Reading Diary B: Week 9

-          Why stress over power if no plans to do anything with it? At least Pandu’s sons are going on conquests and expanding their knowledge of the land

-          This book has a different tone than the Ramayana, lying is more common with ordinary characters not just demons, moral standards are different

-          The brothers are kind of bad if willing to set up a fire to kill innocent people in order to fake own death, but may have saved their own lives as well

-          Their host family is fighting over who will get to sacrifice their life for the town? Why? Honor?

-          Bhima = courageous

-          Bhima reminds me of Rama and Hercules when he taunts the demon and defeats him

-          The swayamwara of Drupadas’ daughter reminds me of the ball in Cinderella but reversed in gender and not a ball but an exercise of skill to win her hand in marriage

-          Draupadi doesn’t seem to like this act being done for her hand in marriage, I guess she would rather get to choose her suitor herself which is reasonable, and more independent in thinking, less submissive

-          Karna was sweet to not go through with launching the bow after hearing of the princesses discomfort with him

-          She watched with apprehension when watching Karna and watched anxiously when watching Arjuna

-          She has to be shared even though the mother of the brothers had no idea what she was ordering them to share? Why is Arjuna insisting his bride be shared with his brothers? Does he really feel this way or is it because of the past life described to be causing of her getting five husbands?

-          The past lives of your children in these times could be useful to know when you got the child or at least early on in their life so you can know what to expect from their  future

-          Women empowerment shown in Draupadi knowing what she wants and having five husbands

-          “The kauravas are evil incarnate” pg.58

-          Bhishma is wise in advising Dhritarashtra to restore to Yudhistira what is his and stop the fighting, I wonder how much is absorbed by him

-          I think these men in this book are just too scared of what COULD happen due to skills and connections of other men

-          Karna says the wisest course is to destroy Pandavas and their father in law and no other course is open to them?? DISAGREE, listen to Bhishma

-          Ownership taken of people and name sake is important in this book

-          Glad they could divide the land and build a beautiful city ‘indraprastha’

-          Arjuna exiled for 12 years, this is very Rama-esque. He married different women while exiled, sad for him since he was exiled for walking in on his own wife he won first

-          Duryodhana is jealous of the Pandavas, and feels they should have something degrading happen to them and they are worthless….what makes them so worthless?

-          King Dhritarashtra has come to his senses, but is still persuaded by his son against the Pandavas in some way

-          Is this just a battle of who has more splendor? More skill? Is more adored? Gets the most gifts? The pandavas don’t seem to mind nor want to wreck havoc on their cousins

-          Yudhistira should have stuck to his first feelings about going to the crystal palace

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