Week 6 Reading Diary: Part D

Below is the continuation of my reading diary for the Mahabharata:

·       Brishma, the grandfather of the Panadvas and Kauravas, is defeated in the battle. This is a vital point in the story because now Drona wants to take down Yudhishthira. Arjuna will ultimately have to defeat Drona to save his brother from capture. Arjuna is clearly the most important brother of this story because he will probably win the battle for the Pandavas.

·       Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu is killed in battle. This will cause a rage in Arjuna that could be the drive the Pandavas need. This differs from other epics I read because in the Ramayana, Rama does not lose anyone he truly loves in battle.

·       The Pandavas defeat Drona by tricking him into thinking his son had died. This is not something I wanted to happen because I feel that they need to stand up and defeat their enemies without tricks. I hope the climax of the battle will not happen because of trickery.

·       Arjuna defeats Karna in battle by shooting a bow into his head. This is the climax of the battle due to the great skills of Karna. Duryodhana goes into hiding because his most trusted battler has been killed.

·       Ashwatthaman sneaks into the Pandavas camp and slays all of their children. I feel this is extremely sorrowful part in the story. I wish this was not part of the Mahabharata because like Rama, exile was not actually accomplishing anything.

·       Yudhishthira is now going to be the ultimate king of all the lands. I am happy that he is able to be the king, but I sort of wish Arjuna could have been king. He did a lot of the battle scenes.

·       Krishna ends up dying by going into the jungle. This is sort of disappointing because he was such a vital character. I hope that this was his goal all along.

·       All of the Pandvas leave and go to heaven. Yudhishthira passes the test of trying to stay on earth for his brothers and Draupadi. I am glad that they all were able to end happily. 

Source: Pandavas