The Kurukshetra War and several other wars preceding that - like the one during Draupadi's Svayamvara, during Ghosha-Yaatraa and in Viraata Parvan - decided the question in favour of Arjuna - but not without doubt. As is the mark of all great Kavis, Vyasa and later poets seem to deliberately keep ambiguity regarding the matter of greatness.
And it is this perceived "unresolved tension" that is the secret of attraction of the debate - Arjuna or Karna, who?
We can of course question the very concept of "greatness" - and we shall do that. But before that, let us note again that Vyasa introduces doubt and ambiguity in all the Arjuna-Karna duels before Kurukshetra War. We need to examine whether there is any real ambiguity or it is a matter of perception. (I will not discuss here the Kurukshetra War duel because I have already dealt with it in my article Mahabharata: The Myth of the Death of Bhisma, Drona, Karna, Duryodhana)
Contrary to popular belief, Drona's weapon-skill examination was not the first time when Karna was seeking an encounter with Arjuna. Long before that, Karna had been Drona and Krpa's disciple and he had always been jealous of Arjuna.
And we must also remember that Karna was elder to Arjuna by several years. Thus, Karna's jealousy was founded on frustration of being lesser to Arjuna. What Karna could not achieve with advantage of years, Arjuna had achieved with advantage of Gunas.
One thing we frequently forget about Mahabharatan characters is that they are "growing" or "evolving" and not "flat." Yet, when we engage our pious souls in judging them we often do a Flat Treatment.
Let us not forget that we have seen Arjuna and Karna from their birth to death. Naturally, we have "different" Arjunas and Karnas here. Would any reader accept about him/herself that he/she has remained constant and static throughout his/her life? That, what he/she has been in her teen days, he/she has remained the same in her 20s or 30s or 40s or 50s...? Would any reader in his/her ripe days like to be judged by his/her action of green days?
Surely, no reader would say that or like that. Then why the illusion of thinking Arjuna or Karna that way?
The teen-aged Arjuna who could not hide his sulk to Drona on finding that Ekalavya had excelled him, cannot certainly be the youth Arjuna piercing the target in Draupadi's Svayamvara; and he certainly cannot be the Arjuna who leaves his brothers and Draupadi during Forest Exile and go to the Himaalayas to learn Yuddha-Vidyaa and Gaandharva-Vidyaa with unmitigated attention? And certainly, this is not the same Arjuna post-Giitaa?
If Arjuna as a Kshatriya Viira is unmatched, more than that, he is unparalleled as a Human Being. There is no other character in the whole of Mahabharata (yes, Mahabharata; and I am saying this with Krishna in mind) and even in World Itihaasa-Literature who has as many Gunas (Qualities) as Arjuna.
Arjuna was a Shilpii par excellence in "Art of Living", Gender Relation (well, that involves the ever-ongoing Gender-Yuddhatoo), Yuddha-Vidyaa, and Gaandharva-Vidyaa. Other than this, his greatness as a Spiritual aadhaar is overtly evident in the fact that he was the only person capable of firsthand' listening to Giita-discourse. In this alone, Arjuna has excelled all Rshisand Munis born before or after him.
Very few people are even aware that Arjuna had his prowess in paanditya (scholarship), Raajaniiti and Kuuta-Niiti too - he is hailed as arthashaastravishaaradah (12.161.9).
Draupadi did not love him the best just because he was tall, dark, handsome and mighty. Woman might feel some attraction for tall-dark-handsome-mighty fellows (- the "gene-selection" goes through trial and error) - but no Woman ever LOVES tall-dark-handsome-mighty "dumb ass."
Draupadi's love for Arjuna was a matter of "wave-length matching" or "tuning" we may say, that operated in an all-out dimension involving Head, Heart, and Hand - and more importantly Instinct and Intuition.
