Chapter 1: Arjuna’s Sorrow. (Viśāda Yoga)

Bewildered by the sight of his cousins, gurus, and relatives in the battlefield at the enemy line, ready to wage a destructive war, Arjuna was filled with fear and anguish at the thought of the violence and bloodshed which the war might cause and the possible destruction of his own family members in it, he surrenders by putting his bow down. He became convinced that he was on a destructive course of action and on the threshold of committing a grave sin by causing the destruction of his own family and friends.

For those who have little idea about Mahabharat, here is the trailer- The good guys in the story (the Pandavas) are upholding dharma, what is right in the way of ruling a kingdom, while their cousins Kauravas ( the bad guys ) are using deceit and other forms of treachery to maintain power. (The Pandavas and the Kauravas are actually cousins because all are descended from the same king: Kuru.) The Pandavas have done everything possible to negotiate fairly, but the evil cousin Duryodhana still continued to hold the throne illegally. It rightfully belonged to the Pandavas. To uphold dharma, the war was necessary.

So basically Mahabharat is strikingly a similar version of Game of Thrones (an immensely popular HBO series) with lots of characters, conflicts, politics, bloodshed, cruel kings, witty characters and death (how can we forget the dragons, Indian version of ‘Puspak Vimanas’, Ved Vyasa wouldn’t have thought that years later, the book series — ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’ would be similar to his epic. :P ) Nobody is right or wrong or black and white, but there are shades of gray everywhere ( similar to real-life ). Pandavas wanted the throne of Hastinapur (similar to the Iron Throne) believing they were the true successor of the kingdom and in Game of Thrones, Targaryen thinks the same All the things are done in the name of God. (the old one or the new) There are sacrifices, power, and strength — all for just one “Throne”!! Karna is Jon Snow, both are illegitimate, both are lead protagonists, both are one of the most powerful warriors in the kingdom, both are treated as lowborn by others, both are the eldest offspring of their father/mother and possibly both are rightful heir of the Throne (and both doesn’t want to be king either! sick!). Both have had a criticism of their status. Karna for being a suta putra while Jon for being a bastard (which is pretty much how bastards were treated in Westeros).5 Pandavas and 1 illegitimate Karna:: 5 Starks and 1 illegitimate John Snow.

So Arjuna, upon facing the reality of killing his cousins and family friends, throws up his hands in despair. He has Krishna drive his chariot out into the middle of the field between the two armies and he laments to Krishna that he cannot go through with this. Arjuna represents all seekers. We humans, all have been at Arjuna’s place sometime or the other. We find ourselves in a situation where decision making is tough and we are faced with fears like what if I will make a move for which I have to regret later? What if I get rejected? What if everyone laughs on me? What if I am not able to live up to everyone’s expectations? What if I fail in my life? What if I’m getting this all wrong?

Don’t mistake the confusion for ignorance. It’s the most salient reminder that you are growing. A confused mind does not mean you are doing everything wrong. It means that you are trying too hard to do everything right, even things you will never know how to get right without acting and experiencing. A confused mind means that you are open to searching, no matter how uncomfortable that makes you. We grow. We change. We risk. We dare. We get afraid. That’s why, sometimes, we feel lost and confused.

It’s absolutely okay to rethink before moving to a different city even it means leaving family and friends or maybe even a partner for some time if it can be liberating and a chance to reinvent yourself, quit your lucrative job to pursue your dream, going against your family, to prove your worth, fight against the tough rules of the society that are widely accepted and accept your true self even if it means declaring the love for your gay partner, becoming strangers with someone you have known for too long, the choice of walking away or trying harder, Going against the obvious truths of life

There probably won’t be any clear sign that this is the ‘right’ move, but if it’s been on your mind and you feel the pull it’s OK to go for it. Coz remember When you’re saying ‘yes’ to others, make sure you’re not saying ‘No’ to yourself. — Paulo Coelho

Even Arjuna raised as a prince, educated, renowned, and accomplished is subject to sorrow and confusion. So why not a normal human is bound to have confusion regarding his/her big decisions in life.