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'''Arjuna''' ([[Sanskrit]]: अर्जुन, ''arjuna'') is one of the heroes of the [[Hindu]] epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''. Arjuna is a central figure in Hindu mythology whose name means 'bright', 'shining', or 'silver'. Arjuna is Peerless Archer.The third of the five [[Pandava]] brothers, Arjuna was one of the children borne by [[Kunti]], first wife of [[Pandu]].
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[[File:Arjuna statue.JPG|thumb|300px|Statue of Arjuna, the skillful Pandava in [[Bali]], [[Indonesia]]]]
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===Life===
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'''Arjuna''' ([[Sanskrit]]: Meaning "bright," "shining," or "silver") is one of the major characters and [[hero]]es of the famous [[Hinduism|Hindu]] epic, the ''[[Mahabharata]].'' The third of the five [[Pandava]] brothers, Arjuna was a master archer who played a pivotal role in the conflict between the Pandavas and their adversaries, the [[Kaurava]]s. He is most famous for his ethical crisis and subsequent dialogue with Lord [[Krishna]] in the ''[[Bhagavadgita]],'' where he is counseled concerning the nature of the universe, proper duty, and supreme devotion.  
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Arjuna was a master archer and played a central role in the conflict between the Pandavas and their adversaries, the sons of [[Dhritarashtra]] known as the [[Kaurava]]s. To begin with, Arjuna was reluctant to take part in battle because of the slaughter he knew he would cause in the enemy ranks, which included many of his own relatives. He was persuaded by his charioteer and close friend Lord [[Krishna]], to change his mind. Their dialogue about issues involved in war—courage, a warrior’s duty, the nature of human life and the soul, and the role of Gods—forms the subject of the [[Bhagavad Gita]], one of the key episodes in the epic Mahabharata. He also played the key role in killing [[Karna]], his arch-rival, in reality an unknown brother, on the side of the Kauravas.
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His seminal role in the ''Mahabharata''  has marked Arjuna as a central heroic figure in the scriptures, [[iconography]], and [[mythology]] of [[Hinduism]]. In his dialogue with [[Krishna]] in the ''Bhagavadgita,'' Arjuna embodies the qualities of the ideal student. His willingness to accept the word of Krishna, even though it involves raising his weapons against his kinfolk, illustrates his ideal devotion to God. Together, the inseparable friendship between Krishna and Arjuna represent the cosmic inseparability of [[Brahman]] and [[atman]], or the essence of the universe and the soul, one of the fundamental ideas of Hinduism. In a more general sense of comparative myth, Arjuna also stands as the archetypal reluctant [[hero]], who is called to a task of great import and initially shirks his duty, only to reconsider and perform his task with unmatched effectiveness.<ref name=Segal>Robert A. Segal, ''Hero Myths: A Reader'' (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000, ISBN 063121514X), 168.</ref> As such, Arjuna is a hero not only for Hindus but also for the entirety of humanity.
  
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It is asserted by some sources that the legend of "[[Arash (mythology)|Ārash]], the [[Parthia]]n Archer" in [[Persian mythology]] bears some resemblance to that of Arjuna; this is cited by some as being reminiscent of a shared [[Indo-Iranians|Indo-Iranian]] heritage. However, Arjun is an integral part of the Mahabharata and one of its lead characters. The other central characters in the story are not mentioned in the story of Arash. Lastly, Indian scientists have discovered what they claim to be [[Dwaraka]], or [[Krishna]]'s city, indicating that the Mahabharata may indeed have a link to actual events in Indian history, as opposed to being a mythological tale. [http://www.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=/news/2005/oct/04dwarka.htm]
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==Arjuna in the Mahabharata==
  
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He bears a total of ten names: Arjun, Phalgun, Jishnu, Keeriti, Shewetvaahan, Vibhatsu, Vijaya, Pārth, Savyasachinn (also referred as Sabyasachi), and Dhananjaya. When he is asked to say his ten names as a proof of his identity:
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===Birth===
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[[File:Boon of Indra to Kunti.jpg|thumb|300px|Indra Blesses Kunti with a son]]
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Before Arjuna's birth, Pandu, putative father of the Pandavas, was unable to sire a child because of a curse which rendered him unable to have sexual relations. He and his first wife, Kunti, decided to make use of a boon she had been given by the sage Durvasa, which enabled her to invoke any god of her choice in order to beget the deity's child. Accordingly, Kunti invoked the gods [[Yama]], [[Vayu]], and [[Indra]] in turn and gave birth to three sons. Arjuna was the third son, born of Indra, the warrior king of the [[devas]]. As the son of Indra, Arjuna is said to have been well-built and extremely handsome, with a proclivity for combat no doubt acquired from his father.
  
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<blockquote>
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Thus, the foundation for Arjuna's career as a warrior was laid at a young age. He was described as a diligent student of the combative arts, learning everything that his guru, Dronacharya, could teach him. He was particularly skilled in [[archery]], with much of his proficiency attributable to his habit of practicing in the dark. As Dronacharya's best pupil, Arjuna received instruction in the use of the [[Brahmasira]], an immensely powerful weapon of mass destruction.
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"My ten names are - Arjun, Phalgun, Jishnu, Keeriti, Shwetvaahan, Vibhatsu, Vijaya, Parth, Savyashachee and Dhananjaya. I was called Dhanajaya when I conquered all the kings at the time of Rājsooya [[Yagya|Yajna]] and collected wealth from all of them. I always fight till end and I always win, that is why I am called Vijaya. My horses which were given to me by [[Agni]] Dev are white, that is why I am called Shwetavāhana.
 
  
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My father [[Indra]] gave me a beautiful crown when I was with Him, that is why I am called Kiriti. I have never fought by unfair means in any battle that is why I am called Vibhatsu. I never frighten my enemies by meanness, I can use my both hands when I shoot my arrows, that is why I am called Savyashachee. My complexion is unique like Arjun tree, and my name is stainless, that is why I am named Arjun. I was born on the slopes of [[Himalaya|Himvaan]] in a place called Satsring on a day when the [[Nakshatra]] [[Uttara Phalgunī]] was in ascent, that is why my name is Phaalgun. I am called Jishnu because I am terrible when I am angry. My mother's name is [[Kunti|Prithaa]], so I am also called Paarth. I have taken an oath that I will destroy that person and his kinsmen who hurts my brother [[Yudhishthira]] and spills his blood on Earth. I cannot be defeated by anyone." (Mahabharat)
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===Marriage===
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Arjuna's skill in archery proved to have an unlikely utility when it won him the hand of Draupadi, his first wife. Draupadi was the daughter of Drupada, king of Panchala, who held a contest for the purpose of choosing a suitable match for his daughter. Contestants were required to string a heavy bow and then use it to hit the eye of a wooden fish rotating above a pool of water. They were allowed to take aim at the eye of the fish only by looking at its reflection in the pool of water. Many princes and noblemen vied for the hand of the princess of Panchala; some, including [[Karna]], were disqualified on grounds of supposedly low birth. However, Arjuna avoided this stipulation by dressing as a [[Caste system|high-caste]] [[Brahmin]] and was allowed to compete, going on to win the hand of Draupadi.
  
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</blockquote>
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All five Pandava brothers had attended the tournament without informing their mother. As they returned home in triumph, Princess Draupadi along with them, they shouted to their mother from outside the house so she could observe their good fortune. Busy with her work, Kunti dismissed them saying "whatever it is, share it between yourselves equally, and do not quarrel over the matter." So seriously did the brothers take the command of their mother that they made Draupadi their common wife. In spite of the fact she had married all five brothers, Draupadi loved Arjuna the most and always favored him over the others; likewise, Arjuna loved Draupadi more than his three other wives Chitrangada, Ulupi, and Subhadra. 
  
