Showing posts with label Warriors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warriors. Show all posts

Friday, December 12, 2025

Who was a better warrior between Ghatotkacha and Ashwatthama?

 Let's see the feats of Ghatotkacha and Ashwatthama.

Feats of Ghatotkacha:

1. Ghatotkacha created the elephants Airavata, Anjana, Vamana and Mahapadma through his own maya to fight with Bhagadatta's elephant force on the 4th day.

2. Ghatotkacha defeated Bhagadatta in archery which made Kourava commander Bhishma to withdraw the Kourava army from the fight on the 4th day.

3. Ghatotkacha killed mighty demons like Alayudha and Jatasura.

4. Ghatotkacha invoked his maya and created countless powerful demons who decimated Duryodhana's forces.

5. Ghatotkacha fought to such an extent that Karna had no choice but to hurl Indra's spear which he preserved to kill Arjuna.

6. Ghatotkacha assumed a gigantic form and fell upon one Akshauhini of Kourava soilders killing them parallelly with ending his own life.

Feats of Ashwatthama:

1. Possessed the knowledge of lethal celestial weapons like Brahmashira and Narayanastra.

2. Possessed the ability to invoke weapons through mind, air or tiny objects like a blade of grass.

3. The only warrior who fought Arjuna to stalemate in Virat war.

4. Defeated Yudhishthira, Bhima, Satyaki and Dhristadyumna multiple times.

5. Killed one Akshauhini of Ghatotkacha's soilders on the 14th night.

6. Killed Ghatotkacha's son Anjanaparva.

7. Defeated Ghatotkacha in archery.

8. Killed innumerable Pandava soilders by invoking Narayanastra on the 15th day.

9. Killed one Akshauhini of Pandava soilders by firing Agneya missile on the 15th day.

10. Killed great Pandava warriors like Nila and Malayadwaja.

11. Rescued Karna from Arjuna three times in Kurukshetra war.

12. Became invincible when Lord Shiva entered his body thus helping him to decimate the remaining soilders of the Pandava camp.

Now come to the prowess of Ghatotkacha and Ashwatthama.

Ghatotkacha being a demon was surely superior in strength as compared to mortal warriors. As we saw in the Mahabharata, Ghatotkacha's strength increased in twilight and eventually he became invincible in the night. Ghatotkacha put up a good fight with Bhagadatta on the 4th day. Ghatotkacha had the ability to invoke great maya and create creatures like beasts, demons, ghosts, goblins, serpents and sharks to confound the enemy. The best time for any warrior to fight with Ghatotkacha was in broad daylight.

Ashwatthama always sought the welfare of the Pandavas and didn't fight to his full potential until the 15th day. Even though he fought mildly, Ashwatthama had some great feats and repeatedly proved himself a warrior of highest class. In the knowledge of celestial weapons, no one was close to Ashwatthama barring Arjuna. From putting up some great fights with Arjuna to annihilating two Akshauhinis of Pandava forces, Ashwatthama was the achiever of some extraordinary feats. And when Lord Shiva entered his body, he was absolutely invincible armed with a scimitar. Realising the true potential of Ashwatthama, even Lord Krishna had to depart from the Pandava camp taking the five Pandava brothers along with him. After arriving in the Pandava camp, Ashwatthama single-handedly wiped out all the remaining warriors.

After the war was over, Duryodhana lamented in death bed that he made the mistake of not making Ashwatthama as his commander immediately after Dronacharya's death. Duryodhana realised angered at Dronacharya's death, Ashwatthama could have single-handedly wiped out the Pandava army.

Inspite of being a mortal warrior, Ashwatthama was afterall the partial incarnation of Lord Shiva. A genius in the art of divine weapons, Ashwatthama defeated foremost Pandava warriors like Bhima and Satyaki. Ashwatthama also defeated Ghatotkacha on the 14th night. Inspite of repeatedly trying in diverse ways, Ghatotkacha was unable to confound Ashwatthama with maya. Ashwatthama destroyed all of Ghatotkacha's illusions with his celestial weapons. Therefore, Ghaotkacha had to abandon the fight with Ashwatthama and proceed for Karna's direction instead.

