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Getting to know arjuna
Arjuna Loved Women
Such is Arjuna loved by all that Arjuna's birth is the most widely celebrated after that of Krishna. Arjuna was known for his razor sharp focus and concentration. He has such great passion for archery that he would practice it day and night. It is written in Hindu Mythology that eventually, Arjuna's skill and valor gain notice and appreciation from above, and Arjuna acquires magical weapons from the god Shiva. Arjuna had the Noose of Varun used by Kartikeya himself. Kuber weapons, Yama mace and much more. His arsenal was most terrifying at that time, and included the much feared Mahapasupat.
Pasupat comes from the word Pasupati and while can be used in different ways contextually, all uses of Pasupat boil down to the fundamental meaning of the word which conceptualizes cause and effect. Pashupati (Sanskrit Paśupati; devanagari पशुपति ) is a Hindu deity and an incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva as "lord of the animals". Pashupati is mainly worshipped in Nepal and India.
Arjuna fought fravely during the Kurukashetra war and a little known fact about Arjuna from back in the day is that he was quite the ladies man. According to IndiaTimes: "Arjun is a womanizer; he loves women and is loved by them. But in Virat’s palace he spends the entire year as a eunuch dancer, unable to indulge in his urges. Denied pleasure and like Bhima, he lives in an ecosystem of great temptations, unable to enjoy them. Nakul and Sahdev who always lived as princes have to serve as stable keepers, taking care of horses and cows of the king.
The Pandavas, who gamble away their kingdom, are asked to spend twelve years of exile in the forest, and the thirteenth year they have to live incognito where no one can discover them. If discovered, they have to go back to the forest for another twelve years. So they disguise themselves as servants in the palace of king Virat. This is the only episode in the Mahabharata, where there is a careful understanding of what servants go through in palaces."
More discussion about class inequities of the caste system can be found on the page on this website entitled KarNa and Draupadi.
Unfortunately for Arjuna, despite his love for women which was reciprocated, Arjun was written to be 'a true celibate' in the Mahabarata, even after marrying four women and having kids. Some scholars say the reason for this is because despite all his charms, he could never find mental peace, and was plagued by arguments between his 4 wives.
Arjuna's Left Hand Contributed to His Fame
Arjuna was known for his magic fingers on his both his left and right hands. Not only did Arjuna win the hand of Draupadi in marriage due to his archery skills which were comparable only to those of KarNa, but Arjuna was also famous for being able to shoot with his LEFT hand!
An area of debate over the years amongst scholars is Arjuna was ambidextrous. Some say he could shoot arrows just as well with both hands, while others say he was more skilled with his left. In either case, SAVYASACHI is Arjuna, meaning left-handed in Sanskrit as it is intended in the Mahabarata, not ambidextrous.
According to EconomicTimes:
"Arjuna is depicted wrongly when he's shown shooting arrows with the bow in his left hand. "
IndiaToday confirms this story. According to this second source:
"Everyone knows the core Mahabharata story. But there is merit in telling and retelling it, so that more and more people read it and are aware of facts. Savyasachi is another instance. Savyasachi means left-handed and Arjuna was one."
Interestingly, it was very rare in that time period for people to use their left hand for activities, let alone to cultivate a skill or talent using the left hand. It has been a long standing tradition in Indian culture to condition those inclined towards use of their left hand to only use their right hand for anything and everything other than sanitary purposes.
Arjuna Is Troubled By His Conscience
According to IndiaTimes: "Bhima was eager to fight and was not bothered with dharmic questions. But Arjuna was the one who was troubled in his mind. He knew that as a warrior he had to fight and could not turn back from a battle. ... Arjuna fell at Krishna's feet and wanted Krishna to clear his doubts."
Metaphorically, this represents how as humans, sometimes we are called upon to make a decision that breaks our hearts, but gives peace to the soul. It's never easy, and just like when dealing with trauma, we each have our unique, individual way to process and confront difficult times in life. And the way we do, the thoughts we think, the feelings we feel, the actions that result, and the energy we generate are all a product of the unique dharmic purpose of the individual soul that takes on a human form as a uniform in one life experience or another. Some experts say that to manifest as human when and where you do, and to encounter difficult situations such as the one Arjuna was born to face - that the purpose for this is to learn one aspect of human emotion or another by navigating the totality of the complexity of the human experience.
Arjuna is spoken of as a 'true celibate' in the Mahabarata, despite his 4 wives and childres. Unfortunately for Arjuna, despite his love for women which was reciprocated, his conscience again imposed a burden onto his life experience. Some scholars say that despite all his charms, Arjun could never find mental peace, and was plagued by arguments and demands placed upon him by his 4 wives.
one man, many names
Arjuna was also Partha and Savyasachi, among many others...