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==Birth==
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The brothers agreed upon a number of protocols governing their relations with Draupadi. One of the foremost points of this agreement was that no brother would disturb the couple when another brother was alone with Draupadi. The penalty for doing so was a year of [[exile]]. Once, when the Pandavas were still ruling over a prosperous Indraprastha, a [[Brahmin]] came in great agitation to Arjuna and sought his help, informing him that a pack of cattle-thieves had seized his herd. Arjuna was thrust into a dilemma: His weaponry was in the room where Draupadi and Yudhishthira were alone together for the night, and disturbing them would incur the penalty he had agreed upon earlier. However, Arjuna hesitated only a moment, for in his mind he knew that coming to the aid of a subject in distress, especially a brahmin, was the ''raison d'etre'' of a prince. The prospect of exile did not deter him from fulfilling the duty of aiding the brahmin, and so he disturbed the conjugal couple, took up his weaponry and rode forth to subdue the cattle-thieves. Once he had finished the task, he insisted upon going away on exile, despite opposition from his entire family, including the two people whom he had disturbed.
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[[Image:Arjuna-kl.jpg |thumb|right|Arjuna as seen in the [[Javanese]] shadow puppet play ([[wayang]])]]
 
  
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Pandu was unable to sire a child. His first wife Kunti had, in her maiden days, received a boon from [[Rishi|sage]] [[Durvasa]], which enabled her to invoke any deity of her choice and beget a child by such deity. [[Pandu]] and Kunti decided to make use of this boon; Kunti invoked in turn [[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama Dharmaraja]], [[Vayu]] and [[Indra]] and gave birth to three sons. Arjuna was the third son, born of [[Indra]], king of the demi gods [[devas]]
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===Obtaining the Gandiva===
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Arjuna was banished to exile for twelve years. Over the course of this time, he traveled and married his three additional wives. During this time, he also consolidated his relationship with his cousin [[Krishna]]. Shortly after his return to Indraprastha, Krishna accompanied Arjuna on his visit to the Khandava forest. Here they encountered ''[[Agni]],'' the fire-god, who was faced with the task of burning down the forest in order to relieve a sickness from which he was suffering. Agni asked for their help in consuming the forest in its entirety, since he had failed repeatedly at the task since Takshaka the serpent-king, a friend of [[Indra]], had been residing in it. In each of the fire-god's previous attempts to burn down the forest, Indra had caused rain to fall. Arjuna told Agni that although he has been well-trained in the divine weapons, he must possess an exceptionally powerful bow to withstand the power of his father.
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[[File:Burning of Khandava.jpg|thumb|400px|Burning of Khandava Forest]]  
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Agni then invoked ''Varuna,'' who gave Arjuna the Gandiva, an unbreakable bow, which affords its user sure victory in battle and played a significant role in Arjuna's later battles. Additionally, Varuna also gave Arjuna a divine chariot, with powerful white horses that never tired and could withstand wounds by earthly weapons. Arjuna instructed Agni to proceed, and meanwhile took up a duel with Indra. The ensuing battle lasted several days and nights, until finally a voice from the sky proclaimed Arjuna and Krishna to be the victors, and told Indra to withdraw. And so, the forest was burnt and Agni was sated.
  
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==Personality==
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===In exile===
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Arjuna is depicted as a wholesome and well-rounded personality, a healthy mind in a healthy body, a person whom any mother, wife and friend would cherish and be proud of. The son of [[Indra]], Arjuna is said to have been well-built and extremely handsome; something of a ladies' man, he married four times, as detailed [[Arjuna#Marital engagements|here]]. Arjuna was also true and loyal to his friends (his best friend was the great warrior [[Satyaki]]); he enjoyed a life-long rapport with his cousin and brother-in-law, Sri [[Krishna]]. He was also sensitive and thoughtful, as demonstrated by his misgivings about the [[Kurukshetra war]], which caused Sri Krishna to impart the [[Gita]] to him. His sense of duty was acute; he once chose to go into exile rather than refuse to help a [[brahmin]] subject, a story detailed elsewhere.  
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While the forest burnt, Arjuna chose to spare one asura by the name of Maya, a gifted architect. After Yudhisthira, Arjuna's elder brother, was crowned emperor of India, Maya built him a magnificent royal hall as a token of his gratitude. However, this gift made his cousin Duryodhana envious and his uncle Shakuni concocted a ruse to destroy the Pandavas. He invited the Pandavas to his abode for a game of dice in which Yudhishthira lost everything, including himself, his brothers, and Draupadi, through the use of a trick. In the wake of their victory, the Kauravas dishonored their cousins and even attempted to disrobe Draupadi in front of the entire court, an embarrassment from which she was saved only by the grace of Krishna. When the elders intervened and ordered that everything be returned to the Pandavas, Shakuni forced the brothers into another game of dice, and he again won. This time, the Pandavas and their common wife were forced into exile for 13 years as a condition of their loss, and on the 13th year they must remain hidden. If they are discovered by the Kauravas during this time, the Pandavas would be forced into exile for another 13 years.
  
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===The Diligent Student===
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During this period, Arjuna's training prepared him for the looming war to come. In the fifth year of their exile, Arjuna left the others and ventured to the [[Himalayas]] to do penance to Lord [[Shiva]] for the purposes of obtaining the Pasupata, Shiva's personal indefensible weapon. Arjuna's penance stretched over a long period of time until finally Shiva was satisfied and appeared before him as a motley hunter. The hunter challenged Arjuna to a duel, which he accepted, and an intense battle followed, during which Arjuna realized the hunter's true identity. Immediately, Arjuna fell before Shiva's feet, and the god subsequently granted Arjuna knowledge of the Pasupata.  
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It is as a warrior that Arjuna is best known. The foundation for his career as a warrior was laid young; Arjuna was an outstanding and diligent student, learning everything that his guru [[Dronacharya]] could teach him, and early attaining the status of "Maharathi" or outstanding warrior. Guru Dronacharya once decided to test his students. He hung a wooden bird from the branch of a tree and then summoned his students. One by one, he asked his students to aim for the eye of the wooden bird and be ready to shoot; then, when they were ready, he would ask the student to describe all that he was able to see. The students generally described the garden, the tree, flowers, the branch from which the bird was suspended and the bird itself. Guru Dronacharya then asked them to step aside. When asked what he could see, Arjuna told his Guru that he could only see the bird's eye. Another story says that Arjuna, while eating in the dark, realized that if he could practice archery in the dark he would become vastly more proficient.
 
  
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===Draupadi===
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After obtaining this powerful weapon, Arjuna then proceeded to the heavenly realm of Indraloka to spend time with his mythological father, and also to acquire further training from the devas. Additionally, he suppressed the Nivatakavachas and Kalakeyas, two powerful asura clans that had obtained boons from Brahma so as to be undefeatable by the gods. Arjuna readily destroyed them with his training. During his time in Indraloka, Arjuna was also propositioned by the ''apsara'' ([[nymph]]) Urvashi. Because Urvashi had once bore a son named Ayus, who was a distant forbear of Arjuna, he regarded Urvashi as he would his mother and reminded her of this connection while rejecting her advances. Urvashi grew annoyed at this rejection and, in her chagrin, cursed Arjuna with impotence. Upon receiving rebuke from Indra, Urvashi modified her curse so it would last only one year, a year of Arjuna's choosing, at that.  
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His skill in archery was to have an unlikely utility: it won him the hand of Draupadi, his first wife, the daughter of Drupada, king of Panchala. A contest was held by Drupada to choose a suitable match for his daughter. A wooden fish was suspended high above a pool of water; furthermore, the fish rotated in a circle. Contestants were required to string a heavy bow and then use it to hit the eye of the rotating fish. They were allowed to take aim at the eye of the fish only by looking at its reflection in the pool of water. Many princes and noblemen vied for the hand of the princess of Panchala. Some, (including [[Karna]], another hero of the ''Mahabharata'') were disqualified on grounds of supposedly low birth. However, although the [[Pandava]]s and their mother were in hiding at that time, Arjuna had prudently dressed as a high-caste [[Brahmin]] and was allowed to compete. This was just as well, since it was eventually Arjuna, the peerless archer, who alone was able to accomplish the set task; he won the hand of Draupadi.
 
