Week 6 - Reading Diary - PDE Mahabharata

 I am reading in the public domain edition Mahabharata.

Part A: It was interesting to see how the two main epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata) are coming together and interweaving some. There are similar patterns to both stories with exiled princes, mistaken identities, battles with demons, kidnappings, etc. It is easy to see how the Mahabharata was influenced by the Ramayana. It was also nice to see the familiar character of Hanuman. I had heard of the Bhagavad-Gita before, but didn't realize its connection to the Mahabharata.

So far the battle scene is really exciting and I can't wait to see how it ends.


Draupadi The Fire Born Princess by tararojing on DeviantArt

Part B: As expected, the battle scene was fairly exciting. I thought it was interesting how it was described. Some of the details were very gruesome, while others were really elaborate.  For example, when Abhimanyu is killed, the act which actually kills him is that someone "dashed out his brains," but the moments after he dies are painted with really complex and flowery imagery.

Also, keeping with the comparison of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, I noticed how both stories end with a horse sacrifice and the main wife character being honored.


Shiva by GENZOMAN on DeviantArt