Babruvahana Katha | Story of Babruvaha, How Babruvahana kill Arjuna?… Babruvahana is a prominent character in the Mahabharata, the son of Arjuna and Chitrangada, princess of Manipur. Raised in Manipur due to a promise Arjuna made to Chitrangada’s father, Babruvahana later became king of that land and was known as a wise, just, and skilled ruler and warrior.
Key Episodes and Mythological Importance
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Babruvahana did not participate in the Kurukshetra War, but played a major role in the Ashvamedha Yagna episode.
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During the Ashvamedha Yagna, he fought Arjuna (unaware it was his father at first) as the sacrificial horse wandered into his territory. In a fierce duel, Babruvahana fatally wounded Arjuna, fulfilling a divine curse upon Arjuna that he would die at his son’s hands.
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With the help of Ulupi (Arjuna’s Naga wife), who supplied the Mritasanjivani gem, Babruvahana revived his father, leading to a reconciliation and the lifting of the curse.
Cultural Significance
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Babruvahana is honored for his valor, adherence to dharma, and role as a just ruler of Manipur.
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His story is preserved in Mahabharata retellings, regional folklore, and local Manipuri traditions where he is considered an ancestor-hero.
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The Ashvamedha episode dramatizes themes of duty, fate, and filial piety in Indian epics.
Babruvahana’s legacy in Hindu mythology exemplifies courage, dharma, and the complexity of familial ties in epic literature.
How did Babruvahana kill and later revive Arjuna according to texts
According to texts and various versions of the Mahabharata, Babruvahana killed and later revived Arjuna as follows:
Babruvahana, the son of Arjuna and Chitrangada (princess of Manipur), fought Arjuna during the Ashvamedha Yagna when the sacrificial horse entered Manipur’s territory. Under the urging of Ulupi, Arjuna’s Naga wife and Babruvahana’s stepmother, Babruvahana engaged Arjuna in combat to fulfill a divine curse. The Vasus, deities angered by Arjuna’s act of killing Bhishma using Shikhandi as a shield, had cursed Arjuna to be slain by his own son. During the battle, Babruvahana struck Arjuna with arrows, hitting his shoulder and chest, fatally wounding him. Arjuna died on the battlefield, and Babruvahana fainted from shock at having unknowingly killed his father.
Ulupi then retrieved a divine gem known as the Mritasanjivani (or Sanjivani Mani) from the Naga realm, which has the power to revive the dead. She instructed Babruvahana to place the gem on Arjuna’s chest. Upon doing so, Arjuna was revived with cosmic auspicious signs, leading to a joyous reunion of father and son. Ulupi explained that this act was planned to absolve Arjuna’s sin and fulfill the curse. In some versions, this revival involves Krishna intervening to retrieve Arjuna’s severed head to complete the restoration.
In the Jaimini-Bharata version, the narrative is more elaborate, involving Babruvahana leading a battle against Nagas to obtain the elixir for Arjuna’s revival after initial efforts are obstructed. The revival ultimately restores Arjuna to life, quenching the divine curse upon him.
Thus, Babruvahana killed Arjuna under divine and cosmic necessity driven by a curse but revived him using a powerful Naga gem, assisted by Ulupi and sometimes Krishna, symbolizing the complex interplay of dharma, fate, and family in the epic.
What specific passages in the Mahabharata describe Babruvahana killing Arjuna
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Mahabharata, Book 14, Chapter 78–80 (Ashvamedhika Parva or Aswamedhika Parva): These chapters vividly narrate Arjuna’s arrival in Manipur with the Ashvamedha horse, the ensuing confrontation, and how Babruvahana strikes Arjuna with arrows that ultimately kill him.
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The text details Arjuna taunting Babruvahana for not upholding his kshatriya (warrior) duty which provokes the fatal duel. Babruvahana, urged by his mother Chitrangada and stepmother Ulupi, does battle, mortally wounds Arjuna, and Arjuna collapses on the battlefield.
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Ulupi revives Arjuna using the Mritasanjivani gem, as described in the aftermath of the battle in these same chapters.
Additional versions, like the Jaimini Bharata, elaborate on Babruvahana’s actions after Arjuna’s death and the quest for the elixir and Arjuna’s beheaded head, but the principal Vyasa Mahabharata’s Ashvamedhika Parva (Chapters 78–80) are the best-referenced Sanskrit passages for this event.