  
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All the five Pandava brothers had attended the tournament without informing Kunti, their mother, about it. They returned home in triumph, bringing the princess Draupadi with them. From outside the house, they shouted out to their mother: "Mother, you will never believe what we have got here! Make a guess!". Busy with her work, Kunti refused to be baited. "Whatever it is, share it between yourselves equally, and do not quarrel over the matter" she said. So seriously did the brothers take even this casual statement of their mother, that they resolved upon making Draupadi their common wife! It says something about the [[magnanimity]] of Arjuna that, having won his bride single-handedly, he 'shared' her with all his brothers willingly. One possible reason he took this action was to prevent any breach or jealousy arising between the brothers. However, despite marrying all five brothers, Draupadi loved Arjun the most and always favoured him. And Arjun loved Draupadi the most out of his four wives.
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This curse proved fortuitous, and Arjuna used it as a very effective disguise for the duration of the thirteenth year he spent in exile along with his brothers and Draupadi in the court of Virāta under the pseudonym Brihannala. At this time, he acted like a woman. At the end of this year, Arjuna single-handedly defeated a Kaurava host that had invaded Virāta's kingdom. In appreciation of this valor, and having been appraised of the true identity of the Pandavas, King Virāta offered the hand of his daughter Uttarā to Arjuna. Arjuna demurred on grounds of age as well as the fact that Uttarā had become like a daughter to him while he tutored her in song and dance. He proposed that Uttarā should marry his young son Abhimanyu instead, and the wedding dutifully took place.
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There is another story about Draupadi, which mentions the boon she received in her previous birth of having five of the most desired men, as her husbands. Initially Draupadi's parents didnt agree to her marriage to all the Pandavas. But when he was told about this boon she had, King Drupad agreed.
 
  
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===Adherence to his Duty===
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===Arjuna at war===
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The brothers agreed upon a protocol governing their relations with Draupadi, their common wife. An important point of this agreement was that no brother would disturb the couple when another brother was alone with Draupadi; the penalty for doing so was exile for a year. Once, when the [[Pandavas]] were still ruling over a prosperous Indraprastha, a brahmin came in great agitation to Arjuna and sought his help: a pack of cattle-thieves had seized his herd, he had recourse to none but Arjuna for a remedy. Arjuna was in a dilemma: his weaponry was in the room where [[Draupadi]] and [[Yudhishthira]] were alone together for the night, and disturbing them would incur the penalty agreed upon. Arjuna hesitated for but a moment; in his mind, coming to the aid of his subject in distress, especially a brahmin, was the ''raison d'etre'' of a prince. The prospect of exile did not deter him from fulfilling the duty of aiding the brahmin; he disturbed the conjugal couple, took up his weaponry and rode forth to subdue the cattle-thieves. Upon finishing that task, he insisted, in the teeth of opposition from his entire family, including the two people whom he had disturbed, upon going away on exile.
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Upon finishing their period of exile, the Pandavas sought the return of their kingdom from the Kauravas. However, the Kauravas refused to honor the terms of their agreement, which caused the great [[Kurushetra war]] to break out. Krishna gave each of the warring sides a choice: They could either be given the benefit of his personal counsel or of his army. Arjuna chose the companionship of Krishna while the Kauravas chose the mighty army. Thus, Krishna became Arjuna's personal charioteer during the eighteen-day war and protected him on numerous occasions from injury and death.  
  
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===Marital engagements===
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====The Bhagavadgita====
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Apart from [[Draupadi]], Arjuna was the husband of three other ladies, namely '''[[Chitrangada]]''', '''[[Ulupi]]''' and '''[[Subhadra]]'''. All of these events occurred during the period when he went into exile alone after having disturbed [[Draupadi]] and [[Yudhishthira]] in their private apartments.
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Before the war begins, however, Arjuna was reluctant to take part in the battle. Riding into the Kurukshetra battlefield on his chariot steered by Krishna, Arjuna looked upon the faces of his Kaurava cousins and was filled with trepidation:
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[[Image:Ravi Varma-Arjuna and Subhadra.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Arjuna and Subhadra.<br>Painting by [[Raja Ravi Varma]].]]
 
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'''Chitrangada''': Arjuna travelled the length and breadth of [[India]] during his term of exile. His wanderings took him to ancient [[Manipur]] in the eastern [[Himalaya]]s, an almost mystic kingdom renowned for its natural beauty. Here he met the gentle Chitrangada, daughter of the king of Manipur, and was moved to seek her hand in marriage. Her father the king demurred on the plea that, according to the matrilineal customs of his people, the children born of Chitrangada were heir to Manipur; he could not allow his heirs to be taken away from Manipur by their father. Arjuna agreed to the stipulation that he would take away neither his wife Chitrangada nor any children borne by her from Manipur, and wed the princess on this premise. A son, whom they named [[Babruvahana]], was soon born to the happy couple—he would succeed his grandfather as King of Manipur.
 
  
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'''Ulupi''': While Arjuna was in Manipur, Ulupi, a Naga princess of otherwise noble character, became infatuated of him. She caused him to be abducted after he had been intoxicated with potent concoctions; she had him conveyed to her realm in the netherworld. Here, Ulupi induced an unwilling Arjuna to take her for wife. Later, the large-hearted Ulupi restored Arjuna to the lamenting Chitrangada. Ulupi later did much to further the comfort and happiness not only of Arjuna, but also of Chitrangada and the young [[Babruvahana]]. She played a very major part in the upbringing of Babruvahana; she enjoyed much influence over him, and was eventually also to restore Arjuna to life after he was slain in battle by Babruvahana.
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:There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers-all present there.
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:When the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:
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:Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.
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:My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.
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:I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon.<ref>[https://www.asitis.com/1/ ''Bhagavad Gita''] Chapter 1, verses 26-30. Retrieved March 4, 2022.</ref>
  
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'''Subhadra''': Arjuna decided to spend the last portion of his term of exile at [[Dwaraka]], the residence of his cousins [[Balarama]], [[Krishna]] and [[Subhadra]], who were the children of his maternal uncle [[Vasudeva]]. Here, he and his cousin Subhadra fell in love with each other. This matter was abetted by Krishna, who had always been particularly attached to Arjuna, and wished nothing but the best for his sister Subhadra. Knowing that the entire family would view with disfavour the prospect of Subhadra becoming the fourth wife of her cousin Arjuna, Krishna facilitated the elopement of the couple and their departure for Indraprastha. In a twist to the tale, at Krishna's advice, it was Subhadra who drove the chariot from [[Dwaraka]] to Indraprastha. Krishna used this fact to persuade his family that Subhadra had not been abducted; on the contrary, it was she who had kidnapped Arjuna!!
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Given the slaughter he knew that he would cause in the enemy ranks, which included many of his own relatives, Arjuna laid down his arms and decided that he would not fight. Thereafter, Krishna counseled Arjuna and convinced him that the difficulties he was experiencing were merely delusions, and that he had no choice but to fight. The godly charioteer explained that the nature of the soul is eternal, and while Arjuna may kill the fleshly bodies of his relatives, their souls will live on forever. In addition, Krishna also expounded for Arjuna the importance of following caste duties without consideration of personal gain or loss—since Ajuna was a member of the warrior caste, it was his duty to fight without question. The discharge of one's caste ''[[dharma]]'' (duty), Krishna said, supersedes all other pursuits in life, whether spiritual and material. Later on in the dialogue, Krishna revealed that he was indeed an incarnation of God, and manifested his full divinity to Arjuna. By the conclusion of the Gita in the eighteenth chapter, Arjuna has accepted his duty and enters the battle to fight, essaying a vastly important role in the winning of the war. Distilling virtually all the major teachings of the various Hindu schools, the Gita is one of the most important scriptures in the entire Hindu canon.
  
