Post 2- How Arjuna proved his identity to Uttarakumaran

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Bharathi199

Active Member
Author's note: Based on the English translation of the original Mahabharatha by Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

Towards the end of the Pandava agnyatha vaasa, the five brothers and Draupadi are living in the kingdom of King Virat. Arjuna is the eunuch Brihannala who teaches dance and music to princess Uttara. The Kauravas are trying hard to find out where the Pandavas are hiding. When they guess that they might be hiding here in Virat’s kingdom, they decide to attack from two sides with their friend King Susarman helping them.

The idea is that Susarman will attack first, force Virat to defend with his full army. Meanwhile, Duryodhana will attack from the opposite side, forcing the Pandavas to come out of hiding to defend the kingdom where they have found protection. Everything happens as per plan and when the huge Kaurava army attacks after Virat has taken the full army to fight Susarman, the only warrior left is the young prince Uttara or Uttarakumaran.

Uttarakumaran, like any other adolescent, is eager to show his strength and he sets out enthusiastically to face the Kauravas with Brihannala driving his chariot. But as Brihannala drives the chariot closer and closer to the huge army of the Kauravas, Uttarakumaran’s confidence and enthusiasm for the battle get weaker and weaker. Finally, he begs Brihannala to stop the chariot and take him back to the safety of the kingdom. But Brihannala has no such plans. Seeing this, Uttarakumaran jumps off the chariot and starts running away from the battlefield.

The mighty Arjuna, disguised as Brihannala, who has never run away from a battle before, now runs after Uttarakumaran. He catches hold of him, bundles him onto the chariot and drives over to the old tree in the cemetery where the Pandavas hid their weapons at the beginning of the agnyathavasa. Reaching there, he tells Uttarakumaran to climb up and bring down the bundle of weapons there, telling him that they belong to the Pandavas. Uttarakumaran brings down the bundle and on opening it he sees the Gandiva bow- shining like the sun.

He asks Brihannala where the Pandavas are now and Brihannala tells him that he himself is Arjuna. Uttarakumaran is not sure how he can believe the eunuch Brihannala and he says that he is ready to believe it if Brihannala can tell him all the ten names of Partha and why he got them. Brihannala recites the ten names of Arjuna in this way:

  1. Arjuna- because my character is spotless, without a stain, silvery white
  2. Phalguna- because I was born under the Uttara Phalguni star
  3. Jishnu- because I cannot be subdued
  4. Kiritin- because of the crown given to me by Indra
  5. Swetavahana- because when I go to battle, white horses pull my chariot
  6. Vibhatsu- because I have never done an unfair act on the battlefield
  7. Vijaya- because I have never lost a battle
  8. Krishna- because I am dark complexioned
  9. Savyasachin- because I can use both my arms with equal skill when shooting arrows
  10. Dhananjaya- because I gather vast amounts of wealth during my conquests from various kingdoms
Of course, Arjuna is known by other names too, Partha (son of Pritha), Gudakesha (the one who has conquered sleep), Kapidhwaja (because he has Hanuman on his flag) etc.

From: Virata Parva- Go-harana parva- SECTION XLIV
 

alamusri

Active Member
Hi Bharathi, Excellent job by you ma. I really admire your work. Overall we know Mahabaratham but you give us more which we do not know. But one thing makes me worry is the language (even though you clearly said that it is not possible for you to do in Tamil) if it is in our language it will reach more is my thought. Any way thanks a lot for your great work. You made me to search my books of Mahabaratha which i bought a year back (Whole story in 3 Vol. ) Thanks a lot for that too.
 

Jayanthi53

New Member
Author's note: Based on the English translation of the original Mahabharatha by Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

Towards the end of the Pandava agnyatha vaasa, the five brothers and Draupadi are living in the kingdom of King Virat. Arjuna is the eunuch Brihannala who teaches dance and music to princess Uttara. The Kauravas are trying hard to find out where the Pandavas are hiding. When they guess that they might be hiding here in Virat’s kingdom, they decide to attack from two sides with their friend King Susarman helping them.

The idea is that Susarman will attack first, force Virat to defend with his full army. Meanwhile, Duryodhana will attack from the opposite side, forcing the Pandavas to come out of hiding to defend the kingdom where they have found protection. Everything happens as per plan and when the huge Kaurava army attacks after Virat has taken the full army to fight Susarman, the only warrior left is the young prince Uttara or Uttarakumaran.

Uttarakumaran, like any other adolescent, is eager to show his strength and he sets out enthusiastically to face the Kauravas with Brihannala driving his chariot. But as Brihannala drives the chariot closer and closer to the huge army of the Kauravas, Uttarakumaran’s confidence and enthusiasm for the battle get weaker and weaker. Finally, he begs Brihannala to stop the chariot and take him back to the safety of the kingdom. But Brihannala has no such plans. Seeing this, Uttarakumaran jumps off the chariot and starts running away from the battlefield.

The mighty Arjuna, disguised as Brihannala, who has never run away from a battle before, now runs after Uttarakumaran. He catches hold of him, bundles him onto the chariot and drives over to the old tree in the cemetery where the Pandavas hid their weapons at the beginning of the agnyathavasa. Reaching there, he tells Uttarakumaran to climb up and bring down the bundle of weapons there, telling him that they belong to the Pandavas. Uttarakumaran brings down the bundle and on opening it he sees the Gandiva bow- shining like the sun.

He asks Brihannala where the Pandavas are now and Brihannala tells him that he himself is Arjuna. Uttarakumaran is not sure how he can believe the eunuch Brihannala and he says that he is ready to believe it if Brihannala can tell him all the ten names of Partha and why he got them. Brihannala recites the ten names of Arjuna in this way:

  1. Arjuna- because my character is spotless, without a stain, silvery white
  2. Phalguna- because I was born under the Uttara Phalguni star
  3. Jishnu- because I cannot be subdued
  4. Kiritin- because of the crown given to me by Indra
  5. Swetavahana- because when I go to battle, white horses pull my chariot
  6. Vibhatsu- because I have never done an unfair act on the battlefield
  7. Vijaya- because I have never lost a battle
  8. Krishna- because I am dark complexioned
  9. Savyasachin- because I can use both my arms with equal skill when shooting arrows
  10. Dhananjaya- because I gather vast amounts of wealth during my conquests from various kingdoms
Of course, Arjuna is known by other names too, Partha (son of Pritha), Gudakesha (the one who has conquered sleep), Kapidhwaja (because he has Hanuman on his flag) etc.

From: Virata Parva- Go-harana parva- SECTION XLIV
Interesting and informative
 

Bharathi199

Active Member
Hi Bharathi, Excellent job by you ma. I really admire your work. Overall we know Mahabaratham but you give us more which we do not know. But one thing makes me worry is the language (even though you clearly said that it is not possible for you to do in Tamil) if it is in our language it will reach more is my thought. Any way thanks a lot for your great work. You made me to search my books of Mahabaratha which i bought a year back (Whole story in 3 Vol. ) Thanks a lot for that too.
Thank you. I agree. I wish I cud write in Tamizh. My life long regret that I cannot read or write my own mother tongue fluently owing to spending most of my life outside TN. When I have to read classics like Ponniyin Selvan in Egnlish, rombave miss pannuvaen. Tamizh la irukkara beauty English la copy panna mudiyaadhu.
 

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