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Twin incarnation of the Lord
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When Arjuna is born to Kunti, a celestial voice prophesied thus:

“This child of Indra will be equal to Kartaviryarjuna in valour

and to Siva in prowess. He will be invincible like Indra and he

will maintain the prosperity of the Kurus. He will achieve great

fame. He will fight with Siva and receive from him the great

weapon Pasupata. He will acquire all kinds of celestial weapon0s

and also retrieve the fortunes of his race.”

In a discourse, Sri Kesava Dikshitar drew attention to the

legend of Krishna and Arjuna that starts way before the

Mahabharata. In the Vana Parva, Krishna says to Arjuna that they

both are the sages Nara and Narayana, come to this world for the

purpose of establishing dharma. Arjuna and Krishna represent the

concept of the twin incarnation of the Lord as Nara and Narayana

where Arjuna is Nara and Krishna Narayana. In an earlier age,

Nara and Narayana were sons of Dharma and his wife Murti or

Ahimsa, and took avatars for the welfare of mankind. They were

born as two sages who performed great penance in the sacred

Badrinath. They defeated the invincible demon Sahasrakavacha who

was protected by a thousand armours.

When Arjuna does penance to Siva to gain Pasupata, Siva, under

the guise of a hunter along with Uma, tests Arjuna’s valour.

After a long fight, Arjuna realises that the hunter is the very

Siva whom he is propitiating. Siva blesses him with the Pasupata

and also other celestial weapons. Siva alludes to the fact that

Arjuna was Nara in a previous birth, with Narayana as his

companion. It is believed that they continue to perform

austerities and penance for the benefit of mankind. The

incarnation is symbolic of the human soul which has the Supreme

Lord as the eternal companion.-"The Hindu " to day