Arjuna and Indra

After Bhima's birth, Pandu desires a supreme son, the best in all worlds. He performs severe austerities for a year to please Indra, king of the gods. When Indra grants the boon, Kunti summons him, and Arjuna is born amid celestial celebrations and a prophecy of his future glory.

Arjuna and Krishna encircle the Khandava forest, hunting down every creature that tries to flee while the god Agni rages through the woods. The gods, alarmed by the conflagration, beg Indra to intervene. Indra summons torrential rains, but the fire's heat evaporates the showers before they can touch the flames, setting the stage for a direct battle between the fire and the king of the gods.

Angered by Indra's earlier deception, Arjuna covers the sky with arrows, seeking to fight the king of the gods. Indra responds with a blazing missile that churns the oceans and summons a torrential storm. Arjuna invokes the vayavya (wind) weapon, drying the clouds and pacifying the sky.

Indra unleashes a shower of rain to extinguish the Khandava fire. Arjuna covers the sky with arrows, driving the rain away. When the serpent Ashvasena attempts to flee, his mother is killed, but Indra intervenes to save the son, provoking Arjuna's lasting curse.

Enraged, Indra leads the assembled pantheon in a final assault on Krishna and Arjuna. The two warriors stand firm, repulsing the gods with arrows. When Indra escalates by casting down a shower of rocks and flinging a mountain peak, Arjuna destroys them all.

The god of fire, Agni, rages through the Khandava forest, consuming everything. Krishna and Arjuna stand guard with divine weapons, slaughtering every creature that tries to flee and feeding them to the flames. Even the gods, led by Indra, arrive to save the forest but are utterly repulsed by the two warriors.

Indra and the host of heaven arrive to save the Khandava forest but find themselves powerless against Krishna and Arjuna. A disembodied voice from the sky reveals the warriors' true, invincible identities and declares the forest's fate is sealed, forcing the king of the gods to withdraw.

The Khandava forest is gone, consumed by Agni after five days and a night of burning. The fire, drunk on rivers of fat and marrow, appears before Arjuna and Krishna, satisfied. Then Indra himself descends, surrounded by the Maruts, and offers the heroes a reward for a deed even gods would find difficult.

While Yudhishthira and Bhimasena are locked in conversation, Vyasa appears — having perceived Yudhishthira's hidden fear about the Kuru warriors. He promises to show how Bhishma, Drona, and the others can be legitimately killed, then teaches Yudhishthira the secret knowledge called pratismriti and tells him that Arjuna must go to the gods for weapons.

Arjuna reaches Indrakila mountain and is stopped by a voice from the sky. He finds an ascetic seated under a tree who tells him to throw down his bow — weapons have no use here. Arjuna refuses to abandon his resolution. The ascetic smiles and reveals himself as Shakra.

Shiva disappears from the Himalayan peak, and Arjuna is still reeling from having seen the god face to face — when the sky lights up and four more gods arrive. Yama, Varuna, Kubera, and Indra have come to reveal who Arjuna really is, what he is meant to do, and to arm him for the war that awaits.

While Arjuna sits on Mount Mandara thinking of Indra's chariot, the divine vehicle itself appears — driven by Matali, drawn by ten thousand tawny horses, stocked with divine weapons and blazing with light. Matali announces that Indra himself awaits his son. Arjuna bathes in the Ganga, offers his prayers, bids farewell to the mountain, and ascends into the celestial regions — where the stars reveal themselves as the luminous abodes of the righteous.

Arjuna descends from his chariot and sees his father Indra seated on the throne of heaven. He bows his head. Indra embraces him, lifts him onto his lap, and then seats him on the sacred throne itself — a sign of acceptance that makes the assembly hall shine like the sun and moon together.

With Arjuna seated beside Indra, the celestial court stirs to life. Led by Tumburu, the gandharvas begin to sing and chant, and a host of apsaras — Ghritachi, Menaka, Rambha, Urvashi, and many others — rise to dance, moving in ways that steal the mind and the intelligence of even the perfected beings watching.

Arjuna arrives in Indra's celestial abode and is welcomed by gods and gandharvas with full honors. He lives in his father's house, learns all the great weapons and how to withdraw them, and receives Indra's own vajra weapon — a gift that makes a sound like thunder and lightning. Then Indra gives him to Chitrasena to learn the singing and dancing of the gods, a skill unknown among men that will serve him well.