Ashwatthama was a greater warrior than Ghatotkacha.

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

What are the top ten warriors in Ramayana?

 1.) Lord Ram :

The complete manifestation of Vishnu who killed powerful demons like Tarakasura, Viradha, Kabandha, Maricha and Subhahu in Dandaka forest with support of Lakshmana. Killed Khara, Dhoosana along with 14000 rakshasas in Janasthana single handedly. He possessed the power to annihilate armes of any size single handedly. Defeated and killed the greatest threat to the gods Ravana and Kumbhkarana. Defeated Ravana thrice before killing him in the fourth attempt. Killed Vali with a single arrow.

2.) Lord Hanuman :

Like Rama he too had the power to obliterate armies of any scale. He was the incarnation of Shiva and was immune to all celestial weapons due to Brahma,’ s boon. He had the unique power to choose the time of his death. Defeated Ravana with a single punch. Broke the mighty spike of Kumbhkarana by which he defeated Indra and Yama and overpowered him heavily making him flee from the fight. Infalliable Brahmashirastra of Meghnad which killed 67 crore vanaras had no effect on Hanuman.

3.) Lakshmanji :

He was the complete incarnation of Sheshnag who is also regarded as a form of Vishnu. He killed demons like Indrajit and Atikaya in combat and aided Rama in killing thousands of demons capable of invoking deadly illusions. Overpowered Ravana twice in plain archery once even with his Brahma armour. He tormented Kumbhkarana with his arrows who was unscathed even by Indra,’ s Vajra. Could have killed Ravana, Indrajit and the entire rakshasa army using Brahmastra had Rama not stopped him.

4. Bhagwan Parshurama :

He was the partial incarnation of Vishnu who had bested Kartavirya Arjuna in combat. He was the direct pupil of Mahadev and recieved all celestial weapons from him including Trishul and weapons of Trinity i.e Pashupatastra, Vaishnavastra and Narayanastra. Wiped the kshatriyas clean of earth 21 times with his Vijaya bow. With his invincible axe, Parshurama eliminated literally 100 "Akṣauhiṇis" soldiers who were guarding Kartivirya Arjuna.

5. Kartavirya Arjuna :

He was the incarnation of Sudharsana chakra and disciple of Dattatreya. He remained an undefeated warrior before facing Parshurama. Kartavirya Arjuna had defeated Indra and the 33 gods riding on a single chariot. He had defeated Indra and humiliated him in front of his wife Sachi devi. He had boon of all time invincibility except Vishnu. Kartavirya,’ s greatest achievement was defeating and capturing Ravana. He was strong enough to stop the flow of river Narmada using his arms.

6. Indrajeet :

The eldest son of Ravana and a master of scorcery and black magic. No one can defeat Indrajit once he finishes Nikumbhala sacrifice. He after completing Nikumbhala sacrifice single handedly knocked out Rama, Lakshmana and the entire vanara army unconscious and killed 67 crore vanaras using infalliable Brahmashirastra. Defeated and captured Indra in battle hence was named Indrajit. Fought a terrific battle with Lakshman for three days. During the final stages of the battle between Indrajit and Lakshmana , Indra along with all the celestial gods protected Lakshmana.

It needed aindrastra with the name of lord Rama to defeat and kill indrajit.

7. Ravana :

The mighty king of Lanka who defeated Indra and 33 gods in group attack and tanked Indra’s vajra and Vishnu’s disc. Overpowered Hanuman in direct combat and In the war with Ram, he defeated Sugriva and other vanaras like Nila. He was a marksman of every divine missile and possessed Brahma armour, Pashupatastra, Brahma shakti etc. Overall he was the most powerful demon if we consider both physical strength and weapons but Indrajit,’s boons give him the edge. He was stronger than Lord Lakshmana and could defeat him if you remove divine nature of Lord Lakshmana.

8. Atikaya :

Atikaya was the son of Ravana and an excellent archer and warrior who inflicted terror among vanaras by his mere presence. He was extremely destructive in battlefield. Atikaya countered Indra’s Vajra and Varunapasha with his ordinary arrows. He put up a good might with Laxmana. He was invulnerable to all of Laxmana’s arrows as he gained the Brahma Kavach and even made Laxmana unconscious with a snake arrow.