According to TheHindu:
"He was Partha, because he was Kunti’s son. While Kunti had other sons too, it was only when Arjuna was born, that a divine voice was heard saying that this son would bring fame to Kunti. Arjuna was called Krishna too. This name came to him because of Lord Siva. The latter, when He gave Arjuna the Pasupatastra, addressed him as “Krishna.” He said that since Arjuna was Krishna’s favourite, seeing him reminded one of Krishna. Lord Siva blessed Arjuna and said that none but Lord Krishna Himself could defeat Arjuna. Arjuna gives some of his names in the Virata Parva. But he has other names too. One of them is Gudakesa. This was a name he earned by conquering laziness and sleep. In other words, Arjuna reached the pinnacle of fame through hard work. Lord Krishna uses this name in the Bhagavad Gita in chapters ten and eleven. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as anagha, the sinless one. In chapter eighteen, verse four of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna uses two more names for Arjuna, Purushavyaghra and Bharatasattama. He is also called Mahabhaho, for Arjuna is a broad-shouldered, mighty- armed man."
STORY OF SUBHADRA AND ARJUN
One man, many wives
Arjuna married 4 times, to princesses Draupadi, Ulupi, Chitrāngadā and Subhadra. According to IndianAstrology:
"What is the story of Subhadra and Arjun – the love story of Arjun and Subhadra. Subhadra is a character in the Mahabharata. She is worshiped as an incarnation of Goddess Yogmaya. In the epic, she is the sister of Krishna and Balarama, wife of Arjuna and mother of Abhimanyu and grandmother of Parikshit. She is the daughter of Vasudeva and Rohini Devi.
It is said that when Subhadra becomes of age, Balarama suggests her as a bride to Duryodhana who was his favourite pupil. Krishna (knowing that Arjuna and Subhadra are deeply in love with each other) tells Arjuna that they should elope with each other to avoid her marriage with Duryodhana.
Vyasa’s Mahabharata states that Subhadra was in love with Arjuna. Arjuna was in the midst of self-imposed pilgrimage, for breaking terms of the agreement he had with his brothers regarding private time with their common wife Draupadi. He reached the city of Dwarka and meets Krishna with whom he spends time. Later he attends a festival held at Raivata mountain alongside Krishna. Other Yadava women including Subhadra were also there to see the festival. After seeing Subhadra, Arjuna is smitten by her beauty and wishes to marry her.
Devi Subhadra is one of the three deities worshipped at the Jagannath temple at Puri, along with Krishna (as Jagannatha) and Balarama (or Balabhadra). One of the chariots in the annual Ratha Yatra is dedicated to her.
Lord Krishna knowing the fact that Subhadra is also deeply in love with Arjuna, agreed to their wedding. But knowing the fact that Balarama has already promised her to Duryodhana, he suggested him to elope with her. Also knowing that after getting the news of Subhadra’s kidnap, Balrama would wage a war against Arjuna, he suggested Subhadra to be the Charioteer to Arjuna during the kidnapping, so that everyone thinks thats it’s Subhadra who kidnapped Arjuna. After getting the news, Balarama and other Yadavas are angered by this and decide to pursue Arjuna.
But they are dissuaded by Krishna by informing that it is Subhadra who kidnapped Arjuna. Finally, Balarama consents and conduct the marriage of Subhadra with Arjuna."
Interesting Synchronicity
Similar to the story of Arjun (also known as Krishna) and Subhadra, is the story of Krishna and Rukhmini. Princess Rukhmini also was resued by Krishna who fell in love with the Maiden Rukhmini and married her at Rukhmini's request to save her from the enslavement of an unwanted arranged marriage to another. Krishna is known throughout history for having a soft heart for women and married over 100 women and brought them to the palace to help them to escape one misfortune or another.
Unfortunately for Arjuna, despite his love for women which was reciprocated, Arjun was written to be 'a true celibate' in the Mahabarata, even after marrying four women and having kids. Some scholars say the reason for this is because despite all his charms, he could never find mental peace, and was plagued by arguments and demands placed upon him by his 4 wives.
Arjuna's dance with the devil
Princess Ulipi was part Serpant
Ulupi is described as a half-maiden and half-serpent, a mythical form of a Nāgakanyā (Nāga princess). Michael Mott in his Caverns, Cauldrons, and Concealed Creatures described Ulupi as "partly reptilian" – the portion below the waist resembles that of a snake or a crocodile. Ulupi was the daughter of the Nāga King Kauravya. Her father ruled the underwater kingdom of serpents in the Ganga river. Ulupi was a well-trained warrior.
