Guide: Tales of A

rjuna

This is a guide to Tales of Arjuna: The Exploits of an

Exceptional Warrior (Volume 525). You can find it at
AmarChitrakatha Children Story Books.

In the commentary below, I have provided links so that you can compare the
comic book version with other accounts of the story and/or important
background information. Make sure you read BOTH the comic-book version AND
the additional reading listed below, and then you will be ready to write your
Diary post. Doing the reading and writing the blog post will take 1-2 hours.

Arjuna, the Monkey, and the Boy (pp. 1-8). When Arjuna comes to Rama's
Bridge at Rameshwaram, he is surprised Rama used the help of monkeys
instead of building a bridge of arrows. A monkey laughs and challenges
Arjuna to build a bridge of arrows that will support his weight. With arrows
from Agni's quiver, Arjuna builds the bridge, but it collapse when the
monkey touches it. Arjuna tries again, and fails, so now he must immolate
himself as promised. Just before Arjuna jumps into the flames, a
mysterious boy appears on the scene who disputes the terms of the bet.
The boy proposes to repeat the contest now with a witness, and this time
the bridge holds, so the monkey makes himself gigantic, revealing himself
as Hanuman. The bridge still holds, and Hanuman realizes the boy is
Krishna in diguise; he and Arjuna both worship him as Vishnu. Vishnu
explains that he wanted to teach them both a lesson about humility, and
henceforth Arjuna will have Hanuman as the emblem on his flag.

02/19/16

Additional reading: You can learn more about Rameshwaram and

its monuments at Wikipedia: Rameshwaram, and also in the
article about Rama's Bridge, which is also known as Wikipedia:
Adam's Bridge. Both Rama and Krishna are avatars of Vishnu; you
can read more about Vishnu's avatars at Wikipedia: Dashavatara.
Hanuman is indeed alive at the time of events of the
Mahabharata; in a famous incident, Hanuman meets Bhima, too.

02/19/16

Arjuna Defeats Indra (pp. 9-22). For

twelve years, a king sacrifices to Agni,
the fire god, pouring ghee (butter) into
the sacrificial fire. All that butter
makes Agni ill! Brahma tells him to go
eat the Khandava forest to feel better.
Indra is upset that Agni is burning the
forest where Takshaka the king of the
nagas lives, so Indra rains down on
Agni. Brahma tells Agni to seek help
from Arjuna and Krishna. Disguised as
a brahmin, Agni asks them for help,
and he summons Varuna to give the
Gandiva bow and inexhaustible quiver
to Arjuna, and the Sudarshana chakra
to Krishna, along with a chariot.
Krishna fights the forest dwellers, and
Arjuna fights the gods, stopping
Indra's rain with a canopy of arrows
and rendering Indra powerless with
the Vayavya, the weapon of Vayu, the
wind god.

02/19/16

Together, Krishna and Arjuna fight off all the gods, the nagas, and
asuras. Indra hurls the Peak of Mandara Mountain at Arjuna, who
shatters it with arrows. Indra is impressed, and when he learns
Takshaka is safe, he yields. The Maya Asura seeks refuge with Arjuna,
even as Agni keeps on burning. Indra bestows boons on Krishna and
Arjuna, and Agni promises to help them at any time, and Maya
promises to build a great palace for Yudhishthira, Arjuna's brother. This
is the palace that drove Duryodhana, the elder of the Kaurava
brothers, mad with envy, eventually leading to the Great War.

02/19/16

Additional reading: The famous burning of Khandava forest is an important

event in the Mahabharata, and you can read more at Wikipedia: Khandava. For
more about Takshaka, see this comic book: Parikshit (and Parikshit happens to
be Arjuna's grandson).
Arjuna Humbled (pp. 23-31). A brahmin who has lost nine sons already begs
Arjuna for help, and Arjuna vows to protect the brahmin's tenth son, vowing to
defeat even Yama, the god of death. When the son is born, Arjuna surrounds the
brahmin's hut with arrows and stands outside to face Yama, yet the baby
vanishes. Arjuna rides off in a celestial chariot to find the baby, but he fails.
Now he must immolate himself as promised. Krishna intervenes, and he and
Arjuna journey into the regions of night in the west, and finally they come to
Vishnu's home. All the sons of the brahmin are there; Vishnu took them to get
Arjuna's attention. Arjuna realizes that it is humility and faith that will be
victorious, not vanity, and he takes the brahmin's ten sons back to their home.

02/19/16

Additional reading: This story forms the subject of a dance-drama from

Kerala: "The progeny of Krishna" by the 18th-century poet
Mandavappalli Ittiraricha Menon, based on a story in the Bhagavata
Purana.

02/19/16

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