Arjuna’s Courtship of Subhadra
Disguising himself as an ascetic, with matted hair, sacred ash on his forehead and a trident in his right hand, Arjuna now took up his abode in Prabhasa, a village on the outskirts of Dwaraka. Here he sat under a banyan tree, feigning to be lost in meditation. One day, even during a heavy downpour, he did not leave the tree, although he was completely drenched. But nobody knew that the young sage meditated not on Narayana but Subhadra, the idol of his heart. Soon, he attracted the attention of some local people.
Often in his musings, Arjuna wished he could somehow meet Krishna to seek his help in meeting the woman of his dreams. When Krishna heard that a young, handsome ascetic was doing tapas in Prabhasa, his curiosity was stirred. But from the description of this sadhu, he guessed that he must be Arjuna. One night, as he was with Satyabhama, his wife, he could not help bursting into peals of laughter.
‘What has happened to you so suddenly?’ Satyabhama asked, mystified.
‘I have just heard that Arjuna, is spending days and nights under a banyan tree in Prabhasa, meditating. Isn’t it amusing to see a supreme archer turned into a yogi? My intuition tells me that it is his infatuation with Subhadra that has brought him here. Isn’t it interesting to see a Kshatriya prince disguising himself as a sage to realize his dream? Mysterious are the ways of passion!’
When Krishna came to the banyan tree the next morning, he immediately recognized Arjuna.
‘Since you have done enough tapas,’ jested Krishna, ‘it is time for the gods to grant you your heart’s desire.’
‘So you know it already,’ said Arjuna, smiling. ‘But I feel that without your help, I would not be able to get anywhere near her.’
‘O Arjuna, on the path of love, every seeker has to be his own guide. All I can do is help you take the first step in that direction.’
Then he told Arjuna that a couple of days later, all members of his family would go to the sacred hill of Raivataka for a religious festival. If he could also be there, disguised as a yogi, he would certainly have a glimpse of his sister Subhadra.
Much ahead of the festival, Arjuna chose a tree close to Raivataka, under which he was seen lost in yogic meditation. Then it happened – as if the gods had decided to reward him for his devotion to his deity, Subhadra. As the ritual began, he saw a beautiful young woman accompanied by her maids. A flutter in his heart told him that it was his beloved. Her eyes sparkled like the moon surrounded by a galaxy of stars. If only he could leap forward, he said to himself, prostrate himself at her feet and say, ‘O Goddess mine, would you accept my offering of love? I hold nothing else in my hands, except my adoration for you.’ But he knew he would have to wait.
Fortunately for Arjuna, Balarama, Krishna’s elder brother, had also seen the young sadhu wandering about the streets. Impressed by his looks and spirituality, he thought of seeking his blessings for his sister’s happy married life. So, he thought, why not let him take his residence close to Subhadra’s apartment so that she could have easy access to her guru. When Arjuna learnt about this arrangement, he thought the portals of heaven had opened to him.
Now he met Subhadra daily in the gardens around her chamber and talked to her about yogic meditation leading to divine bliss. But soon, she felt that the young sadhu’s gaze often lingered on her face. As for her, she had always dreamt about meeting Arjuna, the Pandava prince, about whose charm and valour she had heard from her maids. So, one day, in the midst of the sadhu’s religious discourse, she asked him, ‘O sage, since I hear that you have travelled far and wide, I wonder if you have also been to Indraprastha.’
‘Indeed, I know that city very well,’ Arjuna said.
‘Then you must know all the Pandava princes,’ she said. With a look of yearning in her eyes, she asked, ‘How about Arjuna? Did you ever get close enough to him?’
‘Of course – as close as I am to you, right now.’ But Subhadra could not comprehend what he meant by this. So she went on: ‘How does he look? Very handsome?’
‘He is the handsomest of all the Pandavas,’ Arjuna responded with a smile on his lips. ‘Tall and fair, with broad shoulders and eyes as probing as the early sunlight. But, above all, I have heard that he is savyasachi, for he can use his Gandiva with both hands with the same skill.’
