Arjuna Origins Arjuna is considered by Madhvacarya to be an amsa or portion of Indra, the king of heaven. According to Mahabharata Lord Brahma requested the devas to take birth on the earth by sending their amsas (partial expansions). Indra led them to Svetadwipa and asked Vishnu to incarnate and aid them in their battle. Vishnu was well aware of this and smilingly agreed. After the other devas departed, Vishnu debriefed Indra on what roles they each would play, how the plan should proceed, and what each of them should do. During Rama-lila, Indra had come as Vali and played a more antagonistic role. Surya had come as Sugriva and was the friend of Rama. In Krishna-lila, Indra came as Arjuna the friend and devotee of Krishna, and Surya was Karna, the black sheep and enemy of the Pandavas. This is some of the background given about Arjuna. Family Information Father: Pandu Mother: Kunti Amsa of: Indra Brothers: Yudhisthira, Bhima,Nakula, Sahadeva, and Karna Wives: Draupadi, Ulupi, Citrangada, and Subhadra Sons: Srutasena, Iravan, Babhruvahana, Abhimanyu (one from each wife, in that order) The names of Arjuna Krishna speaking with Arjuna the Bhagavad-Gita Partha - scholarly student, or son of Prtha Jisnu - the irrepressible, or unconquerable Kiritin - he who wears the shining diadem (helmet / crown), which was gifted by Indra Svethavahana - one of shining steeds, or He whose chariot is drawn by white horses Bhibhatsu - the fair fighter, or terrifying to behold in battle Vijaya - the victorious, also Jaya (Victory) Phalguni - one born under the auspicious asterism Uttara Phalguna Savyasachi - the ambidextrous one, capable of working a bow with either hand Dhananjaya - winner of great wealth Gandivi - the owner of Gandiva, his bow Krishna - the dark-skinned one Gudakesa - conqueror of sleep, given when practicing archery at night Kaunteya - son of Kunti Parangam capable Mahabahu - he whose arms are mighty Pandava - son of Pandu Bharata - scion of Bharata, the former emperor of the entire world Aindra- son of Indra Weapons and Accessories Gandiva bow - gold, bedecked with gems, giving it a rainbow hue Devadatta celestial conch shell trumpet Chariot given by Agni, made of Jambunada gold, decorated with 100 bells, and having the effulgence of fire and the brilliance of the sun Banner - Hanumanji Aksaya Tunira two inexhaustible quivers Celestial weapons Agneya (fire), Aindra (self-made; arrow storm), Anjalikavana, Bhauma (enter the earth), Brahmastra, Brahmya, Dhatr, Ghora, Indrajala, Jala, Jyotiska, Kakudika, Kauvera, Madhava, Naga, Naka, Nartana, Prajapatya, Paramesthya, Pasupata, Raudra, Saila, Santana, Saumya, Savitr, Sthunakarna, Suka, Tvastram, Vaisnava, Varunaya (noose), Vayava (wind storm), Yamya (staff) Steeds: 100 white gandharva horses, given by the gandharva Citraratha. They always remain as 100, no matter how many are slain, and are said to have the speed of the wind.
Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra Personality Arjuna made the vow to kill Karna, Bhisma, Asvatthama and whoever else claimed that they were invincible. He was not proud, but he was absolutely confident because of the fact that he had Krishna on his side. Make no mistake: Arjuna was a warrior, but he didn t fight for the pleasure of bloodshed, nor for wealth, or prestige. He only fought because it was his sacred duty. Of all the Pandavas, he was the most loyal to Drona. Arjuna made many vows and he had the tendency to boast of his prowess, but he was not over-boastful. He was not arrogant and it seems from the description of warrior culture that his behavior was quite normal. He loved to challenge the neighboring kingdoms to battle and defeat them. This is where he got the name Dhananjaya (winner of wealth, specifically booty). Due to his age in relation to Krishna they were considered peers and of all the Pandavas, he would spend the most time with Krishna. They also had similar taste. It is described that Arjuna would take Draupadi and Subhadra and along with Krishna and His queens, go camping on the river bank and engage in various games and sports. Krishna considered Arjuna one of His dearest friends and devotees because he was never envious. Appearance Arjuna was slightly shorter than Krishna and taller than Nakula and Sahadeva. His face was intense looking in battle (Bhibatsu: terrifying) but he is also described as being as handsome as Cupid and looked as if the creator had spent extra time in forming him. Since he had the sakti of Indra, he was very handsome and was proportioned like a celestial. His hair is mentioned as being curly. There are no specifics as