Extra Credit Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

Hello VagaBuddies!

Finally, after much anticipation, I finished the Mahabharata! Things got pretty crazy here in real life (or IRL as the bloggers say). Not to date this blog or anything, but I am currently writing this post while in quarantine for coronavirus! Scary! But also a good time to catch up on readings, because it is important to finish the story!  Here are some thoughts on the thrilling conclusion of the Mahabharata!

Where I left off in my last post (soooooo sooooo long ago), Yudhisthira and crew were starting their final and hardest year of exile: spending a year undercover in a city. With their silly disguises, they almost get caught so many times. Arjuna reveals himself to the boastful prince in order to save them both from an attack by Karna, and Yudhisthira is accidentally cut during a moment of anger from the King. Apparently (which I say because it was never mentioned before), if Yudhisthira's blood is spilled on the ground, a huge curse is put on the one who caused the wound. So Draupadi had to act quickly and catch the blood before it reached the ground. Phew!

Arjuna and prince fighting Arjuna | paperstand.blogspot

One of the wilder parts of the big between the Pandavas and Duryodhana and crew is how they took down Drona, the old teacher of the Pandavas. To do this, they named an elephant after Drona's son, killed it, and then loudly proclaimed its death. Drona even asked Yudhisthira (who can't lie I guess?) if it was true, to which he replied, "yes," and then under his breath, "the elephant." This deception made Drona let down his guard for a moment in which someone else could come kill him. WILD

Overall, I thought the battle was meh. A good amount of action, but there were so many names that it was hard to really care about anyone in particular.

I also thought it was a bit selfish of Yudhisthira, whom I had consistently respected up to this point, to try to refuse the crown in favor of an ascetic life. He literally fought a war and then decided it wasn't worth it. Nice dude. I'm glad that Krishna was there to set him straight. It was also interesting to read how all the main characters passed, too. In the last couple pages, we saw how everyone else got their dignified deaths, and Yudhisthira actually just was raised into heaven.

Anyway, I am really glad I finished the Mahabharata, and, if forced to decide between recommending the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, it would be the Ramayana if for nothing else than the absolute gem of a character of Hanuman (What a hunk!)

Buon Voyage!






Mahabharata. Narayan. R.K. pp 131-179

Week 7 Story: The Case of the Kidnapped Detectives

Film Noir scene: GavTrain

You look out the window. It's raining. Again. It's always raining in this lousy town. You set down  your whiskey on rocks and light up a cigar just to take a big long puff. You exhale slowly. It may be nine in the morning, but you have a feeling it's going to be a long day. 

Your phone on the table starts ringing. You flip it open to see the police commissioner's number flash on the small screen.
"Flynn," the police chief showed stress and worry even in saying your name, "we need you."
"I've been out of the force for years. I'm a PI now, Dirk. You got your own boys to do the detective work." You couldn't understand why the police would need you. They had four detectives that all had outstanding records.
"They're all missing, Yuddy." The chief now used your nickname from back in the day. Yuddy, they called you. You hadn't heard that in years. "Some new criminal has kidnapped all of them. We only really noticed when Archie's gun was left on his table over the weekend."
Archie was the best shot this side of the Mississippi. Brains to boot, too. If they had him then they were clever.
"What about Billy?" You asked. Billy did a bit of heavyweight boxing in his spare time. It'd take a mountain to bring that guy down. You were always glad he was on your side.
"He got taken too. Like I said, we need you." The police chief's voice would seem calm to anyone else, but you noticed the small shake at the end of his sentences.
You sigh, wait a moment before responding.
"Of course, Dirk. I'll bring our boys back home. Send me everything you got."
-
You received too many folders and papers and files to count, but you organized the victims at least.
#4: Billy
Amateur heavyweight, strong with a good head, but no genius.
#3: Archie
Passed the academy with the highest marks ever seen, but decided to stay in the town instead of moving to a bigger city. Was never the manliest guy, but had more than enough tricks to put you on your ass in a fight.
#2: Nathanial
The more handsome twin. Grew up on a farm. Hard outdoorsy type, like horses and week-long backpacking trips outdoorsy type. Great survival skills and good smarts.
#1: Solomon.
The other twin. The first victim. When his brother went out into the woods, he spent his time with the barnyard animals. Always had a knack with his hands. Happy go lucky but a little reckless sometimes.

As you look through some of the recent text messages the boys from the lab were able to pull of their phones remotely, you notice Solomon sending a strange message to his brother.
Come to the Blind King.
Seemed a little too blunt to be the yuppy kid you knew. You decide that this bar on the edge of town would be the best place to start your investigation.
----------------------------

Author's Note:
The scene at the lake where Yudhishthira was tested by his father Yama really captivated me in the Mahabharata. I liked the idea of Yudhishthira trying to win his brother's back, and slowly this idea morphed into a crime noir novel. It was an interesting style that I had yet to try and I thought it fit well with this story! I had a little bit of fun characterized the Pandevas brother's and putting their most notable qualities into a crime noir setting (Yidhishthira = Flynn/Yuddy; Bhima = Billy; Arjuna = Archie; Nakula = Nathanial; Sahadeva = Solomon). I didn't have much details to go off for Nakula and Sahadeva, so I added a few details about personality or hobbies to flesh out the 'victims' more. Also, I noticed quickly though that the story was getting a little long, so I decided to cut it after the first clue, leaving the story off on a cliff-hanger (like the real crime noir serials!). Maybe I'll continue this story next week, maybe not, who knows??

Mahabharata. Narayan. R.K. pp 85-131

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part C

Hello VagaBuddies!

