36 Facts About Arjuna

1.

Arjuna, known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

2.

Arjuna was the son of Kunti-the wife of Kuru King Pandu-and the god Indra, who fathered him due to Pandu's inability to bear children.

3.

Arjuna excelled in archery from an early age and enjoyed the favour of his preceptor, Drona.

4.

Arjuna is depicted as a skilled archer and a key antagonist to Karna from the epic, winning the hands of Draupadi, who became the common wife of the Pandavas.

5.

Arjuna is twice exiled, first for breaking a pact with his brothers; and secondly together with them when his oldest brother was tricked into gambling away the throne.

6.

The story of Arjuna is told in the Mahabharata, one of the Sanskrit epics from the Indian subcontinent.

7.

Arjuna was one of the five Pandava brothers of royal lineage, whose collective name derives from their father and heir to the Lunar dynasty, Pandu.

8.

Arjuna is a central character in the Hindu epics and appears in hundreds of situations.

9.

One day, Arjuna learns that Drupada is holding an archery tournament to determine who should marry his daughter.

10.

Arjuna tells him that the find must be shared with his brothers, as they had always shared such things in the past.

11.

Arjuna inadvertently broke the pact with his brothers, intruding as he sought to collect weapons whilst Yudhishthira, was alone with Draupadi.

12.

Arjuna felt obliged to go into exile despite Yudhishthira's attempts to dissuade him.

13.

Arjuna was then humiliated by them so much that revenge for her treatment became a further motivation for the Pandavas in the rivalry with their cousins.

14.

The brothers, including Arjuna, were forced into a 12-year exile, to be followed by a year living incognito if Yudhishthira was to regain his kingdom.

15.

Arjuna received instruction in the use of weapons from Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and visited the Himalayas to get celestial weapons that he would be able to use against the Kauravas.

16.

Arjuna realized it and took out an arrow and shot it at the boar.

17.

Arjuna confronted the hunter and they engaged in a fight.

18.

Arjuna gave him Pashupatastra and told that the boar was Indra as he wanted to test Arjuna.

19.

An apsara named Urvashi was impressed and attracted to Arjuna's look and talent so she expresses her love in front of him.

20.

Arjuna spent the last year of exile as a eunuch named Brihannala at King Virata's Matsya Kingdom.

21.

Arjuna took Uttara away from the army to the forest where he had kept his divine bow, Gandiva, and revealed his identity to Uttara.

22.

Arjuna was a key warrior in Pandava's victory in the Kurukshetra War.

23.

Arjuna killed many powerful and key warriors of Kaurava's side.

24.

Arjuna followed the horse to the land of Manipura and encountered Babhruvahana, one of his sons.

25.

Babhruvahana asked Arjuna to fight and killed his father during the battle.

26.

Chitrangada came to the battlefield and revealed that Arjuna was her husband and Babhruvahana's father.

27.

Ulupi, the second wife of Arjuna, revived Arjuna using a celestial gem called Nagamani.

28.

Arjuna especially became popular in the areas of Java, Bali, Madura and Lombok.

29.

Arjuna is a well-known figure in the world of wayang in Javanese culture.

30.

Arjuna was a brahman in Goa Mintaraga, with the title Bagawan Ciptaning.

31.

Arjuna was made the superior knight of the gods to destroy Prabu Niwatakawaca, the giant king of the Manimantaka country.

32.

Arjuna has a smart and clever nature, is quiet, conscientious, polite, brave and likes to protect the weak.

33.

Arjuna leads the Madukara Duchy, within the territory of the state of Amarta.

34.

Arjuna is an unmatched fighter on the battlefield, even though he is slender, handsome as a virgin, soft-hearted despite the will of steel, a knight with a myriad of wives and lovers despite being able to do the toughest asceticism, a knight with deep family loyalty but then able to force himself to kill his half brother.

35.

Arjuna displayed a graceful body and a gentleness that was appreciated by the Javanese of all generations.

36.

Arjuna has clothes that symbolize greatness, namely Kampuh or Limarsawo Cloth, Limarkatanggi Belt, Minangkara Gelung, Candrakanta Necklace and Mustika Ampal Ring.