9. Kumbhkarana :

Physically Kumbhkarana was the strongest rakshasa from Ravana,’ s sid. He vanquished Indra by his brute strength and crushed him. Defeated Yamraj and other gods by his mighty spike. He struck Hanuman with his spike and made him vomit blood. Crushed both Angad and Sugriv in battle. The arrow which killed Vali didn’t harm Kumbhkarna at all. It took Rama four celestial weapons including Roudrastra, 2 Aindrastra and Vayavyastra back to back to kill Kumbhkarana. Roudrastra of Rama had no effect on him.

10. Vali :

He was the son of Indra and a very powerful vanara empowered by Brahma,’ s boon who had bested Sugriva in wrestling combat. Defeated Ravana and dragged him across four oceans by holding him in his armpits. Killed powerful demons like Mayavi and Dundhubi who was even feared by Varun deva and Himavat mountain.

Monday, November 17, 2025

Who are the five eldest warriors who took part in the Mahabharata War?

 These are the five eldest warriors in Kurukshetra war :-

  • Bahilika .

He was elder brother of Shantanu and uncle of Bhishma Pitahma .

He was killed by Bhimasena .

Then Bhima, for Satyaki's sake, afflicted the illustrious Valhika with nine shafts and pierced him therewith at the van of battle. Then the mighty-armed son of Pratipa, Valhika, filled with great fury, hurled a dart at the chest of Bhima, like Purandara himself hurling the thunder. Struck therewith, Bhima trembled (on his car) and swooned away. The mighty warrior then, recovering his senses, hurled a mace at his opponent. Hurled by the son of Pandu, that mace snatched away the head of Valhika, who, thereupon, fell down lifeless on the earth, like a tree struck down by lightning.

  • Somadatta .

He was eldest son of Bahilika and since Bhishma Pitahma was eight child of Shantanu and Mata Ganga , it is very likely he was older than Pitahma .

He was killed by Satyaki .

Then Satyaki, inflamed with rage, aiming at Somadatta's chest, shot a new and terrible Parigha equipped with a golden staff and hard as the thunder. The Kuru warrior, however, smiling the while, cut off that terrible Parigha advancing with speed against him in two parts. That formidable Parigha of iron, then, thus cut off into two fragments, fell down like so many crests of a mountain riven by thunder. Then Satyaki, O king, with a broad-headed arrow, cut off in that encounter Somadatta's bow, and then with five arrows, the leathern fence that cased his fingers. Then, O Bharata, with four other shafts he speedily despatched the four excellent steeds of the Kuru warrior to Yama's presence. And then that tiger among car-warriors with another straight shaft, smiling the while, cut off from his trunk the head of Somadatta's driver. Then he sought at Somadatta himself a terrible shaft of fiery effulgence, whetted on stone, steeped in oil, and equipped with wings of gold. That excellent and fierce shaft, shot by the mighty grandson of Sini, quickly fell like a hawk, O Lord, upon the chest of Somadatta. Deeply pierced by the mighty Satwata, the great car-warrior Somadatta, O monarch, fell down (from his car) and expired.

  • Bhishma Pitahma .

The great son of Maa Ganga and Shantanu .

He was brought down by Arjuna fairly .