far as hair and eye color but of his mother it is said she was of very fair complexion with hair as black as night. There is some controversy as far as his appearance, since many depictions of Arjuna show him the same color as Krishna or Draupadi, being bluish in color. However, Srila Prabhupada did not approve of this version, and no other acarya has been specific. His name, Arjuna, means white, but this has referred to his deeds and not his skin color. His armor has been described as being golden, silver, or black with gold leaf, and it would appear he had different coats of armor for different occasions. His Gandiva bow is described as being made of gold with many different gems that sparkle on it and make it seem like a rainbow. His divine helmet is bedecked with diamonds.
History Glorious Birth The background of Arjuna s birth is unusual. The king of Hastinapura, Pandu, was cursed that he would die if he had sexual relations with his wife. Heirless, he utilized his wife Kunti s boon by which she could summon demigods at will, so he could have children. For his first son, he wanted someone fixed Ancient temple carving of Arjuna in dharma (virtue), so he chose the god Dharma (Yama) to be the father. The second son he wanted to be strong, in order to protect and uphold Dharma, so he chose Vayu (Mukyaprana) to be the father, since he is considered to be the strongest deva of all. Pandu wanted to obtain a son who would be the best of men. He chose the king of the gods Indra who is endued with immeasurable might, energy, prowess and glory. Pandu performed severe penance to please Indra for one whole year. Then he and Kunti asked for Indra to come. Therefore, Arjuna is the third son of Pandu, and the youngest of the sons of Kunti, although he is an amsa of Indra. He was born in the same year as Sri Krishna, only months earlier. Astrologically, he was born during the month of Phalgun and under the star of Phalgun, which corresponds to the full moon day of the month of March/April 3221 BC. When he was born, many demigods and celestial rsis came to witness his birth, and proclaimed many blessings to him. The following excerpt from the Mahabharata Adi-parva section 123 verses 34-45, note the significance of Arjuna s birth. As soon as this child was born, an incorporeal voice, loud and deep as that of the clouds and filling the whole sky, distinctly said, addressing Kunti, This child of yours, O Kunti, will be equal unto Kartavirya in energy and Siva in prowess. Invincible like Sakra himself he will spread your fame far and wide. As Vishnu (the youngest of Aditi s sons) had enhanced Aditi s joy, so shall this child enhance your joy. Subjugating the Madras, the Kurus along with the Somakas, and the people of Cedi, Kasi and Karusa, he will maintain the prosperity of the Kurus. Agni will derive great gratification from the fat of all creatures dwelling in the Khandava forest (to be burnt down) by the might of this one s arms. This mighty hero, vanquishing all the effeminate monarchs of the earth, will, with his brothers perform three great sacrifices. In prowess, O Kunti, he will be even as Parasurama or Vishnu. The foremost of all men endued with prowess, he will achieve great fame. He will gratify in battle (by his heroism) Sankara, the god of gods (Mahadeva), and will receive from him the great weapon named Pasupata. This thy son of mighty arms will also slay, at the command of Indra, those Daityas called the Nivatakavacas who are the enemies of the gods. He will also acquire all kinds of celestial weapons, and this bull among men will also retrieve the fortunes of his race. Accordingly, Arjuna became a great devotee and was the dear friend of Krishna. Madhvacarya explains that Arjuna had the sakti of Indra himself. By seeing how Krishna interacts with His devotee Arjuna, we can see how He relates with his devotee Indra, and how we can similarly relate with the Lord. Training under Dronacharya After Pandu died, the Pandavas went to the capitol city Hastinapura and were with their cousins, the sons of Dhrtarastra known as the Kauravas. After a short time, they were put under the instruction of the military guru Dronacarya. Arjuna was the favorite disciple of Drona, who loved him very dearly. He showed his skill as an archer and was an exemplary disciple, always closely following the orders of his guru. There is a famous incident in which Drona tested the knowledge of his students by placing an artistic model bird at the top of a tree. The students were brought forth one by one and asked to draw their bow and aim at the bird. Drona then asked what the student