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A single son, [[Abhimanyu]], was born to Arjuna and [[Subhadra]]. [[Parikshita]], (son of [[Abhimanyu]] and [[Uttarā]],born after Abhimanyu was killed in the battlefield], was destined to be the sole surviving dynast of the entire Kuru clan, and succeeded Yudhistra as the emperor of Pandava kingdom.
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====The slaying of Jayadratha====
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Another important story involving Arjuna came about after the strongest warriors of the Kaurava Army collaborated to attack Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu, when he was exhausted and weaponless. Arjuna held the Sindhu king Jayadratha, husband of Dushala, the sister of the Kaurava brothers, principally responsible for the attack, and pledged to end his own life if he failed to kill Jayadratha by the end of the day. Arjuna went on to kill an entire platoon comprised of more than 100,000 of Jayadratha's soldiers. In the climactic moment of this battle, the sun is close to setting and thousands of warriors still separate Arjuna from Jayadratha. Seeing his friend's plight, Lord Krishna raises his Sudarshana Chakra into the sky and covers the Sun, giving everyone on the battlefield the impression that the sun has set. The Kaurava warriors prematurely rejoice over Arjuna's defeat and imminent death, and Jayadratha is exposed. Upon the Lord's urging, Arjuna lets loose a powerful arrow and decapitates Jayadratha, avenging the death of his son.
  
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===Gandiva===
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====Showdown with Karna====
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Shortly after his return to Indraprastha, Arjuna visits the Khandava forest with Krishna. There they encounter ''Agni'', the fire-god, who asks their help in consuming the forest in its entirety - Takshaka the serpent-king, a friend of Indra, resides in it and Indra thus causes rain whenever Agni tries to burn this forest. It is further revealed that the fire-god must do this to relieve a sickness he suffers from, hence the importance of destroying the forest. Arjuna tells him that while he has training in the divine weapons, he must have an exceptionally powerful bow to withstand the power of Indra's astras; an unbreakable one. Agni then invokes ''Varuna'', who gives Arjuna the Gandiva, an incredibly powerful bow, which gave its user sure victory in battle. This bow plays a great role in Arjuna's battles to come. Additionally, he also gives Arjuna a divine chariot, with powerful white horses that do not tire, and are unwounded by normal weapons.
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Karna, Arjuna's childhood rival and unrecognized brother, also grew to become a formidable warrior, although he aligned himself with the Kauravas. Their rivalry only grew when Karna played an indirect albeit significant role in the murder of Arjuna's son Abhimanyu upon the battlefield. Their personal vendetta reached its climax when they met in a battle of immense proportions on the seventeenth day of war. For hours and hours powerful weapons are discharged by the two warriors at terrifying pace without relent. Looking on, millions of other soldiers marveled at the prowess of the combatants. Realizing that he could not kill Arjuna by any conventional means, Karna took out his powerful snake arrow in order to gain the advantage. However, [[Lord Krishna]] intervened and rescued his devotee at this crucial juncture, allowing Arjuna to send a barrage of arrows at Karna and wound him severely. Krishna urged Arjuna to kill Karna, reminding Arjuna of Karna's ruthlessness against Abhimanyu, and Arjuna complied.  
  
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Arjuna tells Agni to proceed, and fights a duel with his father in the process, a battle that lasts several days and nights. A voice from the sky proclaims Arjuna and Krishna the victors, and tells Indra to withdraw.  
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This act of fratricide was committed while still in ignorance of Arjuna's true relationship with his fifth brother. After Karna's death, Kunti informs the Pandavas of the long-kept secret that she was Karna's mother, and that he was actually the eldest of the Pandava brothers. This elicited much grief from the Pandavas. Yudhisthira was particularly incensed upon learning that his mother had kept Karna's true identity from him and his brothers, and he cursed all women, stating that from that day forward they would never be able to keep secrets.
  
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===Mayasabha===
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===Later years===
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In the burning of the forest, Arjuna chose to spare one Asura, named Maya, who was a gifted architect. In his gratitude, Maya built ''Yudhishtra'' a magnificent royal hall, unparalleled in the world. It is this hall, which triggers the pinnacle of ''Duryodhana's'' envy, causing the game of dice to be played.
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After the conclusion of the war, the Pandavas took charge of Hastinapura, the realm of their ancestors. Their great victory and the political power it afforded them gave them the confidence to hazard a further venture: the performance of the ''Asvamedha Yagna,'' or "horse sacrifice," where after one of them could assume the title of ''Chakravarti'' or "Emperor." The sacrifice required that a horse be let loose to wander where it will. Thereafter, the kings upon whose lands the horse wanders through have a choice: They may either accept the master of the horse (in this case, Yudishthira, eldest of the Pandavas) as their own lord and offer their submission to him, or they may offer resistance and wage war. Arjuna lead the armed host that followed the horse around its random wanderings. Over the years, he had occasion to receive the submission of many [[tribe]]s and [[kingdom]]s, sometimes using armed force, sometimes using none. Thus, he was instrumental in the expansion of the Pandava domains. In the course of time, the aging Pandava brothers (including Arjuna) decide to renounce the world. They entrust the kingdom to Parikshita, the son of the deceased Abhimanyu and grandson of Arjuna who represents the sole surviving dynast of the entire Kuru clan, and then they retire to the [[Himalayas]] and eventually depart the world.
  
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==In Exile==
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==Significance==
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After Arjuna's return to Indraprastha, several crucial incidents described in the [[Mahabharata]] took place, culminating in the exile of all the five [[Pandava]] brothers and of their common wife [[Draupadi]]. Arjuna's training during this period is particularly significant in the War to come.
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Arjuna is one of the most celebrated human [[hero]]es in [[Hindu]] scripture. Wholesome, devoted, and magnanimous, he bears many noble qualities of human beings. His theological significance is also immense. In his dialogue with [[Lord Krishna]] in the ''[[Bhagavadgita]]'', wherein the nature of the universe is unraveled for him, Arjuna embodies the qualities of the ideal student. His willingness to accept the word of Krishna, even though it involves raising his weapons against his kinfolk, illustrates his ideal devotion to [[God]]. Together, the inseparable friendship between Krishna and Arjuna represent the cosmic inseparability of [[Brahman]] and [[atman]], or the essence of the universe and the soul, one of the fundamental ideas of Hinduism.
  
