As stated in Mahabharata, no matter how old we are, our ears always stand. There are many such stories in the Mahabharata, which no matter how many times you listen, your heart will never be filled. Apart from this, Krishna had a special role in the Mahabharata war. He was the charioteer of Arjuna, but in fact he was the architect of the war, a strategist and a person who runs a complete war.
Two occasions came in the Mahabharata war when Krishna opened his third eye and saved the Pandavas from the destruction. Now you must be wondering what is Krishna’s third eye? So yes, there is an interesting story behind it and this is the mythological story that we are going to tell you in this article today. What were those two times? The event of Krishna’s third eye opening occurs in the Karna festival, when he shows Arjuna his huge form. Although this phenomenon is not directly mentioned in the original version of Mahabharata, it is believed to be mentioned in some popular stories and Bhagwat tradition.
… And then Krishna opened his third eye
When the war began between Karna and Arjuna, Karna had a powerful weapon given by Indra, which he used to use on Arjuna. Krishna knew that this weapon could be fatal for Arjuna. It is said that then Krishna opened his third eye, which is called a divine eye. As soon as he opened his eyes, a bright light came out. This distracted Karna and benefited Arjuna.
Arjun took advantage
Taking advantage of this moment, when Karna was distracted, Arjuna attacked Karna and Karn was killed. But if Karna had used that weapon that day, Arjun would not have survived alive. It is said that Krishna’s third eye is a symbol of cosmic power and divine knowledge.
In this incident, Krishna appeared in his Vishnu form, which surprised all the warriors including Karna. At this time Lord Krishna showed his grand divine form. Although Arjuna had already understood this, but after this divine darshan in the war, Arjuna realized that Krishna was not only a charioteer but God.
When third eye opened against Ashwatthama
When did Lord Krishna open his third eye?
One such incident occurred between Ashwatthama and Krishna in Mahabharata, where some stories mention that Krishna opened his third eye. The incident occurred after the Sauptika festival (night massacre), when Ashwatthama left Brahmastra and tried to destroy the Pandava dynasty. First, Ashwatthama entered the Pandava camp and killed Shikhandi and five Pandav sons. It is mentioned that after this he ran away.
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But the Pandava dynasty survived.
When Krishna and Pandavas traced him, he used Brahmastra to kill Parikshit, the king who was in Uttara’s womb, destroying the entire Pandava dynasty. If it was on the right target, the Pandav family would have been destroyed. Later, by protecting this womb, King Parikshit was born from the womb of Uttara, who later became the king of Hastinapur.
Krishna then had to open his third eye to stop it. When Krishna opened his third eye to stop the Brahmastra of Ashwatthama, the earth trembled with his energy.
Krishna’s stories
How did Krishna save the Pandava dynasty?
The Mahabharata, Harivansh Purana and regional folklore also describe Krishna’s revealing his divine powers and opening his third eye. It is also said that Krishna opened his third eye to kill Narakasura.
The cosmic energy emanating from his third eye neutralized the Brahmastra of Ashwatthama. After this Ashwatthama surrendered. He gave the gem of his forehead to Krishna and went away. However, along with this, he was also cursed to always wander on earth and never get salvation.