saw. Each of the students would respond describing the environment, the other pupils, Drona etc. Drona was displeased and would ask the next student to come. When all the other students failed the lesson, he summoned forth Arjuna. When asked if he saw the environment or Drona, Arjuna replied that he saw only the bird. Drona said If you see the bird describe it to me. Arjuna replied I see the head of the bird but do not see it s body. Drona was pleased and said Shoot to which Arjuna replied by speedily striking off the head of the vulture. It was also at this time that Arjuna learned how to shoot without seeing the target. One night he was eating and his lamp blew out. He continued to eat in the dark, and realized that if he could know where the food was and could put it in his mouth in the dark, he could probably shoot a target in the dark. He began shooting for target practice at night, and gained the ability to shoot a target without seeing it. Display of Arms After the Pandavas and Kauravas were taught by Drona, they had a display of arms to display their learning at an arena in the city, and Arjuna was the main attraction. He shot arrows through spinning rings and various moving targets, including a mechanical boar that moved of its own accord. He then displayed many different celestial weapons, such as Agni-astra and Vayu-astra. At this point, Karna came on the scene and challenged Arjuna. Karna performed all the feats, which Arjuna had done, but he was very arrogant and boastful in his behavior. As a result, Bhima, who had a very short temper and was very protective of his younger brother, started to insult Karna. This caused the tournament to almost erupt into a battle, since Duryodhana took sides with Karna, and promoted him to become the King of Anga (East India, part of Northwest Bengal and Bihar today) so that he could duel with Arjuna. At the last minute Bhisma and Krpa managed to calm things down. Fight with Drupada For guru daksina (payment for teaching), Drona asked his pupils to capture Drupada, the king of Panchala, who had insulted him previously. The Kurus (including Karna) invaded the city of Drupada without success and were thrown out screaming by Drupada and his powerful army and commanders, including Sikhandi, Uttamaujas and Yudhamanyu. At this point, Drupada gathered his forces outside the city. Arjuna then commanded Nakula and Sahadeva to guard Yudhisthira, while he and Bhima single-handedly faced Drupada and his forces. It was decided that Arjuna would face Drupada, while Bhima would fight the whole army single-handedly. Thus, while Bhima faced the army, Arjuna charged Drupada and his bodyguards. There was a fierce exchange of arrows but Arjuna got within close range and jumped on Drupada s chariot, taking him captive. He then presented him to Dronacarya. The Swayamvara of Draupadi Because Arjuna was such a hero, Drupada had the desire to take him as a son-in-law, so he convinced some brahmins to do a sacrifice that would give him a daughter who would marry Arjuna, as well as a son who would kill Drona. As a result, he obtained Dhrstadyumna, a mighty warrior who was born with sword and armor, and Draupadi, also known as Krishnaa. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. Drupada was soon aggrieved however, when he heard that the Pandavas were killed in the house of lac. He suspected foul play on the part of the Kuru s and hoped that the Pandavas were still alive, so he held a swayamvara with a test which would be so difficult that only Arjuna or someone with the same skill as Arjuna could win. The Pandavas had in fact not been killed and learned of the swayamvara while they were in hiding. They then went to the event in the guise of Brahmins, with Arjuna hoping to win the princess. Kings from all over the world were drawn to the swayamvara having heard of Draupadi, including Krishna and the Yadus. The event featuring the archery task began, and all the kings (including Karna) save the Yadus participated. However, no one could hit the target. With no one left willing to try, Arjuna, dressed as a brahmin, stepped forth, strung the bow and hit the target, winning Draupadi. There was a short skirmish afterwards due to the fact that the ksatriya kings were humiliated by a brahmin (in appearance). Arjuna fought a duel with Karna and Bhima fought with Shallya the King of Madra. Ar-
