Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, IAST: Arjuna), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata and also appears in other ancient Hindu texts
In the epic, he is the third among Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu
The family formed part of the royal line of the Kuru Kingdom
In the Mahabharata War, Arjuna was a key warrior from the Pandava side and slew many warriors including Karna and Bhisma
Before the beginning of the war, his mentor, Krishna, gave him the supreme knowledge of Bhagavad Gita to overcome his moral dilemmas
Arjuna was born when Indra, the god of rain, blessed Kunti and Pandu with a son
From childhood, Arjuna was a brilliant student and was favoured by his beloved teacher, Drona
Arjuna is depicted as a skilled archer, winning the hands of Draupadi, who married the five brothers because of Kunti’s misunderstanding and Mahadeva boons
Arjuna is twice exiled, first for breaking a pact with his brothers; and secondly together with them when his oldest brother was tricked into gambling away the throne
Some notable incidents during the first exile were Arjuna’s marriages with princesses Ulupi, Chitrāngadā and Subhadra
From his four wives, Arjuna had four sons, one from each wife — Shrutakarma, Iravan, Babhruvahana and Abhimanyu
During his second exile, Arjuna gained many celestial weapons
Despite being a warrior, Arjuna was also skilled in music and dance
At the end of the epic, Pandavas, accompanied by Draupadi, retired to the Himalayas
Arjuna was the fourth one to fall on the way