Storytelling: Dharma

“It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

Ekalavya looked at him curiously and smiled.  Arjuna smiled back cautiously.  He wasn’t sure what to make of this forest boy with the uncanny talent for archery.  He could sense Drona’s displeasure, however, and knew to stay back.

“I want you to cut your thumb off,” Drona said dismissively.

Arjuna stared in shock as Ekalavya merely smiled and obeyed immediately.

“Thank you, sage,” the boy murmured as his blood dripped on the ground.  Arjuna couldn’t stop watching the casual fall of the blood droplets from the stump on his hand.

He thought he would be sick, but he couldn’t do that in front of Drona, so he made himself numb.  As they walked by Ekalavya to go home, Arjuna could not stop himself from glancing back at the boy that they had taken everything from.

“Don’t worry,” Ekalavya whispered, startling Arjuna.  “I reached too high.  I’m not meant to be a warrior, but you are.  Do what I cannot.”

And Arjuna could do nothing but nod.

“No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them.”

“Please Arjuna, see reason!” Yudhishthira begged.  “There is no need for you to go into exile!  You had a justifiable reason to interrupt us!  I won’t force you to go!”

“No, Yudhishthira,” Arjuna sighed.  “I knew what I was doing when I came upon you and Draupadi.  I knew what it meant, but I had no choice.  And there is still no choice now.”

“But there is!  None of us will force you into exile!  Draupadi understands the circumstances!  Everyone understands the circumstances!”

Arjuna looked him in the eyes.  “And what does that say about me if I will forget my oaths because others understand why I could?  Oaths are oaths, Yudhishthira, you know this best.  They are my duty, no matter how I or you feel.  I knew the consequences, and I will pay the price.”

“But—“

Sighing, Arjuna placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.  “I know there is no reason for me to go.  But that is why I must go.”

“Then go,” Yudhishthira whispered, and Arjuna forced himself to walk out without looking back.

“Performing the duty prescribed by (one’s own) nature, one incurreth no sin.”

Arjuna had wondered from a young age what made a good person.  It seemed everyone had a different answer:  Yudhishthira always told the truth and adhered strictly to all rules and promises; Bhima was courageous and never shied from a fight to protect the innocent; and Drona obeyed his duties every day.

But what would they do now?

No, he knew better than to ask.  He knew what they would do, what they would say.

He surveyed the battlefield bleakly, watching as cousin after cousin of his poured through the frontlines.  He could remember playing at war with Duryodhana, laughing as they teamed up against Bhima, and chasing each other through the gardens.  Duryodhana wasn’t playing at battles now, though, and Arjuna knew that he would have to kill many of the same people he had pretended to kill as a child.

In his heart, he despaired and mourned every one of his cousins and family members on the other side.

Closing his eyes, he said a final farewell and loosed a volley of arrows.

Arjuna and Krishna.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  This is the story from the story planning post last week!  Thanks to Ankitha's suggestions, I was able to come up with a decent idea and explored what Arjuna thinks of dharma.  I chose to add some different sections of his life, notably his meeting with Ekalavya, his exile after seeing Yudhishthira and Draupadi, and the battle with the Kauravas where the Bhagavad Gita takes place.  I tried to examine how he would feel about each of the different aspects of dharma and used quotes from the Bhagavad Gita to emphasize what Krishna would say about each of the incidents.

Bibliography:  Goodreads Quotes.  Web Source.

50 Most Inspiring Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita.  Web Source.