Sunday, February 12, 2017

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata, Part A

Chapter 1 is titled "The Eighth Baby" and is about the birth of the eighth child of King Shantanu. This chapter is an introduction to all the characters and the very, very beginning of the war of the Mahabharata.

Chapter 2 is titled "Enter--The Players" and is about the Pandavas and how they came to be. This chapter introduces the readers to the Pandavas and their births. It also introduces the Kauravas and gives a brief background as to who Karna (charioteer's son, but really royalty).

Chapter 3 is titled "House of Joy--and Ashes" and is about how the enmity started between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. King Dhritarashta (father of the Kauravas) named Yudhisthira the heir apparent of Hastinapur. Duryodhana, being the eldest Kaurava, should have been named heir apparent, so as a result of Yudhisthira being named heir apparent, the Kauravas started hating the Pandavas, and the enmity began there.

Chapter 4 is titled "Bride for Five" and is about Draupadi and her swayamvara. The Pandavas attend Draupadi's swayamvara, and Arjuna wins her swayamvara and marries her. But when she is brought to the Pandavas house, without looking at what they brought, the Pandavas' mother asks them to share what they have brought. In this way, she became the wife to all five brothers.

I would write about how the members of Gokuldham Society share each other's happiness and sorrows.

Click here for a reading guide to R. K. Narayan's Mahabharata.

The Pandavas bring Draupadi home, and their mother, Kunti, asks them to share what they have brought.
Source: (Google Images)

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