The most powerful warrior in the Mahabharata was a mere spectator.

The Mahabharata war happened between the Pandavas and the kauravas. The Kauravas were led by Duriyodhana and the Pandavas by Yudishtra and his brothers Bheema, Arjuna, Nakul and Sahadeva. Among the many interesting facts about the Mahabharatha, one stands out, it is as below.

Legend has it that neither Arjuna, Karna nor Bheeshma were the strongest during the Mahabharatha war. It was Barbarik, Bheema’s Grandson and the son Ghatokacha. Barbarik was a brave warrior, who was blessed by God Shiva and bestowed with three powerful arrows and a special bow from God Agni. The power possessed by Barbarik was such that he could kill anyone he wishes using just one of those arrows. God Krishna,was mindful of the fact that Barbarik possessed such great power and this power could prevent him from saving the Pandavas on the battlefield; Barbarik’s arrows could easily destroy any or all of them without God Krishna’s knowledge.

God Krishna therefore asked Barbarik which side would he be on. Barbarik had earlier made a promise to his mother that he would side with the weaker army, so considering that the Pandava’s had a smaller army he said he would side with them. But God Krishna knew that during the course of the battle whichever side Barbarik was would become strong and hence he would have to jump to the other side, this was a huge paradox. Thus God Krishna asked him his head so that his involvement in the war would be avoided. Before giving his head to Krishna, Barbarik expressed his desire to view the war, leading to krishna placing Barbarik’s head on the top of a mountain overlooking the battlefield. This was how the most powerful person in the Mahabharatha was a mere spectator.

To know more details about Barbarik’s temple, click here.