Vyaas Jee Advices Paandav to Prepare for War

The past is certainly respectable but one should not follow it as it was. It is necessary to make its adjustments with present. Listen to your past and select your future carefully.

Bheem and Draupadee were not satisfied with Yudhishthir's talk. When they were sitting silent, Vyaas Jee came there. Yudhishthir was relieved to see him. All welcomed him, touched his feet and waited for him to say something. He said - "Bheem, Your brother speaks the truth. You are like a child, you do not know the strength of your opponents - Duryodhan. All the great heroes are on his side. Bhoorishravaa and Shal are on his side. Bheeshm, Drone, Kripaa are prepared to lay down their lives for him. Karn is his best friend. Karn, Bheeshm and Drone all three are the students of Bhaargav, they know all the Divine Astra. So if you attack them now, without Dharm to protect you, you will all be killed.

Remember, when Arjun burned Khaandav Van and fought with Indra, and defeated him, he said that, "I will give you all Divine Astra I possess when the time comes. But I will give you them when Shankar has given you his Paashupat Astra." So now is the time. Yudhishthir, You must send Arjun to do Tap to please Shiv to get Paashupat Astra, then Indra will also give him his Divine Astra. Then you can get assured that you cannot be hurt by anybody. And Bheem, You should not worry at all, there will be a war, no doubt about it, I know it. So ask Arjun to prepare for war. Besides, you have stayed long enough in Dwait Van, you should go to Kaamyak Van now." And Vyaas went away. [Read here an incident shown in MBH Serial]

Paandav again headed towards Kaamyak Van on the banks of Saraswatee River. After a few days Yudhishthir sent Arjun for Tap to get Paashupat Astra from Shiv. It was the sixth year of their exile.

Story of Kiraat and Arjun

Arjun went towards North, cross Gandhmaadan Parvat, then Himvaan Parvat and came to a peak known as Indra Kilaa and started worshipping Indra. Duryodhan also came to know that Arjun was worshipping Indra to get divine weapons and missiles. Indra appeared before Arjun and suggested him to please Shiv Jee first and ask for Paashupat Astra which will open the gates of Swarg to you, because to get divine weapons you will have to travel to Swarg." Arjun said - "As you say."

Arjun started Tap to please Shiv Jee. Shiv Jee got pleased but He wanted to destroy his Bhakt's pride first, so he sent one of His Gan to test him. That Gan changed his form to a  wild boar and started wandering there. Arjun saw it wandering so he shot an arrow at it and it got killed. When he went to bring his game, he found two arrows pierced in its body. He was thinking that whose arrow it could be, that he saw a Bheel (India's tribe who live in forest and live up on games only) coming towards him (He was Shiv Jee himself).

The Bheel said - "This is my game, because I have shot the arrow first, so I will take this game. This is mine." Arjun said - "When Arjun shoots an arrow then nobody else's arrow can reach it." Still Shiv didn't agree for it and it was decided to have a fight before anyone claimed the boar. Both fought bravely and fiercely. Arjun was surprised to see that his all arrows were going useless. Eventually his all weapons were finished. He was surprised to see this, it should not have happened. Then he took his sword and hit it on the head of the hunter Bheel, but it was equally ineffective, then he started fighting with his hands and legs. But all were ineffective and the hunter kept smiling. Arjun was upset at the thought that how an ordinary hunter was better than him.

Then Arjun prayed Shankar in his mind. He made a garland of wild flowers grown there, made an image of Shiv Lingam, placed the garland on that and closing his eyes prayed him. When he opened his eyes, he found that the garland was not on Lingam but was on the head of hunter. He fell on his feet. 

Other Version
At last when Arjun got tired fighting with Kiraat, he said - "Nobody else can take me to this condition except Shankar, Pitaamaha and Drone. You are not Pitaamaha, you are not Drone, it means you are only Shankar, Vaasudev also said to me "You are Nar, I am Naaraayan; I am in you and you are in me. Whatever is mine it is all yours."

Shiv Jee got pleased and appeared before him as Shiv Jee. Seeing this Arjun got surprised and fell on his feet. Shiv Jee said I was testing you before giving you anything. Ask for what you want to ask." Arjun said - "If you are pleased with me, please give me your Paashupat Astra." Shiv Jee gave him his Paashupat Astra happily and said to him - "In the hands of a bad man it can become a dangerous weapon, it can destroy the entire world, so be careful." Then he taught him the incantations to send it and to withdraw it and said - "Now you go to Indra, he is waiting for you and get more divine weapons and missiles." As Arjun had seen Shankar in person, he was overwhelmed with joy and was under a strange spell.

As Krishn said to Paandav, He took Subhadraa to Dwaarakaa along with Him. She gave birth to a boy there, they named him Abhimanyu. She got busy in taking care of him.

Karn went to his victory tour and on return he brought several crowns. He offered them in the feet of Dhritraashtra.