Have you ever read or heard about Arjuna, the hero from the Hindu epic, Mahabharata? Don’t worry if you don’t know, I will walk you through his life story. I didn’t know much about Mahabharata until I joined the eight weeks volunteer program of Dharma Internship Program. I will be talking about Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers. “Well, who are the Pandava brothers?”, you may ask. Let me start with a story years before their birth. It began with a king named Shantanu, in the kingdom of Hastinapur, who had a son named Bhishma from his wife Ganga and two sons from another wife. His son, Vichitravirya, became king after Shantanu had two sons named Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Pandu had five sons (also known as the Pandavas), and Arjun was one of them. Dhritarashtra was blind and had one hundred sons (also called Kauravas). The Battle of Kurukshetra in Mahabharata was between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Out of five brothers of the Pandavas, I have decided to analyze the character of Arjuna.
Arjuna was born to Kunti and king Pandu with the blessings of Lord Indra, the leader of the gods. People knew him by different names and titles, such as Phaalgun, Keerti, Paartha, Savyashachee, and Dhanajaya. As a young Pandava, he was acclaimed for his sincerity and advanced archery skills. He was known for his steadfastness and single-mindedness in pursuing his goals. Arjuna’s strengths were bravery, respect, loyalty, integrity, courage, righteousness, empathy, and compassion. His weaknesses were sensitivity, being emotional, and relying on Krishna for making decisions. Arjuna was more driven by his heart than his head. He had complex emotions and needed guidance from Krishna. Arjuna was well known and respected for his wisdom and fighting ability, particularly his archery, but he had dilemmas and doubts. The Bhagavad Gita opens with Arjuna in crisis. He obtains courage, peace, and the realization that he has a duty to fight by conversing with Krishna.
Arjuna represents an archetypal hero. Humans have complex emotions and thoughts. As Arjuna symbolizes the very nature of this complexity as he shows both positive and negative traits, which every person has. Arjuna serves as an example of a great human being. He was a dutiful householder, a loyal brother, a great warrior, a devout husband, and a sincere devotee of God. He was gifted a bow by the Vedic God of Rain, Varuna, through Agni, the God of fire. The bow was named Gandiva and was the most powerful bow, and Arjuna had a lot of help from it. He married Draupadi by winning a contest where he had to aim his bow at a hanging fish eye while looking at the reflection of the fish in the water which proved his power of concentration and archery. He later fell in love and married a naga princess. They had two sons who played an important role during the Mahabharata war.
An instance of Arjuna’s dilemma or weakness was seen in the Kurukshetra war. When he was standing against the Kauravas, Arjuna got very emotional and decided to put down his weapon. He didn’t want to fight against his cousins and the rest of his friends and family. But when Krishna taught him the lessons of the Gita, he understood his duty to put his best foot forward against the evil actions of the Kauravas. Krishna had to remind him how Kauravas had wrongfully taken over their kingdom and exiled them for twelve years, where they suffered. I learned from this event in the Mahabharata to give my best to a purpose without fearing the consequences. The powerful lesson of the Gita to do your duty (karma) has motivated and influenced me.
Personally, I identify myself with Arjuna’s character of being respectful and responsible. Arjuna was very loyal, responsible, and respectful towards his family and friend Krishna. He did this before the start of the Kurukshetra war when Arjuna and Durhyodan went to meet Krishna for help in the war. Duryodhana sat behind the head of Lord Krishna as he was sleeping, whereas Arjuna sat next to Krishna’s feet. When Krishna opened his eyes, he saw Arjuna first. But, Duryodhan protested by saying he came before Arjuna, so he should get the chance to ask for his wish before Arjun. Duryodhan asked for Krishna’s army support in the war, whereas Arjuna asked for Krishna. This shows Arjuna’s respect and trust towards his beloved friend and mentor Krishna.
Arjuna was physically strong, brave, and knew the art of using weapons in the war. However, he was very emotional and would break down easily. His emotions ruled over his intellect and judgment. Just before the battle, when he saw his entire family of Kauravas standing against him, he could not control his emotions and instantly dropped the weapons, wanting to quit the war.
There was one gambling game between the Pandavas and Kauravas where he and his brothers bet his wife, Draupadi. It was completely inappropriate because wives are not a commodity. If I were in this position, I would have protested against the idea of gambling the Kauravas. This led to a series of unfortunate events that led to the war.
Arjuna was a hero with focus and outstanding archery skills. However, like any other human being, he struggled with complex emotions and doubt at the time of difficult circumstances. His friendship and loyalty toward his friend and mentor Krishna played an important role in the battle of Mahabharat. His bravery on the battlefield along with the conversation with Krishna, gave us the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita that are still guiding all human beings toward the right path in times of doubt. Although there are many inspiring characters in the epic Mahabharata, in my opinion, Arjuna is a true hero in all senses.
Works Cited:
V, Jayaram. “Arjuna of the Mahabharata.” Hinduwebsite.Com, Jayaram V, 25 June 2022, www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/arjuna.asp.