Babhruvahana.
A son of Arjuna.
When the Pandavas were residing in Indraprastha after marrying Draupadi, Narada went to see them once. With a view to avoiding any quarrel between the Pandavas over the one wife they jointly possessed, Narada suggested that each should take Draupadi for a year in turn and he who violated the arrangement should go to the forest for a year.
Once Arjuna went to the house of Yudhisthira who was with Pancali and for thus violating the arrangement Arjuna had to go to the forest for a year.
During this exile while he was staying at Gangadvara he married the serpent girl, Ulupi and got a son called Iravan of her.
After that he went to a country called Manalur. At that time that country was being ruled by a king called Citrangada. Prabhanjana one of the forefathers of Citrangada had, by hard penance for a progeny, acquired from Siva a boon and each of his successors got a son each to maintain the line. But when it came to Citrangada to his surprise he got a girl instead of a son. But he got her up as a son and named her Citrangada. It was when she was ready for marriage that Arjuna went there. The king received Arjuna with respect and after enquiring about his welfare requested him to marry his daughter.
Arjuna married her and stayed there for three months. Leaving that place Arjuna went to Pancatirtha and there he gave salvation to the celestial maidens who were lying in the tirthas as crocodiles. When he went back to Manalur Citrangada had delivered a son whom he named Babhruvahana. Promising them that he would take them later to Hastinapura, he left the place.
2) His fate to kill his own father.
It was by a ruse that Arjuna made Bhisma fall. Arjuna put Sikhandi before his chariot and Bhisma refused to take arms against a eunuch and accepted defeat. But Gangadevi witnessing the battle, between Bhisma, her son, and Arjuna from above could not bear this foul play and so cursed that Arjuna would die at the hands of his son.
Ulupi the serpent wife of Arjuna heard this curse and went to her father Kauravya who in turn went to Ganga and begged for a relief from the curse. Gangadevi then said that Arjuna would be killed by Babhruvahana but would be brought to life by Ulupi by placing the Mritasanjivani stone on the dead man’s breast.
3) The killing of Arjuna.
The Mahabharata battle was over. When Yudhisthira was performing the Asvamedha yajna Arjuna conducted a victory march with the yajna horse.
On his way he reached Manalur.
At once Ulupi called Babhruvahana and asked him to challenge Arjuna. Babhruvahana with his bow and arrows attacked Arjuna and in the grim battle that followed Arjuna fell dead. Seeing this Citrangada came to the place of battle weeping and abused Ulupi for persuading Babhruvahana to kill his own father. Ulupi immediately went to the serpent world and brought the Mritasanjivani stone and as she placed it on Arjuna’s breast he came to life as if waking up from a sleep. When he saw Citrangada, Babhruvahana and Ulupi he smiled and asked them why they had all come there. Ulupi then explained to him the story of the curse and extremely pleased over the end of the curse Arjuna took them all to Hastinapura.
(Maha-bharata Chapters 218 to 210 of Adi Parva and Chapters 79 to 82 of Asvamedha Parva, Maha-bharata).
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