About
Arjava — Prince of Gandhara, Brother of Shakuni
Arjava · Son of Subala · Prince of Gandhara
Arjava was a prince of Gandhara, son of King Subala and younger brother of Shakuni and Gandhari. He is named in the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva, Chapter 89) among the six younger brothers of Shakuni who fought and were killed by Iravan on the eighth day of the Kurukshetra War. His attestation is confined to this single passage.
✦ The Name
The name Arjava derives from the Sanskrit root riju (straight, honest, upright), from which arjava is formed meaning straightness, sincerity, or uprightness of character — a virtue name denoting moral rectitude. It is among the qualities praised in the Bhagavad Gita as characteristic of a person of divine nature, making it a name of pronounced ethical and spiritual connotation for a Kshatriya prince.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Subala, king of Gandhara, descendant of Turvasu in the Lunar Dynasty
- Mother: Sudharma, queen of Gandhara
- Sister: Gandhari, queen of Hastinapura and mother of the hundred Kauravas
- Brothers: Shakuni, Achala, Vrishaka, Gaya, Gavaksha, Vrishava, Charmavat, Suka, and Vrihadvala
✦ Role in the Kurukshetra War and Death
Arjava fought alongside his five brothers against Iravan on the eighth day of the war and was killed by Iravan in the sword fight that destroyed five of the six brothers. No further episodes involving Arjava are recorded in the primary sources.
✦ References
- Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva, Chapter 89, verse 12: Primary source naming Arjava among the six younger brothers of Shakuni killed by Iravan on Day 8