Week 7 Reading Diary: The Mahabharata Part B

I love how Prince Vidura is responsible for making the connection between the wood furniture and tapestries and the hazard that presents itself in the form of oil in The House of Fire, which you would think would give away the plot although it didn’t for me. The way Indian epics relate to the moon is very beautiful; for example, Purochana sought a “moonless” night to set Queen Kunti and the Pandavas’ palace on fire. It is apparent that the stages of the moon are very important to Indian literature. I believe the moon affects nearly every aspect of our lives in some way or another and for this reason, we should become more in tune with its cycles.

Cycles of the Moon. Source: Pixabay.

Ironically, the trap that Purochana intended for Queen Kunti and the Pandavas actually ended up being his demise. I was so sad to hear what happened to the low-caste woman and her five sons! I feel like this may be some kind of consequence for Price Vidura’s actions – karma.

I cannot imagine reading Bhima and Hidimba without the impeccable descriptions it provides. As in this part of The Mahabharata and also my story The Great Banyan Tree, the banyan tree is presented as a strong and protective being. The lotus flower is present too as a description of the rakshasa woman’s lover’s eyes, or Bhima’s. Another blog that I read mentioned the stigma around women to not be harmed or engage in combat; I didn’t recognize this for myself until Bhima claims that no woman shall be killed in his presence. This distinction between man and woman is really interesting to me.  It really shows Bhima’s beautiful character when, in a life or death situation, he is concerned for his mother and brothers’ slumber.