Barbarik in the Mahabharata, aka Khatu Shyam, is believed to be the most powerful warrior in the epic, but unfortunately, there is no person named Barbarik in the Mahabharata written by Sage Vyasa. His story is in the Skanda Purana, which is the source of all legends.
The Story of Barbarik in the Mahabharata per the Skanda Purana (Ch. 60-66):
The Birth of Barbarik:
Barbarik was the son of Ghatatkocha and Ahilawati. Ghatatkocha was the son of Bhima, and Ahilawati was the daughter of Muru. He was born on the 11th day of the bright half of the Kartika month.
As soon as he was born, he increased in size. In a moment, he became a young man. He had the luster of a blue cloud, his face resembled a pot, and he had long eyes. His hair on the head as well as on the body rose up. He bowed down to his parents and said, “I bow down to both of you. Parents are the preceptors of a person born. I shall become free from the indebtedness to you by always doing what is pleasing to you. I wish to have a name given by you two. Thereafter what is conducive to welfare and prosperity should be performed.”
Since he had hair like that of Barbara (a tribe in India) people, Ghatatkocha named him Barbarik. He took him to Lord Krishna for further guidance.
Krishna’s Advice:
After bowing to Lord Krishna, Barbarik asked him, “O Madhava, what is that whereby the creature who is born attains welfare? Tell me decisively what will be conducive to the welfare of myself and my family.”
Lord Krishna advised him to pray to the goddesses. He told him to go to Guptakshetra and propitiate the four goddesses of the quarters there and the nine Durgas. Seeing the good nature of Barbarik, he gave him the name “Surhudaya,” which means “a good-hearted person”.
Barbarik Gets Divine Ash:
The intelligent Surhudaya built his hermitage in Dagdhasthali. He worshipped the goddesses three times a day with holy rites and meditations. As he continuously propitiated with flowers, incense, and offerings of various kinds, the goddesses became delighted in the course of three years.
They appeared before him and granted him that rare power which no one in the three worlds had. They said, “O highly refulgent one, you stay here itself for some time. By the association of Vijaya, you will attain more welfare.”
After some days, a Brahman named Vijaya came there. Barbarik assisted him to perform some rituals. Then he killed two demons along with an army of 9 crore demons that were bothering serpents. Vasuki, the chief of serpents, offered a boon to him but he asked a favor to Vijaya.
On his way back, a few serpent maidens offered themselves as wives to him but he rejected stating that he was a celibate.
When he returned, Vijaya had completed all the rituals. He was happy with his help. He gave him the ash from the homa that was powerful enough to kill many enemies at once.
Fight with Bhima:
After this, he continued his worship of goddesses. One day Pandavas came to the forest during their exile. As Barbarika had not had seen them since his birth, he did not recognize them. They also did not know who he was. They were extremely thirsty. Therefore, Bhima entered the pond and started washing his face, hand, and feet before drinking the water. It infuriated Barbarik as he thought it was a sin to wash body parts in a holy pond.
Soon they broke out into a fight. Initially, Bhima put up a good fight against him, but soon he got exhausted. Then Barbarik lifted Bhima and walked toward the sea to hurl him into it. With their eyes restrained by the goddess, the Paṇḍavas did not see this.
Seeing this, Lord Shiva interfered and told him that Bhima was his grandfather. After hearing this, he felt ashamed of his deeds and asked for forgiveness from Bhima. Bhima forgave him, but Barbarik felt so dejected that he decided to kill himself and plunged into the sea, but the goddesses saved him. Then Lord Shiva told him that there was no sin if the act was done due to ignorance. In the place where he was set free by Rudra, Bhima installed a very lustrous Linga well-known as Bhimeshvara.
Pandavas left the place after seven days.
Krishna Kills Barbarik:
On the Kurukshetra, before the commencement of the war, Duryodhana asked his warriors, ‘Who, within what period of time, can kill these Pandavas along with their armies?’ Bhishma promised that he would do it in a month. Dronacharya said that he would do it in a fortnight. Ashwatthama said that he would defeat them in battle within ten days. Karna said that he would do it in six days.
