Week 7 Reading Diary: Mahabharata

Reading Diary from Public Domain Edition: Mahabharata, Reading part B.

(Picture Source)

1. The house of Fire

-Vidura is the brother of Pandu and Shritarashtra, and in fact he is smarter than both of them. Unfortunately for Vidura his mother was a servant so he was never eligible to be king. He is a member of Shritarasthra’s court, but his locality lays with the sons of Pandu. 

2. Bhima and Hidimba

-Since the Pandava brothers lived in the wilderness with their mother Kunto before she brought them to live in Hastinpura, living in the wilderness again wont be so bad to them.  They do face many more dangers while living in hiding.

3. Bhima and Hidimbi

-This is strange but an intreasting twist that the love affair between Bhima and the rakshasi Hidimbi is a happy one!

4. Bhima and Baka

-Bhima fights and wins a battle against the rakshasa Hidimba, and now sets out to battle with an asura: Baka.  It’s cool that Bhima’s preferred weapon is mace, but that he is comfortable using a tree truck as well. 

5. Birth of Draupadi

- Pandavas are still living in hiding until news of Draupadi’s swayamwra brings them out of hiding. 

6. Draupadi’s Swayamwra

-So much swayamwaras going on

7.Wife of the Five Pandavas

- What lucky women Draupadi is to have all five Pandavas become her husbands. This is also very unusual.

8. The story of Nalayani

- Karma always comes around, and for having five husbands karma is bound to find you. 

9. Indraprastha

-Yudhishthira becomes a king in his own right, building a great royal stronghold at Indraprastha on the river Yamuna.

10. Arjuna and Uluop

-I don't blame Arjuna for breaking the rules of their living arrangements, but I don’t agree that he should be sent to exile for that.

11. Arjuna and the Apsaras

-Arjuna’s exile reminds me of a fairy. 

12. Arjuna and Chitra

-They marry and have a son, and he stays in Manipur and becomes king.

13. Arhuna and Subhadra

-Arjuna is cruching on Krishna, and ends up marrying Subhadra, who is Krshna’s sister.

14. The Burning of the Forest

-Famous adventure that Arjuna and Krishna have together.

15. Maya’s Palace

-Always ove when promises are kept, and Mayasura keeps hers and builds an amazing palace for the Pandavas.

16. The Pandavas Victorious

-Yudhishthira is now going to declare himself a supreme monarch by performing a Rahasuya sacrifice.  You've got to be pretty brave to do this. 

17.  Gambling Match

-I use to play the game Parcheesi when I was a child! Always a great game to play with dice to kill time in the summer.

18. Draupadi Lost

-it always ends with your fate, and Draupadi;s fate is on important and she protest eloquently and loufly about the events that take place in the gambling hall.

19. Draupadi in the Assembly Hall

- Bhima makes some pretty terrible oaths, and not the epic will be driven by the cycle of revenge.

20.  The Second Match

- Swashti- ancent symbol of good luck in India, which later was misappropriated by the Nazie, very interesting to me.