Reading Diary Week 5: PDE Mahabharata

I am getting started on this project a little late, but here we go!

Bishma Abducts Three Princesses

The other two princesses had many sons, but they had defects. Blindness, Humble Birth and the Pale one. When it was time to select a king Pandu, the pale one was chosen. King Pandu, was a mighty monarch and just warrior. He had two wives. One of the wives became the mother of Karna who had celestial powers. The father was not the king and so she sent the baby onto the river in a wicker basket. She had a very said epilogue about the baby. The child was kept alive by the celestial powers he had. He was found by a husband and wife, whom were cursed to never have their own sons. She adopted the baby and Karna became a powerful youth and bowman. Pandu accidentally shot a sage and he was then cursed by the sage and foretold that he would die in the arms of one of his wives. Panda had no sons of his own, instead his children were fathered by gods. When Pandu died the wives fought over who she be killed with him on the funeral pire. Madrid, the second wife, was chosen to die with her husband Kind Pandu.

Bishma fights Nagas

The eldest son of Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana was born with bad omens and many told his father to caste him out so that they can save the village and the world from this bad omen. Duryodhana begins a plot to poison his cousins. Bhima was poisoned and thrown into the Ganges where the snakes poisoned counteracted his poison and he awoke in the Nagas underworld. Bisma’s brothers urged him not to tell his cousin what had happened.
Drona was set out to train Duryodhana’s cousins as warriors. A short story about way the tribes draw bows with their middle fingers instead of their thumbs. Bhima and Duryodhana engage in a play fight that turns into a more serious fight. Karma appears with his celestial earnings and wants to fight his brother that he did not know, Arjuna. Even though Karna is of lower caste. Weather events take place and both hero were praised. The mother of both children was upset because she knew one of her children would die. Karma was made king of Anga. Now skilled warriors the Pandavas attacked many different foes. With each success of the Pandavas, Duryodhana becomes more and more filled with hatred. The evil prince comes up with a plan to kill the Pandavas. The would build a wooden palace and soak it in oil. He would the set the palace on fire and kill all of the Pandavas.

We first meet Devavrata. He is both a human and also posses god like powers. He got these powers because the mother of eight children caste each of the into the Ganges river, except for Devavrata. The king decided to say something to the goddess to save this last child and so Devavrata was human, but also had powers. King Shantunu finds a fishing maiden. The maiden was found inside a fish, she was rescued by her father. We learn the fish maiden’s son is Vyasa. Although the king wanted to be with the maiden, he could not have her because he would betray Ganga. Devavrata, denounces his claim to the thrown if the fish maiden has a boy. Devavrata is now called Bhishma.

Bishma steals the of the princesses meant for the King. Bishma intended to wed the wives. Amba the eldest princess when back to the king and offered he love, but he rejects her and she, humiliated, discovers that Bisma is to blame for her trouble. Amba fast for months and no longer cares about her looks, she only wishes for the defeat of Bishma. Shiva, a god, promises that Amba will have a child that will defeat Bishma. She sets herself on fire and chants for the destruction of Bishma, she sets herself on fire! So that I may obtain a new body to destroy him.