Introduction: characters (cont.) : Arjun

Arjun 

Now I have to be a bit honest here, i really don't know how Arjun  sees the world except that he sees the eye of the bird. I have no idea how or what he feels if, of course, he does feel anything at all other than the satisfaction of success and the frustration of failure. 

For me, Arjun does not feel any differently about a human being from a rock or nothing at all. The only thing that he's bothered about is the target that he needs to shoot. 

Arjun is a warrior and warriors love war and women. So I think when we talk about Arjun we need to talk about his wars and his women to understand him.

In war, he needs to be the best, because for long he has worked hard to be the best, and for long his archery talent has known no parallel. From his very childhood he grew up with the notion that he is in fact the best and he grew up accustomed to the respect and awe from the people around him.

So when Karna Suddenly comes in and defies his supremacy and shows that he is as great an archer as Arjun and some of his skills does even surpass that of Arjun's, bringing him down to the level of a commoner who is not above competition he hurts his pride. He makes Arjun jealous of his skills to some extent, but in the end he knows Karna is just the match for him and he will need to fight him, and beat him to prove his superiority. 
He is the Achilles to Karna's Hector.
Yes, Arjun has more reasons to fight the war as compared to Achilles who just sought glory but there's no denying he enjoyed fighting more than anyone and he contemplated the bloodspill more than anyone and he awaited for this war, that will bring him the ultimate glory, more than anyone.

Arjun hearing Geeta from Krishna at Kurukshetra

And that is why it is he who falls weak seeing that his glory would come at the cost of killing his own keith and kin, his grandsire Bheesma, His teacher Drona, Kripa, the people he dreamt to share his supreme glory. Because though he has fought with all of them before and defeated them before this war was different. This war was not going to end in triumph or defeat, it was going to end in life or death, in the end this war was not going to have a winner but just survivers.

For Arjun, his women are trophies, modes of making poitical alliances, and in case of Ulupi, a companion who will share her wisedom and knowledge with him.

Arjun at the Swayambar of Draupadi

He wins Draupdi because the eye of the fish is a challenging target to hit and the prize is the woman everyone is after. Also needless to say politically how important  it is to have the kingdom of Panchal on their side when their primary enemy are the Kauravas.
Subhadra is that beautiful creature that Arjun needs to possess. Like a child passing a toy store, he just have to hav that one toy that caught his eye. 
Chitrangada again is a purely political marriage to have the kingdom of Manipur on their side.

But however, in the end, being an inhuman archery prodigy or all the women who loved him does not make him a hero. He's just one of those figures who was born for glory, lived for glory and lived in his own glory.The struggle i his characterdoes not show. But then, some people are just that charismtic, some people are just above the level of average for whom hardship is not struggle and emotions are not personal and everybody looks upto him not because he's the hero but he's the one warrior who will win the war for their hero and for them.


Again that's it for now, happy reading. 
And hey, do let me know your feedbacks whether you are liking it or not and what can I do to make it better.