Reading Notes Part B: The Mahabharata

 PDE Mahabharata , Vyasa

PDE Mahabharata Chap. 21 The House of Fire

For my reading notes today I am going to focus on a couple of different chapters. There is so much content and each chapter contains interesting stories. The first chapter I will focus on is 21. The House of Fire. 

"But Prince Vidura came to guess the cruel plot of Prince Duryodhana. Now Prince Vidura was half-brother of King Pandu and of King Dhritarashtra. But his mother was a slave girl, so he could never reign over Hastinapura. Yet although he was lowly born, he was a just and wise Prince, and he let fall before Prince Yudhishthira words dark, yet full of meaning to him who could interpret them. And Prince Yudhishthira, who was thoughtful beyond his years, knew from Vidura’s words that he and his brothers and his mother were in grave danger."

This the beginning of chapter 21. It starts off by explaining why Prince Vidura is not in line for the crown. This seems like a great basis for a story. I like the way it starts. I get classic rising underdog vibes. I might write about Prince Vidura in the upcoming weeks. Also, the setting of this chapter starts off very intense. Everything is soaked in oil in this palace made of wood, causing the witty Prince Vidura suspicion. 

Purochana, the wicked captain. I love these descriptors. I might use this style of describing characters in my stories. 

(Image Information: The Escape of the Pandavas, Blogspot)

I also love the story of the Pandava brothers. 

Chapter 31, Arjuna and the Apsaras, is very interesting. In this chapter, Prince Arjuna swims in a river and is bitten by an alligator. He fights the alligator and drags it to land, where it transforms into a girl. Then we hear the story of five water nymphs who were cursed to stay as alligators as the girl askes Arjuna to help free her sisters. This would make for a very interesting basis for a new story. 

Overall, this section was fantastic, violent, and dramatic. There were lots of monsters, curses, death and fighting. The Mahbharata is a fun read!