Category:Arjuna As a Warrior
Theme Analysis
The life of Arjuna perfectly illustrates that spiritual advancement does not depend on artificial renunciation or high academic scholarship. Śrīla Prabhupāda continuously emphasizes that Arjuna was a kṣatriya, a dedicated warrior and royal administrator. His expertise lay in shooting arrows and conquering enemies, earning him the title Savyasācin (expert bowman). He was so powerful that he even defeated Lord Śiva in combat to attain the Pāśupata-astra. Arjuna openly credited his martial brilliance to his teacher, Droṇācārya. However, despite being a world-renowned military general, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that Arjuna was essentially an ordinary human being with no time to study the Vedānta or other highly intellectual Vedic literatures.
The profound philosophical lesson in this category is the absolute nature of devotional service. A brāhmaṇa may serve the Supreme Lord by using his high intelligence to preach the scriptures, but a kṣatriya serves the Lord equally by using his military arts. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that fighting and killing are generally considered inauspicious activities. However, because Arjuna did not fight for his own sense gratification or false prestige, but fought strictly on the order and for the satisfaction of Lord Kṛṣṇa, his fighting was entirely spiritualized. Even great personalities like Kuntīdevī understood that despite Arjuna's immense martial power, his true value and protection came solely from his pure devotion to the Lord. Therefore, it is highly significant that the ultimate perfection of yoga—the Bhagavad-gītā—was not spoken in a quiet Himalayan cave, but in the middle of a violent battlefield to a warrior.
- The Expert Bowman: Arjuna was a world-class military general, trained by Droṇācārya, and famous for his unparalleled expertise with the bow.
- Devotion over Scholarship: As a royal administrator, Arjuna had no time to study the Vedānta, proving that pure devotion is superior to academic learning.
- The Supreme Protector: Despite his immense power, pure devotees like Kuntīdevī recognized that a warrior's strength is useless without the supreme protection of Kṛṣṇa.
- Spiritualized Action: Fighting is normally a worldly engagement, but because Arjuna utilized his military talents exclusively for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure, he attained the highest perfection of yoga.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Arjuna As a Warrior - Fighting for the Supreme Lord.
Subcategories
This category has only the following subcategory.
Pages in category "Arjuna As a Warrior"
The following 33 pages are in this category, out of 33 total.
A
- A brahmana can serve the Lord by using his intelligence, and the ksatriya can serve the Supreme Lord by using his military arts, just as Arjuna served Krsna. Arjuna was a warrior; he had no time to study Vedanta or other highly intellectual books
- A great personality, Arjuna, belonged to the royal family & was a great warrior & an intimate friend of Krsna's, constantly living with Him, after hearing this process of yoga from Krsna face-to-face, said, - My dear Krsna, it is not possible to follow
- After fighting and defeating Lord Siva in the dress of a hunter, Arjuna pleased the Lord and received as a reward a weapon called pasupata-astra. Everyone knew that he was a great warrior. BG 1972 purports
- All the warriors who fought against Arjuna but who were able to see the lotuslike face of the Lord on the battlefront achieved the abode of the Lord, exactly as devotees of the Lord do. The words "pleasing to the eyes of the seer" are very significant
- Although Arjuna was a warrior, a fighter, a householder having more than dozen wives, but he was sannyasa. Because he sacrificed everything for Krsna. That is wanted. That is Krsna conscious
- Although she (Kuntidevi) is the mother of the great warriors Arjuna & Bhima, she still thinks, - Although my sons are great warriors, they are not sufficient to give us protection. Nothing can give us protection but Your lotus feet
- Arjuna is a great warrior, fighter, and for a ksatriya to kill one is not very difficult task
- Arjuna is a great warrior. He could fight all the soldiers, all the fighting men, yuyutsu. The other party, they were also, they were assembled, yuyutsu, with fighting spirit
- Arjuna might have been a very great warrior, a well-cultured member of the Kuru dynasty, but after all, he was an ordinary human being, whereas Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the possessor of unlimited knowledge
- Arjuna said: Dronacarya. He has taught me this military art. Whatever I am warrior, my expertness is due to him
- Arjuna was a warrior; he was a soldier, fighter. He was not expected to be a great Vedantist or Vedic scholar in Vedic literature
- Arjuna was always thinking of Krsna; he was the constant companion of Krsna, and at the same time he was a warrior. BG 1972 Introduction
- Arjuna was renowned as a great warrior and administrator. He was such an intelligent man that he could understand Bhagavad-gita within one hour, whereas at the present moment great scholars cannot even understand it in the course of a lifetime
- Arjuna was reputed as a great warrior. So he should remain a great warrior. A warrior's business is not to stop fighting on the plea of becoming kind
- Arjuna, on the other hand, took Krsna as his most intimate friend. Arjuna was not a Vedantist but a fighter, a warrior. He had no time to study Vedanta because he had to deal with war and politics, but still he was the greatest devotee
- Arjuna, the great warrior, attained the same perfection (the spiritual platform) simply by making friends with the Lord, who delivered the message of Bhagavad-gita to enlighten Arjuna and his followers
- As far as the material or spiritual resources were required, there was no scarcity in the case of the Pandavas. Materially they were well equipped because two great warriors, namely Bhima and Arjuna, were there
- At that time Arjuna, the great warrior and conqueror of sleep, who is the intimate friend of the most beloved Supreme Lord (Krsna), took up an umbrella which had a handle of jewels and was embroidered with lace and pearls
B
- Best of the Kuru warriors, no one before you has ever seen this universal form of Mine, for neither by studying the Vedas, nor by performing sacrifices, nor by charities or similar activities can this form be seen. Only you have seen this. BG 11.48 -1972
- Bhima and Arjuna were ksatriyas (warrior-kings). Jarasandha was also a ksatriya and was very charitable toward the brahmanas. Thus Krsna, who had planned to fight with Jarasandha, went to him with Bhima and Arjuna in the dress of brahmanas
H
- He (Bhisma) lamented that although the whole Pandava family was headed by King Yudhisthira, the most pious king, and protected by the two great warriors Bhima and Arjuna
- He (Lord Siva) offered Arjuna the Pasupati weapon and blessed him. Here Vidura inquired about the great warrior's well-being
- Here is said, so 'ham rathi nrpatayo yata anamanti: "I am the same Arjuna, great fighter. People were offering their obeisances to me, 'O Arjuna, you are great friend of Krsna. You are great warrior.' Now nobody cares." How it has vanquished
I
- In a civilization where God is conspicuously banished, and there is no devotee warrior like Arjuna, the associates of the age of Kali take advantage of this lawless kingdom and arrange to kill innocent animals like the cow in secluded slaughterhouses
- It is certainly remarkable that the perfection of yoga was taught in the middle of a battlefield. It was taught to Arjuna, the warrior, just before Arjuna was to engage in a fratricidal battle