Why don’t we worship the Pandavas (Yudhishtir, Bhima, Arjun, Nakul, Sahdev)? Afterall, they were also kings like Ram and had to endure exile like Prince Ram? Why don’t the Dharmics worship Brahma? Isn’t he in the same pantheon as Vishnu and Shiva? What is the basis of worship?
Prince Ram was being dressed up for his abhishekam (cleansing and blessings before being ordained as king) at 2 or 3 AM in the morning in all the fine clothes, jewelry, diamonds, etc. He was summoned by Dasharath and Kaikayee and asked to renunciate in favor of his brother. He immediately renunciated all his possessions and departed for the jungle. He didn’t even wait for the dawn of the day. At every stage in his life he followed the path of dharma. (Despite being the king on his return from Lanka, when he reigned supreme and had all the love and admiration of his subjects, he made no compromises on following dharma when Sita’s integrity was questioned.) Ram’s ability to follow his dharma is worthy of being worshipped.
What was so great about Krishna? The greatness of Krishna lies in his wisdom, which he demonstrated in his education to Arjuna at Kurukshetra. He showed the world the path of dharma and yoga – Gita. Krishna didn’t belittle the Pandavas for gambling their kingdom away. He didn’t compare and contrast his treatment of Radha with Pandavas letting Draupadi be humiliated. Instead, Krishna prepared the Pandavas to face the consequences of their actions. Krishna doesn’t compare Arjuna with Hanuman. He didn’t lament the fact that Arjuna is confused and needs significant enlightenment. Instead, he acknowledged the reality and gets right to work educating him. He turns out to be an amazing teacher.
Hanuman is worshiped for realizing that Rama is no simple nara but Narayana. This is something that Ravana, despite being a brahmana, couldn’t spot. Hanuman’s devotion to Rama and Sita touched limits unheard of and has been unparalleled in itihaas. As Ram Dass narrates it, Rama asked Hanuman, “What are you, Monkey?” To this Hanuman replied, “When I don’t know who I am, I serve you. When I know who I am, I am you.” In Mahabharata, Krishna had to educate Arjuna why he should engage in the battle and follow his dharma. Hanuman needed no such wisdom. He knew exactly how to engage in Lanka when he burnt it down.
So, Why don’t we worship the Pandavas (Yudhishtir, Bhima, Arjun, Nakul, Sahdev) despite their exile, just like Ram? That is because they didn’t demonstrate wisdom in feeling victimized despite having gambled their kingdom themselves. Bhima and Arjun, in particular, didn’t accept the fact that, in exile, they weren’t princes anymore. Bhima failed to recognize Hanuman. Arjun judged Ram for not having constructed a bridge of arrows to Lanka, and therefore considered himself to be better than Ram. Pandavas hadn’t transcended the Survival (Fear) —> Judging (Positioning) —> Understanding (Observation) ladder far enough to have become worthy of worship.
Who and why do we worship? In folding our hands and bowing our heads, we acknowledge those beings who demonstrated principles of living that we aspire to benefit from. It is that simple.
धार्मिक छवियाँ 