Storytelling: An Exclusive Interview with the Vahanas

“Hello, everybody and welcome to the show!  As your host tonight, I’ll be conducting a few interviews with the deities’ vahanas!  I’m sure you’ve often wondered what it would be like to be the vehicle of a god!  Now we have the mounts themselves here to answer questions!”

“First up we have Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vahana!  Nandi, how are you today?”

The elaborately painted white bull snorted and tossed his head.  “Same old, same old.  I’ve been guarding Shiva’s palace for the past three thousand years, give or take a few hundred.  Stuff gets old.  I used to think it was so exciting working for Shiva, you know?  But now I’m bored.”

“Bored?  Really?  I thought demons attacked all the time!  I mean I know Ravana did . . .”

“Ha!  Demons don’t scare me, especially not Ravana!  He practically ran after I cursed him, but anyway Ravana’s old news.  Haven’t had anything nearly that heart-pounding in a thousand years.”  The bull shook his head sadly.

“Wow, I had no idea.  Have you considered maybe leaving Shiva’s service to find something a little more suited to you?”

“No!  Absolutely not!”  Nandi beat his hooves on the ground.  “I could never leave Lord Shiva!  He saved me when I had nothing and has been nothing but helpful.  Maybe it is getting monotonous now but I would never leave him.”

“Such devotion!  How did that come about?”

“I used to be a human, actually.  When I was only a young boy, two sages visited my father.  They told him that I would not have a long life.  My father was extremely alarmed but didn’t know what to do.  He broke down and told me what they had said.  I told him not to worry and that Lord Shiva would protect me.  So, I prayed to Lord Shiva every day, and finally he rewarded my devotion with a boon.  I asked that I be allowed to pray for one more year for him.  When that year ended, I asked for the same boon, and again and again.  Finally, Lord Shiva recognized my devotion and made me an immortal bull that was sworn to protect his home forever.  And that is why I will never leave him, no matter what happens.”

The host wiped away a tear surreptitiously.  “That was beautiful, thank you, Nandi.  It was great hearing from you.”  The bull inclined his head and walked off the stage.

“Next we have Airavata, the last winged elephant and the mount of Indra!  Airavata, how did you come into Indra’s service?”

The winged elephant gracefully folded his wings behind his back and gestured with his trunk.  “My story is very similar to Nandi’s, in that Indra too showed me great mercy.  I was grievously injured after a battle with a rakshasa, and Indra found me and saved me.  In return, I will serve him for the rest of my life.”

“I am sure he does not regret his decision.  Now, there have many been many rumors surrounding your birth or creation.  So, let’s clear this up for the viewers.  What is your actual origin story?”

The elephant chuckled.  “It may be less interesting than you hoped.  I was not born from the churning of the Ocean of Milk as some believe.  Nor is my mother Iravati as the Ramayana claims.  In fact, I emerged along with 7 other brothers and sisters from an egg at the dawn of time.  Brahma himself watched over our hatching and birth.”

“Forgive me if I’m too forward, but what happened to your brothers and sisters?  You are the last winged elephant left, are you not?”

Airavata sighed.  “Yes, it’s true.  Unfortunately, one of my siblings offended a sage.  Enraged, the sage proclaimed that he and his kind would never fly again.  He only spared me because I was the king of elephants and Indra’s mount.”

“I’m so sorry for what happened, and thank you for telling us about it.  It was great hearing from you today, Airavata.”

“Thank you for having me,” the elephant rumbled as he left the stage.

“Finally, our last guest!  Mushika, mount of Ganesh, welcome!”

“It’s great to be here,” the giant mouse squeaked.

“Now, Mushika, I’m sure you know what my first question will be.  Just how did you become the mount of Ganesh?”

The mouse laughed.  “Well, my story is a bit different from the others.  You see, I was actually a rakshasa originally.  I wasn’t a good, devoted person at all.  In fact, I got into a lot of trouble.  Well, one day Ganesh was fed up with my nonsense.  He decided to put a stop to my bad behavior and captured me with a golden lasso.”

