Arjuna (, ) is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the third oldest of the five Pandava brothers and is widely recognised as the most distinguished among them. He is the son of Indra, the king of the gods, and Kunti, wife of King Pandu of Kuru dynasty—making him a divine-born hero. Arjuna is famed for his extraordinary prowess in archery and mastery over celestial weapons. Throughout the epic, Arjuna sustains a close friendship with his maternal cousin, Krishna, who serves as his spiritual guide.
Arjuna is celebrated for numerous heroic exploits throughout the epic. From an early age, he distinguishes himself as an exceptional student under the tutelage of the revered warrior-sage Drona. In his youth, Arjuna secured the hand of Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, by excelling in an archery competition. Subsequently, during a period of temporary exile prompted by a breach of a fraternal agreement, Arjuna embarked on a journey during which he entered into matrimonial alliances with three princesses: Ulupi, Chitrangada, and Subhadra. From these unions, he fathered four sons: Shrutakarma, Iravan, Babhruvahana and Abhimanyu. Arjuna plays a major role in establishing his elder brother Yudhishthira’s sovereignty, subduing numerous kingdoms and setting fire to the forest of Khandavaprastha. When the Pandavas are deceitfully exiled after being tricked into forfeiting their kingdom by their jealous cousins, the Kauravas, Arjuna vows to kill Karna—a key Kaurava ally and Arjuna's main rival who is later revealed to be his elder half-brother. During exile, Arjuna undertakes a journey to acquire divine weapons and earns the favour of the god Shiva. Beyond his martial prowess, Arjuna was also skilled in music and dance, which enabled him to disguise himself as a eunuch teacher of princess Uttarā of Matsya during his final year of exile. During this period, he also defeats the entire Kuru army.
Before the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna—despite his valour—became deeply demoralised upon seeing his own relatives and revered teachers aligned with the opposing Kaurava side and struggled with the idea of killing them. Faced with a profound moral dilemma, he turns to Krishna, who serves as his charioteer. Krishna imparts him the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita, counseling him on his duty (dharma) as a warrior, karma and liberation through devotion. In this moment of spiritual revelation, Arjuna is granted a vision of Krishna’s cosmic divine form, known as the Vishvarupa. During the war, Arjuna—wielding the celestial bow Gandiva—emerges as a key warrior, responsible for the fall and death of several formidable foes, including Bhishma and Karna. After the war, he assists Yudhishthira in consolidating his empire through Ashvamedha. In this episode, Arjuna is slain by his own son, Babruvahana, but is revived through the intervention of Ulupi. Before the onset of the Kali Yuga, Arjuna performs the last rites of Krishna and other Yadavas. He, along with brothers and Draupadi, then undertakes his final journey to the Himalayas, where he ultimately succumbs. The Kuru dynasty continues through Arjuna's grandson, Parikshit.
Arjuna remains as an epitome of heroism, chivalry, and devotion in the Hindu tradition. He particularly holds a prominent place within the Krishna-centric Vaishnava sect of Hinduism, further elevated by his pivotal role in Bhagavad Gita, which becomes a central scripture of Hindu philosophy. Beyond the Mahabharata, Arjuna is mentioned in early works such as the Aṣṭādhyāyī (likely composed in the 5th or 6th century BCE), which mentions his worship alongside Vasudeva-Krishna, as well as in the Puranas and a multitude of regional and folk traditions across India and Indonesia. His story has been an inspiration for various arts, performances and secondary literature.
Etymology and epithets
According to Monier Monier-Williams, the word Arjuna means white, clear or silver. But Arjuna is known by many other names, such as:
- Dhanañjaya () – one who conquered wealth and gold
- Guḍākesha () – one who has conquered sleep (the lord of sleep, Gudaka+isha) or one who has abundant hair (Guda-kesha).
- Vijaya () – always victorious, invincible and undefeatable
- Savyasāchī ()– one who can shoot arrows using the right and the left hand with equal activity; Ambidextrous.
- Shvetavāhana () – one with milky white horses mounted to his pure white chariot
- Bībhatsu () – one who always fights wars in a fair, stylish and terrific manner and never does anything horrible in the war
- Kirīṭī () – one who wears the celestial diadem presented by the King of Gods, Indra
- Jiṣṇu () – triumphant, conqueror of enemies
- Phālguṇa () – born under the star Uttara Phalguni (Denebola in Leo)
- Mahābāhu () – one with large and strong arms
- Gāṇḍīvadhārī () – holder of a bow named Gandiva
- Pārtha () – son of Pritha (or Kunti) – after his mother
- Kaunteya () – son of Kunti – after his mother
- Pāṇḍuputra () – son of Pandu – after his father
- Pāṇḍava () – son of Pandu – after his father
- Kṛṣṇa () – He who is of dark complexion and conducts great purity.
The Mahabharata manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the Bhagavad Gita which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions. The differences between the Northern and Southern recensions are particularly significant, with the Southern manuscripts more profuse and longer. Scholars have attempted to construct a critical edition, relying mostly on a study of the "Bombay" edition, the "Poona" edition, the "Calcutta" edition and the "south Indian" editions of the manuscripts. The most accepted version is one prepared by scholars led by Vishnu Sukthankar at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, preserved at Kyoto University, Cambridge University and various Indian universities.
Biography
Birth and early life
Arjuna is half-divine by birth, being the son of a human queen and the king of devas (gods). He is one of the five Pandava brothers, who are recognized as the sons of Pandu. However, the Pandavas were each fathered by different devas through the practice of niyoga, a custom in which a revered man may father a child on behalf of another who is deceased or incapable of procreation. Although Pandu was of royal lineage, belonging to the Lunar dynasty and having once ruled as king of the Kuru kingdom, he was rendered impotent due to a curse that would result in his death were he to engage in sexual relations.