The symbolism of the relief supports two stories and both stories were in­ter­preted in a manner
flat­ter­ing to the Pallavas; the heroic Arjuna as a symbol of the rulers, and the Ganges as a
symbol of their purifying power. Arjuna's Penance is a story from the Mahabharata of how Arjuna,
one of the Pandava brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain Shiva's weapon. The
idea, which pervades Hindu philosophy, is that one could obtain, by self-mortification, enough
power even to overcome the gods.