Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Part D
Week 6: Reading Mahabharata
This is my final post of this series as I have finished reading Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata. For this post I have read stories 151-200 and have selected the three stories that stood out to me most. I believe that these stories leave a great place for me to build on for future story telling assignments. The first story I selected is titled "Karna Duels with Arjuna". It begins by saying how Karna had waited for this moment for a long time. So had the naga Ashwasena. When the forest burned, Arjuna killed all the nagas fleeing from the fire. Ashwasena was the only to survive and he was ready to kill Arjuna. When Karna fired at Arjuna's head, Krishna lowered Arjuna's chariot and the arrow hit Arjuna's crown. It didn't hit him. Ashwasena told Karna to do it again, but Karna refused. This was because Karna couldn't use the same arrow twice and had to kill Arjuna another way. The second story I selected is titled "Duryodhana Addresses His Son". Duryodhana was dying on the battlefield. They brought his son, Durjaya, to see him. The little boy ran up to the father to go sit on his lap. The father, Duryodhana, had to push the boy away because he had a broken thigh. He informs his son that their opposition are the victors, and that his son will have to serve them now. Duryodhana wept as he thought of what he was going to leave behind. The last story I selected is titled "Ashwatthama Makes a Final Vow". It begins by stating that over a billion soldiers died in the war. Yes you read that correctly, billion with a b. The Pandava side had a few thousand survivors. The Kauravas side had just three survivors. Ashwatthama, Kripa, and Kritavarma. Ashwatthama refused to admit defeat and says he will kill the Pandavas. As Duryodhana lay dying, he tells Ashwatthama to do it and to kill them if he can.
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| Karna Battles Arjuna - Via India Times |
| Bibliography: Laura Gibbs, Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata |
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