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| Lord Krishna holding a chariot wheel rushing toward Bhishma, who stands on his chariot offering obeisances in the Kurukshetra battlefield. |
“Aparājitaḥ” — a profound and deeply moving name from the Vishnu Sahasranama — reveals not merely the power of the Supreme Lord, but the very mystery of His nature and the tenderness of His heart. Adi Shankaracharya explains this name as “the One who never knows defeat,” yet the scriptures invite us to contemplate what true invincibility means in the context of divine reality. Is it merely the ability to overpower enemies, to conquer worlds, or to dominate all forces of creation, or does it signify something far deeper — a supreme mastery that transcends strength, a victory rooted not in conquest but in compassion?
The Mahabharata unfolds before us a magnificent revelation of this truth through the extraordinary relationship between Bhishma and Lord Krishna, where the meaning of divine invincibility becomes inseparable from divine love.
On the sacred battlefield of Kurukshetra stood Bhishma, the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, a warrior of unimaginable prowess, whose discipline was like an immovable mountain and whose vows were as firm as cosmic law itself. His arrows descended like thunder, his presence shook the courage of kings, and even the greatest warriors trembled before his strength. With absolute conviction, Bhishma once declared that if Krishna did not stand on the side of the Pandavas, he would destroy them all with a single arrow. These were not words born of arrogance, but of supreme confidence in his own ability and divine empowerment.
Later, when Duryodhana questioned his loyalty and accused him of partiality toward the Pandavas, Bhishma made an even more astonishing vow, declaring that he would either kill Arjuna that very day or compel Krishna Himself to take up weapons in battle. In that moment, Bhishma was not merely challenging a warrior — he was challenging the resolve of the Supreme Lord Himself. Yet beneath this fierce declaration lay not hostility but devotion, for Bhishma’s deepest longing was to witness the Lord abandon His own promise for the sake of His devotee.
Krishna had solemnly vowed that He would not wield weapons in the war and had chosen instead the humble role of a charioteer, guiding Arjuna’s chariot and offering counsel rather than engaging in combat. However, when Bhishma’s relentless arrows pierced Arjuna’s defenses and the danger became unbearable, an event occurred that shook the very foundations of existence. Overwhelmed by divine emotion, Krishna leapt from the chariot, His dark curls covered with dust from the battlefield, His face glowing with divine intensity, His yellow garment slipping from His shoulder, and seizing a broken chariot wheel, He rushed toward Bhishma with the fury of cosmic lightning, appearing ready to break His own vow in order to protect His devotee.
Beholding this vision, Bhishma was overcome not with fear but with ecstasy, and dropping his weapons, he welcomed the Lord with folded hands and tears of devotion. Later, lying upon his bed of arrows at the end of the war, he remembered that moment with profound joy and offered his celebrated prayers recorded in the Srimad Bhagavatam:
“Let me take shelter of that Krishna who, breaking His own promise, rushed toward me in anger, His beautiful face covered with dust, eager to protect His devotee.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.37)
Bhishma did not see an opponent approaching him; he saw his beloved Lord running toward him out of boundless compassion. What appeared externally as divine anger was in truth an expression of divine love, and what appeared as a challenge between warrior and God was in reality an intimate exchange between devotee and the Supreme.
As Bhishma lay upon his bed of arrows, his body pierced yet his consciousness illuminated by divine vision, he meditated not upon the Lord’s power or majesty but upon His gentle compassion, praying:
“Let me now invest my thinking, feeling and willing, which were so long engaged in different subjects and occupational duties, in the all-powerful Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is always self-satisfied, but sometimes, being the leader of the devotees, He enjoys transcendental pleasure by descending to the material world, although from Him only the material world is created.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.32)
He remembered Krishna not as the ruler of the cosmos but as the loving charioteer of Arjuna, dust-covered from the battlefield, bearing even the wounds inflicted by his own arrows without anger. What kind of invincibility accepts pain from a devotee and responds only with compassion? What kind of supremacy allows itself to be challenged, to be bound, and even to appear defeated for the sake of love?
The answer lies in the Lord’s own eternal assurance declared in the Bhagavad Gita. Out of boundless compassion, Krishna gives a promise that stands as the foundation of all devotion:
“ Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati ” (Bhagavad Gita 9.31)
“O son of Kunti, declare boldly that My devotee never perishes.”
The Lord, who is beyond birth and death, asks Arjuna to proclaim this truth to the world. He protects the honor of His devotee’s declaration even above His own, and He safeguards those who surrender to Him with unfailing compassion. It is this divine commitment that explains why Krishna rushed toward Bhishma, why He appeared ready to break His own vow, and why He allows Himself to be bound by the love of His devotees. His invincibility lies precisely in this unbreakable promise of protection.
Here lies the profound mystery expressed in the Vishnu Sahasranama, where the Lord is called both Achalaḥ, the unmoving and unchanging absolute, and Chalaḥ, the One who moves, adapts, and bends. The Supreme never abandons truth, yet He willingly bends His own rules for the sake of devotion. The ruler of cosmic law allows Himself to be governed by love, and the invincible becomes humble before the sincerity of the devotee’s heart. This is not contradiction but divine compassion — the infinite becoming intimate, the absolute becoming accessible.
During the Kurukshetra war, countless warriors made fierce vows of destruction, each seeking victory and glory, yet Krishna did not descend to fulfill personal ambitions or to become an instrument of individual conflicts. He came to uphold dharma, to guide destiny, to protect righteousness, and to restore cosmic order. His decision to remain unarmed was not weakness but supreme wisdom, for His role was not merely to win battles but to transform hearts and shape the course of history.
Thus, the name Aparājitaḥ reveals a meaning far beyond physical invincibility. Krishna is invincible because no force can overcome Him, no circumstance can bind Him, and no logic can limit Him. He conquers not through domination but through compassion, not through power but through love. Even when He appears to yield, even when He seems to break His own vow, even when He allows Himself to be challenged, He remains eternally victorious, for His true victory lies in protecting devotion and upholding righteousness.
Bhishma, the greatest of warriors, could not defeat Krishna, yet Krishna allowed Himself to be conquered by Bhishma’s devotion. In that divine exchange, both attained eternal victory — the devotee through surrender and the Lord through love.
The Lord who governs galaxies runs across the battlefield for His devotee; the One who holds creation in His hands holds instead a broken chariot wheel; the One who is Aparājitaḥ — the Invincible — allows Himself to be bound by love. Such is the mystery of divine greatness, where ultimate power expresses itself as ultimate compassion.
May that Supreme Lord Krishna, dust-covered from rushing to protect His devotees, smiling with infinite compassion, and eternally invincible through love, conquer our hearts and dwell within us forever.
