Chitrangada was the only child of the Manipur King Chitravahana. He raised her as a son with all the qualities of the heir. He trained her in all forms of knowledge and warfare.
During Arjuna’s 12-year exile, he traveled across the Indian subcontinent. In the course of his wanderings, he came to Manipur and was stunned by the beauty and bravery of Chitangada. He approached Chitravahana to ask for her hand in marriage. The king agreed upon a condition that any child born from their marriage would be heir to the throne of the Manipur not as the child of Pandava. Arjuna accepted the condition and married Chitrangada. Through their union born a son Babhruvahana.
Arjuna left Manipur after that, and Chitrangada raised her son with great love and care and trained him all fields, like her father trained her.
Her story is celebrated in Rabindranath Tagore’s play “Chitrangada,” where she is portrayed as a symbol of empowered womanhood who chooses to balance her warrior identity with her role as a wife and mother.
Babhruvahana
During the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna put Bhishma on the arrow bed, who was actually one of the eight Vasus. It happened with Bhishma’s consent. Still, the other Vasus and Gangamata were furious with Arjun and cursed him that he would die at the hands of his son. Now Ulupi the second wife of Arjuna, came to know this and She along with her father, pleaded with them and finally got their grace. Vasus told her that Arjun had to fall at the hands of his son.
After the war which of Arjuna’s sons was alive? Abhimanyu, Srutakarma and Iravan all died. Only Babhruvahana was alive. When Yudhisthir performed Aswamedha yagna. Arjun went with the horse to win over the earth yet again. When he reached Manipur, Babruvahna received him with great respect and love but Arjuna wanted to fight with him to see how brave his son is. Ulupi also encouraged him to fight to let the curse happen. Babhruvahana attacked his father. A furious fight happened and at point Arjun fell down, hurt by Babhruvahan’s arrow. Ulupi then revived Arjun with the ancestral gem from Nagalok and redeemed him from the curse of Vasus!
So Babhruvahana became the only person in the Mahabharat who really defeated Arjuna in war.
At last…
After the war, Chirangada lived with Arjuna in Hastinapur. When Pandavas decided to go on pilgrimage, she returned to her parental home Manipur.