Arjuna vs. Bhima

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्

 देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततो जयम् उदीरयेत्

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Arjuna vs. Bhima

With all respect to Madhvācharya we should not look lightly on Arjuna’s position.  While Madhva gives Bhima the advantage, we might do well to consider that Kṛṣṇa chooses Arjuna and not Bhima to be his interlocutor for the confidential wisdom of Bhagavad-Gītā.  Intimacy in friendship is not always determined by how well the friends treat each other. Indeed, sometimes friendship is like a coconut; rough on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside.

After all, Arjuna marries Kṛṣṇa’s sister, Subhadra: they are brothers in law, and brothers sometimes have an outwardly rough friendship. As for going to the demigods to ask for help with weapons, Arjuna does everything to empower himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, even going so far as asking help from Śiva. This does not make him a traitor to the cause. As for Arjuna’s so-called “lapses” in dharma, Kṛṣṇa Himself asks Arjuna to contravene some of the laws of combat to rid the earth of militaristic kings. Arjuna, more than Bhima, is his agent and confidant in the battle of Kurukṣetra. 

Rūpa Goswāmi’s authority is final in these matters. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta Sindhu, he gives a description of Kṛṣṇa’s personal friends: rūpa-veṣa-guṇādyais tu samāḥ samyag-ayantritāḥ, viśrambha-sambhṛtātmāno vayasyās tasya kītitāḥ (Bhakti-rasāmṛta sindhu, 3.3.8), Those advanced souls whose form, qualities and dress are similar to Kṛṣṇa’s, who are unrestricted by reverence, and are full of trust and familiarity are known to enjoy a friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa.”

And in Bhakti-rasāmṛta sindhu, 3.3.11, Rūpa Goswāmī when makes a distinction between Kṛṣṇa’s country and city  friends, he lists Arjuna first. Arjuno bhīmasenaś ca duhitā drupadasya ca, śrīdama-bhūsurādyāś ca, sakhāyaḥ pura-saṃśrayāḥ: “Arjuna, Bhīmasena, Draupadī, and the brahmaṇa Śrīdama are some of Kṛṣṇa’s city friends.

Of their friendship, he writes: śirasi nṛpatir drag aghrāsīd aghārim…(3.3.12) “When Kṛṣṇa arrived in Indraprastha, King Yudhisthira was moved and smelled his head. Bhima and Arjuna embraced his iron arms, their hear standing on end, while Nakula and Sahadeva fell at his feet with tears of joy.  And so it was that the five brothers, their hearts filled with joy greeted Kṛṣṇa upon his arrival.”

While Madhya may exalt Bhima, followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu consider Rūpa Goswāmi’s opinion as final. We shall let Rūpa Goswāmī put the controversy to rest. Of the distinction between Bhima and Arjuna, Rūpa says, (Bhakti-rasāmṛta sindhu, 3.3.11)

“Śreṣṭhaḥ pura-vayasyeṣu bhagavān vānaradhvajaḥ…Among the ‘city friends’ the Pāṇḍava Arjuna is the best.” 

In his commentary on Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu called Nectar of Devotion, Chapter Forty-one, Fraternal Devotion, His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupāda remarks, “Of the five Pāṇḍavas, Arjuna is the most intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa. He has a nice bow in his hand which is called Gāṇḍīva. His thighs are compared with the trunks of elephants, and his eyes are always reddish. When Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are together on a chariot, they become celestial beauties, pleasing to the eyes of everyone.”

For further reading, take a look at Bhakti-Rasāmṛta-Sindhu.