The Mahabharata is kicking off! But before I get to the things I didn't like, I want to again go into how much I dislike King Dhritarashtra. He again did a lot of wishy-washy coward-like things such as not yielding to the Pandevas like he should, and ignoring Vidura's advice on how to proceed. However,  he did have a slight redemption in that he realizes his own incompetence, and literally tells Vidura "I am helpless (around my son Duryodhana)." Even if he isn't able to actually make the tough decisions, I at least respect him for recognizing his fate and his weaknesses.

Pandavas in Hiding comic book cover by Anant Pai: Amazon

One story that I really enjoyed in this reading was the story of Yudhishthira's test by his father Yama at the lake. It was a little comical that four of the brothers would all drink the water and "die" (I also don't think they actually die, but get knocked out or go unconscious or something, because that makes more sense). Normally all the brothers being foolish would annoy me, but it seemed at least plausible that someone who was so thirsty wouldn't listen to a random voice on a lake. AND, it also sets Yudhishthira up to be super wise and clever, which I enjoyed. I like stories that involved someone being clever. It also felt justified and logical that it was Yama, the god of Dharma and death, and Yudhishthira's father, to test him. This was also a good way to receive the boon of being incognito for their year in the city without it feeling like it was undeserved or anything! 

Speaking of living in the city, I laughed out load at the part where the brothers and Draupadi were choosing their jobs for the next year. When Yudhishthira announced that he wanted to play dice with the king, I could literally picture exactly the look of doubtful skepticism from each of the brothers and wife! After he had gotten them into exile in the first place with his gambling problem, it was funny to see Yudhishthira go right back to the dice.  

Can't wait to finish the story!

VagaBuon Voyage!

Mahabharata. Narayan. R.K. pp 85-131

Extra Credit Reading: Narayan's Mahabharata B

Hello VagaBuddies!

This week I am covering the second reading of the Mahabharata, Part B! This reading was even crazier than the first reading, covering everything from polygamy to dangerous games of dice to magic bowls of limitless food... also beta-male kings.
King Dhritarasthtra really annoyed me in this reading. He seemed quite powerful and wise and good. earlier in the story, but now he is just weak, easily manipulated, and incompetent; a classic beta-male. I really just wanted King Dhritarasthtra to take a stand, even if it was against the main characters, the Pandavas. Instead he just bent to the will of whomever he was talking to, usually his son Duryodhana. Duryodhana, meanwhile, is a selfish jerk that is bent on revenge, refusing to follow any good advice that doesn't involve hurting the Pandavas. For someone who was supposed to be a really good king, Dhritarasthtra does not seem to be a very good or powerful king now.

Another thing that bothered me about this reading was Yudhishthira's baaaddd gambling addiction. For someone who is supposed to be the wisest of the Pandevas siblings, as well as the leader of the group, I would have assumed him to be impervious or at least resistant to foolish actions like that. Instead, he seems to go against his characterization and gamble away everything he has, including his kingdom, brothers, and wife. Even if it is disrespectful to decline a game invitation, Yudhishthira could have simply played a few rounds at lower stakes and then ended the game early. That would fulfill his obligations as a member of the kshatriya class, while also making the smart decision.

Surya offering Yudhishthira the bowl of limitless food: NY/NJ Bengali

Basically, I dislike characters that make foolish decisions. In this reading, even though he was more vengeful and morally bad, I liked Duryodhana much better, because he was clever and was able to abuse Yudhishthira's weaknesses in order to win. But also he refused to take smart advice, which was not a smart decision.
VagaBuon Voyage for now.

Mahabharata. Narayan. R.K. pp 41-83

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part A

Hello VagaBuddies,

This week we ventured away from the Ramayana and into another classic piece of Indian epic literature: The Mahabharata.
Before I started reading though, I needed to pick what version I wanted to read! I settled on Narayan's Mahabharata, mostly because I had access to a physical copy from a friend. I enjoy reading physical copies of books because it's a lot easier to take it around with you and not have to worry about internet access, charging, etc. In addition, reading from a computer has a good chance of letting you get distracted by other assignments, games, incoming emails, etc, so a book seems to be a good option!

The actual reading for this week was very name heavy. It felt like the beginning of the Ramayana all over again, but so much worse. The fact that there was one king, then a first generation of princes and kings, then another generation of princes and kings, and then finally the generation of the Pandavas (5 brothers of various godly fathers; main characters) and the Kauravas (Duryodhana and the hundred other sons of the blind king Dhritarasthtra), was just too much too handle. This is also not even mentioning all the other confusing intertwining stories such as Ganga drowning the first seven sons in the first generation of princes and kings, Karna being set adrift in the river, and other small side stories. It's so hard to keep straight!

Family Tree in the Mahabharata: Mythical Musings on Blogger

I actually originally found this image as part of this reading, but it is actually so good that I will continue to use it as a reference for further on in this story. Glad I found it!

In terms of stories that I liked, I enjoyed the story of the sage/trainer Drona's revenge against his childhood friend. I can appreciate a good revenge arc, and I thought that Drona was very morally good in this to leave his old friend alive and take half his kingdom, using his own words of being equals against him. Definitely foolish because I think that will be another source of tension and conflict in this already complicated web of relationships, but moral nonetheless. I also enjoyed the secrecy and spy-themes throughout the story, exemplified best in the Pandavas' escape from the burning house. So exciting! 

Since I had such a good time reading the Ramayana, I am excited to get invested in this story too, and the names (although super difficult) are slowly getting set in my mind! 

VagaBuon Voyage!

Narayan, R.K. "The Mahabharata" pp. 1-39