Arjuna: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|A protagonist of Indian epic Mahabharata; 3rd Pandava}}

{{About|the character in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''||Arjun (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}

| children = {{bulleted list

|[[Shrutakarma]] by Draupadi|[[Iravan]] by Ulupi|[[Babruvahana]] by Chitrangada|[[Abhimanyu]] by Subhadra}}

| weapon = [[Gandiva|Bow]] and [[arrow]]

| affiliation = {{bulleted list|[[Pandava]]s|[[Mahabharata king]]}}

===Burning of Khandava Forest===

It was while at [[Indraprastha]], the capital city of the Pandavas,<ref>{{cite book |title=Delhi: Ancient History |editor-first=Upinder |editor-last=Singh |publisher=Berghahn Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-8-18735-829-9 |pages=xvii-xviii |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KkpdLnZpm78C}}</ref> for the birth of Abhimanyu that Arjuna and Krishna become involved in what [[Alf Hiltebeitel]] describes as "one of the strangest scenes of the epic", this being the burning of the Khandava Forest. This [[story within a story]] has been interpreted in various ways.<ref name="Hiltebeitel" />

After the [[Khandava Forest|battle at Khandava]], [[Indra]] had promised Arjuna to give him all his weapons as a boon for matching him in battle with the requirement that [[Shiva]] is pleased with him. During the exile, following the advice of [[Krishna]] to go on meditation or ''[[tapasya]]'' to attain this [[Astra (weapon)|divine weapon]], Arjuna left his brothers for a penance on Indrakeeladri Hill.<ref name="ABC-CLIO">{{Cite book|last1=Sharma|first1=Arvind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2A0lg1xRehIC&q=Pashupati+Arjuna&pg=PA116|title=Asian Perspectives on the World's Religions after September 11|last2=Khanna|first2=Madhu|date=15 February 2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-37897-3|language=en}}</ref>

When Arjuna was in deep meditation, a wild boar ran towards him. He realized it and took out an arrow and shot it at the boar. But, another arrow had already pierced the boar. Arjuna was furious and he saw a hunter there. He confronted the hunter and they engaged in a fight. After hours of fighting, Arjuna was not able to defeat him and realized that the hunter was Shiva. Shiva was pleased and took his real form. He gave him [[Pashupatastra]] and told that the boar was Indra as he wanted to test Arjuna. After gaining the weapon, Indra took him to heaven and gave him many weapons.<ref name="ABC-CLIO"/><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Sharma|first1=Mahesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uLFmds7elBAC&q=Pashupati+Arjuna&pg=PA115|title=Tales From the Mahabharat|last2=Chaturvedi|first2=B. K.|date=2006|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.|isbn=978-81-288-1228-6|language=en}}</ref>

=== At Matsya Kingdom ===

Arjuna spent the last year of exile as a eunuch named Brihannala at King [[Virata]]’s [[Matsya Kingdom]]. He taught song and dance to the princess [[Uttarā (Mahabharata)|Uttarā]]. After Kichaka humiliated and tried to molest Draupadi, Arjuna consoled her and Bhima killed Kichaka. When Duryodhana and his army attacked Matsya, [[Uttara (Mahabharata)|Uttar]], Uttarā's brother, with Brihannala as his charioteer went to the army. Later that day, the year of Agyatavasa was over. Arjuna took Uttar away from the army to the forest where he had kept his divine bow, Gandiva and revealed his identity to Uttara. Later when he revealed his identity to everyone in the Matsya, Uttarā was married to Arjuna's son [[Abhimanyu]].<ref name="Chandramouli"/><ref>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/80 80]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref>

* Death of Sudakshina : He killed Sudakshina the king of Kambojas on the 14th day using Indrastra killing him and a large part of his army.

*'''Death of [[Susharma]]''': Arjuna on the 13th day, killed king Susharma of [[Trigarta Kingdom]], the main Kaurava ally.

* '''Death of [[Karna]]''': The much anticipated battle between Arjuna and Karna took place on the 17th day of war. The battle continued fiercely and Arjuna killed ''Karna'' by using [[Anjalikastra]].<ref name="Chandramouli"/>