Citrasena
Citrasena was a gandharva of high standing in the court of Indra. He became the teacher and close friend of Arjuna during the five years Arjuna lived in Svarga. At the request of Indra he taught Arjuna gāndharva music, celestial dance and the lore of Svarga. He also carried a message from Indra to Ūrvaśī on Arjuna’s behalf.
Who the gandharvas are
The gandharvas are celestial musicians and skilled warriors. They are beings of great beauty who are masters of music, song and movement. They hold an important place among the beings of the higher worlds. They serve Indra as courtiers and guard the soma, the divine drink.
Teaching Arjuna
Arjuna came to Amarāvatī, the city of Indra, and Indra honoured him. Indra decided that Arjuna should not spend his time in svarga (heaven) only in receiving weapons, but should grow fully as a person. So Indra made Citrasena Arjuna’s personal companion and teacher in the celestial arts.
Citrasena taught Arjuna gāndharva music. This included celestial instruments and the songs of Svarga that are not heard on earth. He also taught him dance in its most refined celestial form. Arjuna’s mind had been made pure and sharp by years of tapas (austerity), and he was an excellent student. In the five years Arjuna lived in Svarga, the two became close friends. Their bond was warm and went beyond that of teacher and student.
This training became useful later. The Pāṇḍavas spent one year of ajñātavāsa (life in hiding) at the court of King Virāṭa. There Arjuna lived under Ūrvaśī’s śāpa (curse) as a dance teacher named Bṛhannaḷā, and he used exactly these skills.
The message to Ūrvaśī
Indra wished to send Ūrvaśī to Arjuna, and Citrasena was the go-between. He took the message to her. He told her of Arjuna’s great qualities, his power from tapas, his courage and his beauty, and he gave her Indra’s wish. What followed ended in Ūrvaśī’s śāpa on Arjuna. That śāpa is the reason Arjuna lived as a dance teacher during the year in hiding.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 45–46