juna was declared the victor of the swayamvara and took Draupadi home. Due to the intervention of providence, when the Pandavas returned, Arjuna called out to his mother Kunti that he had returned with alms, jokingly referring to Draupadi. Not seeing them Kunti called out, Whatever you have obtained, share amongst yourselves equally. This caused a series of events which led to all five of the Pandavas being married to Draupadi. Exile and marriage to 3 wives Due to the fact that all the Pandavas were married to Draupadi, they had a rule that Draupadi would spend a certain amount of time with each of the brothers. If any of the other brothers interrupted during another s scheduled time, they had to go into exile for 13 years. It so happened that circumstances made it so Yudhisthira was spending some time with Draupadi in the same room that stored Arjuna s weapons. There was an emergency, which required Arjuna to enter the room to get his weapons. Arjuna used his weapons to arrest a band of thieves, after which he promptly dressed in robes and prepared to leave for the forest. Yudhisthira forgave him and asked that Arjuna stay, but Arjuna insisted on honoring the rule. Thus, Arjuna left with many sages, going on pilgrimage to many different holy places. While Arjuna was bathing in a river he was seen by a naga princess named Ulupi, whose husband had been killed by Garuda. She desired a child and therefore kidnapped Arjuna for this purpose. She asked him to give her a child, and they conceived a son named Iravan. As Arjuna moved on, he came to the kingdom of Manipur, in east India. The king there was thrilled to have Arjuna visit his kingdom, and he married his daughter, Citrangada, to Arjuna on the condition that their child would stay to be the future ruler. Citrangada begot from Arjuna a son named Babhruvahana. Arjuna again moved on, and in the last year of his exile, traveled west, arriving in Dwaraka. He had heard from Gada that Subhadra, the sister of Krishna and Balarama, was a most beautiful princess. He desired to marry her, so he came in disguise, as a sannyasi brahmin. Krishna could see it was indeed Arjuna in disguise, and so he tricked Balarama into allowing Arjuna to stay at his house with Subhadra. By the arrangement of fate, Subhadra asked Krishna if he knew about Arjuna, since she had heard he was such a hero. Krishna suggested that she ask the sannyasi who was staying at her place. When asked the sanyassi told Subhadra that he indeed knew Arjuna. She asked of his whereabouts, to which the sannyasi said Arjuna heard that Subhadra was very beautiful and wanted to marry her, he has assumed the dress of a sanyassi and is sitting in this garden. Subhadra gasped and quickly scurried away. Balarama had planned to arrange Subhadra s marriage to Duryodhana, so Krishna arranged for Arjuna to take his chariot and horses, and forcefully take Subhadra away, which was her desire all along. Balarama was angered, but Krishna pacified the Yadus, and Arjuna safely returned to Dwaraka, where they were married in pomp. The Burning of the Khandava Forest Krishna reveals His Universal Form to Arjuna After Arjuna returned from Dwaraka with Krishna and Subhadra, and had pacified Draupadi, he along with Krishna, Subhadra, Draupadi, and some of the queens and maidservants of Krishna all went to have a picnic on the banks of the Yamuna, far from the city. It was during this time, while Krishna and Arjuna were on a hunting expedition, that Agni, the god of fire, came in the guise of a Brahmin, and asked them both if they could help him get food. They agreed and he then revealed his true form. Agni then explained that he needed to eat the Khandava forest because it contained the herbs necessary to pacify his stomach-ache. The task would not be easy, because Indra had a friend in the forest, and every time Agni tried to eat the forest, Indra would come and put out the fire with torrential rain. Arjuna assured Agni he would be able to help, but he would need a celestial bow and two quivers of arrows, which could never run out. Agni immediately called on the god Varuna, who had a storehouse of celestial weapons hidden in the ocean. Varuna appeared with the Gandiva bow and the quivers of arrows that Arjuna had asked for. Arjuna then fought with Indra and allowed Agni to eat the forest. Indra and the other gods were pleased with the prowess of Arjuna and said that they would give him their celestial weapons in the future. During the burning of the forest, a powerful asura named Maya-danava the architect of the asuras tried to escape the forest. Krishna summoned his Sudarsana disk, and was about to kill him, when the demon begged for the protection of Arjuna. When Arjuna granted it, Krishna withdrew his disk. Maya-danava asked if there was some gift he could give Arjuna in exchange for his life. Arjuna replied that he