Brihannala

Brihannala was an assumed name of Arjun the Pandava prince in the Mahabharata at the time of the exile of the Pandavas when he was in the employment of king Virat. It was the thirteenth year of exile. During this period he had actually become an eunuch due to a curse by an apsara named Urvashi after being felt insulted by the refusal of Arjun. Urvashi when tried to bewitch him with her charms, Arjun told her that she was like a mother to the Pandavas which infuriated Urvashi. She cursed him to become an eunuch singing and dancing forever among women. When Indra got to know about the curse, he not only limited it to one years but also gave him option to choose the year for himself.

It is worth mentioning here that the Pandavas were banished from Hastinapur by the Kauravas on the condition that they would have to remain underground and undetected for fourteen years. The period of banishment was used by Arjun to obtain the celestial weapons from Indra, his father in Svarga (Heaven). He resided there for five years during which he not only got celestial weapons from Indra, but also learned singing and dancing from the celestial Chief Gandharva Chitrasen. However, he became restless and wanted to return to earth. Chitrasen with the motif of prolonging his stay in Svarg asked Urvashi to charm him with her beauty.

In the thirteenth year of exile, Arjun chose the curse. He adopted the name Brihannala and found an employment of giving lessons on singing and dancing to the Princess Uttara the daughter of king Virat. Towards the end of the thirteenth year, Duryodhan the Kaurav prince and his allies attacked the Virat's kingdom from all sides. While Virat's army was engaged in the south, Brihannala became the charioteer of Uttar the son of Virat who bravely fought the battle.