“Wow, what a story!  So, what made you decide to continue following Ganesh?  Would you go back to being a rakshasa?”

“Hell no,” Mushika said.  “I love being Ganesh’s vahana.  Sure I have a bit less freedom than I did before, but I have so many more privileges.  I can go anywhere with Ganesh, and he depends on me a lot too.  It’s not one-sided like a lot of people think.  I give him power to control useless thoughts.  Plus, all of the gods have to bow down before me too.  It’s pretty great.  I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“Thank you for that incredible insight on what it’s like to be a vahana!  It was wonderful having you on the show tonight, Mushika.”

“It was a pleasure being here.”  The mouse scampered off the stage.

“Thanks for tuning in folks!  Next week, I’ll be back with the consorts of the gods!  Ever wanted to hear Sarasvati or Lakshmi’s perspective?  Now you’ll get the chance, next Wednesday 8:00 central!”

Nandi and Lord Shiva.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  At the end of Divine Beings, they had a little section about all of the vahanas of the different gods, and I was so intrigued!  It was so cool to hear about how the gods rode around on them and how they could even give them more powers like Mushika said!  The little backstories that the mounts themselves say are all taken from the graphic novel.  The rumors about Airavata's birth are from the different retellings of his creation.  The part about Mushika liking the gods bowing to him is from his time as a rakshasa where he offended a sage, who cursed him to be a giant mouse.  The sage later relented and told him that the gods would eventually bow down to him, which they did as he was the mount of Ganesh.  Airavata's sibling's story is also from a myth!  One of the winged elephants tried to perch on a tree but broke the branch and fell on a sage who cursed him to lose his wings.  Airavata was only spared because he was the king of the elephants (I put in that he was also the mount of Indra but at that time he wasn't yet).  All the rest is directly from the graphic novel!

Bibliography:  Divine Beings.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Divine Beings Part B

• I wonder why the asuras weren't allowed to get to heaven by building the altar?  It shows their dedication at least although I guess it's cheating a little bit.
• Why were the rest turned into spiders while only the top got to be dogs and guard the gates of Yama?  Why them?  Also why spiders?
• That sage seems like a jerk.  It's not the elephant's fault that it fell on you!
• Airavata is cool though.  He is so loyal!  I'm glad he got his wish at the end and didn't have to suffer.  Shiva seems like a nice god, always helping out his loyal followers.
• Apparently there are two versions of the Gandaberunda and Sharabha story?  One has Gandaberunda as the one who loses sight of his purpose and begins rampaging, while the other story has Sharabha as the attacker.  I think it's really interesting that there can be two versions of the same story with the protagonists switched!  I really wonder how that came to be.
• Also it seems a little weird that Vishnu's avatar could just randomly change into a two-headed bird, but I guess it was because he was a god?
• I liked the descriptions at the end of some important deities' vehicles!  I liked the illustrations showing the gods on their vahanas as well.
• Speaking of the illustrations, they were all fantastic and I always love looking at the depictions of the beasts.

Airavata.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Divine Beings.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Divine Beings Part A