Ulupi is said to have met and married Arjuna when he was in exile, and with whom she bore his son Irāvān. She played a major part in the upbringing of Babruvāhana, Arjuna's son with Chitrāngadā. She is also credited with redeeming Arjuna from the curse of the Vasus by restoring his life after he was slain in a battle by Babruvāhana.
The story of Arjuna and Ulupi:
Arjuna, the third Pandava brother, was exiled from Indraprastha, the capital city of the kingdom, to go on a twelve-year pilgrimage as a penance for violating the terms of his marriage to Draupadi, the brothers' common wife. Accompanied by Brahmins, Arjuna went to the north eastern region of present-day India.
One day, when Arjuna was bathing in the Ganga river to perform his rituals, the Naga princess Ulupi, grasps him and pulls him into the river. She holds him with her hands and forces him to travel under her will. They finally end up in an underwater kingdom, the abode of Kauravya. Arjuna comes across a sacrificial fire there and offers his rites to the fire. Agni is pleased with Arjuna's unhesitating offering of oblations.
Delighted by her act, Arjuna inquires Ulupi about her background. She reveals her lineage and tells him that she brought him to her father's kingdom to kill him, as Arjuna is an enemy of Nagalok. Then Arjuna tells the truth to Ulupi and says that he and the Pandava brothers want a friendly relation with Naglok. After knowing the truth Ulupi embraces Arjuna and admits that she has fallen in love with him. Arjuna, however, declines her proposal citing his celibacy on his pilgrimage. Ulupi argues that his celibacy is limited only to Draupadi, Arjuna's first wife. Convinced by her argument, he marries her and then they make love. Later, a son named Iravan was born to them. Pleased by Arjuna, Ulupi grants him a boon that all beings living under water will obey him and that he will be never defeated in a war under water.
Ulupi Redeems Arjuna from the Curse
The Vasus, Bhīṣma's brothers, cursed Arjuna after he killed Bhīṣma through treachery in the Kurukshetra War. When Ulupi heard of the curse, she sought the help of her father, Kauravya. Her father went to Ganga, Bhīṣma's mother, and requested her for a relief from the curse. Upon hearing him, Ganga said that Arjuna would be killed by his own son, Babruvāhana—Arjuna's son through Chitrāngadā—and brought back to life when Ulupi placed a gem called Nāgamaṇi on his chest.
Following her father's advice, Ulupi instigates Babruvāhana to fight Arjuna. When Arjuna goes to Manipur with the horse intended for the Aśvamedha sacrifice, the king Babruvāhana, as directed by Ulupi, challenges Arjuna to a duel. In the fierce battle that took place between them, both are mangled by the other's arrows. Finally, Arjuna is mortally wounded and is killed by his son when he shoots a powerful arrow at him. Chitrāngadā rushes to the spot and abuses Ulupi for instigating Babruvahana to fight Arjuna. Repenting of his deed, Babruvahana is determined to kill himself, but is promptly stopped by Ulupi. She goes to her kingdom and brings the Nagamani. When she places the Nagamani on Arjuna's chest, his life is restored, thus relieving him of the Vasus' curse. When brought back to his life, Arjuna becomes happy to see Ulupi, Chitrāngadā, and Babruvahana. He takes all of them to Hastinapur.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
Princess Ulipi Resembles SuparnaKa in Ramayana
When looking at the stories and characters of the Mahabaratha and Ramayana from a metaphorical and metaphysical perspective, one can think of the different names attributed to each person as different versions of the same person. This is similar to how in metaphysics and yoga, we discuss the concept of "raising our vibraion" and "changing our frequency" when we are in a negative state of mind.
Some would say that when examining the stories metaphorically and not literally, it is easy to draw similarities between characters in the plays based on similar characteristics and recurrent themes in an individual character's life experience.
Snakes traditionally are associated with the devil in world culture and world mythology. On of Krishna's avatar's is the devil, just as in the Bible, Lucifer is said to have once been an angel, and because Lucifer was God's favorite son, he was asked to do the task that was necessary in this Universe to maintain karmic balance, yet that no one else wanted to do. Lucifer, just like Krishna, loved God so much they gladly stepped up to the plate and accepted the assignment to be the devil - the person that is hated by all because it is necessary so that others may find bliss. It's the ultimate sacrifice.
Arjuna is also sometimes called Krishna-when he is vibrating at his highest frequency and being the best version of himself. There is a common theme that runs throughout world religion in that there is always some sort of physical and romantic liason between good and bad, a pious princess who is seduced by the devil, Eve leaving Adam for the Devil, Princess Persephone being married to the devil, and in this case, a noble and consciencious warrior who intertwined with a snake who initially intended to demolish him, and then later saved his life and brought him happiness, bliss, and peace of mind.