In the Mahabharata, during the war at Kurukshetra, Yudhishtira is forced to withdraw from the battlefield at one point. Arjuna follows his elder brother, to check on his wellbeing, but this annoys Yudhishtira, who would rather have Arjuna on the battlefield than in his tent. Arjuna gets upset when his elder brother mistakes his concern for cowardice. Tempers flare. Words are exchanged. Yudhishtira ends up insulting Gandiva, Arjuna’s bow. Fearing that the brothers may come to blows, Krishna intervenes until sanity returns. Yudhishtira regrets his harsh words. Arjuna regrets his rage. But then, Arjuna remembers a vow. ‘I had sworn to kill anyone who insults Gandiva. Must I kill my elder brother now? And even thinking about killing my brother, I must kill myself too.’ Arjuna moans. That is when Krishna says, ‘You can kill without killing. Insulting your brother is as good as killing him. Praising yourself is as bad as killing yourself.’ Thus, Krishna turns ‘insult’ and ‘praise’ into weapons.

Illustration/ Devdutt Pattanaik