Sunday, September 24, 2017

Reading Notes; R. K. Narayan's Mahabharata, Part B

Indraprastha
I found it really shocking to find out the Kauravas actually wanted the Pandavas and their mother Kunthi dead. When the text said the two sides of the family were not fond of each other, I thought the Kauravas just wanted the Pandavas to step down and let Duryodhana be king. However, they actually tried killing them all! Even Kunthi, who didn't do anything wrong or vouch for anyone specifically. However, the Pandavas seem more agreeable and humble than the Kauravas at this point and I love how they constructed a beautiful city (Indraprastha) out of a simple desert. The Karuavas thought making the Pandavas go to a desert would make them upset, but they ended up doing the opposite, which obviously frustrated Duryodhana. Although Dhritarashtra seems to be a good man, he is torn between making each side of the family happy. Since Duryodhana is always the one to be upset and since nothing pleases him, Dhritarashtra is forced by his own conscience to give the oldest Kaurava brother whatever he needs. I could re-write this part of the epic in many ways. For one, I could have have Dhritarashtra not be blind; I think this handicap makes him vulnerable to many things; since he cannot see, he has to ask someone to recount what is happening and whenever they mention one of his sons or nephews being hurt, he immediately loses control of his emotions. So maybe if he was a King who could see, he would not need advice from others as much and maybe would not be influenced by Duryodhana's evil mind. 

The Dice
Sakuni is an evil mastermind when it comes to gambling with dice, it seems. He somehow gets Yudhishthira to gamble away all his possessions, even his brothers and his own wife! I thought that was extremely shocking because I thought Yudhishthira was intelligent and fit to be King. However, he was so engrossed in the game he did not realize what he was doing. He even comes back for a second game and has his whole family exiled for 13 years, which brought quite the twist into the story. I have been wanting to do a Lion King themed story sometime, so maybe this is the time to do it, as there is another form of exile. Simba could be Yudhishthira, he could have 4 brothers and a wife who he takes care of along the way. I'm not really sure yet, but it might just work!

Krishna
I have been waiting to see how Krishna finds his way into the Mahabharata, so I was excited to see him appear and would like to see how exactly he influences the rest of the story. I feel like I could write a lot about Krishna and his work with the Pandavas. 

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata, Part B.

Source: A picture of Indraprastha from the Mahabharata story told in a Youtube video.

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