• Oh my gosh, the beginning of this was brutal!  It starts off with the story of Jatayu, the great bird-man that helped Rama find Sita by attacking Ravana while he tries to steal Sita and then staying alive until Rama reaches him to tell him who kidnapped Sita.  His backstory is so sad though!  He and his brother were flying around one day until they happened too close to the path of the sun god, who was being driven by their father (not really sure how a humanoid god has two bird-men as children, but I digress).  Their father knew that if he swerved to avoid his sons, the world would be thrown out of order, so he had to stay the course.  Sampati, Jatayu's older brother, saw what was going to happen, and to protect his younger brother, he flew in front of Jatayu and took the brunt of the force.  He fell to earth and his wings burned up, and he was never able to fly again.  Jatayu searched for his brother, but they never saw each other again.  I almost cried this story was so sad!  I just hope that when they died they met each other again.  And the father too, how he must have felt!  So sad :(
• Apparently, Jatayu also met Rama's father?  He helped the king confront a god who was giving the kingdom a famine for some unexplained reason.  Maybe he was bored?  Who knows, but anyway, that was when Jatayu pledged himself to help Rama's family for as long as he lived and why he was obliged to protect Sita later on.
• The next being, Nandi, started off human, but his devotion to Shiva led the god to turn him into a divine bull.
• Nandi guarded Shiva's home and was intensely loyal.  Once when Shiva was drinking poison to save the world (the other gods were churning the waters of the sea for amrita), Nandi drank the poison that fell from Shiva's lips and because he was so devoted to Shiva, he was also granted immunity from the poison.
• I found it interesting that Nandi's father wished for a child from Shiva and then basically devoted the child to Shiva.  Later, the boy is visited by sages who say he doesn't have long to live but then because he continually prayed to Shiva he became immortal.  I wonder what happens to the father though.  He's never mentioned again, but I bet he'd be pretty proud of his son.
• Nandi is also marginally involved in the Ramayana!  Ravana tries to go see Shiva but is turned away by Nandi.  He insults Nandi and calls him a monkey.  Enraged, Nandi curses Ravana to be defeated by an army of monkeys, which comes true when Hanuman and his army takes Lanka.  I think it's so cool that so many things relate back to the epics we read!

Jatayu fighting Ravana.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Divine Beings.  Reading Guide.

Extra Credit Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part F

• I like the way she did the one scene when Draupadi has to try and be accepted into Virat's court with only the wife talking and just us imagining what she's saying.
• Keechnak is such a creep and the way his sister just justifies it and says oh just let it happen is infuriating.  I'm glad Bhima killed him although maybe that was a bit too far.
• The big battle is finally happening!  I was really wondering how they were going to show all of the battle since Draupadi can't really be in all the places at once to show us what's happening, so I like how she did it with her also having the sight like Sanjay.
• I feel so bad for Uttara!  This war is going to be awful for her, and also for so many other people too!  So many people will die and for what?  I am glad that Draupadi does feel some remorse but too little too late.
• Hearing Arjuna talk about how honorable the war will be made me sad.  It's like how boys think war is such a great and honorable thing until they're actually in one and then they realize that it's messy and complicated and bloody.  They've all been in wars before so I wonder why they don't already know this.
• Poor Karna too!  Having Draupadi see his conversation with Kunti and kind of grasp what happened was a nice touch, so she can finally understand some more of his motivations.
• I like the way she glossed over the Bhagavad Gita part with Krishna because it's been told so many times and I appreciate that she didn't feel the need to excessively narrate all of it.

Kuruksheta War.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Extra Credit Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part E

• I can't put this book down so I thought I'd go ahead and finish it for extra credit since I have some more time this week.
• What happened with Draupadi because of Yudhishthira was so painful!  Much worse hearing her thoughts because basically only Krishna came to her aid and her supposedly powerful husbands could do nothing.  I can kind of understand why she became so bitter and hateful after this.
• Ugh Karna and Draupadi make me so angry.  Why can't Draupadi just be nice!  I can understand because Kunti was right there and she kind of suspected but still just say the normal things and she can't really say anything.  And then at the dice game I can see why she didn't want to beg for his mercy but she didn't have to look at him like she hated him!  I don't know I just feel like it's becoming increasingly harder for the author to justify Draupadi's behavior towards Karna in terms of her love for him.
• Although Karna is not entirely blameless either!  He could have been nicer to her face instead of just whispering about how she's "noble and beautiful."
• The slow transformation of Draupadi from happy, headstrong young girl to bitter, vengeful woman was very well done!  It goes so slowly and naturally that I didn't even really notice that she was changing.  It was only at the end that it becomes very obvious with how she can't take pleasure in anything and only lives for revenge.
• Poor Bhima :(.  He loves Draupadi but she'll never love him.  Even in the original I think they always made it seem like she preferred Arjuna.
• They didn't really include that time that Arjuna accidentally walked in on Draupadi and Yudhishthira and banished himself for 7 years.  I feel like that might have affected their relationship some so I wonder why she didn't include it.

