Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part F

The Pandavas are called to play another game of dice and lose their kingdom and are exiled for thirteen years.

Krishna urged the Pandavas to fight back and declare war against the Kauravas. Yudhishthir disagrees and tells Krishna that the time for war is yet to come.

In the forest the Pandavas fight the rakshas Kirmira and defeat him in battle reminding the Pandavas of their strength and power. Krishna blesses the Pandavas and promises them his allegiance in war against the Kauravas.

Yudhishtir asked Arjun to leave for the Himalayas to perform austerities to please Shiva. Shiva disguised himself as a hunter and approached Arjun.  As he approached him a wild boar appeared at attached Arjun. Arjun lifted the bow and brought him down. Shiva has shot arrows and the same time and they fought about who killed it. Arjun shattered the hunter’s crown and because of this the hunter knocked Arjun out. Arjun prayed to Shiva and then realized the hunter was Shiva. Shiva gave him the bow and blessed him.

Urvashi confessed her love for Arjun and told him she wished to marry him. Arjun treated her like his mother and respected her for being superior to him. He asked for forgiveness and told her he couldn’t marry her. Urvashi was angry and cursed Arjun that he would not desire any women.

Urvashi meeting Arjun
Source

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part E

Arjun and Subhardra after he kidnaps her. Balram was angered by Arjun’s actions to kidnap her and ordered his army to destroy the Pandavas but Krishna stopped him and convinced him not to by explaining their love for each other.

Subhadra announced she was going to have Arjun’s baby named Abhimanyu. Arjun told Subhadra how to escape chakravyuh and the baby learned every word but because Subhadra fell asleep Arjun didn’t complete the story and Abhimanyu didn’t hear the end of the story.

Shishupal who insults Krishna and humiliates the pandavas interrupts the crowing of Yudhishthir. Krishna slays Shishupal and crowns Yudhishthir the king.

Duryodhan was embarrassed wanted revenge on the Pandavas. He couldn’t fight them so instead he decided to challenge Yudhishthir to a game of dice. He knew he wasn’t good and Shakuni was. Yudhishtir was suspicious but agreed to the challenge. Yudhishtir lost all his wealth and possessions and left with nothing.

After losing everything he wagered his brother Nakul, a powerful warrior. Yudhishthir lost and Nakul was lost to the Kauravas. He kept betting his brothers and losing. He was too obsessed to stop playing.  He then put himself at stake and lost himself to Shakuni.

Gambling Match
Source

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part D

Drupad announced that to win Draupadi in marriage, one had to watch the reflection of a revolving fish in a bowl of oil and shoot an arrow to penetrate the fish’s eye. None could even lift the bow until Arjun rose to string the bow. Arjuna fulfilled the challenge.

Karna tried the challenge but because he was the son of a charioteer Draupadi refused his do the challenge. He was humiliated and furious.

The pandavas were attached numerous times but fought them all off. Kunti, thinking the boys had brought food, told them to share what they had brought equally. Having brought Draupadi, they had to obey their mother’s orders and each marry Draupadi. Draupadi was also destined to have five husbands.

The pandavas have Vishwakarma build a beautiful palace and create the city of Indraprastha. The pandavas were warned by Narad that Draupadi might cause trouble among the brothers. They decided to give each brother one year being Draupadi’s wife. If some failed, they would be exiled for twelve years.

Arjun heard that there was a thief in Indraprastha. His weapons were in the palace and it wasn’t his turn with Draupadi. Arjun went into the chambers to get his bow to help the Brahmin. Arjun walked in and knew he was sentenced to twelve years in exile. Arjun still attacked the thieves and rescued the cows. He set out for exile with a group of Brahmins.

He set forth towards the Himalayas. They built shelters and lit fires. Arjun bathed in the holy water of the ganga river. When he was bathing, he was pulled down and opened his eyes to Ulupi. She told him he loved her. They spent months together on the lake until it was time for him to leave to head to Bharatvarsh.

He reaches Manalur where he marries Chirangadha who bears him a son. He then leaves and continues to travel. Krishna and Arjun spent days together at the Rivaataka Mountain. Arjun told Khrisna about his adventures. Krishna told Arjun to make Subhadra fall in love with him and then kidnap her. He abducted her on the day of the festival. He pulled her into the chariot and speed off. 

Arjun's Exile
Source

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part C

Karna’s mother told him that he had been found floating in a river in a basket. His armor and the rings on his ears had grown as he had grown. He sought to learn the art of war but is denied by all teachers because he was the son of a charioteer.

Parshuram agreed to teach Karna because he was a Brahmin like himself. When a scorpion stung Karna, he suffered silently so he would wake Parshuram from his name. When he awoke, he accused Karna of being a Kshatriya and cursed him that when he needed his skills the most, he would forget them.

 The Kaurava’s grew jealous of the Pandavas. The Kauravas told the Pandavas that their presence at a festival was important so they agreed to go. Duryodhana sent Purochan to build a beautiful palace of dry material that would burn easy. The plan was to set the palace on fire when the Pandavas fell asleep.

Vidura warned the Pandavas of the threat and to be prepared to escape. They realized that the palace was a trap and planned their escape. A minor worked for days to dig a tunnel into the forest. The Pandavas and Kunti escaped through the passage unharmed.

After traveling through the forest, the Pandavas and Kunti stop in the city of Ekachakra and disguise themselves as Brahmans. They begged for food and stayed in in a house of a scholar. Bakasur demanded each house deliver a cart of food and would eat the person. Bhim went to the deliver food to Bakasur and they fought. Bhim killed Bakasur and the city was freed.