was a ksatriya and could not accept charity; however the demon could do any thing that would please Krishna. Krishna consequently requested the demon to build the Pandavas an amazing sabha (assembly hall). Arjuna travels north After the Maya-sabha was built, Narada Muni arrived and told Yudhisthira he should perform Rajasuya Yajna on behalf of his father Pandu. Yudhisthira took the counsel of Krishna, who stated that first Bhima, Arjuna and Krishna should go and kill Jarasandha, by challenging him to a one-on-one fight. This was done, and Bhima ripped Jarasandha in half. This necessary mission accomplished, Yudhisthira sent the Pandavas in the four directions. Arjuna took the northern direction and battled many hill tribes and celestials in the mountains, before returning with a caravan laden with gold, gems, ore and rare furs. Arjuna goes to Swarga After the gambling match and during the resulting exile, Arjuna decided to go to Swarga so he could learn celestial weapons from Indra. Arjuna went high into the mountains and met a brahmin who was actually an incarnation of Indra, who told him what he needed to do to please Indra and be admitted to Swarga. Arjuna journeyed to the top of a mountain and started to perform austerity. Duryodhana found out about this, and asked a raksasa friend of his to go and interrupt Arjuna. The raksasa took the form of a giant boar and charged at Arjuna to kill him. Arjuna drew his bow, fired at the demon and killed it, but when he went to look at it, he saw there were actually two arrows stuck in it. He scanned the area and saw a tribal hunter approaching with a retinue of beautiful girls. Arjuna and the hunter got into an argument, which soon escalated into armed combat. Arjuna was not able to defeat the hunter, who revealed himself to be Lord Siva. Lord Siva proclaimed that he was satisfied with the combat, and that no one else on Earth could fight with him as Arjuna had. At this point Shiva gave Arjuna the Pasupata-astra, which is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. Just then, Indra s celestial chariot arrived there, driven by Matali, the chariot driver of Indra. Arjuna was brought to Swarga, where he was received with all honor in the Deva-sabha of Lord Indra. Arjuna sat on the same throne as Indra and was entertained by apsaras and gandharvas. Arjuna was given the celestial weapons by Indra and spent five Earth years there. One of his principle activities was learning celestial singing and dancing from gandarva king Citrangada. Another significant event was when a group of asuras called Nivatakavacas (named so for their air-proof armor) attacked Swarga without fear, having obtained the boon of immunity to the devas. Arjuna, being a human, challenged all of them (numbering in the thousands) and defeated them. As a result, Indra gave Arjuna a celestial helmet. From then on, Arjuna got
the name Kiratin, which means one who wears the celestial crown. Indra noticed that Arjuna, despite being in Swarga, was not enjoying his stay because he missed his brothers and wives. Indra pitied him, so sent Urvasi, the most beautiful woman in heaven, to enjoy with Arjuna. Urvasi happened to be the former wife of Pururava, an ancestor of Arjuna 36 generations previously, and as a result Arjuna considered her to be his grandmother. He treated her with respect and refused intimate relations with her. Urvasi was insulted by this, for she thought she could easily conquer any man. Angered and her pride stung, she cursed Arjuna, saying, If you will not enjoy with me, what is the use of your manhood? You shall become a eunuch! Arjuna became frightened and rushed to see Indra. Indra stated that the most he could do was reduce to the curse to last only one year, but that it would in fact be a benefit since Arjuna, who was one of the most famous and recognized men in the world, would need to be incognito during the last year of his exile. day, as planned, the Kurus invaded from the north, and no army was left in the city to defend it. Utarakumara boasted that he would fight the entire Kuru army singlehandedly, but complained he could not because he had no chariot driver. Draupadi assured him that Brhannala was a prolific chariot driver, and she (Brhannala) could take him to the battlefield. Reluctantly, Utarakumara went out to face the Kurus, with Brhannala driving his chariot. When a lone chariot arrived on the scene, the his bow, which shook the earth and sounded like thunder, and then he blew his celestial conchshell, Devadatta, which caused all the clouds to scatter in fear. Immediately, the sky was filled with the celestial