Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Week 6 Reading Diary: PDE Mahabharata

This weeks reading portion of the PDE Mahabharata started to get really interesting. Here are some of my favorite moments:

I thought the story of Riddles at the Lake from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913) was a very interesting story. It was interesting that all of the Pandava brothers besides Yudhishthira just ignored the voice, which turned out to be Dharma, that told them to stop before they drank. This story seemed more closely related to the fable genre because it had a moral to be drawn from it.


I really like the drama that is unfolding between the rivalry between Arjuna and Karna. Karna seems to really hate Arjuna, but it seems like they are both just wanting to fight the other for selfish reasons (the glory and recognition of defeating a powerful warrior).


I also really liked that Indra came to try and get Karna's armor so that his son, Arjuna, would have its protection and to weaken Karna so that he could be destroyed. Karna says the armor is part of his body, but he proceeds to cut it off of his own flesh in exchange for a celestial weapon. The weapon Indra gave to Karna was an invincible dart that could be used only once, which I bet plays a pivotal role later on in the Mahabharata. This is the story was Indra and Karna from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).

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