Why is Kripacharya a Chiranjeevi?

September 25 2025, 6 min reading time

When Saint Kripacharya was given the task of equipping the young boys of Hastinapur to make them future kings and rulers, bright fighters and brave leaders, how he earned immortality?

Why is Kripacharya a Chiranjeevi?

When we hear the word immortal, the first images that usually come to mind are of mighty warriors, divine beings or heroes blessed with extraordinary powers.

But in the vast ocean of Indian mythology, immortality or being a Chiranjeevi, is not always about strength, fame or supernatural miracles. Sometimes, it is about something much quieter, something that survives beyond wars and dynasties as wisdom, discipline and duty.

One such figure is Kripacharya, the royal teacher of the Kuru dynasty in the Mahabharata. He was not the loudest voice on the battlefield, nor the most celebrated warrior, yet he was chosen to live through the ages.

Why would a humble teacher, overshadowed by giants like Bhishma, Drona or Karna, be granted immortality? The answer lies not in dazzling heroics but in the subtle power of restraint, loyalty and the ability to guide generations even when everything else crumbles.

What is the most unusual beginning of Kripacharya?

The story of Kripacharya’s birth is unlike that of most characters in the Mahabharata. Unlike warriors born into royal families or sages born through penance, Kripa’s beginning was wrapped in mystery and simplicity.

His father, the sage Sharadwan, was deeply absorbed in meditation and ascetic life. Yet his heart was not free from worldly attraction. Once, upon seeing a celestial nymph, his concentration wavered and from that distraction emerged his seed.

Out of this unusual incident, two children were born, Kripa and his twin sister Kripi, abandoned in the forest and left to the mercy of fate. This was no royal cradle or sage’s hermitage as it was the open wilderness, where destiny itself had to protect them.

What makes the beginning even more unusual is how these infants were discovered. King Shantanu, ancestor of the Kuru dynasty, was out hunting when he stumbled upon the abandoned twins. The children bore strange marks on their bodies that indicated their extraordinary lineage and potential.

Shantanu, moved by compassion, took them under his care and raised them in the palace. Thus, from being forest-foundlings, Kripa and Kripi grew up in the heart of Hastinapura, eventually shaping the future of the dynasty.

Why is Kripacharya considered as the pillar of impartial Dharma?

Kripacharya is often remembered as one of the few characters in the Mahabharata who managed to stand tall amidst the storm of bias, ambition, and destruction.

Unlike many warriors and kings who were swayed by emotions, revenge or greed, Kripacharya remained committed to his role as a teacher and guide. His loyalty was never to a single faction but to the throne of Hastinapura itself, no matter who occupied it.

When he fought on the Kaurava side during the war, it was not out of hatred toward the Pandavas but because his duty as a subject bound him to the Kuru crown. And when the war was over, he accepted Yudhishthira’s victory with dignity, without resentment.

This ability to honor dharma above personal gain or emotional leanings is what makes him a rare figure in the epic as someone who chose fairness over favoritism.

What makes Kripacharya the true “pillar” of impartial dharma is the role he played after the devastation of the Kurukshetra war. With almost all the elders and warriors gone, it was he who remained as the steady hand to guide Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna and the only heir to the Kuru dynasty.

At a time when grief and bitterness could have consumed him, Kripacharya instead chose to uphold dharma by ensuring continuity of wisdom and governance for the next generation.

He did not let his personal losses cloud his sense of duty nor did he cling to the vanities of power. In this way, he became a living reminder that dharma is not about taking sides but about preserving balance, fairness and the greater good and even when the world around you is broken.

His impartiality was not passive silence but an active commitment to righteousness, which is why he continues to be revered as the very embodiment of dharma’s steady, unshakable pillar.

Is the blessing of eternal duty, the key to Kripacharya’s immortality?

When we look closely at Kripacharya’s story, his immortality seems less like a divine gift handed out at random and more like a natural outcome of his life of eternal duty. Unlike warriors who sought glory or kings who chased power, Kripacharya anchored himself in discipline and responsibility.

His loyalty was never about favoring one side over another as it was about upholding the role assigned to him as a teacher, advisor and guardian of the Kuru lineage. Even after the Kurukshetra war left the battlefield soaked in blood and nearly every warrior destroyed, he did not abandon his dharma.

Instead, he quietly shouldered the responsibility of guiding Parikshit, the lone surviving heir of the dynasty. This sense of unwavering duty, duty that did not crumble under grief, anger or temptation, was in itself a blessing that set him apart. Immortality, in Kripa’s case, was not about escaping death but about preserving the values of constancy, wisdom and continuity across ages.

Kripacharya’s eternal life becomes a living reminder that immortality is not only about being remembered for great victories but about sustaining one’s duty when all else collapses. His story suggests that when duty is carried out with sincerity and without attachment to reward, it creates an energy that does not fade with time.

Perhaps the sages made him a Chiranjeevi precisely so that future generations could look to him and understand that real strength is not always in the roar of battle but in the quiet resolve to guide, teach and rebuild.

His blessing of eternal duty thus became his key to immortality like making him a timeless figure, not because of what he conquered but because of what he preserved.

Why is Kripacharya considered as the teacher who never leaves?

In the vast school of life, students come and go with each generation. But the ideal teacher, the one who truly understands the essence of education and duty, remains. Kripacharya is that eternal headmaster. His story tells us that true dharma isn’t about picking the winning side but about maintaining your integrity no matter which side you are on.

Therefore, the next time you hear the tales of the Mahabharata, remember the quiet, composed figure who taught the heroes, advised the villains, fought with a heavy heart, and walked away from the ashes of the war not toward liberation but into eternity. Kripacharya is a Chiranjeevi because the world will always need a teacher and he is the one who volunteered to never, ever stop teaching.

Written by: Nikita, Article and Content Writer, Editor, Strategist at Rudraksha Hub

If there is anything you want to edit in this, connect with us at wa.me/918542929702 or info@rudrakshahub.com and we shall be happy to help you..!!