airplanes of the devas who wanted to see the battle. The Kurus could then understand that Arjuna had come to face them, and fear spread through the army like wild fire. The leadership all started to argue and finally it was decided that Duryodhana would try and run away with the 100,000 cows which they had stolen and that the rest of the army headed by Kripa would try to hold off Arjuna. Arjuna fought a hard battle with the Kurus, but eventually he used the Swapana-astra, which caused them all to fall asleep. He took back the cows and made Uttarakumara swear that he would not tell his father that it was Arjuna that had won the battle. The time of exile having expired the Pandavas soon showed their true identity, and a marriage was arranged between the princess Uttara and Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra. The conflict between the Kurus and Pandavas now came to a head, with all the kingdoms of the world lining up to take sides. Preperation for war After the Pandavs herd of Duryodhana stealing the army of Shallya one of there allies with a trick they decided that they should immediately see Sri Krishna and secure him for the battle. Arjuna hurried to Dwarka and arrived in Krishnas room. Duryodhana was already standing there at the head of Krishna s bed. Krishna was asleep and Arjuna bent down at the foot of the bed and began to massage his feet. Krishna awoke and looked at Arjuna. Krishna asked Arjuna why he had come there, and he replied that he wanted Krishna to fight for his side in the war. Duryodhana immediately interrupted and said he wanted to the same thing, and he had been there first. Krishna said he could either offer his personal army of powerful warriors or himself personally who would be a non-combatant. Arjuna chose Krishna while Duryodhana was more than happy to get Krishna s army. Arjuna in Virata In the final year of exile, the Pandavas stayed in the city of Virata, which was named after the king Virata. This corresponds to the town of Birat, in northern Rajasthan, half-way between New Delhi and Jaipur. While he was there, Arjuna dressed in a sari, wore many bangles on his arms, and went by the name Brhannala. He was employed to teach dancing and singing to the daughter of the king. During this time, Bhima killed the tyrannical general of the army, Kicaka, who was attempting to rape Draupadi, and upon hearing this news, the Kurus and the Trigartas (the long-time enemies of Virata), decided to join forces and invade the city. The city is located in a valley and the Trigartas invaded from the south on one day, and Kurus were set to invade from the north on the next. When the Trigartas invaded, Virata and his powerful sons, Sanka and Sveta, headed south with his army, along with Yudhisthira, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva. Utarakumara, Virata s youngest son, was left in the city, along with the women and Brhannala. Virata s army ended up winning the war with the Trigartas, in large part due to the help of Bhima. The next Arjuna asks Krishna to draw his chariot between the two armies on the battlefield of Kuruksetra Kurus were surprised. Yet when Utarakumara saw Bhisma, Drona, Krpa, Asvatthama, Karna, Duryodhana and all the Kuru army, he began to shake in fear and leapt from his chariot, crying. The whole Kuru army erupted in laughter at seeing this. Arjuna then leapt from the chariot, picked him up, threw him in the driver seat, and ordered him to go to the place where the Pandavas had hid their weapons. Utarakumara had no choice but to comply with the suddenly powerful Brhannala, and Arjuna retrieved his bow, named Gandiva, and his two quivers of inexhaustible arrows. He then chanted the mantras to summon his celestial weapons who came before him with folded hands. They asked him what he wanted and Arjuna commanded them, Go into my mind, because I will need you immediately for battle. With that order, all the celestial weapons became energy and entered his mind through his eyes. Arjuna climbed back on his chariot and Hanuman leapt onto the banner. Thus armed, Arjuna went to face the Kurus. He twanged Arjuna anihilating the army of the Kauravas in battle with Bhisma. Bhagavad-Gita Arjuna will be remembered forever as the warrior prince who falls into panic on the eve of battle and who is consoled and empowered by Krishna in the great spiritual and philosophical work Bhagavad-gita, which is the most widely known, studied and distributed Vedic text in the world. In the Battle of Kuruksetra In the battle of Kuruksetra Arjuna was a primary figure. On the first day of battle Arjuna was still shaken by the fact that the members of the opposing army were his friends and relatives. Yudhisthira chastised him for not fighting to his full potential. On the third day, Arjuna fought single-handedly with Bhisma, but began to remember when he had played with him as a child. This caused him to become emotional and hold back. Krishna began to contemplate that if Bhisma had the desire, he could destroy the entire Daitya race in a single day, what to speak of the Pandava army. While facing such a hero, if Arjuna began to hold back he was putting
