Can nuclear weapons remain and yet the world be secure?
Updated: Nov 19, 2022
Blog #33
# apocalypse
Starting a new series of blogs on "what ifs"... A new series of blogs starting from the end of day 17 of the war
What could have happened if this apocalyptic weapon had not been used at the end of the war?
Would we have reached "stable state" if this terrible bad decision had not been made?
Would the forces of good have made peace knowing a person with such power and poor judgement still lurked to disrupt the hard-earned peace?
Was the stable state reached worth the price and the terrible punishment that was meted out?
Can true world peace be achieved with someone free who could unleash mayhem still around?
Can true world peace still be achieved with the knowledge of such weapons still out there in the hands of a few?
The Mahabharata Context
Prince Duryodhana was now dead. The commander-in chief of the Kaurava army now in disarray was now the immortal Prince Ashwatthama, the son of the venerable Sage Drona. His grief, anger and anguish knew no bounds and he was still duty-bound to try for a last minute attempt for a win. Prince Ashwatthama was no angel, having played a supportive hand in many massacres including the recent cold-blooded murder of the young Pandava princelings while they slept in their tents. Prince Ashwatthama was still not done.
When confronted by Lord Krishna and the victorious Pandava brothers, he was not ready to lay down his weapons and submit to the victors. Prince Ashwatthama unleashed the peerless weapon, the Brahmastra which once invoked had to find its target. Prince Arjuna had no choice but to fire his own weapon to neutralize its terrible effects on the universe. Divine intervention from Sage Vyasa and Sage Narada persuaded Prince Arjuna to withdraw his weapon. For his terrible choice, the unrepentant Prince Ashwatthama is cursed by Lord Krishna to wander the earth in terrible physical pain and suffering with no cure for eternity.
The Mahabharata war is now at an end since there is no one in the enemy side capable of using such terrible weapons and with the poor judgement to not accept their defeat. The Pandavas alone now possessed the skill to wield these weapons when needed but also have great restraint and the judgement never to use it again. Nuclear disarmament was now complete.The terrible Mahabharata war was now over.
The Persona of the weapons of Armageddon
Very few trained experts had access to these weapons and the selection of such experts is always based on their temperament and values, not their military might or physical prowess.
One bad decision is often a decision too many and nothing really will be left of the universe to be called a valued prize for the victor; The act of using the weapon is therefore pyrrhic.
Those exalted teachers who can impart these gifts are gods themselves or the very few worthy humans who have conquered their emotions to the extent they are called Brahmarishis (the holy sages- Sage Vishwamitra, Sage Valmiki, Sage Parashurama, Sage Vyasa, etc.)
The threat of Armageddon and global, nay universal destruction is powerful and supposed to be a strong deterrent to those contemplating use of such weapons.
Such weapons in the hands of those prone to anger and acts of extreme cruelty is considered a blot on the track record of the very few who can impart this training.
This act by Prince Ashwatthama is a blot on the track record of his biased father Sage Drona who was guilty of excessive parental love for his child. Sage Drona attained salvation only after being forgiven by Lord Krishna
Lessons learned
As humanity stands at the precipice of a terrible, apocalyptic nuclear war, this is a good time to ponder the craving for such weapons by rogue nations or evaluate our will to hold accountable those willing to sell the technology for monetary or geopolitical reasons.
We must carefully approach these leaders, not acknowledged to be worthy of handling these weapons and find a way for them to realize there is no win here for them
Humanity will suffer greatly if rash decisions to use such weapons are made driven by grief, anger, misplaced honor and naked ambition that does not stand the scrutiny of history
We must pray that the better angels guide those whose hands are on the nuclear code. May God give them the wisdom to know there will be no victors here. May God give them the wisdom to stand down, for the sake of all humankind.