Mountain of the Mahabharata
Gandhamadana
गन्धमादन
Arjuna's penance site
Gandhamadana: Arjuna's penance site, located at coordinates 30.50°N, 79.50°E.
Key Facts
| Type | Mountain |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit name | गन्धमादन |
| Coordinates | 30.50°N, 79.50°E |
| Significance | Arjuna's penance site |
About Gandhamadana
A mountain in the Himalayas. Arjuna performed penance here to obtain divine weapons.
Why it matters: Arjuna's penance site
Details
- Shiva
- Arjuna fought with Shiva here
- Weapons
- Received Pashupatastra and other weapons
- Duration
- Long penance in the snow
On the Map
Gandhamadana sits at 30.50°N, 79.50°E.
View on the full mapEvents at Gandhamadana
- Arjuna's PenanceYear -25Arjuna performs severe penance in the Himalayas to obtain divine weapons from Shiva and other gods.
- Arjuna Fights Shiva as the HunterYear -25Arjuna, deep in penance to obtain divine weapons, encounters a Kirata (hunter) who is actually Shiva in disguise. After a fierce battle, Shiva reveals himself and bestows the Pashupata astra.
- Bhima Kills the Disguised Demon JatasuraYear -22The rakshasa Jatasura disguises himself as a brahmin to infiltrate the Pandava camp. When he abducts Draupadi and some Pandavas, Bhima kills him in battle.
- Bhima Trapped by Nahusha the PythonYear -22While searching for food in the mountains, Bhima is captured by a massive python who is actually King Nahusha cursed to live as a serpent. Only Yudhishthira's wisdom frees him.
- Hanuman Meets BhimaYear -21Bhima encounters his divine brother Hanuman in the forest. Hanuman tests Bhima's humility before blessing him.
- The Saugandhika FlowerYear -21A wind-blown golden lotus enchants Draupadi on Gandhamadana, and Bhima storms off to find more, wrecking Kubera's lotus-lake guard before the yakshas yield the flowers.
- The Python's QuestionsYear -7On Mount Gandhamadana, the mighty Bhima is seized by a giant python he cannot break free of - the cursed king Nahusha, who once ruled heaven itself and fell through pride into a serpent's body. The python will free its captive only if its riddles of dharma are answered, and so it falls to Yudhishthira's wisdom, not Bhima's strength, to save his brother and release a fallen king from an age-long curse.
Stories Set at Gandhamadana
The Meeting of Brothers
The Lesson in Humility
The Divine Arsenal
Arjuna's Ascent to Indraloka
Adventures in the Forest
Twelve Years of Pandava Exile
The Python's Questions
The Curse of Nahusha
Bhima at Kubera's Lake
Violence as an instrument of release
Ghatotkacha Between Two Worlds
The half-blood's uncounted service
The Ape on the Banner
Hanuman's unseen war
The Brahmin Who Was a Demon
The guest who asked for nothing for months
The King Who Challenged Two Hermits
Dambhodbhava, and a handful of grass blades
Badari, Hermitage of the Twin Sages
Where Nara and Narayana practice forever
Gandhamadana, Mountain of Fragrance
The Himalayan ascent of the exile
The Elephant and the Tortoise
Two brothers who could not divide a house
The Grandsire Names the God
Duryodhana asks why he keeps losing and gets a theology instead
The Net and the Mountain Honey
Two birds who quarrelled in flight, and a cliff nobody came down from
The Sage at the Limit
A skeleton ascetic marks the line mortals may not cross
The Map of the Worlds
A priest naming the four quarters of the cosmos from a mountain shoulder
The Weapons That Must Not Be Shown
A demonstration the three worlds could not survive
The Boons of Visrava's Sons
Three brothers ask Brahma for different things
The Names That Cleanse Sin
Asked what destroys sin, Bhishma answers with a litany of gods, rivers, mountains, sages and kings
Indra Comes to Gandhamadana
Matali brings Arjuna home from heaven, and the king of the gods follows him down
Sanjaya Describes the Earth
The blind king asks what the earth is worth, and his charioteer answers with the whole of it