Arjuna Kills Jayadratha (From the Mahabharata)

Jayadratha's father, the old and sinful king Vridhakshtra, had initiated a curse that anyone who caused Jayadratha's head to fall to the ground would suffer by having his own head explode. When Arjuna decapitated Jayadratha in the Mahabharata war, he faced imminent death due to this boon, but Krishna intervened. He quickly asked Arjuna to shoot arrows that would carry Jayadratha's falling head to his father's lap when he was sitting meditating in his ashrama. Arjuna shot arrows which carried away the falling head all the way to Jayadratha's father's lap. When he got up after meditating, he didn't see the head in his lap but caused it to fall on the ground. His own head exploded as a result.

Here we see against a dark background representing the gory war, Arjuna, the great marksman, accurately shooting arrows which carry away the freshly severed moustached head of the villain. The flag fluttering atop the chariot, marked over with an image of the great Hanuman, signifies the imminent victory of Arjuna.

This painting was created in the city of Kishangarh, Rajasthan.

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