Week 7: Reading Diary B

This week I chose to read Wilson's shortened version of the Mahabharata.  This version was interesting to me because there are no gods, celestial powers, or anything like that which we have seen in the past. This version strictly focuses on the humans, which I actually liked.  This version felt more modern and real to me.  The story begins with Pandu being dead and his blind brother becoming king.  Drona begins to train Pandu's sons (the Pandavas).  Once Drona felt the Pandavas had been adequately trained, he organized a tournament between them and their cousins, King Dhritarashtra's sons. The boys are engaging in pretty harmless battles, some getting a little out of hand but Drona keeping everything under control for the most part.

We then meet Karna, who challenges Arjuna, one of the most talented, to battle.  Nobody knows this Karna character, and he cannot even identify himself or his heritage or line of family when asked.  A charioteer then comes sweeping in and Karna bows to him as his father, which makes many of the boys furious, particularly Bhima.  However, after this little episode the boys come to realize just how powerful Karna must be and that he really is a fair match for Arjuna.

One of the major changes in the plot Wilson introduced was the story of Arjuna and Draupadi.  In this version, Kunti tells her son that he should not have won the prize after the archery contest and that it should go to her eldest son, Yudhishthira, making him the husband of Draupadi instead of Arjuna.  The previous version we read had Kunti declaring that all of the brothers should share the prize, making all five of her sons the husbands of Draupadi.

There were a few slight little changes in how and why the Pandavas were sent into exile, but this section stuck pretty close to the original.  The are sent to be exiled to the forest for 12 years, with the 13th year being spent in disguise.  Draupadi joins them.

Arjuna (wikimedia commons)

I loved the scene of Bhishma laying on his death bed telling Karna that the charioteer was only his foster father, and that he was actually Kunti's first born child.  Bhishma pleads for peace explaining that Arjuna is his brother, so they should not go through with battling each other, but Karna does not really care.  He is still determined he is going to bring him down.  However, upon an intense battle between the two, Arjuna eventually shoots the deadly bow to kill Karna.  I will likely base my story this week on this scene because I think it will go nicely with my theme.  I like the really dramatic scenes of the stories we read so I can elaborate on them and make them even more dramatic.

The Five Tall Sons by Wilson