Bhim Kills Bakasur
Source

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part B

Kunti is given the power to summon gods to get children. Kunti has a secret son from Surya, the sun god. Because she was unmarried, she sent the son in basket into the river.

While hunting, Pandu shot an arrow at a hermit couple while they were making love. The hermit cursed Pandu because of this and told Pandu that the moment he becomes intimate with a women, he will die.

Kunti called upon Yama, the god of virtue and patience. From him was the first son named Yudhidhthir. Then she called upon Vayu, the wind god and the second child was named Bhima and was known for strength and courage. The final god was Indra who gave her a son to be one of the greatest warriors. His name was Arjun.

Duryodhan, angry at the Pandava’s, ties Bhima up and pushes him into the lake. As he floated in the river, the snakes bit him. He fought off the snakes and killed them off. He fell into the realm of Vasuki who gave him the strength of a thousand elephants.

Bhima Fighting Snakes
Source

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part A

Shantanu fell in love with a fisherman's daughter and asked her to marry him. She refused him because she knew her children would never be kings. Shantanu became very unhappy and  Devavrata decided to go reason with the fisherman and his daughter for the sake of his fathers happiness. Devavrata begged the fisherman to let his daughter marry Shantanu. Devavrata vowed to never marry or father any children in front of the Gods and becomes Bhishma.

Amba pleads to be let go so she can return to the king she loves and Bhishma lets her go. When she returned, her king refused her and she was heart broken. She became determined to get revenge on Bhishma. Sage Parshuram fights Bhishma but fails to defeat him. This could be an interesting story to write this week. Using Amba's angry to write how she gains revenge on Bhishma. 

Satyavati had a child before meeting Shantanu. Vyas came when his mother summoned him and asked him to father the children of Ambika and Ambalika. They were afraid of Vyas because of his appearance. Because Ambika closed her eyes in fear, she was told her child would be born without eyesight. When Vyas took Ambalika into his arms, she turned pale with fear. Vyas told her the child would be born pale and in bad health. 

The three sons of Vyasa
Source

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part D

Arjuna and Karna began shooting arrows at one another while Krishna and Shalya guided their chariots. Karna’s arrow struck Arjuna’s bow and the bowstring was severed. The rules of battle state you can’t attack a disabled foeman but Karna didn’t stop. Then Karna’s chariot sank into the ground and he cried out to Arjuna not to wage in unequal war. But since he had not heeded when Arjuna’s bow needed to be restrung and had made several other unmanly actions as Krishna pointed out, Arjuna shot him bow and struck off Karna’s head.

As Draupadi mourns the death of her brother and her five sons, she demands to have the head of Ashwatthaman brought to her. Yudhidhthira explains that Ashwatthaman is a Brahmin and Vishnu will punish for his wrongdoing. Draupadi then demands that the great jewel of Ashwatthaman be taken from him. Arjuna found him and returned with the jewel.

Vyasa appeared before the Pandavas and told them their time to depart from the world had come. They took off their royal garments and jewels and put on garb of hermits, as did Draupadi. They walked toward the rising sun and one by one they fell by the way.

Arjuna Faces Karna
Source

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata, Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part C

The dwelling of Kubera, lord of treasure and king of yakshas was a palace of crystal and gold. It had high walls of jewels and gleaming ramparts and turrets adorned by dazzling streamers. There were gardens of bright flowers and trees accompanied by the song of bird. I think this would make for an interesting setting for a story. Maybe create my own characters and place them in this world. 

Indra wanted to protect Arjuna from Kunti so he decided to take the form of a Brahmin and stood before Karna during his worship of the sun. Indra demanded his armor and earrings but Karna knew it was Indra and demanded one invincible dart in return. Karna was then no longer invincible however secretly had the arrow of death intended for a single foe. 

Karna explains that he’s going into battle with Arjuna because if he doesn’t he will be seen as Arjuna’s inferior. He knows they must battle and that he will fall in this war but he is fighting for his friends.

Karna and Indra
Source

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata, Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part B

The Rakshasa, Hidimba lived in the forest that the Pandavas had escaped the burning house to. He smelt their flesh and ordered his sister to bring the sleeping men to him. The woman went to the men but fell in love with Bhima. She disguised herself as a human and offered to save Bhima and the rest from her brother. Bhima refused confident he could take Hidimba. Bhima slayed the rakshasa.

Drupada, hoping Arjuna would wed his daughter, Draupadi, announced that the man who could bend the bow and arrow and strike a golden fish in the eye would wed his daughter knowing Arjuna had the skills to do so. When Karna stepped forward to attempt the task, Draupadi refused to wed the son of a charioteer and Karna bitterly did not complete the task. Arjuna shoots the golden fish and fairly wins Draupadi.

In a previous life, Draupadi had begged Shankara to give her a husband. Because she asked him five times for a husband, Shankara granted her boons and told her when she was born again she would have five husbands. The gods declared that she wwould become the wife to all five of the Pandava brethren.

Arjuna broke the rules among the brothers that none shall enter if one of then was sitting beside Draupadi. He was exiled for 12 years where he met Ulupi and bore a child. When Ulupi parted ways she told Arjuna that any creature that lives in water should never conquer him. 

Arjuna went into the river and drug an alligator to shore. Once on shore the alligator became a lovely girl. She told him the story of her and her sisters being cursed by a  hermit and Prince Arjuna saved her sisters as well.

Bhima fights with Hidimba
Source

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata, Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.