Draupadi and the Pandavas in exile.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part D

• The story for how the Pandavas built their palace was a bit more fleshed out in this version.  It includes a magical architect Maya that Arjuna saves when they burn down the forest.  In gratitude, he helps them design and build the Palace of Illusions.  I had no idea that they had somebody else help them build it!  How was he able to do all of the illusions that were in there?
• So I think Draupadi was around 15 or so when she was first married to the Pandavas and it says that she spends a decade in the Palace of Illusions before Duryodhana visits.  That means she's still only 25!  And she already has 5 sons!
• I'm a little surprised that she doesn't seem to care much about her sons.  I mean I suppose in the Mahabharata she's not really mentioned in connection with her sons, but still I would have thought she would love them more.
• I don't like her kind of jealous and vengeful attitude towards the other wives.  I guess it's understandable to want them to all love her, but I wish she would work with them more rather than thinking she needs to control all of her husbands.  And her "fights" with Kunti too!  I wish they would get along better.
• It's so funny hearing them talk about Krishna like oh he's just a normal guy, minor king, haha.  Narad says that Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu and none of them can believe it!  I suppose it would be like hearing one of my friends was actually a god, but I just think it's hilarious that none of them really notice that he's divine.
• I like how Draupadi's love for Karna makes some of the decisions and things she does make a bit more sense especially with some of the things like going to see Duryodhana for the game.
• Speaking of which, I can kind of understand why Draupadi froze up when Duryodhana fell into the lake but still!  I would think that kind of response would be automatic after practicing at being courteous all the time.

Indraprastha.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part C

• Finally we're getting more into the exciting part of the Mahabharata!  I can't wait to see how Draupadi will deal with married life and also the bet.
• She still constantly thinks about what might have been with Karna and that's probably not good for her marriage.
• I really like how they did the slow reveal of Arjuna being her husband.  If you're familiar with the story, you know what's going to happen but if you're not, you could still pretty much figure out who the mystery brahmin was.
• The cute touching moment between Arjuna and Draupadi where he helps her out is great.  I wish they had just been able to be happy together maybe that would have worked out better.  Then again, even without that Arjuna seems pretty selfish and unthinking just making her walk like that.
• I don't know if this is the author's actual attitude but I really hate how she always has Draupadi thinking that she needs to do things a woman's way otherwise she won't be able to accomplish anything which seems like a strange way to think.  Maybe Draupadi wouldn't have made Arjuna like her more if she'd have said hey I need to rest, but he would have learned that she demands respect and doesn't just submit meekly.
• I wish Kunti had liked Draupadi more.  I think that would have been nice if they had learned to work together but I suppose it seems very "realistic" to have the hated mother-in-law figure.
• Yudhishthira always seemed overly perfect to me too so I'm glad even Draupadi comments on how perfect and calm and unshakable he is.  Too eerie in my opinion.
• The representation of Bheeshma is pretty great.  He definitely seems like the cunning grandfather type because he knows how to sway people but does love his grandsons a lot.
• I'm definitely getting the Game of Thrones vibe from this telling of the Mahabharata!  Draupadi is going to have to get better at scheming and hiding her feelings.

Iron Throne.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Storytelling: Resistance is Futile

You stand at a fork in the road.  The trees whisper, “Which shall it be?”

Karna lifts the bow easily, smugly, and turns to the crowd.

“You are not worthy to compete!” the king bleats.

“I have as much a right as anyone here,” Karna declares, nocking an arrow lazily.  “Have I not passed the first test?”