everyone in danger, so Krishna decided to draw forth his sudarshan cakra. He only showed it to Bhisma but this was enough to cause the Kuru grandsire to stand down. On the ninth day of the war, Arjuna once again became emotional and refrained from fighting valiantly. This caused Krishna to leap from the chariot and charge at Bhisma. Arjuna tried to stop Krishna, but even as he firmly grabbed Krishna s legs, he was dragged along the ground. It was only when Arjuna promised to fight to his full ability against Bhisma that Krishna stopped running. Arjuna is credited with defeating Bhisma, who was one of the greatest threats, on the tenth day of battle. On the 12th day Bhagadatta, the son of Narakasura, was a formidable enemy. He was riding Suprateika a gitant celestial elephant. He charged against the Pandavas with the aim of capturing Yudhisthira. All the Pandava heroes tried to stop him but even the mighty Bhima could not stand against the enraged elephant. Krishna directed Arjuna, who was fighting in another part of the battlefield, to fight with Bhagadatta and save Yudhisthira. Arjuna fought a hard battle with Bhagadatta who had the Vaishnava-astra which Krishna had to personally stop. Arjuna killed the elephant of Bhagadatta with a special arrow he had acquired from Indra. After the elephant was killed Arjuna cut off the head of Bhagadatta with crescent arrow. On the 13th day of the war, Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, was unfairly slain by the chiefs of the Kuru army, which caused Arjuna to become enraged. Jayadratha had been given a boon to be able to hold off the Pandava brothers, except Arjuna, and had prevent them from saving Abhimanyu. Arjuna vowed to either kill Jayadratha before the sun set the next day, or enter fire and go to the hell for men who rape their own mothers. Hearing this vow, Duryodhana encouraged Dronacarya to form a massive battle array, which was 20 miles wide and 80 miles deep, with Jayadratha on the farthest end. On the appointed day, Arjuna fought through the massive Kuru battle array. Duryodhana became furious and Dronacarya gave him a magic armor called Narayana Kavacha. Protected by the armor Duryodhana boldly faced Arjuna. The finger tips however were not protected by the proper Mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Arjuna quickly shot 20 needle headed arrows between Duryodhanas fingernails. After that battle he fought against many heroes, aided by Satyaki and Bhimasena. Arjuna still had not reached Jayadratha when the sun apparently set. All the Kurus rejoiced at Arjuna s failure. Krishna told Arjuna to shoot Jayadratha, and revealed that He had used his Sudarshan Chakra to cover the sun. Krishna removed it, revealing the sun still in the sky, and Arjuna took off Jayadratha s head. At the end of the day he had single handedly killed an Auxohini or 1/11th of the entire army of the Kurus. The other most notable encounter in the battle of Kuruksetra was the fight on the 17th day of the war between Karna and Arjuna. This fight lasted a long time, and many mystical weapons were exchanged. However, Karna was afflicted with curses due to past misdeeds and those came into effect at the most crucial time. The wheel of Karna s chariot was sucked into the earth and while he was trying to pull it out Arjuna cut his head off at the command of Krishna. Krishna charging at Bhisma to protect Arjuna. The Asvamedha Yajna After the battle of Kuruksetra, Yudhisthira preformed the Asvamedha Yajna, which involves sending out a horse with a warrior and army to guard the horse. Arjuna followed the horse and demanded tribute from every kingdom that it entered. This was the way ancient kings established their rule. Arjuna followed the horse all over the length and breadth of Bharatavarsa and returned to perform the yajna. After this was done, the Pandavas stayed in Hastinapura until Arjuna s grandson Pariksit was 30 years old and was crowned king. At this point, the Pandavas went up the sacred path of the Himalayas and returned to the celestial realm from which they had descended.