Abhimanyu

Question: Swami, we hear that [in the epic Mahabharata] Arjuna was the only one capable of breaking through and emerging victorious from the Padmavyuha—the lotus-like military formation or maneuver—set up as a death trap. Abhimanyu, on the other hand, knew only how to get into the formation; he did not know how to get out of it—a fact that resulted in his death. There are various interpretations of this episode from the Mahabharata. It appears that when Narada [the celestial sage] was describing the whole maneuver to Abhimanyu while he was still in the mother’s womb, Krishna prevented him [Narada] from teaching the unborn baby the way out of the Padmavyuha. What are your comments on this story, Swami?

Bhagavan: The ancient literature of Bharat has many secrets that have yet to be unraveled and grasped. So, many subtle points are not known to everybody. They show the goal and the way of life. They remind you of the duties, responsibilities, and obligations you owe to the society you live in. They point out your mistakes as well so that you may correct and rectify yourself, and thus experience the divinity within. Every episode or anecdote in the epics or in the religious texts in story form has a message for you.

…Arjuna’s surrender to Krishna was total. This was the reason for his skill in coming out of the impenetrable Padmavyuha. The word ‘Arjuna’ means whiteness or purity, and it was the purity of his mind and heart that gave him the needed capacities.

But things were different with regard to Abhimanyu. He was challenged to fight and proceed to the battleground at a time when his wife, Uttara, was pregnant, his father, Arjuna, was not at home, and to top it all, his uncle, Krishna was away too. Abhimanyu was very attached to his wife and his father. This attachment trapped him in the Padmavyuha; he couldn’t come out of it and ultimately died. Similarly, the whole world is a Padmavyuha. Our life is a Padmavyuha. Man is caught in this Padmavyuha, and his sense of attachment and possessive instincts will not release him out of it. Since he had abhimana [self-importance], he bore the name Abhimanyu.