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'''Pashupata''': During the fifth year of their exile, Arjuna leaves the others and proceeds to the Himalayas to do tapas to Lord [[Shiva]], to obtain the Pasupata, Shiva's personal astra (i.e. "weapon"), one so powerful as to lack any counter-astra. Arjuna performs penance for a long time. Shiva, pleased with his penance, appears before him as a rude hunter who challenges Arjuna. The two fight an intense duel. Arjuna realizes the hunter's identity as the duel progresses, and falls at Shiva's feet. Shiva subsequently grants him knowledge of the Pasupata.
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In a more general sense of comparative [[myth]], Arjuna also stands as the [[Archetype|archetypal]] reluctant hero, who is called to a task of great import and initially shirks his duty, only to reconsider and perform his task with unmatched effectiveness.<ref name=Segal/> As such, Arjuna is a hero not only for Hindus but also for the entirety of humanity.
  
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After obtaining this astra, he then proceeds to Indraloka (heaven) spending time with his biological father, and acquiring further training from the devas. Additionally, he destroys the Nivatakavachas and Kalakeyas - two powerful asura clans that resided in the skies, and menaced the gods. The clans had obtained boons from Brahma as to be undefeatable by gods. Arjuna being a mortal man, he could thus destroy them with his training.
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==Notes==
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<references/>
  
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'''Urvashi's curse''': While in Indraloka, Arjuna was propositioned by the ''apsara'' (nymph) [[Urvashi]]. Urvashi had once been married to a king named Pururavas, and had borne a son named Ayus from that liaison; Ayus was a distant forbear of Arjuna, hence he regarded Urvashi as a mother. Arjuna reminded Urvashi of this connection while rejecting her advances. Another belief says that since Indra was Arjuna's father and Urvashi was a nymph in Indra's court, so Urvashi is more like a motherly figure for him. Urvashi got annoyed at this rejection, saying a nymph is not a sister or mother to anyone. Urvashi rebuked Arjuna and told him that a nymph is not concerned with earthly relations of any sort. Yet Arjuna could not overcome his scruples; "I am a child in front of you" he said. Chagrined at this response, Urvashi cursed Arjuna with impotence. Because Indra told her to reduce the curse, she modified her curse to last only one year, and Arjuna could choose any one year of his life during which to suffer the life of a eunuch. This curse proved fortuitous; Arjuna used it as a very effective disguise for the period of one year when he, his brothers and Draupadi all lived ''incognito'' while in exile.
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==References==
  
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After spending 12 years in the forest, the [[Pandavas]] spent the thirteenth year of exile ''''incognito'''', as stipulated by their agreement with the [[Kauravas]]. This year is spent by them in disguise at the court of King Virāta. Arjuna made use of the curse put on him by the apsara Urvashi and chose this year in which to live the life of a eunuch. He assumed the name [[Brihannala]]. At the end of one year, Arjuna single-handedly defeated a [[Kaurava]] host that had invaded Virāta's kingdom. In appreciation of this valour, and being appraised of the true identity of the [[Pandava]]s, King Virāta offered the hand of his daughter Uttarā to Arjuna. Arjuna demurred on grounds of age as well as that Uttarā was like a daughter to him, owing to his having been (as a eunuch) her tutor in song and dance. He proposed that Uttarā should marry his young son [[Abhimanyu]]. This wedding duly took place; the posthumous son born of that union was destined to be the sole surviving dynast of the entire Kuru clan.
+
* Eliade, Mircea (ed.). ''Encyclopedia of Religion.'' New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1987. ISBN 0029098505
 +
* Katz, Ruth Cecily. ''Arjuna in the Mahabharata: Where Krishna is, There is Victory''. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1989. ISBN 0872495426
 +
* McGrath, Kevin. ''Arjuna Pandava: The Double Hero in Epic Mahabharata''. Orient Blackswan, 2016. ISBN 978-8125063094
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* Segal, Robert A. ''Hero Myths: A Reader''. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. ISBN 063121514X
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* Theosophical Publishing. ''The Weakness of Arjuna''. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2005. ISBN 1425459137
  
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==Arjuna and Hanuman==
 
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In addition to the guidance of and personal attention from [[Krishna]], Arjuna had the support of [[Hanuman]] during the great battle of [[Kurukshetra]].
 
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Arjuna entered the battlefield with the flag of [[Hanuman]] on his chariot. The incident that led to this was an earlier encounter between Hanuman and Arjuna; Hanuman appeared as a small talking monkey before Arjuna at [[Rameshwaram]], where [[Sri]] [[Rama]] had built the great bridge to cross over to [[Lanka]] to rescue [[Sita]]. Upon Arjuna's wondering out aloud at Sri Rama's taking the help of "monkeys" rather than building a bridge of arrows, Hanuman (in the form of the little monkey) challenged him to build one capable of bearing him alone. Unaware of the monkey's true identity, Arjuna accepted the challenge. [[Hanuman]] then proceeded to repeatedly destroy the bridges made by Arjuna who became depressed and suicidal, and decided to take his own life. [[Vishnu]] then appeared before them both, chiding Arjuna for his vanity, and Hanuman for making the accomplished warrior Arjuna feel incompetent. As an act of 'penitence', Hanuman agreed to help Arjuna by stabilizing and strengthening his chariot during the then-likely great battle.
 
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==Outbreak of war==
 
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Upon finishing the period of their exile, the [[Pandavas]] seek the return of their kingdom from the [[Kauravas]], who refuse to honour the terms of the agreement. War breaks out.
 
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===The [[Bhagavad Gita]]===
 
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[[Image:krishna-arjun.jpg|thumb|right|Lord [[Krishna]] shows his [[Vishwarupa]] to [[Arjuna]] on the [[Kurukshetra war]] field. Krishna gives the discourse of the [[Bhagavad Gita]]]]Krishna's elder step brother [[Balarama]], ruler of Dwaraka, decides not to take sides in the war, as both [[Kauravas]] and [[Pandavas]] are kinsmen of the Yadavas. However, [[Krishna]] in his personal capacity decides to be near Arjuna and protect him. Krishna becomes Arjuna's personal charioteer during the 18-day war and protects Arjuna upon numerous occasions from injury and death. The term "Charioteer" in connection to Krishna is interpreted as "One who guides" or "One who shows the way"; apart from protecting Arjuna from all mishap, Krishna also showed Arjuna the righteous way by revealing the [[Bhagavad Gita]] to him in the hours immediately preceding the start of battle.
 
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This happened thus: As the two armies fell into battle-formation and faced each other on the battlefield, Arjuna's heart grew heavy. He saw arrayed before him his own kinsfolk; the elders of his clan on whose knees he had once been dandled as a child; the very guru [[Dronacharya]] who first taught him to wield the bow all those decades ago. Will it be worthwhile, he asked himself, to annihilate his own kindren for the sake of a kingdom? Arjuna sees his spirit faltering at this crucial juncture just as the war is about to begin; he resorts to Krishna for guidance.
 
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It is at this juncture that Lord Krishna reveals the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. This is one of the most revered of Hindu texts.  In it, Krishna deems it Arjuna's duty to struggle to uphold righteousness, without consideration of personal loss, consequence or reward; the discharge of one's moral duty, he says, supersedes all other pursuits, whether spiritual and material, in life.
 
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The Bhagavad Gita is a record of the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. The relationship between Arjuna and Krishna is representative of what is ideal for all mankind: Man guided by God. The Bhagavad Gita records the Lord comforting and guiding a mortal who is facing a terrible moral crisis, and is an important scripture in [[Hinduism]].
 
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==The [[Kurukshetra war]]==
 
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Thus fortified in his belief of the righteousness of his chosen course of action, Arjuna takes up arms and essays a vastly important role in the winning of the war by the [[Pandava]]s.
 