As he spoke, he opened out his palms, like a dove’s wings, to hold her hands.
‘Like these,’ Arjuna said. Then, somewhat emboldened, he opened up. ‘In fact, he is right here, sitting in front of you, drinking in your beauty… I had to disguise myself as a yogi, for how else could I have come close to the moon in my heart’s sky?’
Subhadra’s face turned crimson and she covered it with both her hands. He could hear her heart pounding.
‘I want to marry you, O love,’ Arjuna sighed. ‘I think we are made for each other. You will always be my other hand – another string to my Gandiva.’
Then he told her that he had already shared his heart’s secret with Krishna, her brother.
She responded with a sigh and placed her head on his shoulders. As a bird suddenly broke into a warble in the garden, she mumbled: ‘That creature also seems to say yes, yes, yes.’
‘Then why don’t we get married the Gandharva way? Let me carry you away to Indraprastha as my bride. I’m sure Krishna would let us use his chariot.’
She just smiled.
As the sun sank on the horizon and darkness shrouded Subhadra’s gardens, there appeared at the front gate a chariot with five horses – Megha, Pushpa, Valahaka, Sugriva and Saibya. When Subhadra told Arjuna that she was also a skilled charioteer, he let her take the reins while he sat behind, now dressed as a prince. Just as they were about to take off, a light drizzle started, but not like the heavy downpour during which he had once continued his meditation in Prabhasa. ‘This drizzle is a good omen,’ said Arjuna to his beloved.
As the chariot cleared the front gate, the guardsmen raised an alarm which brought several members of Subhadra’s family out on the street. Word spread like wildfire that Subhadra was being carried away by some Kshatriya. Hearing the commotion, Balarama rushed out, followed by Krishna.
‘Look, what that impostor has done – that fake sadhu,’ said Balarama.
But Krishna stood there, smiling.
‘It seems you are also an accomplice in this elopement,’ Balarama said, glowering at his younger brother. He then threatened to launch an attack on Indraprastha to bring his sister back to Dwaraka.
Krishna turned on all his persuasive powers to mitigate his brother’s wrath.
‘Why should we come in the way of these two lovers, especially when Subhadra seems to have willingly accepted Arjuna as her husband? It would be a sin to thwart such pure love. Besides, could we have found a better match for our sister than Arjuna? Here is the handsomest of all the Pandavas, and an unrivalled archer. Also a member of the illustrious Kuru clan. Where could we find anyone worthier than him? This marriage would also cement the bonds between the Vrishnis and the Pandavas. So let it be, O dear brother.’
These words convinced Balarama that Subhadra had indeed made the right choice. And if the gods had blessed this relationship, why should anyone impede the smooth course of love?
Since Arjuna had by now completed a year’s exile, he looked forward to his union with Draupadi and his brothers.
As the chariot reached the outskirts of Indraprastha, he advised Subhadra to dress herself as a milkmaid because she would otherwise certainly stir up Draupadi’s jealousy.
‘Now, you should use all your charms and humility to win her over, especially because Draupadi is known for her temper.’
As advised, Subhadra fell at Draupadi’s feet, saying that since she looked upon her as her elder sister, she needed her blessings. This gesture disarmed Draupadi immediately and she embraced her.
‘Can I blame Arjuna for falling in love with you?’ she said. ‘You are as charming in manners as you are in appearance. Indeed, you have my blessings. May God bless you with a son who will bring glory to the Kuru race.’
The priests then chose an auspicious day for the wedding, in which participated all the prominent Vrishnis. Thus was consummated the marriage between Arjuna and Subhadra. A year later, she gave birth to a son, Abhimanyu, who grew into an archer, comparable in valour only to his father. As Krishna’s nephew, and Yudhishthira’s too, Abhimanyu was showered with love and affection from one and all.