The irony of an enslaved Brahmin
For Arjun, there is no greater irony than his own demotion. He feels he has been demoted, but the irony of the novel is that actually, in the fullness of time, his enslavement to fate is like Joseph's from Biblical folklore—temporary pain and frustration for a future of unimaginable autonomy and self-mastery. What else would a Brahmin want than for their potential to be fully manifest? Secretly, Arjun's painful fate is the very most ideal kind he could have asked for—he just doesn't know it yet.
The irony of a blissful slavery
Not only that, but the quality of his slavery is strangely sublime. He spends many hours training, which gives a kind of mental clarity and peace which anyone could attest to who has done some technical, intensive kind of exercise regularly. He cares for elephants by day, which is a smelly, difficult job, but it represents absolute union with nature. What could be more pure than caring for nature in tangible ways? And his reward is a kind of bond with the elephant—union with time and nature.
The powerful slave
Over time, the daily emotional discipline of overcoming mental health issues (from trauma and loss), combined with the daily physical disciplines of hard, humbling work, and martial art—they start to add up to something new. Ironically, this slave, who has been stripped of his privilege and his advantages, is now becoming an autonomous being who can truly conquer evil. Why? Because his real slavery kept him from veering far from his discipline, but evil-doers are typically not as skillful or disciplined, so Arjun easily defeats them by daily practice.
The accidental hero
Arjun wants to rescue his sister, but instead, he saves many sisters, but not his own. He becomes a local legend for his brilliant fights against evil. He conquers foes and instills hope in the hearts of his community, and since he is only a slave (people don't know he was originally a Brahmin), he gives hope to everyone. Strangely, his exclusive opinion at the beginning of the novel has become an inclusive kind of hope. He is an accidental hero. While pursuing the interests he felt for love, he accidentally did a long string of good works in the process.
The irony of freedom
What is freedom? That is the question the novel leaves as its aftertaste. Is Arjun free or not? Is there anything about his life that has been taken away from him by slavery? The challenging, but inspiring message of the novel is clear. By desiring higher fates, heroes are not born. Only by learning to sacrifice for love's purposes, by practicing emotional and physical discipline, could Arjun have risen above the imaginary limitations of his daily life. But in the end, he has never become free of his fate, it seems, because he is returned to his slavery.