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===The slaying of Karna===
 
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Arjuna killed his uterine brother [[Karna]], another formidable warrior who was fighting in aid of the [[Kauravas]] against the [[Pandavas]]. This act of fratricide was committed by him while in ignorance of the relationship. Karna and Arjuna form a terrible rivalry when Karna seeks to revenge himself upon Arjuna's guru and the princely order for casting him out and humiliating him. Arjuna is further provoked when Karna insults Arjuna and the other Pandava's wife Draupadi and has an indirect role in the murder of Arjuna's son Abhimanyu in battle. They both bring this terrible and personal rivalry to a climactic battle of terrifying proportions. For a long, long time, powerful weapons are discharged by the two warriors at terrifying pace without relent. The prowess and courage of both is marvelled by the millions of other soldiers. Karna knowing that he cannot kill Arjuna by any means he takes out his snake arrow to kill Arjuna.
 
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He uses this snake arrow against arjuna but snake aswasena whose mother was killed by arjuna
 
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enters that arrow and tries to kill Arjuna. But the Lord Krishna saves his friend and devotee Arjuna at this crucial juncture. Then Arjuna becomes mad with anger and shame and rains innumerable arrows at Karna and wounds him .Then Arjuna is urged by Lord Krishna to kill Karna when he is attempting to raise his chariot, reminding him of Karna's own apparent lack of mercy and regard for the rules of war in the killing of Arjuna's son Abhimanyu in a terrible and brutal fashion. Arjuna thus kills Karna. In the end Karna's sins doom him, marking another instance in the Mahabharata of how an individual's actions serve to mark his destiny, and the need to lead a virtuous life.
 
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===The slaying of Jayadratha===
 
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In another memorable battle, it was Arjuna who annihilated a whole [[akshouhini]], or hundreds of thousands (109,350) of Kaurava soldiers in one day to avenge the terrible murder of his son [[Abhimanyu]], who was killed by all of the strongest warriors of the Kaurava Army, attacking simultaneously and especially when Abhimanyu was exhausted and deprived of weapons and trapped in a formation impossible for anyone save the Kuru general Drona, Arjuna, Krishna and Krishna's son Pradyumna to escape from. Having pledged to enter the fire if he failed to kill the [[Sindhu]] king [[Jayadratha]], whom he held principally responsible, by the end of the day, Arjuna in the process kills an entire akshauhini, or more than hundreds of thousands of soldiers. In the climactic moment, the sun is close to setting and thousands of warriors still separate Arjuna and Jayadratha. Seeing his friend's plight, the Lord Krishna, his charioteer, raises his [[Sudarshana Chakra]] to cover the Sun, faking a sunset. The Kaurava warriors rejoice over Arjuna's defeat and imminent death, and Jayadratha is exposed in a crucial moment, where upon the Lord's urging, Arjuna sets loose a powerful arrow that decapitates Jayadratha. This note of the act of protection of Krishna of his righteous friend and disciple will be incomplete without adding that Jayadratha's father, the old and sinful king Vridhakshtra had blessed his son that anyone who caused his head to fall to the ground would cause his own head to burst. Jayadratha's head is carried by the arrow to his own father's hands, who was meditating near the battlefield; who in his shock drops the head and himself dies of his own blessing.
 
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==After the War==
 
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After the conclusion of the war, the Pandavas take charge of Hastinapura, the undivided realm of their ancestors. Their great victory, the wide support they gained for their cause and the defeat of the many kings who had supported the Kauravas, all unite to make them feel that the time is right to hazard a further venture: the performance of the ''Asvamedha Yagna'', or "horse sacrifice", whereafter the title of ''Chakravarti'' ("Emperor") may be assumed. The sacrifice required that after preliminary rituals, a horse is let loose to wander where it will. The kings upon whose lands the horse wanders all have a choice: they may either accept the master of the horse (in this case, Yudishthira, eldest of the Pandavas) as their own leige lord and offer their submission to him, or they may offer resistance and wage war. Arjuna led the armed host which followed the horse around its random wanderings. He had occasion to receive the submission of many kings, either without or following an armed confrontation. He was thus instrumental in the expansion of the Pandava domains.
 
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His war campaign into the [[Uttarapatha]] resulted in the reduction of over thirty [[tribe]]s/[[Kingdom]]s including those of [[Pragjyotisha]], Uluka, Modapura, Vamadeva, Sudaman, Susankula, Northern Uluka, Puru kingdom of Viswagaswa, Utsava-Sanketa, Lohita, Trigarta, Darava, Abhisara, Kokonada, Ursa, Simhapura, Suhma, Sumala, [[Bahlika |Balhika]], [[Darada]], [[Kamboja]]. Thence after reducing the robber tribes of the mountains, Arjuna landed into Transoxiana region (''Sakadvipa'' or Scythia) and conquers the Lohas, [[Parama Kambojas]], Northern [[Rishika]]s (or ''Parama Rishikas''), Limpurushas, Haratakas, Gandharvas and the [[Uttarakurus]] etc.
 
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In course of time, the Pandava brothers decide, at an advanced age, to renounce the world. They entrust the kingdom to [[Parikshita]], the son of [[Abhimanyu]] and grandson of Arjuna. The Pandavas, including Arjuna, then retire to the [[Himalayas]] and eventually depart the world.
 
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==Other Names of Arjuna==
 
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* [[Partha]] (''son of Pritha'', another name for [[Kunti]]).
 
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* Jishnu (''the Irrepressible'')
 
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* [[Kiriti]] (''Shining Diadem'', which was gifted by [[Indra]])
 
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* Shwethavahana (''one of Shining Steeds'')
 
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* Bheebhatsu (''the Fair Fighter'')
 
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* Vijaya (''the Victorious'')
 
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* Phalguna (''one born under the asterism "Uttara Phalguna"'')
 
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* Savyasachi (''one capable of working a bow with either hand'')
 
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* Dhananjaya (''winner of Great Wealth'')
 
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* Gandeevi (''the owner of Gandeeva, his bow'')
 
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* Krishna (''the dark-skinned one'', named by [[Pandu]] out of his admiration of [[Krishna]])
 
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* Kapidhwaja (''With the Monkey banner'') as Hanuman sat on his banner. It is mentioned that his banner was of a monkey even before the great war.
 
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* Gudakesha (''conqueror of sleep'', given in childhood itself, after he started practising archery skills in the dead of night)
 
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==External Links==
 
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*http://mythfolklore.net/india/encyclopedia/arjuna.htm
 
  
 
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Latest revision as of 22:46, 9 March 2022

Statue of Arjuna, the skillful Pandava in Bali, Indonesia

Arjuna (Sanskrit: Meaning "bright," "shining," or "silver") is one of the major characters and heroes of the famous Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The third of the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna was a master archer who played a pivotal role in the conflict between the Pandavas and their adversaries, the Kauravas. He is most famous for his ethical crisis and subsequent dialogue with Lord Krishna in the Bhagavadgita, where he is counseled concerning the nature of the universe, proper duty, and supreme devotion.

His seminal role in the Mahabharata has marked Arjuna as a central heroic figure in the scriptures, iconography, and mythology of Hinduism. In his dialogue with Krishna in the Bhagavadgita, Arjuna embodies the qualities of the ideal student. His willingness to accept the word of Krishna, even though it involves raising his weapons against his kinfolk, illustrates his ideal devotion to God. Together, the inseparable friendship between Krishna and Arjuna represent the cosmic inseparability of Brahman and atman, or the essence of the universe and the soul, one of the fundamental ideas of Hinduism. In a more general sense of comparative myth, Arjuna also stands as the archetypal reluctant hero, who is called to a task of great import and initially shirks his duty, only to reconsider and perform his task with unmatched effectiveness.[1] As such, Arjuna is a hero not only for Hindus but also for the entirety of humanity.