Therefore, Yudhishthira also asked his people: ‘Who, within what time limit can kill (the enemies)?’
Arjuna said that he would kill the Kaurava Army single-handedly. Hearing this, Barbarik claimed that he would kill everybody in the Kaurava Army in one Muhurta (48 minutes).
On hearing those words of his, Arjuna asked him how he was going to do that. Krishna also asked him the same thing.
He spoke out, “O warriors if you are inclined to see the means (to be) used, I shall exhibit it. All of you together, with Keshava, witness it.”
After saying this, he strung his bow and hurriedly fitted the arrow thereto. The entire portion of the dart was filled with ash resembling saffron. The ash fell on the soldiers of both armies exactly on the vulnerable spot. (If they were hit there, they would die instantaneously.)
After doing this, Barbarika spoke once again: “Was this noticed by you all how the vulnerable spot was located by me? Now I shall discharge sharp arrows on the vulnerable spots of these, the arrows that will never fail, the arrows that the goddess granted me. Thereby, they will die in a moment. No weapon should be taken up by any of you. I shall make these enemies fall down within a short while using these sharp arrows.”
After this, Lord Krishna immediately killed him with his Sudarshana Chakra.
Why did Krishna Kill Barbarik:
In his previous birth, Barbarik was a Yaksha. Once, he unknowingly insulted gods. Therefore, infuriated Lord Brahma cursed him, “At the start of the battle for the purpose of removing the burden, you will undoubtedly meet with the destruction of your body at the hands of Krishna.”
On being cursed thus by Lord Brahma, he requested Lord Vishnu as follows:
“If my death must occur thus, O Lord, I make a single request. Grant me an intellect that accomplishes all tasks ever since my birth.”
“So be it,” said Keshava in the assembly of the Devas. “People will worship your head. You will be worthy of being adored by goddesses.”
Barbarik wishes to see the war:
When this was told, goddess Chandika sprinkled the head of the Barbarika with nectar immediately and made it unageing and immortal. Barbarik bowed down to them and wished to see the battle. Then his head went up the peak of the mountain, and his remaining body was cremated.
Who killed the Kaurava Army?
At the end of the war, Pandavas praised Krishna for killing the enemies, but Bhima disagreed with them. So, they went to Barbarik and asked him the question. He replied, “One man was seen by me fighting with the enemies. On the left side, he had five faces, and on the right side, he had only one face. On the left, he had ten hands holding a trident and other weapons aloft; on the right, he had four hands holding discus and other weapons aloft. On the left, he was having matted hair; on the right, a large crown. On the left side, he had smeared ash, and on the right, he had applied sandal paste. On the left, he wore the moon, and on the right, there was the luster of Kaustubha jewel. On seeing him, even I was frightened much. Such a man and ṇo other person, who killed them (the enemies) was seen by me.”
Krishna blessed him that he would be worshiped by all the world. He told him to reside in Dehisthali and forgive the evil actions of humans.
On being told thus, the son of Ghatatkocha bowed down to them and went away joyously.
The Story of Barbarik in the Mahabharata per the Folklores:
Before the start of the Mahabharata War, Lord Krishna asked all the warriors that in how many days they could finish the war. Bhishma, Dronacharya, Karna, and Arjuna said that they would take 20, 25, 24, and 28 days respectively to finish the war.
Lord Krishna, then disguised as a Brahmin, asked the same question to Barbarik. He said that he would finish it in 1 minute. When Krishna asked how he would do that, he replied that he had three arrows. He would mark all the things to destroy with the first arrow. Then the second arrow would mark the things that he wanted to save, and the third arrow would destroy all the unmarked things and return to his quiver.