Fierce was the battle fought there between thy troops and those of the enemy on that the tenth day, O king, when Bhishma and Arjuna met together. Like unto the vortex that occurs at the spot where the Ganga meets the Ocean, for a short while a vortex occurred there where the troops of both armies met and struck one another down. And the Earth, wet with gore, assumed a fierce form. And the even and the uneven spots on her surface could no longer be distinguished. Although Bhishma was pierced in all his vital limbs, yet on that the tenth day he stayed (calmly) in battle, having slain ten thousand warriors. Then that great bowman, Partha, stationed at the head of his troops, broke the centre of the Kuru army. Ourselves then, afraid of Kunti's son Dhananjaya having white steeds attached to his car, and afflicted by him with polished weapons, fled away from the battle. The Sauviras, the Kitavas, the Easterners, the Westerners, the Northerners, the Malavas, the Abhishahas, the Surasenas, the Sivis, the Vasatis, the Salwas, the Sayas, the Trigartas, the Amvashthas, and the Kaikeyas-these and many other illustrious warriors,--afflicted with arrows and pained by their wounds, abandoned Bhishma in that battle while he was fighting with the diadem-decked (Arjuna). Then a great many warriors, surrounding that single warrior on all sides, defeated the Kurus (that protected him) and covered him with shower of arrows. Throw down, Seize, Fight, Cut into pieces,--this was the furious uproar, O king, heard in the vicinity of Bhishma's car. Having slain in that battle, O monarch, (his foes) by hundreds and thousands, there was not in Bhishma's body space of even two fingers' breadth that was not pierced with arrows. Thus was thy sire mangled with arrows of keen points by Phalguni in that battle. And then he fell down from his car with his head to the east, a little before sunset, in the very sight of thy sons. And while Bhishma fell, loud cries of alas and oh, O Bharata, were heard in the welkin uttered by the celestials and the kings of the earth. And beholding the high-souled grandsire falling down (from his car), the hearts of all of us fell with him. That foremost of all bowmen, that mighty-armed hero, fell down, like an uprooted standard of Indra, making the earth tremble the while.Pierced all over with arrows, his body touched not the ground. At that moment, O bull of Bharata's race, a divine nature took possession of that great bowman lying on a bed of arrows. The clouds poured a (cool) shower (over him) and the Earth trembled. While falling he had marked that the Sun was then in the southern solstice.

  • Dronacharya .

He was son of Bharadwaj and is the only one with a clear age in Mahabharata which was supposed to 405 years .

He was slain by Drishtadyumna unfairly .

Thus addressed by Bhima, the mighty-armed Dhrishtadyumna speedily took up a strong, a new and a superb bow capable of bearing a great strain. Filled with rage, and shooting his arrows in that battle at the irresistible Drona, Dhrishtadyumna covered the preceptor, desirous of withstanding him. Those two ornaments of battle then, both foremost of fighters and both filled with rage, invoked into existence the Brahma and diverse other celestial weapons. Indeed, O king, Dhrishtadyumna covered Drona with many mighty weapons in that encounter. Destroying all the weapons of Bharadwaja's son, the Panchala prince, that warrior of unfading glory, began to slay the Vasatis, the Sivis, the Valhikas and the Kurus, that is, them, who protected Drona in that battle. Indeed, O king, shooting showers of arrows on all sides, Dhrishtadyumna at that time looked resplendent like the sun himself shedding his thousands of rays. Drona, however, once more cut off the prince's bow and pierced the vitals of the prince himself with many arrows. Thus pierced, the prince felt great pain. Then Bhima, of great wrath, holding the car of Drona, O monarch, slowly said these words unto him: If wretches amongst Brahmanas, discontented with the avocations of their own order, but well-versed in arms, did not fight, the Kshatriya order then would not have been thus exterminated. Abstention from injury to all creatures hath been said to be the highest of all virtues. The Brahmana is the root of that virtue. As regards thyself, again, thou art the foremost of all persons acquainted with Brahma. Slaying all those Mlecchas and other warriors, who, however, are all engaged in the proper avocations of their order, moved thereto by ignorance and folly, O Brahmana, and by the desire of wealth for benefiting sons and wives; indeed, for the sake of an only son, why dost thou not feel ashamed? He for whom thou hast taken up weapons, and for whom thou livest, he, deprived of life, lieth today on the field of battle, unknown to thee and behind thy back. King Yudhishthira the just hath told thee this. It behoveth thee not to doubt this fact.' Thus addressed by Bhima, Drona laid aside his bow. Desirous of laying aside all his weapons also, Bharadwaja's son of virtuous soul said aloud, 'O Karna, Karna, O great bowman, O Kripa, O Duryodhana, I tell you repeatedly, exert yourselves carefully in battle. Let no injury happen to you from the Pandayas. As regards myself, I lay aside my weapons.' Saying these words, he began loudly to take the name of Aswatthaman. Laying aside his weapons then in that battle, and sitting down on the terrace of his car, he devoted himself to Yoga and assured all creatures, dispelling their fears. Beholding that opportunity, Dhrishtadyumna mustered all his energy. Laying down on the car his formidable bow, with arrow fixed on the bow-string, he took up a sword, and jumping down from his vehicle, rushed quickly against Drona. All creatures, human beings and others, uttered exclamation of woe, beholding Drona thus brought under Dhrishtadyumna's power. Loud cries of Oh and Alas were uttered, as also those of Oh and Fie. As regards Drona himself, that large head of Bharadwaja's son before the warriors of thy army. Thy soldiers, O monarch, beholding the head of Bharadwaja's son, set their hearts on flight and ran away in all directions. Meanwhile Drona, ascending the skies, entered the stellar path. Through the grace of the Rishis Krishna (Dwaipayana), the son of Satyavati, I witnessed, O king, the (true circumstances about the) death of Drona. I beheld that illustrious one proceeding, after he had ascended the sky, like a smokeless brand of blazing splendour. Upon the fall of Drona, the Kurus, the Pandavas and the Srinjayas, all became cheerless and ran away with great speed. The army then broke up. Many had been slain, and many wounded by means of keen shafts. Thy warriors (in particular), upon the fall of Drona, seemed to be deprived of life. Having sustained a defeat, and being inspired with fear about the future, the Kurus regarded themselves deprived of both the worlds. Indeed, they lost all self-control. Searching for the body of Bharadwaja's, son, O monarch, on the field covered with thousands of headless trunks, the kings could not find it. The Pandavas, having gained the victory and great prospects of renown in the future, began to make loud sounds with their arrows and conchs and uttered loud leonine roars. Then Bhimasena, O king, and Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, were seen in the midst of the (Pandava) host to embrace each other. Addressing the son of Prishata, that scorcher of foes, viz., Bhima said, 'I will again embrace thee, O son of Prishata, as one crowned with victory, when that wretch of a Suta's son shall be slain in battle, as also that other wretch, viz., Duryodhana.' Having said these words, Bhimasena, the son of Pandu, filled with transports of joy, caused the earth to tremble with slaps on his armpits. Terrified by that sound, thy troops ran away from battle, forgetting the duties of the Kshatriyas and setting their hearts on flight. The Pandavas, having become victors, became very glad, O monarch, and they felt great happiness, derived from the destruction of their foes in battle .