The king dares not say a word, but beside her, her brother reaches for his sword.

You choose the left path with its convenient gravel walkway and shady trees.

She steps forward, startling the crowd into silence.  As she lifts her veil, she tosses her hair back, and no man can resist following the movement.

“And, pray tell,” she smiles, “what the name of your father is?  If you may become my future husband, I should know such important details of your lineage, don’t you think?”

The assembly begins to snicker, as Karna’s face burns like the sun.  He throws the bow on the ground.

“Mark my words, princess,” he sneers.  “You will regret this moment for the rest of your life.”

She laughs.  After all what does she have to fear from the son of a charioteer?

She thinks she knows what he meant when they shame her in front of the court and try to humiliate her as she did him.

It’s only later, years later, when she knows what he truly meant, when her brother is dead, when her father is dead, when millions have died.

All for the sake of her pride.

You choose the right path.  It’s a little muddy, but there’s a nice view of the lake.

She squeezes her brother’s hand as she steps forward.

“What is the harm in letting him compete?” she says.  “The bow has clearly shown that he is worthy enough.  Let him try for the target as any one of you here would.”

Karna’s eyes are grateful, the arrogant façade stripped away.  His smile is only for her.

And when he hits the target, her smile is the only one he sees.

But even love does not exist alone, and there are others who feel insulted, alliances that must be changed, and advisors that must be consulted.

Her father and her brother are forced to change sides because of her.

But others do not, and even without her, the wheel turns.

The bet is still made, but she is not at stake this time.

Grudges are still held, and there is less sorrow for her at the beginning but more at the end.

For she still loses it all:  her husband, her brother, and her father.

And this time she is not on the winning side.

You choose to go back.  Why choose now when you can choose later?

There’s ashes in her mouth when she speaks, and she knows she’ll remember this moment for the rest of her life.

“I am flattered that you would choose to vie for my hand, Karna,” she says, her solemn eyes looking only at him.

“But my father does not want me to go so far away.  He wants his dearest daughter nearby, and I could not refuse him.  As it is my swayamvar, I am allowed to choose who I marry.  These challenges merely screen people and find worthy husbands, but it is my own right to choose among them.  Therefore, I will not be able to choose you, Karna, although I am dearly gladdened by your choosing to compete.”

Karna opens and closes his mouth.  There is nothing he can say to this without being ungracious, and so he nods and puts down the bow.

She thinks the crisis has been averted and congratulates herself for her kind words.

She marries others, but the bet is still made.

There is no less humiliation in store for her, and she burns to punish them, and her vengeance undoes them.

She finds herself alone again, at the end of her life.

“How could I have stopped this?” she cries to the gods, and they reply, “You couldn’t have.”

Arjuna at Draupadi's swayamvar.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  After reading the first third of The Palace of Illusions, I was very intrigued by Draupadi and wanted to write from her point of view.  I just got to the swayamvar and it presents an interpretation where Draupadi was actually interested in Karna and only insulted him because she was afraid he would kill her brother.  So, I began wondering what would have happened if Draupadi had married Karna rather than the Pandavas.  I came to the conclusion that not much would change as the Kauravas and Pandavas would still hate each other and they were only waiting for a spark to set them ablaze.  This made me think of the short story "The Roads of Destiny" by O. Henry where a young poet decides to leave home and comes across three paths.  Although he encounters very different things with the different paths he chooses, the end result is always the same for him.  I wanted to incorporate that idea of seemingly being able to choose and yet still ending up with the same result in Draupadi's story.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part B

