Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part A

For these reading notes, I decided to focus on the characters and the plot, since this was an entirely new story to me. First of all, I thought the intro was very similar to the Ramayana, as it introduced the main storyline and some of the characters that were important to the overall plot. I also thought that it was a little confusing at first, since they introduced so many characters at once, and it was hard to remember some of their names. I think that in comparison to the Ramayana, I liked how the Ramayana introduced the main characters a little better, since it allowed us to get more familiar with the characters, rather than giving us a lot at once. 

One part that I thought was interesting was whenever the story said, "so were seven babes, one after another, destroyed by their mother in a manner." I thought that this part was sad, and I thought all the marriages were interesting to read about, as it there are quite a lot of different relationships. This is different from the Ramayana because the only relationship that was in that epic was the one between Rama and Sita. Additionally, I thought the scenes between Shantanu and Satyavati were interesting. First of all, whenever Satyavati became a virgin again, as this is something that seems like it would be in ancient stories. Additionally, I liked that Shantanu, "gazed upon [Satyavati] with love," basically insinuating that he had to have her, just like Rama and Sita. 

Opposite of the Ramayana, I thought it was more dramatic to read about how the three daughters of the king of Kashi were seized in the battle. I definitely think that there are a lot more tiny plots within the epic, whereas the Ramayana is mostly one big story about Rama, and there were just a few differing stories along the way. 

Another line that I thought was well-written was the part whenever the story says, "and with these words she turned, crying softly, and haughtily went into the city." Amba was one of my favorite stories, as she was just sort of carelessly tossed aside, even though she was very strong and had a powerful heart. After this part, Amba says, "but how, being a woman, can I achieve victory in battle? It is true that my woman's heart is entirely still." Despite this, she still wants to be able to slay Bhishma. 

There were many other parts within this epic so far that I liked, but I decided to only do notes on a few that I might consider writing about later. I think I would like to do a future story about Amba, or maybe the two cousins that were under the teachings of Drona and Bharadwaja. So far, I am enjoying this story a bit more than the Ramayana, as it is more action-packed. 

Bharadwaja

Reference. PDE Mahabharata by Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore., from SOURCE.