Reading Diary A: Narayan's Mahabharata

This section of the Mahabharata set up a lot of plot for the final battle between the two families, but it did have some really interesting scenes. The "hundred questions" scene in particular was really interesting I thought. We know that these texts are supposed to be very important to the larger context of Hinduism, but sometimes it's hard to see how that can be. In this scene, we're gien a number of very straightforward philosophical ideas and values. I also like the idea of Yudihistira's father coming to Earth to test him and make sure he was turning out okay. The fathers of the Pandavas are mentioned in the very beginning but it seems like most fathers in these stories take a rather hands-off approach. I also like how this is the scene where Yudihistira undoubtedly redeems himself in the eyes of his brothers. Yeah he may have lost all of their wealth and fortune twice, but at least he answered all the questions and everyone got to come back to life. It kinda balances out I guess.

Statue of the god Yama; source: wikimedia

I also really liked the stories of the Pandavas while they were at Virata's court. It's an entertaining trope, seeing these highborn nobles taking on more demeaning tasks, but it also does a lot to characterize them. Honestly, it's very easy to forget about the twins, and it was a nice change to se Bhima excited to do something other than fight and/or kill things. The scene with Arjuna and Uttara fighting together was especially interesting because of the dynamics between the two characters, and we can see how easily Arjuna can slip between his two personas. There was a lot of brief mentions of different alliances and deals made with other kings/rulers, so I'm really excited to see how it all plays out in the final battle.