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It is said that King Barbarik (well known as Khatu Shyam Ji) was so powerful that according to him the war of Mahabharata could end in 1 minute if he alone fought it. But still lord krishna convinced him to commit suicide(not exactly). Do you know why?
Barbarik was a brave warrior and a prince of the Pandavas, the legendary heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the son of Ghatotkacha, who was the son of Bhima, one of the Pandavas.
Barbarik was a big devotee of lord shiva and due to his deep Tapasya (a kind of meditation) he impressed lord shiva. Being impressed by Barbarik, Lord shiva awarded him 3 powerful arrows, the first arrow would mark his enemy with red ink. The second arrow would mark the things that he wanted to save. The third arrow would destroy enemy target marked with red ink leaving everything as it is without harming .
Barbarik was known for his exceptional archery skills and was believed to possess three divine arrows that could defeat any enemy in the world. By knowing about the awarded arrows of lord shiva The Guru (teacher) asked him to swear by 2 promises (vachans) as guru-dakshina (fees). That Barbarik wouldn’t use the arrows for his personal vengeance. That Barkarik would always fight for the weaker side in a battle/war.
Barbarik learnt the art of warfare from his mother, Maurvi, who was a brave warrior even in her childhood. Barbarik expressed to his mother his desire to watch the Mahabharata war. His mother agreed to let him go watch it, but she asked him before he left which side he would join if he felt compelled to fight in the war. Barbarik promised his mother that he would join the weaker side.
To see the power of Barbarik, Krishna eager to put this to the test, asked Barbarik to tie all the leaves of the tree he was standing beneath. As Barbarik began to meditate in preparation for the task, Krishna took one of the tree’s leaves and placed it under his foot without Barbarik’s knowledge. When Barbarik releases the first arrow, it marks all of the leaves on the tree and eventually begins to revolve around Lord Krishna’s feet. Krishna inquires of Barbarik as to why the arrow is acting in this manner. Barbarik responds by saying, “There must be a leaf under your feet,” and asks Krishna to lift his leg. The arrow moves ahead and marks the remaining leaf as soon as Krishna lifts his leg
This incident scares Lord Krishna about the phenomenal power of Barbarik. He concludes that the arrows are truly infallible. In response, Krishna asks Barbarik whose side he intends to fight for in the Mahabharata war. Barbarik explains that he will fight for the Pandavas since the Kaurava Army is larger than the Pandava Army and because of the agreement he made with his mother. But, Lord Krishna exposes the absurdity of the condition he agreed upon with his mother. Krishna argues that because he was the most powerful fighter on the battlefield, whichever side he chose would make the opposing side weaker. As a result, he would finally oscillate between the two sides, destroying everyone but himself.
Following this, Krishna says that in order to worship the battlefield, the head of the best Kshatriya had to be sacrificed, and that he considered Barbarik to be the greatest Kshatriya of the period.
Barbarik declares his wish to see the upcoming combat before offering his head. To this end, Krishna agreed to place Barbarik’s head atop a mountain overlooking the battlefield. At the end of the conflict, the Pandavas debated who had made the largest contribution to their victory. To this, Krishna advises that Barbarik’s head be permitted to rule because it has witnessed the entire conflict. According to Barbarik’s head, Krishna was solely responsible for the war’s victory. His advice, his strategy and his presence was crucial in the victory.
Lord Krishna have offered the head of Barbarik to the river Rupawati. The head was later discovered buried in the Khatu village of Rajasthan’s Sikar district. Later on the king barbarik was named as Khatushyam Ji.
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