8th Grade CMTC

Arjuna’s quest for divine weapons

by Akshay Nagella and Akshay Shivakumar

In the latest class, we learned about Pandavas’ exile to the forest and Arjuna’s quest for divine weapons.

After Yudhishthira lost everything in a fixed game of dice to Duryodhana, the Pandavas went to the Kamyaka forest.  There Yudhishthira received the Akshaya Patra, a pot that would give them unlimited food, from the Sun god so that they could feed the many citizens of Hastinapura that followed them to the forest. Vexed by Vidura’s advice to make peace with the Pandavas, Dhritarashtra one day angrily told Vidura to go and live with the Pandavas if he thought so highly of the Pandavas. Soon after Vidura left, Dhritarashtra repented for his rash actions and sent Sanjaya to bring Vidura back to Hastinapura.

Krishna could not be in Hastinapura during the game of dice as he and the rest of the Yadavas were preoccupied in repelling the invasion of Dwaraka by King Salva. When he heard the news of the Pandavas’ exile, he along with Balarama and several other Yadava elders went to meet the Pandavas in the forest.  Krishna consoled Draupadi and vowed to be on the Pandavas’ side and promised that the side of dharma would surely win.

Sage Veda Vyasa also visited the Pandavas and told them that the war would be inevitable in which Arjuna would play a major role. He advised them to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.  As per the sage’s advice, Arjuna began his journey to the Himalayas seeking divine weapons. On his way, Arjuna came across Lord Indra who advised him to pray to Lord Shiva. One day Arjuna killed a charging boar and got into argument with a tribal who also claimed to have shot it first.  In the ensuing duel, Arjuna found that none of his arrows could inflict any damage to the tribal.  When he eventually resorted to a physical combat, he realized that the tribal was no ordinary person and prostrated before him. Then Lord Siva revealed himself and gave Arjuna a supremely special weapon, Pasupata, that could work like a drone.  Later on Lord Indra’s charioteer took Arjuna to the heavens where Gods such as Lords Agni, Varuna, and Kubera granted him several more weapons for use in the inevitable upcoming war against the Kauravas.