Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Arjuna

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Hinduism and Tribal Religions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

  • 146 Accesses

Synonyms

Bíbhatsu – A person who does not indulge in the heinous act.

Dharma – Law, a righteous behavior.

Guḍākeśa – A person with curly hairs.

Savyasācin – A person who is capable of using both the hands.

Definition

Arjuna is one of the heroes of the Indian epic Mahābhārata. Born from the mythical father god Indra to Kuntī, he is the third Pāṇḍavā out of five. Reputed to be one of the finest archers, Arjuna performs the superb acts of bravery and also charms few women. He stands out as personification of Kṣhatriya bravery and chivalry. But as goes with most of the finest characters of the epics, he is also not without blemish.

Arjuna, the Prince Charming

Arjuna is depicted as very handsome with dusky complexion and Guḍākeśa. His different names like Bíbhatsu and Savyasācinare indicative of his noble and superhuman qualities. He is also mentioned as a person with patience, a quality highly praised in the epic (4,703). By his dedication, he became the favorite pupil of Guru Droṇa, who...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Dutt MN (2013) Mahābhārata, vol 1. Parimal Publications, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  2. Dutt MN (2013) Mahābhārata, vol 2. Parimal Publications, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dutt MN (2013) Mahābhārata, vol 5. Parimal Publications, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dutt MN (2013) Mahābhārata, vol 6. Parimal Publications, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dutt MN (2013) Mahābhārata, vol 9. Parimal Publications, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj, Nagpur University, Nagpur, Mahārāṣţra, India

    Ravi Khangai

  2. Adjunct Faculty, Hindu University of America, Orlando, FL, USA

    Ravi Khangai

Authors
  1. Ravi Khangai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ravi Khangai .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Anthropology, The University of North Texas Dept of Anthropology, Denton, Texas, USA

    Pankaj Jain

  2. The Graduate Theological Union , Berkeley, California, USA

    Rita Sherma

  3. Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for the Study of Comparative Reli Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Madhu Khanna

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Khangai, R. (2018). Arjuna. In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_232-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_232-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation