Arjuna

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Arjuna" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Arjuna
A statue of Arjuna in Bali
Personal Information
Gender	Male
Title	Gandivadhari
Affiliation	Kaunteya Indradevputra Pandavas
Weapon	Bow and arrow
Family	Parents Indra (father) Kunti (mother) Pandu (adoptive father) Madri (step mother) Brothers (Kunti) Karna by Surya Yudhishthira by Dharmaraja Bheema by Vayu Nakula by Nasatya Sahadeva by Darsa Brothers (Indra) Vali by Indra
Spouse	Draupadi Ulupi Chitrangada Subhadra
Children	Iravan by Ulupi Babruvahana by Chitrangada Abhimanyu by Subhadra Shrutakarma by Draupadi
Relatives	Kauravas (paternal cousins) Krishna (maternal cousin) Balarama (maternal cousin)

Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, IAST: Arjuna) was an ancient prince of the Kuru Kingdom, located in the present-day India. He is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He was the third of five Pandava brothers, from the lineage of the Kuru. In the Mahabharata War, Arjuna was a key warrior from the Pandava side in the battle of Kurukshetra. Before the beginning of the war, his mentor Krishna gave him the supreme knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita to overcome his moral dilemmas. In the epic, Arjuna is the closest friend and companion of Krishna.^[1]

Arjuna was the son of Kunti, the wife of Kuru King Pandu, and the god Indra, who fathered him due to Pandu's curse. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna is depicted as a skilled archer from an early age, as a student who earns the favour of his preceptor Drona, as the rival of Karna, as the primary adversary of Kauravas, and the betrothed of Draupadi, who became the common wife of the Pandavas. Arjuna is twice exiled, first for breaking a pact with his brothers, and again with his brothers after his eldest brother is tricked into gambling away the throne. During his first exile, Arjuna married Ulupi, Chitrāngadā and Subhadra. From his four wives, Arjuna had four sons, one from each wife—Shrutakarma, Iravan, Babhruvahana and Abhimanyu. During his second exile, Arjuna gained many celestial weapons. Apart from being a warrior, Arjuna possessed skills in music and dance. At the end of the epic the Pandavas, accompanied by Draupadi, retire to the Himalayas, where everyone in time passes away to arrive in heaven.