Wikipedia Trail: From Arjuna to Watermills.

(A statue of Arjuna)

I first started with Arjuna. From there, I found that Arjuna had saved his teacher from the attack of a crocodile. From there, I found that American crocodiles are sometimes found in rivers which can be used as a source of power for mechanisms such as the watermill.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Section D.

(Draupadi and Yudhishthira gambling)

It is very unfortunate that Bhisma died simply die to the fact that Shikhandin (Amba) was a woman, or born one. In the end, I had always thought that the Pandavas would be able too exact their revenge and win. It was low of the Pandavas to kill Drona by fooling him, saying his son was dead. Their intentions don't seem as pure. After reading about how Bhima drank the blood of Duhsasana, I was very shocked. I kind of want to include the fact that he enjoyed in my story to show more of his sadistic side. Arjuna ended up killing Karna after Krishna brought up the son of Arjuna. Duryodhana ended up hiding under the water even as the battle continued. The fight has been going on for so long that I feel like at this point, there is no winner. Even if there were to be a victor, it wouldn't feel like a victory since so many of people's loved ones were lost along the way.

I wonder why a horse was chosen as the animal of sacrifice for the Ashwamedha cermony. Draupadi became the queen of sacrifice. I love the story that the mongoose told about how a family gave up all their food to their guest even though they were starving themselves. In the end, it was revealed that they had fed Dharma. It goes to show that the people who have the least, give the most. I like how in the end, Vyasa brought everyone back to life. It allowed them to feel happy after learning their lesson the hard way.

Bibliography: Public Domain Mahabharata. Link to reading online.  

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Section C

(Arjuna and the Gandava (the divine bow))

It is interesting to see how Sita willingly follows Rama into exiles with no regrets while Draupadi very much shows her dislike of her fate and continues to weep about what she use to have. I loved reading about how Arjuna came to be able to live on air alone. It really showed the audience how much determination he held as a person. Gandava, the divine bow, sounds like it would be an interesting component to possibly include in my story.

Indra: King of gods

Varuna: God of waters

Yama: King of the dead

Kuber: Lord of treasures

For some reason, I was very surprised to see the epic mention a car (Indra’s great car). Karna sacrificed his invincibility, his armor and his earrings, to Indra in return for an invincible dart that could kill a single person. However, if the dart was used when Karna still had weapons or if he was not at the breaking point, the dart would kill him instead. I wonder why Bhima left five locks of Jayadratha’s hair instead of cutting in all off. As I read more and more, Draupadi continues to reveal herself as a bad person. She is even called the dark princess in the story. I wonder what she will do in the future. I really appreciate Karna because he still chose to stay loyal to the people he called his friends even after finding out that he was the child of Queen Kunti. I am intrigued by Ghatokatcha, who has the power to change his shape and create illusions.

Bibliography
Public Domain Mahabharata. Link to reading online. 

Story: The Reconciliation.

(A temple in the town of Hastinapur. Image source: Wikipedia.)

There once lived a king who ruled over the land of Hastinapur. His name was Pandu. He grew up in an environment that taught him that it was okay to harm people in order to get what you wanted. He grew up to be a king that many people hated but more people feared.

King Pandu loved to hunt. He felt a sense of satisfaction when the arrow would hit the animal. One day, he decided to take a break from his duties and go hunting. The forest was dim due to the many trees that provided shade to the ground. As King Pandu ventured deeper, he encountered two deer. Excited at his discovery, he drew his bow and aimed. They dropped to the ground. Pandu ran over to his catch excitedly only to find that the two deer had now taken the form of humans. It turned out that King Pandu had accidentally shot a Brahmin couple. The two were taking their last few breaths when the Brahmin whispered a curse.

“For this wretched deed you have done, I curse you to forever die in the arms of your wife.”

Pandu quickly ran out of the forest and tried to forget the events that had happened that day.

Pandu felt anxious over what had happened so he tried to sleep it off. That night, he dreamed. He dreamed of the time when he was pure, of the time when he had not been exposed to the evil of society. He suddenly awoke by the sound of a rooster.

“Well, that was an odd dream.”