• :( I was waiting for the author's interpretation of Draupadi's swayamvar where she insults Karna and becomes married to Arjun but I did not expect this twist!  It seemed like it was setting up for her to be in love with Arjun but instead she fell in love with Karna!  She only said those words because Karna was going to kill her brother and she did not know what else to do.  Now I'm sad because it would have been so much better if she had married Karna!  Or maybe not, I suppose the rest of the Mahabharata would still have happened but maybe it would have been better?  Now I'm curious what would have changed, haha.
• She had a chapter earlier with Vyasa who cautioned her to hold back her question among other prophetic things before her wedding, and now we know why!  If only she'd been able to calm him without having to resort to insulting him.  Now the later part where he tries to humiliate her is even worse.  Not looking forward to that part.
• Draupadi does not really seem to like the idea of marriage so I'm really wondering how she's going to deal with having 5 husbands.  Especially because the story seems to be setting up a lot of tension between her and Arjun (foreshadowing his infidelity and not having her be overly attracted to him).
• There's also some set up with tension with Kunti as well and now I'm worried :(.  So much set up in this section!  Excited to have more action next.

Karna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part A

• So a little background:  I was originally going to read a graphic novel about the Ramayana from Sita's point of view as I hadn't read anything about the Ramayana in a while, but when I went to the library I couldn't find the book!  So I looked at the book right after that one which happened to be The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, about the Mahabharata from Draupadi's point of view.  This was the best coincidence of my life as far as I'm concerned right now.  I never really thought about Draupadi that much except to be angry at her for treating Karna so poorly, but this retelling made me more sympathetic.
• In the versions of the Mahabharata that I read, Draupadi and her brother, Dhristadyumna, did not play large roles (except for the aforementioned incident by Draupadi).  This book starts much before Draupadi's famous swayamvari with the Pandavas, so we get to hear a lot more about her childhood.
• It talks a lot about her father, Drupad, and his rivalry with Drona.  I especially liked the chapter "Milk" where the two children come up with stories about why Drupad and Drona hate each other so much, cobbled together from eavesdroppings and vague hints from their nurse.  It was very entertaining to hear how they interpreted certain events to reflect better on their father.
• Dhristadyumna especially doesn't appear in the Mahabharata much even though it seemed like his destiny was much more important than Draupadi's at first.  He was prophesied to help his father kill Drona, and now I'm desperately trying to remember who does kill Drona and what happens to Dhristadyumna (or Dhri as Draupadi calls him).  I'm already so attached!
• I liked when the author mentioned what their names mean:  Draupadi means 'Daughter of Drupad' and Dhristadyumna means 'Destroyer of Enemies'.  Both are pretty appropriate names, haha.
• Krishna also appears a bit in this story.  He comes in and speaks to Draupadi a lot and always tells her the truth about what is going on around her.  He also gave her some much needed confidence about her dark skin color, something I didn't think about when reading the Mahabharata.  Apparently, both Krishna and Draupadi had very dark skin at a time when dark skin was looked down on, but both ended up being thought of as great beauties.  I liked how she showed Draupadi's transformation from timid girl to confident, beautiful woman.
• I am so excited to finish reading this book!  I did not think I would like it nearly as much as I do.

Draupadi and Dhristadyumna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Storytelling: Dharma

“It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

Ekalavya looked at him curiously and smiled.  Arjuna smiled back cautiously.  He wasn’t sure what to make of this forest boy with the uncanny talent for archery.  He could sense Drona’s displeasure, however, and knew to stay back.

“I want you to cut your thumb off,” Drona said dismissively.

Arjuna stared in shock as Ekalavya merely smiled and obeyed immediately.

“Thank you, sage,” the boy murmured as his blood dripped on the ground.  Arjuna couldn’t stop watching the casual fall of the blood droplets from the stump on his hand.

He thought he would be sick, but he couldn’t do that in front of Drona, so he made himself numb.  As they walked by Ekalavya to go home, Arjuna could not stop himself from glancing back at the boy that they had taken everything from.

“Don’t worry,” Ekalavya whispered, startling Arjuna.  “I reached too high.  I’m not meant to be a warrior, but you are.  Do what I cannot.”

And Arjuna could do nothing but nod.

“No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them.”