  • Kripacharya .

He and his twin sister were children of Maharishi Sharavadat Gautam .

He was one of the few survivors of wars .

Having said these words unto the king deprived of his senses and lying with broken thighs, Ashvatthama once more cast his eyes on him and uttered these words, "If, O Duryodhana, thou hast any life in thee still, listen to these words that are so pleasant to hear. On the side of the Pandavas, only seven are alive, and among the Dhartarashtras, only we three! The seven on their side are the five brothers and Vasudeva and Satyaki; on our side, we three are myself and Kripa and Kritavarma! All the sons of Draupadi have been slain, as also all the children of Dhrishtadyumna! All the Pancalas too have been slain, as also the remnant of the Matsyas, O Bharata! Behold the vengeance taken for what they had done! The Pandavas are now childless! While buried in sleep, the men and animals in their camp have all been slain! Penetrating into their camp in the night, O king, I have slain Dhrishtadyumna, that wight of sinful deeds, as one kills an animal.

Then there are some other such as Drupada who was classmate of Drona , Shalya who was present in Kashi Swayamvara were Bhishma had fought him , Bhagdutta was supposed to be very old , Bhurishava was very old too .

Jai Sri Krishna .

Monday, October 27, 2025

Why did the greatest warriors fail before Krishna’s strategy?

 That is because intelligence is superior to Physical strength. Even the strength of the greatest of warriors fails infront of an intelligent person.

O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Deeds performed through intelligence are the best, those performed with the arms are medium, and those performed by bearing loads with the thighs are the worst.

  • 35, Prajagara parva, Mahabharata.

Krishna used his intelligence to counter formidable opponents and save the Yadavas and Pandavas alike.

