|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Arjuna
Arjuna. In the Mahābhārata, the third, or middle, Pāṇḍava, a fabulous warrior best known for his skill as an archer, in many ways the hero par excellence of the epic. Son of Kuntī by the god Indra, Arjuna wields the bow Gāṇḍīva, carries the monkey Hanumat on his battle standard, and rides a chariot drawn by white horses.
Arjuna's close friendship with Kṛṣṇa is central to the Mahābhārata's structure. Among Arjuna's wives is Subhadrā, Kṛṣṇa's sister: the son of Arjuna and Subhadrā is Abhimanyu, who dies in the Kurukṣetra war. During the Kurukṣetra war, Kṛṣṇa serves as Arjuna's charioteer and adviser, often inciting him and the other Pāṇḍavas to tricky means to their end of victory. Perhaps the most famous incident in the Mahābhārata is Arjuna's failure of nerve before the war, in which he will have to kill his Kaurava relatives, resulting in Kṛṣṇa's expounding of the Bhagavad-gītā to encourage him to fight. In truth, the Mahābhārata tells us, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa are incarnations of Nara and Nārāyana; it is as though Arjuna's friendship with (devotion to) Kṛṣṇa brings him beyond the human state to semi-divinity. |
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Arjuna." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Arjuna." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Arjuna.html JOHN BOWKER. "Arjuna." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Arjuna.html |
|
Arjuna
Arjuna a Kshatriya prince in the Mahabharata, one of the two main characters in the Bhagavadgita, the charioteer to whom Krishna gives counsel during the battle.
|
|
|
Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Arjuna." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Arjuna." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Arjuna.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Arjuna." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Arjuna.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
