Week 9: Reading Diary A

The Eighth Baby:

·    Santanu = Ruler of Hastinapura 

·    What?! How are you gonna marry a woman that you just met and not ask why she drowned your first child? At this point, the last thing that Santanu should be worried about is this mystery woman leaving him for asking her why she drowned their child.

·    Oh, I guess that the fact that she’s a pretty good wife overwhelms the minor character flaw that she keeps drowning their children…

·    Devavratha = Son of Ganga and Santanu, condemned to live a life of celibacy but also brilliant accomplishments. He later becomes Bhishma.

·    Santanu is worried that if anything happens to Devavratha, their dynasty will come to an end. Has he already forgotten that his son has been condemned to a life of celibacy? Their dynasty will end with Devavratha regardless…

·    The little side note about Salwa’s vow to kill Bhishma seems like a fairly significant to the story. I’m not sure why it was only a side note. Perhaps Narayan does not intend on discussing Bhishma’s death.

·    Dhritarash = Eldest son of Vyasa and the servant maid; born blind.

·    Pandu = Second son of Vyasa and the servant maid; valorous and just. Cursed to die when he attempts to unite with his wife.

·    Vidura = Third son of Vyasa and the servant maid; apparently characterized by great wisdom, judgment, and courage.

·    Yudhistira = Son of Yama and Kunthi. His name means “one unflinching in war.”

·    Bhimasena = Son of Vayu and Kunthi; endowed with extraordinary strength. Caused an earthquake when he rolled off of his mother’s side.

·    Arjuna = Son of Indra and Kunthi; unmatched in energy, wisdom, and knowledge of weapons.

·    Nakula and Sahadeva = Brilliant twins born of Madri and the gods Aswins.

·    Together, these five brothers were known as the Pandavas.

·    Dhritarashtra has a hundred sons who were the enemies of the Pandavas. The fact that Dhritarashtra is referred to as the “Blind King” makes me think that he and his progeny are destined to be the antagonists of the Mahabharata.

Enter – The Players:

·    Dhritarashtra had his one hundred sons, as well as his 5 nephews trained to use a variety of weapons. The focus on the skills of Pandu’s sons further makes me believe that they will be the protagonists in this story. Also, the fact that Duryodhana tried to poison his cousin and threw him in the river also doesn’t make Dhritarashtra’s sons seem like heroes.

·    Duryodhana seems like a bloodthirsty character.

House of Joy – and Ashes:

·    Duryodhana is such a deceitful character. Why does he hate his cousins so much that he would take every opportunity to have them killed?

·    It’s good to know that my initial impressions about the two sides were correct!

Bride for Five:

·    Ghatotkacha = Bhima’s son who made a habit of coming to his father’s aid every time that he faced a crisis. We’re explicitly told that he’ll play an important role in a battle later in the story.

·    Krishna = the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, said to play a vital role in the Mahabharata.

·    I can’t be the only one that thinks it’s incredibly weird that five brothers are planning to share one wife. Definitely the weirdest part of the story so far…

Since this was the first reading diary post for the Mahabharata, I wasn’t quite sure who was going to have a significant role throughout the rest of the story. I went ahead and made a little note about each character that seemed likely to make an appearance later on. The Mahabharata seems like a pretty interesting, albeit strange story so far.