Reading Notes: Mahabharata - Part B

Story 1 - The House of Fire ¹

This story is interesting to me because of the plot whole that exists within it. If the desires of Prince Duryodhana were to kill of the Pandavas and Queen Kunti by burning them in the house, why was this not done on the first night that they lodged at the lac palace? Not only was it not done on the first day, but also they provided a sufficient amount of time to allow Prince Vidura to alert then and the miner Varanavata to dig an escape tunnel. There is also a bit of misfortune in the story, as the beggars happened to enter the palace at the wrong time, well wrong for them and great for the Pandavas. Duryodhana went through some much effort to think that his plan has succeeded.

The Pandavas escaping the burring palace.
Shows Bhima carrying the others to safety. (Source)

Story 2 - Bhima and Baka ²

This story is a very stereotypical one of an unjust ruler demanding too much over his citizens and ultimately facing his own demise because of it. The requests of Baka however were quite disturbing. The need for a person to be sent from him each week implies that something bad was happening too them. Baka ruled through the power of fear, and the fear had crippled the townspeople. Due to Bhima being an outsider (and his overwhelming strength), he was not afraid to confront Baka and to rid the forest of a pest like him.

Story 3 - Draupadi's Swayamwara ³

Contests of strength have shown up numerous times in the weekly readings. They seem to have been the cultural normal for determining the marriages of the royalty. However, most of the challenges seem impossible for the normal man to complete successfully, or realistically. Somehow, the protagonist is always able to complete the task. I am tempted to right a story with an over the top Swayamwara to show what a perfect suitor would look like.

Story 4 - Wife of the Five Pandavas ⁴

I loved this story because of how they were able to work around the polyamorous marriage of Draupadi. While the custom of men having many wives was normal, it was not true for the reversed case. Therefore, in order for this marriage to be allowed it had to be justified in several manners. The first manner was settled by bringing in the reincarnation of Draupadi. In her past life, she had asked for five husbands and that is precisely what she is getting. In the case of the five Pandava brothers, they were all incarnations of Indra, and therefore the same celestially. To me this seem like another example of a deus ex machina, but this type of resolution seems very commonplace in the stories that we have read.

Bibliography

The House of Fire
Bhima and Baka
Draupadi's Swayamwara
Wife of the Five Pandavas