Other editions of book Tales of Arjuna

Superbly skilled, speedy and strong, Arjuna boasted that he was the world’s greatest warrior. But, despite his unquestionable courage, this honourable Pandava prince realised he could not confront Lord Indra’s power – or even the wiles of a cheeky monkey – without help. He needed divine weapons, such as the Gandiva bow, with its inexhaustible supply of arrows, and a special war chariot. Most importantly, he needed the blessings of the gods, especially Lord Vishnu.

Superbly skilled, speedy and strong, Arjuna boasted that he was the world's greatest warrior. But, despite his unquestionable courage, this honorable Pandava prince realized he could not confront Lord Indra's power or even the wiles of a cheeky monkey, without help. He needed divine weapons, such as the Gandiva bow, with its inexhaustible supply of arrows and a special war chariot. Most importantly, he needed the blessings of the gods, especially Lord Vishnu.

The heroes of the two epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, have become onewith the lives of countless generations of Indians. Their characters are imprinted on peoples' minds, sometimes even more firmly than those of their brethren around. Stories are built by bringing them together, however apart they may have been in time and placein the epics themselves. Hanuman the superman ape of Ramayana had the capacity to grow in size at will and to dash over lands and seas across the sky. Arjuna the Pandava hero of Mahabharata was a great archer with inexhaustible stock of arrows. A folk story brings the two face to face to test each others' powers. In the second story from Mahabharata itself, Arjuna wins favors from the fire-god, by winning a victory over Indra, the chief of gods.The third story tells how Arjuna once became vain and boastful even with his mentor Krishna, who put him in his proper place.