Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Part B

As we get deeper and deeper into the Mahabharata, the stories are getting more and more extravagant and complex. It is hard to keep up with everyone, but I am enjoying reading this great Indian epic.

In the first story for this weeks reading, we read about the house fire and that was an incredible story. There was so much detail that went into the story about how the house was set up for failure through flames from the very beginning. It is so sad to think that someone hated someone so much that not only are they willing to kill them, but their innocent family as well. I love that they were able to escape from the flames though all thanks to a secret tunnel. I am very excited to see how this gets resolved since everyone thinks that they are dead.

I also really liked that this story included a Swayamwara just like the Ramayana had. It makes it very clear that this is how women's husbands were chosen back in these ancient times in India, and around the world. It was very fascinating how no one expected anything from the Pandavas brothers since they were disguised as Brahmins, but they eventually proved them all wrong.

As I was reading through this part of the Mahabharata, I was using this reading to get some ideas for my retelling for this week. Here are a few of the things I came up with:

21. House of Fire

• I could rewrite the story to where Kunti and her sons did not escape and survive the fire
• I could write where instead of being trapped inside a burning house, they were trapped inside of a maze

25. Birth of Draupadi

• I could write about Kunti and her family's journey from one of her son's perspective, but I could make this boy a young boy around the age of 6 or 7

28. Wife of the Five Pandavas

• I could write how instead of sharing a wife, the brothers share a car

31. Arjuna and the Apsaras

• I could write how the water nymphs were trying to get a married man while her was at the club for his friends Bachelor party

32. Arjuana and Chitra

• I like how this story was told strictly with dialogue and this is something I could implement into my writings

38. Draupadi Lost

• I like how this story was written in rhyme and this is something I could possibly use in the future

Bibliography

Public Domain Mahabharata, link to Reading Guide B

Picture of a Burning House, Web Source