krishna’s chamber,Bhagwan Krishna said, “I was waiting for you. Come and sit besides me.”

Remembering Narad Muni’s advice, Arjun was in a dilemma…and decided not to sit next to Bhagwaan Krishna. His discomfort was obvious so Shri Krishna asked him to touch his wounds with his bow if not with his hand.

Arjun agreed to that…not realising that all the “shakti” from his bow had drained away when it touched Shri Krishna Bhagwan’s wounds. After the meeting, Krishna Bhagwaan asked Arjun to take responsibility for the safe passage of Gopikas who had come to see him. Arjun of course agreed.

On their way back, the group was attacked by Bheels* who, in spite of Arjun’s prowess in archery and his “Gandiv“, managed to abduct the Gopis. Arjun’s bow – the famed “Gandiv” failed him at this moment…The greatest archer of his time could not protect the Gopikas when they needed help the most.

That was when Arjun realised “It is not (the) man who is powerful and potent; It is TIME”

The version which I heard from my wife is slightly different…Arjun was not escorting Gopikas but widows of the Yadav soldiers and officers who had perished in the Great War (recall that while Shri Krishna Bhagwaan had fought on the side of Pandavas, his army had fought with the Kauravas – this story is probably for another post).

These widows were being escorted from Dwarka (modern day Gujarat) to Hastinapur (in North India) and the attack happened in/around modern-day Jhabua (which is Bheel Pradesh). Also Arjun failed to protect the widows not because he could not use his Gaandiv but he actually “forgot” the mantras.

This “dohaa” has been ascribed to Kabir:

Manushya bali hout nahi; Samay hout balvAn
Bhillan luti gopikA;Wah Arjun wahi baan

Another version:

Manushya kadi balwaan nahi; Samaya sab se balwaan
Kaabe Arjuna lutiyo; Wahi dhanush wahi baan

And the version I had heard before (thanks to my wife):

Purush bali nahin hout hai; Samay hout balwaan
Bheel gopiyan bhagaye lae; Wahi Arjun, wahi baan

* Note that the association of “Bheels” (or “Bhils”) with the gang of marauders is probably inaccurate and historically debatable. In spite of that this mis-perception (Bheels = Marauders, Thugs, Looters) is widely prevalent – both in the minds of the public as well as the media e.g.: “Our community (the Bhils) is famous for robberies“.

The causes of this association probably lie in the history of past 200-odd years. E.g. see this fascinating extract from the official Gazette of Jalgaon in Maharashtra from the period 1818-1947 and “Imperial Solution of a Colonial Problem: Bhils of Khandesh up to c. 1850″.

Find of the day: Royal Chronology and History of India

Related Posts:

A Search for the Historical Krishna

Mahabharata War – A Backdrop

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2 Responses

  1. Dirt Digger says:

    Great post on a story which succinctly portrays the fate of most dynasties. Everyone has a run, some more significant than the other but it all has to end.
    Legend has it that the hunter’s accidental shooting of Krishna happened a few decades after Kurukshetra. Now remember both Krishna and Arjuna were old men, at least 70-80 years in today’s timeframe when this happened. Krishna’s powers protected the Pandavas but also Dwaraka. He knew after his exit, the city would be submerged in the sea( it is still there off the coast of Gujarat as found by archaeologists).
    Hence the request to Arjuna to transfer the citizens to Indraprastha, but as a snide lesson, he took away his powers to let him know that his time was also at an end.

  2. LV says:

    Another version of the ‘dohaa’ ..

    Samay samay balwaan hai, nahi purush balwaan,
    Kabe Arjun lutiyo, wahi dhanush wahi baan.