Draupadi too is hailed as Arthashaastravishaaradah . This gives us a clue in understanding that Draupadi-Arjuna relation was not just about holding hands and uttering romantic nonsensical bla-bla-bla; but more about intellectual saber-rattling. Indeed we get some ideas on that in Vana Parvan and Shaanti-Parvan. (The same glue applied to Draupadi-Yudhishthira relation though on a different plane. However, in this article I am not discussing on Yudhishthira. So, I will keep mum on that here for a separate discussion.)
The Evolutionary Woman loves a man with Kaama-prowess, but no Woman ever loves a man who is Kaamavashagah(Subservient to Kaama - Lust and Sex etc.). Kiicaka, Jayadratha and Raavana - all were miserable failures to Woman because they were Kaamavashagah.
Draupadi loved Arjuna the most because of his Ahamkaara-lessness and Restraint. Such a man never ceases arousing a Woman's curiousness about him, such a man remains a man about whom the Myth never slackens, and such a man alone is capable of keeping ablaze the flame of attraction.
In a Mythical Narrative, Shiva's consort Paarvatii gives a new definition of Purusha -
"One who is prabhu yet free of Ahamkaara is called Purusha
- prabhavan yo 'nahamvaadii sa vai purusha ucyate (13.134.13c)."
Arjuna was Purusha in this sense; not just being a biological male. (As a sidelight, this indeed is the real significance and definition of Purusha - that is, Purusha is a non-gendered concept.)
Arjuna was a "womanizer" not because he ran after Woman, but because he ran after his Heart while making Woman run after him.
Arjuna's falling in love with Citraangadaa and Subhadraa are episodes that show why he was a true Man - one capable of being honest to one's Heart, and one capable of the manliness' to pursue one's Heart. (For Arjuna's dalliance with other women, particularly that found in Folk Mahabharata, I would prefer a separate discussion, because here I would focus on Classical Mahabharata only.)
Like Draupadi's skill in Performance, Arjuna too was a genius in Performance. Without being a Shilpii of higher dimension, he could not have acted with incredible finesse as Brhannalaa.
Now, those who want to argue at this point that Arjuna transformed' into Brhannalaa owing to Urvashii's curse; let God pour all blessings on them - even the quota allotted to me (if any). I will not argue with them - because I don't want to argue with Belief. To me, sex-transformation by curse' is absurd - and that's all.
To me therefore, Arjuna's role as Brhannalaa was a Performance par excellence. And he could give such Performance because in his real self he had the Masculine-Feminine Balance.
Unless a biological male is in touch with his Feminine-Self, he cannot be a Real Man. And Arjuna was that rare man who was not only in touch with his Feminine Self, but who had also realized and actualized that Self.
Just as while trying to understand Arjuna's character people often forget that he was a Pandit - an Arthashaastravishaaradah - there is similar forgetfulness that Arjuna was adept in Gaandharva-Vidyaa.
Imagine ambidextrous - Savyasaacii Arjuna - stringing and twanging his Gaandiiva with as much skill as stringing and playing the Viinaa. Imagine him dancing with all Feminine grace - imagine him evoking all the Rasas from Shrngaara to Raudra in the rhythm of his brimming muscles.
And Arjuna was a Kathaka too - a narrator of Itihaasa-Purana and stories; he used to mesmerize the women of Viraata with his verbal skills.
To such an Arjuna, Karna falls short. No, it is not Karna's drawback - how can we judge Karna in poor light against Arjuna when even Krishna falls short to Arjuna's all-round genius and multi-dimensional personality?
People who imagine Draupadi's secret love for Krishna or Karna or some other third-person singular number' certainly know something about the Ways of the World - but they certainly know nothing of the secrets of Woman's Heart - the Evolutionary Woman's Heart to be specific.
With such an Arjuna filling up Draupadi's universe, why would she seek lesser beings?
The World knew Draupadi to be a Kanyaa because she was in a polyandrous marriage, but the other Paandavas knew that Draupadi was a Sati ... amidst the physical polyandry as a social obligation, Draupadi was mentally monogamous ... ( To be Continued) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Liked the article so much.Wanted to share it since it is about Arjun's glory. Lakshmi.
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