INVESTIGATING ARJUNA'S IDENTITY AS A EUNUCH IN THE MAHĀBHĀRATA

This paper investigates Arjuna’s identity as a eunuch during the Pāṇḍava’s period of disguise in the thirteenth year of
their exile in the text Mahābhārata (MBh), one of the two major epics of ancient India. It seeks to draw attention on
the behaviour of the society towards his new identity vis-à-vis his original identity as a warrior hero. Employing the
methodology of critical analysis of the text to explore certain crucial questions such as why does Arjuna as a eunuch
remain confined to women’s companionship in the court, whether this new identity brings him valour or contempt,
and the reason behind it will aid in this endeavour. The second part of the paper aims to probe into Arjuna’s sexuality
as a eunuch. This section deals with the issue of its censorship on account of ulterior motives of the text. Therefore,
through reading the text from a gendered perspective, the attempt is to analyse and question its viewpoint for a gender
that is beyond ‘normal’ for the authorship and the intended audience. It is to be noted, however, that the current analysis
is based on the section of the source, the Virāṭa Parvan of the MBh, which is limited in the sense that it is situated in
the spatial setting of the court culture. Among the characters represented in the source, most of them come from the
royal section of society. We somehow lack aspects or voices from other sections.