Arjuna
Indian mythology · hero · archery, focus, dharma in crisis
Third of the Pandava brothers, son of Indra, the greatest archer of his age and Krishna's dearest friend. His collapse of will on the battlefield of Kurukshetra is the occasion for the Bhagavad Gita.
Stories
The Marriage of Draupadi
Drupada's contest demands a shot no ordinary archer can make: five arrows through a revolving fish's eye seen only in reflection. Disguised as a brahmin, Arjuna makes it while Karna is refused a chance; by Kunti's unwitting word, Draupadi becomes wife to all five brothers.
The Fall of Bhishma
None can defeat the grandsire while he holds his weapons, and he will not raise them against one born a woman. So Arjuna advances behind Shikhandi, Amba reborn for exactly this hour, and fills Bhishma with arrows; the old man falls onto a bed of shafts and chooses to die only when the sun turns north.
The Death of Abhimanyu
Sixteen years old, Abhimanyu breaks alone into the spiral formation whose exit he never learned. Jayadratha seals the breach behind him, and six warriors together break every rule of combat to bring him down. Arjuna vows Jayadratha dies by next sunset or he burns himself alive.
Karna's Wheel
The final duel of the war: Karna against Arjuna, brother against unknowing brother. When Karna's chariot wheel sinks into the earth, he pleads the code of arms while he frees it. Krishna reminds Arjuna of the code that died with Abhimanyu, and the arrow flies.
Ekalavya's Thumb
Refused by Drona for his birth, Ekalavya teaches himself archery before a clay image of the master and surpasses every prince. Drona, protecting Arjuna's supremacy, claims his teacher's fee: the boy's right thumb. Ekalavya cuts it off without a word.