Barbarik And His Unknown Story

Barbarik was the son of Ghatotkacha, grandson of Bheem {Second in Pandavas}. He was a warrior. He did meditations and pleased many Gods. The gods gave him the three infallible arrows. Hence, Barbarik came to be known as "Bearer of Three Arrows". When Barbarik learnt that there is going to be a battle between Kauravas and Pandavas, he wanted to witness what was to be the Mahabharata War. He promised his mother that if he felt to participate in the battle, he would join the side which would be losing. He rode to the field on his Blue Horse with his three arrows and bow.

Mahabharata War Time

Before the Mahabharata war began, Lord Krishna asked all the warriors how many days they would take to finish Mahabharata war alone. Lord Krishna asked each warrior and received different answers.

Krishna disguised as a Brahmin, stopped Barbarik to examine his strength. When asked how many days he would take to finish the war alone, Barbarik answered that he could finish it in one minute. Krishna then asked Barbarik how he'd finish the great battle with just three arrows. Barbarik explains how three arrows work.

Krishna then challenged him to tie all the leaves of the Peepal tree under which he was standing, using his arrows. Barbarik accepts the challenge and starts meditating to release his arrow by closing his eyes. As Barbarik starts meditating, Krishna quietly plucks a leaf from the tree and hides it under his foot. When Barbarik releases his first arrow, it marks all the leaves of the tree and finally started hovering around the leg of Krishna. Krishna asks Barbarik why the arrow was hovering over his foot. Barbarik replies that there must be a leaf under his foot and the arrow was targeting his foot to mark the leaf that is hidden underneath. Barbarika advises Krishna to lift his leg, otherwise the arrow would mark the leaf by piercing Krishna's foot. Krishna then lifts his foot and the first arrow also marks the hidden leaf. The third arrow then collects all the leaves (including the hidden leaf ) and ties them together.. So Krishna understands that nobody would be able to escape from these arrows. 

Krishna then asks the boy whom he would favour in the war. Barbarik tells that he wants to fight for the side whichever is weak. As the Pandavas have only seven Akshauhini armies {21,870 chariots ; 21,870 elephants ; 65,610 horses  and 109,350 infantry} compared to the eleven of the Kauravas, he considers that the Pandavas to be relatively the weaker side and hence wants to support them. Barbarik assumes that his support, to the relatively weaker Pandava side, will make them victorious. 

Krishna tells that whichever side he supports will make the other side weaker due to his power. Nobody will be able to defeat him. Hence, as he will be forced switch sides to support the other side that has become weaker. Thus, in an actual war, he will keep oscillating between two sides, there by destroying the entire army of both sides and eventually only he would remain. None of the sides would become victorious and he would be the lone survivor. Hence, Krishna avoids his participation in the war by seeking his head in charity.

Previous Birth - A Yaksha

Krishna then explained to him that before a battle, the head of the bravest Kshatriya needs to be sacrificed, in order to worship the battlefield. Krishna said that he considered Barbarik to be the bravest among Kshatriyas, and was hence asking for his head in charity. In fulfillment of his promise, and in compliance with the Krishna's command, Barbarika gave his head to him in charity. Barbarika was a Yaksha in his previous birth. Once Lord Brahma and several other Devas came to Vaikuntha and complained to Lord Vishnu that the Adharma on Earth was increasing; it was not possible for them to bear the tortures causes by the wicked people. Hence they came to seek the help of Lord Vishnu to check them. Lord Vishnu told the Devas that he will soon be on Earth as a avatar- human being and destroy all the evil forces. 

Then, a Yaksha {Barbarik} told the Devas that he alone is enough to kill all evil forces on the Earth, and it was not necessary for Lord Vishnu to descend to Earth. This hurt Lord Brahma very much. Lord Brahma cursed this Yaksha that whenever the time comes to destroy all the evil forces on Earth, then Lord Vishnu will first kill him. Later, the Yaksha takes birth as Barbarika and Lord Krishna seeks his head as a curse.