Maharshi Lomasha travels to Indra's abode and sees Arjuna seated on half of Indra's throne. The sight puzzles him — how could a kshatriya, a mere warrior, attain such honor? Indra divines his thoughts and reveals the truth: Arjuna is Nara, the ancient rishi, and together with Narayana — Krishna — he has been born on earth to remove its burden and defeat the Nivatakavachas, asuras so powerful that even the gods cannot fight them.

Yudhishthira asks the sage Lomasha about his travels. Lomasha is pleased to reply — he has been sent by Indra himself with news of Arjuna. He tells Yudhishthira that he saw Arjuna seated on half of Indra's throne, that Arjuna has obtained the Brahmashira weapon from Rudra and other divine weapons from the guardians of the world, and that he has mastered the gandharva veda. Then Lomasha delivers Indra's message: Arjuna will return after accomplishing a great task for the gods, Yudhishthira should devote himself to austerities, his fear of Karna will be dispelled, and he should accept Lomasha's guidance on tirthas.

Lomasha arrives with a message from Indra himself — the king of the gods remembers Yudhishthira and invites him to visit the sacred tirthas. Overcome with delight, Yudhishthira declares that his mind was already made up: he will go.

While the Pandavas are thinking of Arjuna, Indra's chariot driven by Matali suddenly appears in the sky, carrying Arjuna. He descends, pays respects to Dhoumya, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Draupadi, is worshipped by Nakula and Sahadeva, and the Pandavas honor Matali before he departs. Arjuna presents the gifts from Indra, recounts his acquisition of weapons from Indra, Vayu, and Shiva, and his entry into heaven, then happily goes to sleep with his brothers.

A celestial sound fills the sky as Indra, king of the gods, descends in a golden chariot before the Pandavas in the forest. Arjuna bows humbly before him, and Indra, delighted, inhales the fragrance of his matted head — cleansed through austerities. He blesses Yudhishthira, declares Arjuna invincible, and returns to heaven.

Matali arrives in Indra's divine chariot and tells Arjuna he will go to heaven in his physical body. As the chariot soars upward with the speed of mind and wind, Arjuna sits so steadily that Matali is astonished — noting that even Indra himself loses his balance when the horses first move.

Arjuna enters Amaravati and stands before Indra with joined hands. The king of the gods is delighted, offers him half his throne, and honours him. For the sake of weapons and learning, Arjuna begins to dwell in heaven — where Vishvavasu's son Chitrasena becomes his friend and teaches him everything the gandharvas know.

After spending the night through Tryambaka's favours, Arjuna meets the brahmana who had guided him earlier. The brahmana tells him he will see the lords of the worlds and receive weapons from Indra. That afternoon, all the lokapalas — Kubera, Yama, Varuna, and Indra — appear before him, and Arjuna receives their celestial weapons according to prescribed rites.

After the lokapalas depart, Indra smiles and tells Arjuna he had known him before. When Arjuna asks Indra to be his preceptor for learning weapons, Indra tests him — suggesting he might use celestial weapons against humans. Arjuna vows he will only use them to ward off other weapons, and Indra, satisfied, reveals the test and commands him to go to his abode to learn all divine weapons.

The danavas unleash a storm of rocks, water, wind, fire, and finally a terrible darkness that confounds Arjuna and terrifies Matali. Arjuna counters each elemental assault with divine weapons, but when the darkness falls, even his charioteer loses his senses — and Arjuna must steady himself before he can fight on.

Arjuna, recovered from his wounds, tells Yudhishthira how Indra declared him invincible and gave him divine armor, a golden garland, the conch Devadatta, and a celestial diadem. After five years in heaven, he returned to find his brothers on Mount Gandhamadana. Yudhishthira rejoices and asks to see the weapons Arjuna used against the Nivatakavachas.

Karna resolves to give his earrings to Indra, but Surya intervenes with a warning: Indra's true motive is to ensure Karna's death at Arjuna's hands. The sun god instructs Karna to bargain — exchange the earrings and armour for an invincible spear that will destroy his enemies. Only on those terms should he give Shakra what he wants.