Kalayavana

Kalayavana had a boon from Shiva of invincibility against the Yadavas. Krishna tricked him to chase after him by pretending to flee. Krishna lured the Yavana king into a cave where king Muchukunda was sleeping. Muchukunda had a boon from the devas that anyone who disturbs his sleep would be burned down. Krishna fooled Kalayavana into disturbing Muchukunda and as a result got burnt to ashes.

Jarasandha

Jarasandha had the largest army in the entire country and most of the kings were his allies. Krishna skillfully avoided a direct confrontation between Jarasandha's army and Indraprastha’s army by going to Magadha in disguise with Bhima and Arjuna and then getting Jarasandha killed in a one on one wrestling match with Bhima. Krishna knew that Jarasandha due his pride and arrogance will not back down from a challenge -

If that lord of men is confronted by the three of us alone, there is no doubt that he will engage one of us in a duel. Out of contempt for the worlds and his pride in himself, he will certainly challenge Bhimasena to a duel.

  • 18, Jarasandha Vadha parva, Mahabharata.

Thus Krishna averted a huge war between Magadha and Indraprastha and killed Jarasandha by using his own pride against him.

Vasavi Shakti

Karna had Indra's Vasavi Shakti with a boon of infallibility. Krishna saved Arjuna by keeping him away from Karna as much as possible, confused Karna's mind making him forget about the astra every day and then finally diverting the missile to Ghatotkacha. Krishna thus wasted the divine missile and got rid of the wicked Ghatotkacha at the same time.

Keshava has always protected Kounteya Arjuna. In the battle, that is the reason he didn't allow him to be stationed before the son of the sutaAchyuta stationed other supreme rathas there. O lord! He acted so that the infallible spear might become fallible.

‘Sanjaya said, “O king! The slayer of Madhu knew what Karna desired to do. The immensely intelligent Janardana instructed the immensely valorous Ghatotkacha, lord of the rakshasas, to engage in that duel. The intention was to make the infallible weapon useless.

  • 157, Drona Vadha parva, Mahabharata.

Drona

This was the the only time Krishna specifically made out a strategy to bring down a Kaurava warrior. Seeing Drona was especially dangerous on the 15th day, Lord Krishna came up with the strategy of demoralising him by spreading the rumour of Ashwatthama’s death. Drona in despair abandoned his weapons and is consequently killed by Dhrishtadyumna.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Who are the underrated and overrated warriors in Ramayana?

 1)Sugreeva:— Most Underrated Character imo.. Badly Injured Kumbhakarna whom even Indra's Vajra Couldn't Scratch…

2)Lakshman:— He Could've easily Killed Ravana If Not For The Brahma's Spear.. If Rama Didn't Intervened He would've Demolished The Entire Army Of Ravana…

3)Jatayu:— Ravana Was Absolutely Helpless Against Him Without His divine Sword(Chandrahas)..

4)Kumbhakarna:— The Only Warrior Who Stomped Devas Without Offensive Or Defensive Boon..

5)Khara:— Best Archer From Rakshasa Side.. WHY?

Then Khara, in his chariot blazing like the sun, drew near to Rama, as a moth approaches a flame and, displaying his skill, severed Rama’s bow at the point where he held it, thereafter loosing seven mace-like shafts resembling Indra’s thunderbolts, which shattered the armour of his adversary resplendent as the sun itself, so that it fell on the earth. Roaring like a lion, he let loose a thousand arrows, wounding Rama of unparalleled might, and in that conflict Khara set up a mighty shout

None Of The Other Overhyped Rakshasas Come Close To khara In Archery. Even Without Any Sort Of Protection/Boon He Stood Against Rama. And Even After All Of His Weapons Were Destroyed He Didn't Run Like Ravana Or Indrajit.

Overrated

1)INDRAJIT:—It's An Undeniable Fact That Indrajit Is The Most Overrated Warrior Is Ramayana. Most Of His Victories Were Based On His Boon Like ILLUSIOn , Infallible Weapons.

2) Ravana:— Even Though He Was Protected From Devas and Asuras Still Needed Brahma's Invincible Armor And Infallible Weapons To Defeat Devas and Demons. His Performance Without his Armor Is Really Pathetic Compared To What People Say About Him….