“Please Arjuna, see reason!” Yudhishthira begged.  “There is no need for you to go into exile!  You had a justifiable reason to interrupt us!  I won’t force you to go!”

“No, Yudhishthira,” Arjuna sighed.  “I knew what I was doing when I came upon you and Draupadi.  I knew what it meant, but I had no choice.  And there is still no choice now.”

“But there is!  None of us will force you into exile!  Draupadi understands the circumstances!  Everyone understands the circumstances!”

Arjuna looked him in the eyes.  “And what does that say about me if I will forget my oaths because others understand why I could?  Oaths are oaths, Yudhishthira, you know this best.  They are my duty, no matter how I or you feel.  I knew the consequences, and I will pay the price.”

“But—“

Sighing, Arjuna placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.  “I know there is no reason for me to go.  But that is why I must go.”

“Then go,” Yudhishthira whispered, and Arjuna forced himself to walk out without looking back.

“Performing the duty prescribed by (one’s own) nature, one incurreth no sin.”

Arjuna had wondered from a young age what made a good person.  It seemed everyone had a different answer:  Yudhishthira always told the truth and adhered strictly to all rules and promises; Bhima was courageous and never shied from a fight to protect the innocent; and Drona obeyed his duties every day.

But what would they do now?

No, he knew better than to ask.  He knew what they would do, what they would say.

He surveyed the battlefield bleakly, watching as cousin after cousin of his poured through the frontlines.  He could remember playing at war with Duryodhana, laughing as they teamed up against Bhima, and chasing each other through the gardens.  Duryodhana wasn’t playing at battles now, though, and Arjuna knew that he would have to kill many of the same people he had pretended to kill as a child.

In his heart, he despaired and mourned every one of his cousins and family members on the other side.

Closing his eyes, he said a final farewell and loosed a volley of arrows.

Arjuna and Krishna.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  This is the story from the story planning post last week!  Thanks to Ankitha's suggestions, I was able to come up with a decent idea and explored what Arjuna thinks of dharma.  I chose to add some different sections of his life, notably his meeting with Ekalavya, his exile after seeing Yudhishthira and Draupadi, and the battle with the Kauravas where the Bhagavad Gita takes place.  I tried to examine how he would feel about each of the different aspects of dharma and used quotes from the Bhagavad Gita to emphasize what Krishna would say about each of the incidents.

Bibliography:  Goodreads Quotes.  Web Source.

50 Most Inspiring Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita.  Web Source.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part D

• I wonder how Draupadi feels about this whole thing.  She doesn't even get to really decide who she marries; this contest will.
• Well she does get a bit of choice, I suppose, haha.  Poor Karna again!  I honestly can't blame him for being so close to the Kauravas especially when everyone else treats him like this.  And just because of his class too!  She didn't even let him try!  No wonder he resents and wants to humiliate her later.
• I wonder how she feels about this too!  Now she has 5 possibly unwanted husbands.  She doesn't seem too troubled by this later but who knows.  I'm kind of sad they didn't talk about Narayan's version of why she has 5 husbands in the videos.  In his version he says that she is the reincarnation of a devoted wife to an ugly sage, who near the end of his life rewarded her by taking on the form of 5 men.  When he died, she wished to have 5 husbands again, and now this is her fate.  I like that version better!
• I wish they had just been able to avoid the war by living in peace in Indraprastha.  I can understand Duryodhana being jealous of their city, but still, leave them be!
• Poor Arjuna!  I understand why their arrangement was necessary but it still seems like such an honest mistake and justifiable in terms of the circumstances.  But I guess that's what makes him so "good" since he followed the oath anyway.
• I wonder what happens while Arjuna is in exile.  It seems like not much.
• Now I'm wondering how old everyone is.  They never really mention ages but it seems like they can just have 7 year exiles without significant changes or getting older.  They even have the 14 year exile later and they still seem in the prime of their life!

Indraprastha.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Mahabharata.  Reading Guide.