Week 10 Reading Diary A: Buck's Mahabharata

For the next few weeks of reading assignments, I have decided to read William Buck's retelling of the Mahabharata. I have read the PDE and watched the movie version of the Mahabharata, so I have some good background knowledge of the various stories going into this reading assignments. With so many different interconnected characters to keep track of, I think it will be good for me to spend some more time on the Mahabharata to fully internalize this epic.

The first portion of this reading assignment was spent describing the births of all of the incredible warriors that will ultimately go into battle. In this version, there is more of a description of Kunti's interactions with the Gods who father her sons. Also, there is more of an explanation as to why Pandu forgot the curse that the deer had cast on him. He was so filled with joy from having so many sons that he felt youthful again, and had forgotten the dreary days of his past.

I also loved the description of Dritarashtra and Gandhari's love. The king felt downcast, and like he couldn't rule because he was blind. However, when he learned of Gandhari's love for him, and the way she had blindfolded herself to be like him, he became filled with joy that overcame his sorrow. That was one of my favorite "scenes" described by the book.

Boon of Indra to Kunti,

Author: Ramnadayandatta Shastri Pandey, Date: Not listed, Source: Wikimedia