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Arjuna and the Second Function: ADumézilian Crux

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2009

N.J. Allen
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Extract

Arjuna is in many ways the central character of theMahābhārata, the great Sanskrit epic. By order ofbirth he is the third among the Pāṇḍavas, the fivesons of Pānḍu, who represent the forces of cosmicorder. When, after humiliation and exile, thePānḍ;avas finally triumph, primogeniture prevails,and it is the eldest brother, Yudhisfhira, who takesthe throne; but in other respects, Arjuna is usuallya more salient figure than his dutiful eldestbrother. Thus it is to Arjuna that Krishna addresseshis teaching in the Bhagavad Gitā (part of Book 6 ofthe Epic). Moreover although Pānḍu ispater to the five brothers, eachhas his own divine genitor, and thegenitor of Arjuna is Indra, kingof the gods in the classical pantheon. A paper aboutArjuna is a paper about a major figure in Hindutradition.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , November 1999 , pp. 403 - 418
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1999

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