Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part C

• For 12 years the Pandavas and Draupadi, and Dhaumya lived in the forest with a pot that always had food (gift from sun god)
• Krishna came and Draupadi told them about how she had been dared to claim by Duryodhana but her husbands did nothing. Krishna said she would see the wives of the men who did this lament over their fallen husbands
• Holy man advised that Arjuna go to the mountains alone and fast and pray for her would get the vision of the Great God and be all powerful
• while Arjuna was gone, he shot an arrow at a boar at the same time as a Huntsman
• Arjuna wanted to fight for it but all of his arrows did nothing to the Huntsman
• He said "lets wrestle then!" and he turned back to his worship
• Great God (Huntsman) was pleased and offered him weapons (like powers, not physical weapons)
• also gave him Gandiva the divine bow
• Arjuna's father is Indra btw
• Indra, king of gods, Varuna, god of waters, Yama, king of the dead, and Kubera, lord of treasures gave him celestial weapons
• Indra sent Arjuna to Swarga, Indra's city
• Urcashi cursed Arjuna to spend 5 years to be a dancer and musician with no women
• He also trained with the new weapons
• Arjuna fought some underworld people, Indra was proud and gave him war shell that gave forth a mighty blast like of thunder
• Arjuna returned to the others
• Bhima was getting flowers for Draupadi when he came across Hanuman
• Bhima and Hanuman were both sons of the god Vayu
• Gandharvas and asparas were staying in the forest too close (home of Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana, Hastinapura), big battle, Duryodhana and others got captured, some ran
• Some of the people that ran found the Pandavas and told them
• Arjuna and Bhima went and fought the gandharavas, they released their prisoners, Duryodhana was humbled
• Duryodhana was going to die in solitude but the daityas and danavas (which would be weakened if he died?) sent a goddess to say that she would help fight the Pandavas, so he returned to Hastinapura
• Bhima was pissed, told Duryodhana that he would end them all
• Karna vowed to kill Arjuna
• Indra disguised himself to try and take Karna's earrings and armor of invincibility, Karna caught on
• They traded and Indra gave him one invincible dart, Vasava, comes back to you too
• If you shoot it while angry or not in peril, it will come back and kill you, could only kill one powerful foe, can kill hundreds or normal enemies
• Jayadratha stole Draupadi
• Bhima found him and cut off his hair and he had to prostrate himself?!
• The brothers went to drink from a pond but a voice said answer my questions first but they ignored and all died except Yudhishthira, he answered all the riddles and the voice was Dharma, god of wisdom and justice, his sire, he gave him to wishes.
• Yudhishthira wished for his brothers to be alive again and they all have the power to remain unrecognized by anyone for a year
• They went to Virata to be concealed
• Bhima killed a crazy prince, Kichaka, that tried to rape Draupadi
• After Kichaka was killed, the Rajah of Trigartis plotted with the Karuravas to attack Virata
• Arjuna defeated/scared the Kauravas when they tried to attack the south, took their royal clothes
• Pandavas brethren revealed to the Rajah of Virata who they were
• Pandavas exile is over
• Rajah of Virata said he would help to get back the kingdom for the Kauravas
• Duryodhana and Arjuna both went to Dwaraka to get allegiance from Krishna
• He said one could have an army of 10 million mighty soldiers or have aid of Krishna but he would not fight
• Arjuna got to pick first and he picked Krishna (hopefully a good choice)
• He wanted Krishna for the fame, not for help to fight, Krishna will be his charioteer
• Krishna tried to ask for peace, Duryodhana wanted nothing to do with it
• Kunti told Karna that she was his mom and asked to not fight against his brothers but he remained loyal to Duryodhana
• At dawn the armies were ready to battle
• Karna said he would not fight unless Bhishma died, then he would fight Arjuna
• Arm of the pandavas was led by Dhrishtadyumna, son of Dupada and brother of Draupadi
• Arjuna's 2 sons fought too, Abhimanyu (mother was Krishna's sister Subhadra) and Iravat (mother was Ulupi the serpent nymph, daughter of the king of the nagas)
• Bhima's rakshasa son fought too
• Yudhishthira went before the Karuavas army and asked permission from Bhishma and Drona if he could fight them (ok?) and then he asked if anyone wanted to come back with him
• Duryodhana's half brother, Yuyutsu left with Yudhishthira
• Battle lasted all day, Kauravas had advantage by evening because of Bhishma's prowess
• Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, "cut down the ensign of his [Bhishma] chariot"
• At the end of the day, Arjuna and Bhishma battled but Bhishma retreated, Arjuna followed him and killed "the Kaurava host"?
• 2nd day: Bhishma attacked again, Arjuna drove him back
• 3rd day: Pandavas advanced in crescent formation and drove back Kaurava army
• many people died
• 4th: Bhima was hero
• 5th: Arjuna and Bhima advanced in triumph until they were held back by Drona
• 6th: Arjuna's son rescued Drupada and Bhima from nearly being killed, they had got surrounded
• 7th: Bhishma went crazy. no one could stop him, numbers of Yudhishthira were cut down, Kauravas thought they were going to win
• 8th: Bhishma advanced but his charioteer was killed and the steeds took off, Kaurava army was confused. Pandavas made huge advances. then 6 Gandhari princes advanced to beat them back, they wanted to slay Iravat. Iravat killed 5 of them but the 6th killed him
• Arjuna was grieved, his other son Ghatotkacha with his other rakshasas went forth. Duryodhana sent elephants but they cleared them
• Bhishma knows it is not going to end well, he even had warned Duryodhana

Krishna in the Kauravas Court

Bibliography

Public Domain Edition Mahabharata, link to reading.