Chapter : 3 WHO IS ARJUNA WITHOUT HIS MANY NAMES?

The hero's adventure begins with a name. Merely having a name is not enough.

The hero has to be worthy of it. He has to live up to his name by virtue of his

character and actions. His name gives him an identity. When a child is born, the

first thing that the family does is find the right name. A name once given

becomes like a birthmark that stays on for life. Namakaran, the naming

ceremony is a sacred ritual. Once a child is born, giving a name is almost like

bestowing a second birth to the child. Through a name a hero is re-born in the world of aspiration.

A name once given becomes like the plot of a lifetime story. The name is a

code that contains the story of an entire life. The stories of a hero's life make

him who he eventually becomes in the eyes of the world. A hero crafts his own

story from within himself just as a spider creates its silken web from within.

Even as a hero goes forward on many adventures in his life, his mind cannot turn

away from who he originally is.

Arjuna does not forget the many names that are given to him. These names

become his strength, the source of his identity as a person. Identity is the name

given to a quality, a guna, an attribute of the hero. Another meaning of 'guna' is

that which multiplies. Arjuna was a man of many qualities. These qualities

ensured that his name and fame survived beyond his lifetime. Even today, many

thousand years after Arjuna is believed to have lived, parents name their children

after him! The ability to craft a life-story based on one's identity is the first step

to success. If you lose touch with your identity, you become a stranger to

yourself and to others. The world acknowledges you in the way you

acknowledge your own identity.

Think of Arjuna's personality as a dazzling diamond. The many faces of the

diamond are like the many qualities or gunas of the head and heart of a hero.

Yet, the diamond shines only when light passes through it. But, the faces of the

diamond simply multiply the light that makes them shine. Take away that light

and a diamond would just be a piece of ordinary rock; take away his identity and

Arjuna would be a nobody.

Chapter : 3.5 (HEROES ARE MADE WHEN THEY ARE BORN AS ONE)

Are heroes like Arjuna born or made? Heroes are made when they are born as

one. Greatness starts with a spark of divine inspiration within. This spark ignites

those hidden qualities or gunas that the hero is born with.

Arjuna's father Pandu desired a son who would leave his mark on the world.

Every father dreams of a son who would fulfil his unfulfilled dreams. Pandu

coaxed his wife Kunti to give him a son born of Indra. Pandu could not have a

child because of a curse that prevented him from having a physical relationship

with his wife. Kunti was then reminded of a boon she had received from sage

Durvasa. The sage had promised that Kunti could call upon any God she wished

and have a child by him. Kunti invoked Lord Indra. The heavens lit up in delight

and a column of thunder ripped through the dark clouds as Indra gifted Kunti a

son who would be the greatest hero on earth. 'Arjuna will be Nara, the ultimate human being. He will work together with Narayana (Lord Krishna) to purify the

earth of all its pollutions. Nara and Narayana together will complete the journey

of a human being toward his divine potential!' With these words, Indra vanished

into the skies. Pandu did not live very long after Arjuna was born. Yet, a father's

longing for a son whom the world would soon call 'the greatest hero' was

fulfilled.

Thus was Arjuna born from Indra. His birth was accompanied by the

celebration of the Devatas. Devatas are the higher powers of human

consciousness. We see very often that these Devatas have powers over the forces

of Nature. Indra is Devaraj, the king amongst the Devatas. He is the lord of

thunder and rain. Under Indra's supreme control are the earth's horses, chariots,

villages and cattle. He rules over the universe and both our outer and inner

worlds. Indra is the master of indriyas or the senses. He is the master-force

behind all the energies and actions of a human being. Arjuna's greatest break

was that he was born with such divine potential. With his birth he inherited

Indra's powers.

Arjuna was truly destiny's child.

Chapter : 3.75 (ARJUNA'S SWADHARMA SHAPES HIS IDENTITY)

Swadharma is human capability and duty, which is prescribed according to one's

nature and unique circumstances in life. While sanatana dharma is the universal

code of conduct, swadharma is an individual code of conduct. Universal dharma

demands non-violence, yet a warrior's swadharma prescribes that he has to

engage in war to defend his country or his cause. When universal dharma and

swadharma come into conflict, it is swadharma that prevails.

Arjuna's swadharma determines his unique identity. Swadharma shapes his

body, mind, intellect and emotions to fulfil the purpose for which he was born.

Each one of us is born for a unique purpose. Our desires are unique to us. Our

body and mind follow the law of swadharma to fulfil our desires. When we

identify ourselves with a certain desire, the power within us that takes us to the

object of desire is swadharma. Arjuna is born with the desire to be the greatest

Kshatriya in Bharatavarsha. A Kshatriya's calling is to uphold kshatra or rule. A

Kshatriya's greatest desire is to uphold the rule of law as the king of his land. A

true Kshatriya lives by the mantra:

I will not give in to my enemies who want to ruin my kingdom and my people.

Even if I have to sacrifice my life for it, so be it. With all the might of my hands,

all the power of my will and the utmost devotion of my heart, I shall fight to live by my swadharma. I will not attack women and unarmed enemies. I will not rest

until the evil of wrongdoing, adharma, is removed from the world and from my

own heart. I would prefer to die on the battlefield than to live with the fear and

disgrace of not fulfilling a Kshatriya's swadharma.

Arjuna's deepest desire to emerge as a great warrior is supported by his

swadharma. Desires, when repeated, leave their impressions in our minds. Our

body and mind transform these genetic impressions into expressions in real life.

The following story of Draupadi's marriage to the five Pandava brothers

illustrates how what happens to people is a result of their swadharma:

Arjuna won the right to marry Draupadi through a tough contest in her

swayamvar. By a strange turn of fate, Arjuna had to share his wife with his four

brothers. On the face of it, this might seem strange given that it was Arjuna who

had made a heroic effort to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. Yet, this story of

Draupadi's life will tell us why Draupadi had five husbands:

In a previous incarnation, Draupadi was the wife of sage Moudgalya and her

name was Indrasena. Her husband died early due to leprosy. Longing for a

perfect soul mate she prayed to Lord Shiva with great devotion. Shiva appeared

before her and asked her what she desired. On seeing Lord Shiva, she was

astonished. In that confused mood, she repeatedly asked five times, 'I want a

husband.'

'You are blessed with five husbands but only in the next birth,' said Shiva. 'I

would wish for a husband with many qualities of the head and heart,' insisted

Indrasena. 'It is impossible to find all those qualities in one single man!' Shiva

answered half in jest and half in earnest. This was the reason for her marriage

to the five Pandavas.

We actualise the higher powers of human consciousness by invoking a

Devata. The Devatas respond to our desires and often give us a boon. These

boons manifest according to our swadharma. Heroes are responsible for living

according to their natures which are guided by their deepest desires. This is the

law of swadharma. This is their destiny.