Reading Notes Week 9: Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution Part A

1. Introduction: I love the illustration and perspective this short intro gives: the story spans half a continent and has been told by so many different people through the ages- I kind of want to tell the story of one of these storytellers, incorporating some of their changes and passing them off as my new rendition. I would start with a preface about the re-writer (me, but meta), then write the before/after of the story, and end it with how it changed the Mahabharata for the future- maybe instead of writing a "new" version of a part of the Mahabharata, I could backwrite an "old" version, where I find a spot that looks embellished and unembellish it somehow...hmm..

2. Shantanu the Unfortunate: "The story can be said to begin at many points in the narrative." It is a story of karma..."what goes around comes around". Ooooh resplendent is a great word. The king is love-struck so he did what she asked. I like this- motivation/explanation. The poor king though...I've been focusing on women in my stories but maybe I can take a brief break to explore Shantanu.

3. Devavrata Becomes Bhishma: Davavrat is the long-lost son, and has learned from the very best warrior sage, who also educated him (like Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins haha). Maybe Shantanu goes to see a therapist in a side tale? It was so kind and selfless of the son to make such a vow. Also, Hastinapur is a really cool kingdom name- note to self: future exercise- make up some cool kingdom names with three syllables that don't sound alien. Bhishma- he of the terrible oath. The king felt responsible for ruin upon the kingdom...interesting. Getting to choose your own death is arguably better than being able to create life.

4. Desperation of Bhishma: I wonder what the "capable administrator" part of his half-brothers' education was like! It would be so fun to explore that classroom setting. All of the princesses have A names like in The Little Mermaid lol.

5. Amba's Ruin: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika. Eldest leaves to meet up with her true love, he's the equivalent of human garbage, then she leaves and makes a serious vow. "with her heart in a thousand pieces" effective. It's understandable why Amba claims Bhishma ruined her life. Also, honestly good for her for, when unable to find a champion, going out to become her own champion. A fight between master and apprentice with P and B...23 days is a crazy long amount of time. Reminds me of a certain showdown on a lava planet between student and mentor. This dynamic is inherently so dramatic and compelling- a great opportunity to explore some feelings in a Story post.

6. Satyavati's Secret: The all-important RECAP moment- maybe I'll try to do more in a forward to set the stage for my Project website stories...it's not something I've tried before. I appreciate the mystery long-lost child archetype in this chapter with the woodlandsy son. The poor widows, though. "In their fears was the future of Hastinapur" I love it what a cliffhangeryish scene-setter.

7. Sons of Vyasa: "uncouth" good vocab. The servant girl, without unnecessarily high standards,  had the most successful union of all. How can Bhishma never notice the rivalry between the throne contenders?! He was their uncle/mentor...but their younger brother did. This begs a story from Vidura's POV with the acknowledgement of his brother's conflict and Bhishma's obliviousness.

8. The Blind Bride: I'm glad the blind kiddo got to be king but it kinds of negates this to have Pandu be secretly in charge in the back. Kudos to Princess Gandhari for being so very selfless. All of Hastinapur was happy for them. Rad. Pandu has two wives and one has a BIG secret. I am enthralled despite knowing this story. I love this format and it's helping me to keep the characters straight better than the longer, name-heavy texts. The pictures really help and they're gorgeously rendered!

Image Info: The cover image for the Introductory Mahabharata Karmic Revolution Video.
Source: YouTube. Link.