Jeevan Kumar

Ever since I installed Airtel Wi-Fi (with that unlimited movie and web series streaming package), my dad has been playing the Mahabharatam (2013) series on loop , every single day.

If you come to my house these days, you’ll either hear the news or this series playing in the background.

Now, I don’t really watch these shows since I don’t have the time, but whenever I pass by the TV, someone is always doing some kind of tapas.

One day, I saw Arjuna isolating himself from everyone and going into the wilderness to meditate. All I knew about tapas was that it meant going off to the forest and meditating for days or even months.

This time, though, I got curious about why Arjuna did it. So, I “ChatGPT-ed” it.

Turns out, Arjuna went into tapas, practicing extreme self-discipline to please Lord Shiva so that he could receive a divine weapon , something that would “level him up” and help him defeat powerful enemies.

For some reason, I found this really fascinating. The same concept can actually be applied to our own lives.

For example, say you want to learn a new skill ,like becoming an artist. You could dedicate a few months of your life fully immersed in learning art (your own tapas).

And if you put in enough effort, the “god” - or the universe , will recognize your dedication and reward you with the skill (the weapon).