The Arrow of Destiny Painting

As the legend goes, during the time of 'mahabharata', the Pandava brothers were ousted from the throne by the deception of their Kaurava cousins. The Pandavas had to live secretly in exile for many years. In the meantime, Kauravas had gained foothold on the entire landscape of modern day India. Pandavas had to suffer many hardships while hiding in forests for many years, one of the brothers, Arjuna who was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, spent his time wisely and acquired many siddhis and dev astras (divine powers and celestial weapons). In the mean time, Kind Drupad decided to hold a Swayamvara ( ancient ritual where the bride chose a suitable groom) for his daughter princess Draupadi who had come off age. All the kings and princess from the entire landscape of India and beyond were invited. But their was a difficult test, which had to be passed by the suitor in order to be elible. The Princess demanded that her suitor shall have be able lift and tie a string on the divine bow of Lord Shiva, called the 'Gandiva' and then hit a fish which was kept in a glass jar fixed on the roof, while only seeing its reflection in the pond below and not gazing at the target directly. One by one, the strongest and mightiest of warriors were left humiliated, and then a warrior, dressed as a humble Brahmin enters the arena. No one gave him a second thought and some princes even start mocking him. There is an uproarious laughter. But the king and the princess seem intrigued, with a nod of approval, they allow the archer to try his hand at destiny. The name of the archer is, Arjuna, the Pandava prince who is under a disguise. He humble bows in front of the divine the bow. And just like a flash of lightning, lifts the Gandiva! And the rest as they is... history! He not only successfully strings the bow but also hits the fish in the eye with relative ease. This is the scene, I have tried to depict. For years I have questioned as to how Arjuna, who was not even amongst the strongest of warriors, was able to lift the divine bow. Which was considered an impossible task even by the mightiest warriors. It certainly had to be more than muscoskeletal strength. Being an avid reader of mythology, I realised that ancients were using advanced technology still relatively unknown to modern man. Maybe the Gandiva was fixed on the platform with the help of an electro magnetic field and bio sensors much like the modern technology of today. And after quickly sensing the yogic ability of Arjuna (decresed heart rate, proper breath control, balanced bio rhythym etc.) It unlocked itself and made itself available to be used by a true Yogi, since Lord Shiva is himself considered the originator of Yoga. And this was the secret of Gandiva!

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:30 W x 30 H x 1 D in

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