King Pandu then went about his day. He got dressed and took a stroll around town. While walking through the marketplace, a kid bumped into him. He was taken aback at first but then moved on. When he came back to the palace, he was greeted by his favorite wife, Madri.

“How are you today, my sire? Isn’t it nice to finally see the sun after the rainy season?”

“Yes, it is, my dear.”

They proceeded to take a romantic stroll through the palace. The smell of fresh flowers filled the air. The couple walked along a long path that led to a field of flowers. Suddenly someone stepped in the middle of their path.

“Who are you?”

Out of nowhere, the strange man drew his bow and shot Pandu right in the chest. The king fell into the lap of his wife and died. Suddenly, Pandu woke up again in his bed.

“What just happened? Was it really just a dream?”

Confused, Pandu once again started to get ready for the day. He started with his usual stroll through town. Then, a little kid bumped into him. Wasn’t that the same kid from my dream, he wondered to himself. He continued on his stroll and then headed home. He was greeted once again by his wife.

“How are you today? Isn’t it nice to finally see the sun after the rainy season?”

“Why are you asking me the same thing again?”

“What are you talking about? This is the first time I have asked you this.”

Puzzled, King Pandu decided to brush it off. He and his wife began to take a stroll through the palace to try and take his mind off of the matter. Suddenly, as they were strolling along the path, a man appeared. He looked very similar to the man in Pandu’s dream. This time Pandu wanted to know who this mysterious man was. However, right as he was about to speak, the man drew his arrow and shot the king to his death. King Pandu once again awoke in his bed. This cycle occurred continuously. To King Pandu, months seemed to pass but to everyone else, it was just a new day.

Pandu started to think about what the Brahmin had said to him before he died. He wanted to seek answers but could not since the Brahmin was dead.

The next day, Pandu got ready as usual. He got dressed and proceeded to stroll in town. As he was walking, he saw the group of children running around. He braced for the impact of the child that was going to run into him but nothing happened. The child was nowhere to be seen. King Pandu then went to find the child because he thought that the child could be the solution to this miserable cycle. He began to search far and wide for the child. Then, he heard a loud screech.

Pandu decided to follow the sound. He followed it all the way to the forest. He couldn’t seem to pinpoint the source of it, so he decided to give up. As he turned back around, there stood the child.

“Who are you?”

“I am the lost soul of Brahmin. I have followed you around in order to make sure that the curse I placed on you carries through.”

“How could you make sure? You are only a child.”

“Think again, my confused one. I am not only the child that bumped into you every day, but I am also the man that killed you as well. I wanted you to pay tenfold for what you had done to me and my wife. I wanted you to suffer because I thought that it would bring me peace in the afterlife. However, I was wrong. I know now that in order to leave this world peacefully, I must make amends with you. So I stand here today to forgive you. I hope this not only helps you to realize the importance of a life, but also be a better person.”

With that, a bright light appeared and the Brahmin proceeded to walk into it. After that event, King Pandu began to change his ways. He became kinder to the people who worshipped him. He became more aware of how much life had to offer him. Last but not least, he became the person he once was. He became Pandu.

Author’s Note

For my story, I decided to once again keep many of the original components of the Mahabharata while still adding my own twist. In the original story, King Pandu accidentally kills the Brahmin and his wife in disguise while he was hunting. The Brahmin then places a curse saying that King Pandu would die in the arms of his wife. I decided to keep that part of the story. To make my story more interesting, I wanted to add an interesting twist. I decided to make it to where Pandu had to continuously relive his death. I forgot to add earlier that this idea was inspired by one of my favorite shows, Supernatural. In the show, one of the brothers has to continuously relive his older brother's death. This was the work of a trickster. In my version, I wanted these events to be the result of a curse. I did this to Pandu because I didn't want to actually kill him. I wanted him to not only survive, but to also learn that what he did was wrong and to pay for his sins. In the original book, the Brahmin and Pandu simply died without any continuation of their story. I wanted them to make amends with each other in order to create a happier ending which is why I brought the Brahmin back in the form of a lost soul. That way, he would be able to release the anger that he felt towards Pandu while also letting go of his past in order for him to successfully leave the world in peace.

Bibliography

Public Domain Mahabharata. Link to the reading online.