When asked to show a demonstration by tying all the leaves of the Peeple tree under which he was standing, he closed his eyes. As he was meditating, Lord Krishna plucked a leaf from the tree and hid it under his foot. When Barbarik left his first arrow, the arrow marked all the leaves of the Peepal tree and started hovering over Krishna’s foot. He told him to lift his foot as there must be a leaf under his foot, and otherwise, the arrow would pierce his foot. His arrow was so infallible that it marked the leaf that he was not even aware of.
Lord Krishna then asked him that whom he would favor in the war. He replied that he had promised his mother that he would fight for the side, whichever is weak. As Pandavas had less army compared to the Kauravas, he would fight from Pandava’s side. But Lord Krishna pointed out the flaw in his promise to him. If he would fight for Pandavas, then Kauravas’ side would weaken eventually, and then he had to fight for the Kauravas. Eventually, he would destroy both armies, and none of the sides would become victorious.
Lord Krishna then told him that to sanctify the battlefield, he needed the head of the bravest Kshatriya, and Barbarik was the bravest of all the warriors. Therefore, he asked his head to him in charity. He agreed to do so but asked for a favor from Krishna. He wanted to see the battle and hence requested him to facilitate the same. Lord Krishna agreed to do so and put his head on top of a hill from where it could have a good view of the battle. This happened on the 12th day of the bright half of the Phalgun month.
After the end of the battle, Pandavas argued about who was responsible for the victor. As Barbarika was watching the war, he suggested they ask him. He replied, “All I could see were two things. One, a divine chakra spinning all around the battlefield, killing all those who were not on the side of Dharma. The other was the Draupadi, who has taken her original form of Goddess Mahakali, who spread out her tongue on the battlefield and consumed all the sinners as her sacrifice.”
Different Names of Barbarik in the Mahabharata:
1. Khatu Shyam.
2. Baliya Dev.
3. Surhidaya.
4. Kamrunaag.
5. Sheesh Ke Daani.
6. Haare Ka Sahara.
7. Yalambar.
8. Teen Baan Dhari.
9. Leela Ka Aswaar.
10. Khatu Naresh.
11. Shyam Pyarey.
12. Morechandidharak.
13. Shyam Baba.
14. Baarish Ka Devta.
The Worship of Barbarik:
Per a story, in 1026 AD, a group of workers found a metal box while digging for water in a village named Khatu in Rajasthan. The name Barbarik was written on it and it contained a skull. The workers took the box to the contemporary king of Khatu, Roopsingh Chauhan. Then the king had a dream that he should build a temple for Barbarik. The king built a temple and placed Barbarik’s head inside it. The place where the head was found is called Shyama Kund (“kund” means a pond in Sanskrit). The temple is still functional and is very popular in the area.
Barbarik is called Kamrunaag or Bada Dev in Himachal Pradesh where there is a temple of him in Mandi. In Gujarat, he is called Baliyadev and has a temple in the village Lambha in Ahmedabad.
Was Barbarik a Robot? Did India have AI Technology?
Per a YouTuber, Praveen Mohan, Barbarik was actually a robot and his skull was of metal. He also claims that the skull in the Khatu Shyam Temple in Rajasthan is a metal skull. He gives the following reasons for his arguments:
1. The skull is made up of metal.
2. His eyes did not decompose even after thousands of years.
3. He could handle multiple weapons at a time and had miraculous mathematical skills.
4. His speech was slow and could not recognize faces.
5. He did not think like humans but like machines.
6. The word “barbaric” means inhuman.
There is certainly a point in this theory, but we cannot say anything definitely unless the skull in the temple is examined scientifically.
You can watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6syj1PWMDLM
Summary:
Both the Mahabharata and the Puranas (Mulasamhita) are written by Sage Vyasa. It is not clear why he did not mention Barbarik in the Mahabharata but in the Skanda Purana. Some people believe he is a fictional character and was added afterward. Some people believe he was an AI robot. It is possible that his story is a later addition.
Whatever may be the truth, his story is both interesting and inspiring.
Image Source: Shyam