Arjuna in the Mahabharata

Birth

Indra Blesses Kunti with a son

Before Arjuna's birth, Pandu, putative father of the Pandavas, was unable to sire a child because of a curse which rendered him unable to have sexual relations. He and his first wife, Kunti, decided to make use of a boon she had been given by the sage Durvasa, which enabled her to invoke any god of her choice in order to beget the deity's child. Accordingly, Kunti invoked the gods Yama, Vayu, and Indra in turn and gave birth to three sons. Arjuna was the third son, born of Indra, the warrior king of the devas. As the son of Indra, Arjuna is said to have been well-built and extremely handsome, with a proclivity for combat no doubt acquired from his father.

Thus, the foundation for Arjuna's career as a warrior was laid at a young age. He was described as a diligent student of the combative arts, learning everything that his guru, Dronacharya, could teach him. He was particularly skilled in archery, with much of his proficiency attributable to his habit of practicing in the dark. As Dronacharya's best pupil, Arjuna received instruction in the use of the Brahmasira, an immensely powerful weapon of mass destruction.

Marriage

Arjuna's skill in archery proved to have an unlikely utility when it won him the hand of Draupadi, his first wife. Draupadi was the daughter of Drupada, king of Panchala, who held a contest for the purpose of choosing a suitable match for his daughter. Contestants were required to string a heavy bow and then use it to hit the eye of a wooden fish rotating above a pool of water. They were allowed to take aim at the eye of the fish only by looking at its reflection in the pool of water. Many princes and noblemen vied for the hand of the princess of Panchala; some, including Karna, were disqualified on grounds of supposedly low birth. However, Arjuna avoided this stipulation by dressing as a high-caste Brahmin and was allowed to compete, going on to win the hand of Draupadi.

All five Pandava brothers had attended the tournament without informing their mother. As they returned home in triumph, Princess Draupadi along with them, they shouted to their mother from outside the house so she could observe their good fortune. Busy with her work, Kunti dismissed them saying "whatever it is, share it between yourselves equally, and do not quarrel over the matter." So seriously did the brothers take the command of their mother that they made Draupadi their common wife. In spite of the fact she had married all five brothers, Draupadi loved Arjuna the most and always favored him over the others; likewise, Arjuna loved Draupadi more than his three other wives Chitrangada, Ulupi, and Subhadra.

The brothers agreed upon a number of protocols governing their relations with Draupadi. One of the foremost points of this agreement was that no brother would disturb the couple when another brother was alone with Draupadi. The penalty for doing so was a year of exile. Once, when the Pandavas were still ruling over a prosperous Indraprastha, a Brahmin came in great agitation to Arjuna and sought his help, informing him that a pack of cattle-thieves had seized his herd. Arjuna was thrust into a dilemma: His weaponry was in the room where Draupadi and Yudhishthira were alone together for the night, and disturbing them would incur the penalty he had agreed upon earlier. However, Arjuna hesitated only a moment, for in his mind he knew that coming to the aid of a subject in distress, especially a brahmin, was the raison d'etre of a prince. The prospect of exile did not deter him from fulfilling the duty of aiding the brahmin, and so he disturbed the conjugal couple, took up his weaponry and rode forth to subdue the cattle-thieves. Once he had finished the task, he insisted upon going away on exile, despite opposition from his entire family, including the two people whom he had disturbed.

Obtaining the Gandiva

Arjuna was banished to exile for twelve years. Over the course of this time, he traveled and married his three additional wives. During this time, he also consolidated his relationship with his cousin Krishna. Shortly after his return to Indraprastha, Krishna accompanied Arjuna on his visit to the Khandava forest. Here they encountered Agni, the fire-god, who was faced with the task of burning down the forest in order to relieve a sickness from which he was suffering. Agni asked for their help in consuming the forest in its entirety, since he had failed repeatedly at the task since Takshaka the serpent-king, a friend of Indra, had been residing in it. In each of the fire-god's previous attempts to burn down the forest, Indra had caused rain to fall. Arjuna told Agni that although he has been well-trained in the divine weapons, he must possess an exceptionally powerful bow to withstand the power of his father.

Burning of Khandava Forest

Agni then invoked Varuna, who gave Arjuna the Gandiva, an unbreakable bow, which affords its user sure victory in battle and played a significant role in Arjuna's later battles. Additionally, Varuna also gave Arjuna a divine chariot, with powerful white horses that never tired and could withstand wounds by earthly weapons. Arjuna instructed Agni to proceed, and meanwhile took up a duel with Indra. The ensuing battle lasted several days and nights, until finally a voice from the sky proclaimed Arjuna and Krishna to be the victors, and told Indra to withdraw. And so, the forest was burnt and Agni was sated.

In exile

While the forest burnt, Arjuna chose to spare one asura by the name of Maya, a gifted architect. After Yudhisthira, Arjuna's elder brother, was crowned emperor of India, Maya built him a magnificent royal hall as a token of his gratitude. However, this gift made his cousin Duryodhana envious and his uncle Shakuni concocted a ruse to destroy the Pandavas. He invited the Pandavas to his abode for a game of dice in which Yudhishthira lost everything, including himself, his brothers, and Draupadi, through the use of a trick. In the wake of their victory, the Kauravas dishonored their cousins and even attempted to disrobe Draupadi in front of the entire court, an embarrassment from which she was saved only by the grace of Krishna. When the elders intervened and ordered that everything be returned to the Pandavas, Shakuni forced the brothers into another game of dice, and he again won. This time, the Pandavas and their common wife were forced into exile for 13 years as a condition of their loss, and on the 13th year they must remain hidden. If they are discovered by the Kauravas during this time, the Pandavas would be forced into exile for another 13 years.

During this period, Arjuna's training prepared him for the looming war to come. In the fifth year of their exile, Arjuna left the others and ventured to the Himalayas to do penance to Lord Shiva for the purposes of obtaining the Pasupata, Shiva's personal indefensible weapon. Arjuna's penance stretched over a long period of time until finally Shiva was satisfied and appeared before him as a motley hunter. The hunter challenged Arjuna to a duel, which he accepted, and an intense battle followed, during which Arjuna realized the hunter's true identity. Immediately, Arjuna fell before Shiva's feet, and the god subsequently granted Arjuna knowledge of the Pasupata.

After obtaining this powerful weapon, Arjuna then proceeded to the heavenly realm of Indraloka to spend time with his mythological father, and also to acquire further training from the devas. Additionally, he suppressed the Nivatakavachas and Kalakeyas, two powerful asura clans that had obtained boons from Brahma so as to be undefeatable by the gods. Arjuna readily destroyed them with his training. During his time in Indraloka, Arjuna was also propositioned by the apsara (nymph) Urvashi. Because Urvashi had once bore a son named Ayus, who was a distant forbear of Arjuna, he regarded Urvashi as he would his mother and reminded her of this connection while rejecting her advances. Urvashi grew annoyed at this rejection and, in her chagrin, cursed Arjuna with impotence. Upon receiving rebuke from Indra, Urvashi modified her curse so it would last only one year, a year of Arjuna's choosing, at that.

