I really liked Mahabharata reading. It was obviously different from Ramayana.I thought the birth story of Vyasa was so interesting. Uparichara, who was the king of Chedi, gave birth to Vyasa in a very unusual and mythical way: "One day in spring, as he was flying through the sky, his semen fell into a river. It was swallowed by a female fish with the result that ten months after, when the fish was caught by a fisherman, two children — a boy and a girl — came forth."
Honestly, this was the most fascinating birth story I've ever read. It made me wonder if it was Uparichara's mistake to drop his semen into the river. Vyasa might have been the king's unintended spill.
The best thing that I liked about Mahabharata was its vivid description of the scenes, characters, and backgrounds.
The character such as Ganga in human form (Goddess Ganga) was particularly detailed: "Suddenly there appeared before him a maiden of surpassing beauty. She was Ganga in human form. Her celestial garments had the splendor of lotus blooms; she was adorned with rare ornaments, and her teeth were radiant as pearls. The king was silenced by her charms and gazed upon her steadfastly."
I could literally imagine the images in my head. The King's impression on Goddess Ganga was obviously 'love at first sight' kind of crush.
There is an unusual element of a story of renouncing the throne to become a king: Devavrata thereupon made a vow renouncing his claim to the throne and said, "If thou wilt give thy daughter unto my sire to be his queen, I, who am his heir, will never accept the throne, nor marry a wife, or be the father of children. If, then, Satyavati will become the mother of a son, he will surely be chosen rajah."
In many cases in epic stories, whether it's an Indian epic like Ramayana or other myths or epics, characters fight to death to acquire the crown. Regardless of the qualifications, epic characters are usually driven by power and greed. Also, this wasn't a case shown in Ramayana, so I thought it was interesting.
I also like this vivid description of the scene that Bhishma saw: For a moment the prince paused to survey the scene; then, with a voice that was like the roaring of a lion, he sounded three times the great battle-cry that was to summon his rivals to mortal combat.
The coming battle sounded intense as well with lots of tools such as elephant, chariot, horses supplementing the battle.
Story of Duryodhana made me ponder. Is it dangerous to be raised as a favorite child?
"Although all the wise men counseled him thus, the king had not the heart to follow their advice, out of fondness for his son. He always favored Duryodhana more than his other children, so the boy grew up to be proud and jealous and evil-minded."
I thought the counselors bad claim about Duryodhana came out of gut and intuition, so it wasn't sufficient enough to sway the mind of the king. Duryodhaha later caused battles and calamity to his kingdom, but counselors could have done better job at explaining their instinct.
Honestly, this was the most fascinating birth story I've ever read. It made me wonder if it was Uparichara's mistake to drop his semen into the river. Vyasa might have been the king's unintended spill.
The best thing that I liked about Mahabharata was its vivid description of the scenes, characters, and backgrounds.
The character such as Ganga in human form (Goddess Ganga) was particularly detailed: "Suddenly there appeared before him a maiden of surpassing beauty. She was Ganga in human form. Her celestial garments had the splendor of lotus blooms; she was adorned with rare ornaments, and her teeth were radiant as pearls. The king was silenced by her charms and gazed upon her steadfastly."
I could literally imagine the images in my head. The King's impression on Goddess Ganga was obviously 'love at first sight' kind of crush.
There is an unusual element of a story of renouncing the throne to become a king: Devavrata thereupon made a vow renouncing his claim to the throne and said, "If thou wilt give thy daughter unto my sire to be his queen, I, who am his heir, will never accept the throne, nor marry a wife, or be the father of children. If, then, Satyavati will become the mother of a son, he will surely be chosen rajah."
In many cases in epic stories, whether it's an Indian epic like Ramayana or other myths or epics, characters fight to death to acquire the crown. Regardless of the qualifications, epic characters are usually driven by power and greed. Also, this wasn't a case shown in Ramayana, so I thought it was interesting.
I also like this vivid description of the scene that Bhishma saw: For a moment the prince paused to survey the scene; then, with a voice that was like the roaring of a lion, he sounded three times the great battle-cry that was to summon his rivals to mortal combat.
The coming battle sounded intense as well with lots of tools such as elephant, chariot, horses supplementing the battle.
Story of Duryodhana made me ponder. Is it dangerous to be raised as a favorite child?
"Although all the wise men counseled him thus, the king had not the heart to follow their advice, out of fondness for his son. He always favored Duryodhana more than his other children, so the boy grew up to be proud and jealous and evil-minded."
I thought the counselors bad claim about Duryodhana came out of gut and intuition, so it wasn't sufficient enough to sway the mind of the king. Duryodhaha later caused battles and calamity to his kingdom, but counselors could have done better job at explaining their instinct.
Arjuna statue in Bali. Source: Arjuna statue
Bibliography:
The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie (1921).
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