Week 10: Reading Diary A

Hundred Questions:

• Uh oh, Yudhistira embarked on a chase after an extraordinary deer… If we learned anything from the Ramayana, we know that we should never chase an extraordinary deer deep into a forest! I wonder if deer are the symbol for deception or thievery in Hindu mythology because that seems to be the case in these epics.
• One at a time, the brothers arrive at a magical pond that warns them not to drink from its water until they have answered its question. Despite the pile of dead brothers that seems to be building up, each consecutive brother proceeds to drink from the pond without hearing the question.
• Despite their stupidity, Yudhistira saves the day by playing the pond’s game of riddles and all of his brothers come back to life.
• I don’t quite understand why Draupadi must be exiled for having Bhima kill Kichaka. Sure he was the queen’s brother, but he was also a rapist. It’s not like they should have any reason to fear for their own lives.

Servitude:

• Duryodhana decides that he is going to attack Virata and rob him of his wealth. He also hopes to expose that Bhima killed Kichaka and extend the Pandavas’ exile.
• Virata is captured by Susurman, but Bhima uses a bow to save him. The bow is used because it is an unusual weapon for Bhima to wield, so there is no way that they could identify that it was Bhima who saved the king.
• Come on Uttara! Cowardice is not supposed to be a characteristic of a prince, especially during a time of war. He was scared to go into the graveyard and fetch the bag that contained the Pandava’s weapons because he thought that it might be a corpse hanging from the tree.
• After what seemed like a lost cause of trying to persuade prince Uttara to drive his chariot, Arjuna finally reveals his true identity as well as the power of his weapon to rid the prince of his cowardice. And finally the prince agrees to drive the chariot.
• Why doesn’t Yudhistira swallow his pride and let the king think that Uttara saved the day?! He’s definitely not very good at concealing his true identity!

Warning Shots:

• When Yudhistira revealed his true identity (as well as that of his brothers), the king felt so bad for the way that he had treated Yudhistira that he offered his entire kingdom to Yudhistira. The king went on to offer his daughter to Arjuna, who refused but said that he would love to have the princess as a daughter-in-law.
• The Pandavas’ exile concluded with the wedding of the princess and Arjuna’s son.
• How awkward of a position for Krishna to be in. Both Arjuna and Durydhana approach Krishna to request that he choose their side in the upcoming war.

War or Peace?

• The Pandavas obviously would like to avoid war at all costs, but they must not understand how malicious their cousin is if they think that he’s going to give them anything without a war.
• How can Dhritarashtra be so blind to what a terrible person his son is?!