That mysterious moment of the Mahabharata: When Shri Krishna had to break his vow and was forced to take up arms in the war.

As soon as the great battle of Mahabharata is discussed, the first scene that comes to mind is the one in which Arjun is in a dilemma and Lord Shri Krishna is preaching Geeta to him. Even before the war, Shri Krishna had taken a vow that he would not take up arms in Kurukshetra. His role was only to be Arjun’s charioteer. But, once such a difficult situation arose that the Lord of the world had to break his promise and he took the wheel of the chariot and ran towards Bhishma Pitamah. After all, what was that compulsion that forced the Lord to take up arms?

Why did Lord Krishna promise not to take up weapons?

Lord Shri Krishna had declared to remain neutral in the Kurukshetra war. He had given a choice to both Duryodhana and Arjun—on one side his huge ‘Narayani Sena’ and on the other side he himself, who would remain unarmed. Arjun chose Shri Krishna and Duryodhana chose the army. The purpose behind Shri Krishna’s pledge was that he should not directly kill any one party even if he did not want to, but should only play the role of guide in establishing justice. He wanted to show through his actions that right guidance and wisdom are more important than war to destroy unrighteousness.

When Shri Krishna got distracted in front of Bhishma

Bhishma Pitamah had promised that he would force Shri Krishna to take up arms. During the war, when Bhishma Pitamah started showering arrows on Arjuna, Arjuna was unable to stop them. The situation became such that Arjun’s chariot was damaged and he was on the verge of defeat. Seeing Arjun in trouble, Lord Krishna’s affection and love for his friend awakened. Seeing his beloved devotee on the verge of death, Shri Krishna gave up his vow and picked up a broken chariot wheel from the ground and moved towards his grandfather.

Victory of ‘opposition’ or height of ‘devotion’?

As soon as Shri Krishna moved towards Pitamah with the Chakra (wheel), Bhishma laid down his weapons and stood with folded hands. He smiled and said, “Lord, my promise has been fulfilled. Today my life has been blessed by seeing my end at your hands.” That anger of Shri Krishna was actually love for his devotee. This incident teaches that for God the protection of His devotee is greater than His own vow. This incident from Mahabharata reminds us even today that no rule, word or promise is too big between the devotee and God.