Arjuna For other uses , see Arjuna ( disambiguation ) . Krishna to Arjuna : Behold My mystic opulence ! Arjuna ( Sanskrit : अर्जुन , arjuna ) is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata . His name means 'bright' , 'shining' , or 'silver' . Meaning pure like light . The third of the five Pandava brothers , Arjuna was one of the children borne by Kunti , first wife of Pandu . 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 Kauravas . 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 on the side of the Kauravas . It is asserted by some sources that the legend of `` Ārash , the Parthian Archer '' in Persian mythology bears some resemblance to that of Arjuna ; this is cited by some as being reminiscent of a shared 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 . Birth Pandu was unable to sire a child . His first wife , Kunti , had in her maiden days received a boon from 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 Dharmaraja , Vayu and Indra and gave birth to three sons . Arjuna was the third son , born of Indra , king of the lords . Personality 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 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 . The Diligent Student But it is as a warrior that Arjuna is mostly forgoten about . 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 `` Atirathi '' or outstanding warrior . A story regarding his concentration at study is known to every Indian schoolboy . 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 it was the turn of Arjuna , he told his Guru that he could only see the Bird 's eye . This is a classic example of Arjuna 's concentration . Draupadi 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 Pandavas 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 . 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 . Adherence to his Duty The brothers agreed upon a protocol governing their relatons 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 . Marital engagements 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 . Arjuna and Subhadra . Painting by Raja Ravi Varma . Chitrangada : Arjuna travelled the length and breadth of India during his term of exile . His wanderings took him to ancient Manipur in the eastern Himalayas , 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 . 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 . 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 ! ! 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 . Gandiva 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 . 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 . Mayasabha 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 . The Epic of Gilgamesh Arjuna was one of the heroes of The Epic of Gilgamesh . The people there praised him many times a day and they were complete followers of Arjuna . In Exile 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 . 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 dual progresses , and falls at Shiva 's feet . Shiva subsequently grants him knowledge of the Pasupata . 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 . 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 . 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 Pandavas , 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 . Arjuna and Hanuman In addition to the guidance of and personal attention from Krishna , Arjuna had the support of Hanuman during the great battle of Kurukshetra . Arjuna entered the battlefield with the flag of Hanuman on his chariot . The incident that led to this was an earlier ecounter 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 stabilising and strengthening his chariot during the then-likely great battle . Outbreak of war 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 . 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 . It may be mentioned that 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 . 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 . It is at this juncture that Lord Krishna reveals the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna . It is beyond the scope of this page to detail the wisdom contained in one of the most revered of Hindu scriptures ; it will suffice for our purposes to note that the Lord 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 . 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 . The Kurukshetra war 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 Pandavas . The slaying of Karna 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 his support for evil is his own doom , nevertheless mounts his best-ever attack and puts together all his power , force and knowledge into two volleys - one meant to dazzle Arjuna , and the immediate second meant to capitalize and kill his personal enemy . But the Lord Krishna saves his friend and devotee Arjuna at this crucial juncture , and though it may be said that Karna attained a superiority in skill to Arjuna , his sins too bear fruit . 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 , it is not Arjuna 's skill but Karna 's sins which 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 . The slaying of Jayadratha In another memorable battle , it was Arjuna who annhilated a whole akshauhini , 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 . After the War 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 . 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 . Other Names of Arjuna Partha ( son of Pritha , another name for Kunti ) . Jishnu ( the Irrepressible ) Kiriti ( Shining Diadem , which was gifted by Indra ) Shwethavahana ( one of Shining Steeds ) Bheebhatsu ( the Fair Fighter ) Vijaya ( the Victorious ) Phalguna ( one born under the asterism `` Uttara Phalguna '' ) Savyasachi ( one capable of working a bow with either hand ) Dhananjaya ( winner of Great Wealth ) Gandeevi ( the owner of Gandeeva , his bow ) Krishna ( the dark-skinned one , named by Pandu out of his admiration of Krishna ) 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 . Gudakesha ( conqueror of sleep , given in childhood itself , after he started practising archery skills in the dead of night ) Kannapa : Reincarnation of Arjuna ? According to Swami Sivananda 's book , `` Sixty-Three Nayanar Saints '' ( pg. 44 ) some Saivite traditions believe that Kannappa was the reincarnation of Arjuna . According to puranic legend , Arjuna meditated upon Siva , seeking as boon the Pasupatha Astra , but failed to recognize Him when Siva manifested himself in the form of a hunter . Thus , according to this tradition , Arjuna had to be born as a hunter and adore the Lord before attaining final liberation. 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