Week 11 Reading Diary B: Stories within Stories

As I continue reading William Buck's retelling of the Mahabharata, I find myself discovering new stories that are told within the plot of the epic. For example, the story of Savitri and Satyavan was new to me. It was told by Vyasa to the Pandava brothers and Draupadi out of inspiration for their love. Savitri could have chosen anyone in the world to be her husband, and she allowed herself to fall in love with a man who had only a year to live. They enjoyed their year together, and when the time came, Savitri somehow managed to negotiate/trick the lord of death into reviving her husband. As if that weren't enough, she also managed to restore her father-in-law's vision and kingdom. Draupadi is similar to Savitri. After her husband gambled everything away (including her) she received favor from King Dhritarashtra which drastically improved their situation.

Savitri and Satyavan,

Author: R. Varma, Date: between 1848 and 1906, Source: Wikimedia

Another story I enjoyed was the story of the part-deer-part-boy Rishyasringa and his love for Santa. Rishyasringa had a very strict father who kept him isolated from the world and its pleasures. In fact, Rishyasringa had never really seen other people before. That's why when he met Santa for the first time, he thought she was a boy! He hadn't even learned about women before! The story of their first encounter was so sweet, and his descriptions of his new friend to his father were so innocent. Since he didn't really know how to explain love, he merely said he wanted to be the closest of friends with him (her) for his whole life. I was so relieved and happy that the two ended up together and that, ultimately, the father was supportive.

I look forward to reading more stories within this story, and hope to finish this book within the next couple of weeks!