This curse proved fortuitous, and Arjuna used it as a very effective disguise for the duration of the thirteenth year he spent in exile along with his brothers and Draupadi in the court of Virāta under the pseudonym Brihannala. At this time, he acted like a woman. At the end of this year, Arjuna single-handedly defeated a Kaurava host that had invaded Virāta's kingdom. In appreciation of this valor, and having been appraised of the true identity of the Pandavas, King Virāta offered the hand of his daughter Uttarā to Arjuna. Arjuna demurred on grounds of age as well as the fact that Uttarā had become like a daughter to him while he tutored her in song and dance. He proposed that Uttarā should marry his young son Abhimanyu instead, and the wedding dutifully took place.

Arjuna at war

Upon finishing their period of exile, the Pandavas sought the return of their kingdom from the Kauravas. However, the Kauravas refused to honor the terms of their agreement, which caused the great Kurushetra war to break out. Krishna gave each of the warring sides a choice: They could either be given the benefit of his personal counsel or of his army. Arjuna chose the companionship of Krishna while the Kauravas chose the mighty army. Thus, Krishna became Arjuna's personal charioteer during the eighteen-day war and protected him on numerous occasions from injury and death.

The Bhagavadgita

Before the war begins, however, Arjuna was reluctant to take part in the battle. Riding into the Kurukshetra battlefield on his chariot steered by Krishna, Arjuna looked upon the faces of his Kaurava cousins and was filled with trepidation:

There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his father-in-law and well-wishers-all present there.
When the son of Kunti, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus:
Arjuna said: My dear Krsna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.
My whole body is trembling, and my hair is standing on end. My bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.
I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I foresee only evil, O killer of the Kesi demon.[2]

Given the slaughter he knew that he would cause in the enemy ranks, which included many of his own relatives, Arjuna laid down his arms and decided that he would not fight. Thereafter, Krishna counseled Arjuna and convinced him that the difficulties he was experiencing were merely delusions, and that he had no choice but to fight. The godly charioteer explained that the nature of the soul is eternal, and while Arjuna may kill the fleshly bodies of his relatives, their souls will live on forever. In addition, Krishna also expounded for Arjuna the importance of following caste duties without consideration of personal gain or loss—since Ajuna was a member of the warrior caste, it was his duty to fight without question. The discharge of one's caste dharma (duty), Krishna said, supersedes all other pursuits in life, whether spiritual and material. Later on in the dialogue, Krishna revealed that he was indeed an incarnation of God, and manifested his full divinity to Arjuna. By the conclusion of the Gita in the eighteenth chapter, Arjuna has accepted his duty and enters the battle to fight, essaying a vastly important role in the winning of the war. Distilling virtually all the major teachings of the various Hindu schools, the Gita is one of the most important scriptures in the entire Hindu canon.

The slaying of Jayadratha

Another important story involving Arjuna came about after the strongest warriors of the Kaurava Army collaborated to attack Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu, when he was exhausted and weaponless. Arjuna held the Sindhu king Jayadratha, husband of Dushala, the sister of the Kaurava brothers, principally responsible for the attack, and pledged to end his own life if he failed to kill Jayadratha by the end of the day. Arjuna went on to kill an entire platoon comprised of more than 100,000 of Jayadratha's soldiers. In the climactic moment of this battle, the sun is close to setting and thousands of warriors still separate Arjuna from Jayadratha. Seeing his friend's plight, Lord Krishna raises his Sudarshana Chakra into the sky and covers the Sun, giving everyone on the battlefield the impression that the sun has set. The Kaurava warriors prematurely rejoice over Arjuna's defeat and imminent death, and Jayadratha is exposed. Upon the Lord's urging, Arjuna lets loose a powerful arrow and decapitates Jayadratha, avenging the death of his son.

Showdown with Karna

Karna, Arjuna's childhood rival and unrecognized brother, also grew to become a formidable warrior, although he aligned himself with the Kauravas. Their rivalry only grew when Karna played an indirect albeit significant role in the murder of Arjuna's son Abhimanyu upon the battlefield. Their personal vendetta reached its climax when they met in a battle of immense proportions on the seventeenth day of war. For hours and hours powerful weapons are discharged by the two warriors at terrifying pace without relent. Looking on, millions of other soldiers marveled at the prowess of the combatants. Realizing that he could not kill Arjuna by any conventional means, Karna took out his powerful snake arrow in order to gain the advantage. However, Lord Krishna intervened and rescued his devotee at this crucial juncture, allowing Arjuna to send a barrage of arrows at Karna and wound him severely. Krishna urged Arjuna to kill Karna, reminding Arjuna of Karna's ruthlessness against Abhimanyu, and Arjuna complied.

This act of fratricide was committed while still in ignorance of Arjuna's true relationship with his fifth brother. After Karna's death, Kunti informs the Pandavas of the long-kept secret that she was Karna's mother, and that he was actually the eldest of the Pandava brothers. This elicited much grief from the Pandavas. Yudhisthira was particularly incensed upon learning that his mother had kept Karna's true identity from him and his brothers, and he cursed all women, stating that from that day forward they would never be able to keep secrets.

Later years

After the conclusion of the war, the Pandavas took charge of Hastinapura, the realm of their ancestors. Their great victory and the political power it afforded them gave them the confidence to hazard a further venture: the performance of the Asvamedha Yagna, or "horse sacrifice," where after one of them could assume the title of Chakravarti or "Emperor." The sacrifice required that a horse be let loose to wander where it will. Thereafter, the kings upon whose lands the horse wanders through have a choice: They may either accept the master of the horse (in this case, Yudishthira, eldest of the Pandavas) as their own lord and offer their submission to him, or they may offer resistance and wage war. Arjuna lead the armed host that followed the horse around its random wanderings. Over the years, he had occasion to receive the submission of many tribes and kingdoms, sometimes using armed force, sometimes using none. Thus, he was instrumental in the expansion of the Pandava domains. In the course of time, the aging Pandava brothers (including Arjuna) decide to renounce the world. They entrust the kingdom to Parikshita, the son of the deceased Abhimanyu and grandson of Arjuna who represents the sole surviving dynast of the entire Kuru clan, and then they retire to the Himalayas and eventually depart the world.

Significance

Arjuna is one of the most celebrated human heroes in Hindu scripture. Wholesome, devoted, and magnanimous, he bears many noble qualities of human beings. His theological significance is also immense. In his dialogue with Lord Krishna in the Bhagavadgita, wherein the nature of the universe is unraveled for him, Arjuna embodies the qualities of the ideal student. His willingness to accept the word of Krishna, even though it involves raising his weapons against his kinfolk, illustrates his ideal devotion to God. Together, the inseparable friendship between Krishna and Arjuna represent the cosmic inseparability of Brahman and atman, or the essence of the universe and the soul, one of the fundamental ideas of Hinduism.

In a more general sense of comparative myth, Arjuna also stands as the archetypal reluctant hero, who is called to a task of great import and initially shirks his duty, only to reconsider and perform his task with unmatched effectiveness.[1] As such, Arjuna is a hero not only for Hindus but also for the entirety of humanity.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robert A. Segal, Hero Myths: A Reader (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000, ISBN 063121514X), 168.
  2. ↑ Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, verses 26-30. Retrieved March 4, 2022.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Eliade, Mircea (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religion. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1987. ISBN 0029098505
  • Katz, Ruth Cecily. Arjuna in the Mahabharata: Where Krishna is, There is Victory. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1989. ISBN 0872495426
  • McGrath, Kevin. Arjuna Pandava: The Double Hero in Epic Mahabharata. Orient Blackswan, 2016. ISBN 978-8125063094
  • Segal, Robert A. Hero Myths: A Reader. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. ISBN 063121514X
  • Theosophical Publishing. The Weakness of Arjuna. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2005. ISBN 1425459137


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