Today I chanced upon the tale of Barbarik in the Mahabharat. It has the most delicious philosophical paradox. Barbarik is the son of Ghatokatch, who in turn is the son of Bhima. Now Barbarik wins a boon from Lord Shiva (you will notice that most of these existence defying boons are usually given by him) that grant him three arrows that can destroy any enemy and win any war, no matter what or who the opponent. But in turn, he has to take a pledge — he will always fight for the weaker side in any war.

In the war of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna realises that if he fights, the battle for dharma would be over in a minute. After all, a dharmic war must unfold on the laws of dharma, not end in instant annihilation. So before the war, he approaches Barbarik and asks him to prove his unique capabilities. Such is the power of the magic of Barbarik’s arrows that one arrow even perforates Krishna’s feet, breaking even the flesh of the godhead, the Vishnu avatar.

Now, Krishna unfolds before Barbarik the ultimate paradox of his boon — how can the warrior ever be part of the losing side because any side he joins, since he is invincible, immediately becomes the winning side. So in a war, Barbarik would be condemned to keep changing sides until everyone is dead but him. Yet, as a warrior he cannot but fight in a war — that is his dharma.

What is to be done?

Krishna then unveils his true godly identity to Barbarik and asks the warrior to sever his own head as a sacrifice to prevent annihilation — but just severing would deny Barbarik his greatest wish which is to witness the battle of Kurukshetra.

So he is granted another boon that even after his head is severed, it would live on and would be placed upon a hill from where it would be able to see the entire battle of Kurukshetra. He is also granted a boon that he would forever be worshipped as the bravest of all kshatriyas, the warriors — and even today there is a temple to Barbarik in Rajasthan.

What is the moral behind this macabre story then? The idea of the severed head is the metaphor for the severing of the ego of absolute strength from the body — and that immortality only comes to those who are able to sacrifice this ego. The Barbarik Paradox explains the futility of the notion of invincibility in man — and that each time this notion arises, it must die at the doorstep of dharma, whose wheel turns relentlessly.