Reading Notes: Mahabharata (D)

It’d be nice to see a story where Duryodhana listens to Bhishma and ends the war, but he just had to be difficult..

Abhimanyu is so brave it’d be a nice twist to see him live, or even cooler to see him kill Jayadratha as he enters the breach!

That’s so smart of Arjuna making Jayadratha’s head fly to his father and fall out of his lap so they both die. If this didn’t work or wasn’t thought of the story could have taken an entirely different turn..

Why does Kunti allow Karna to promise her he will only kill Arjuna? Why not make him promise to not kill any of his brothers?

I feel like a plan could have been made to where Ghatotkatcha could have killed Karna instead of just using him as bait to use up Karna’s lance. I wonder how Bhima felt when his son died?

Very clever trick to get Drona to lay down his arms…I wonder what would have happened if he realized that it was all a trick?

Maybe Arjuana should have killed Dhrishtadyumna because then he would have had an honorable death.

I loved reading that Bhima got revenge on Duhsasana for what he did to Draupadi! It’s interesting to me that Bhima fights for Draupadi the most when he was married to other women and had children with others.

If Karna had not lost his chariot I wonder if Arjuna would have still managed to kill him?

Every time I think of the word stubborn Duryodhana will definitely come to my mind!

That’s sad that Ashvatthama killed all of the children while asleep. What if the children rose up and fought against him as if they had all already been training to be warriors?

(mourning over lost children)

I’d like to make Draupadi rule the kingdom since her husband, Yudhishthira, won’t.

What if Dhritarashtra didn’t have a son? Or what if the child was a girl?

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata

Reading Notes: Mahabharata (C)

I think draupadi and all the brothers have the right to be mad at Yudhishthira!

It’d be interesting story line where someone notices that loaded dice were used in the gambling and that’s why Yudhishthira lost both times.

I wonder what it was like from the animals perspective when Bhima was going through the forest killing the animals just for amusement..

I don’t understand why Duryodhana’s jealousy/hatred for the Pandavas never lessened after all the bad stuff he did to them?

I wonder if the story would have changed any if the pandavas didn’t save duryodgana and the royal prisoners?

Indra should have just taken the earrings and armor instead of exchanging the arrow of death for it.

You would think with 5 husbands Draupadi would be safe but it seems like she is always in a bad situation. It’d be cool to give her some fighting powers.

                                    

(Bhima kills Kichaka)

I like this photo because it feels like one of the only times that the brothers have taken up for Draupadi.

Riddles at the Lake would be a good base story to teach about patience.

I feel like I've been waiting forever for this battle to happen. I'd like to write something with this much suspense!

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata (B)

• I think it'd be a good story line of what would happen if Bhima didn't defeat the rakshasa or if he didn't marry the sister and have the baby boy.
• Or what if the boy was beautiful like Bhima instead of monsterous looking like he was. Would Bhima have then demanded he and the wife not leave him? 
  

            (Ghatotkacha: Bhima's son)

• It'd be cool to give Kunti powers like Bhima. She is such a good character I'd like to see them join forces and do good together.
• The story of Draupadi's previous life as Nalayni is very interesting to me. When the god told her that she'd get five husbands and that she was basically a prostitute, I wonder if it was to punish her or if he was simply just granting her wishes?
• I wonder what Queen Kunti thought of her 5 sons all being married to the same woman?
• I'm surprised that Vidura didn't kill prince duryodhana back when he realized that the prince had planned to burn all the pandava's and their mother alive.
• I don't like how Draupadi is not given a voice. I'd like to hear a story where she voices her opinion and is more in command.
• The water nymps should have given Arjuna some kind of gift for returning them all to their natural form
• So Arjuna got married to another woman while in exile and had 4 kids with different women...seems pretty scandalous to me...
• Palace of Illusions seems like a good read!

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata

Story Planning: Who killed Bhimy?

I was taking my nightly walk through the woods next to the Ganges river. The river has this weird sense of calming for me. I think it's because when I was younger my family built their house next to a river. I always fell asleep so easily to the crashing of the water on the rocks on the bank.

                                                                           

                                                                    (Ganges River)

Usually when I take this walk I get the same feeling as if I were meditating- everything becomes still, all noise blocked out, all that I am focused on is my breathing. Tonight though something was different. Things felt unbalanced, disturbed, like an accident had happened.

As I continue my walk I consider just turning around and going home, because it was stressing me out more than it's usual calming. At that moment I saw something in the river that didn't look normal. IT WAS A PERSON! I quickly jumped in to rescue the person, hoping they were still alive. When I jumped in to help I instantly was in pain. I had jumped into a feast of the snakes of the Ganges river, nagas. They were attacking this person like they had not eaten in days. I had to draw them off of him somehow. I decide to distract them by swimming away because I'm sure they'd love more of a fight. I am successful in doing this, a little too successful. Just as I start fading out someone pulls me out of the water.

The person in the river was Bhimy, one of the Kings daughters!

~~~  ~~~  ~~~~
From here I want to go into detail between myself and Bhimy trying to figure out who would've tried to kill her, why she's still alive, and what to do about it.

I played off of the story of Bhima getting thrown into the ganges river by Duryodhana

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata (A)

• I am confused how Vyasa and Janamejaya were alive at the same time when Janamejaya was the 7th generation of Vyasa? 

• How did Uparichara know the “fish children” were his??

• It’d be an interesting twist to do a version of Mahabharata were king UParichara keeps the girl instead of the boy.

• I wonder what would have happened if Ganga didn’t drown all of those celestial beings as babies? Would they have lived long lives with their powers? Or without? If they were living as humans without their powers who would have taken over their celestial duties?

                                                                       

(Bhishma making the terrible vow for his father to have the one he loved)

• I’d like to see a video of Bhishma abducting the three princesses, it sounds like a good line for an action movie! 

• I don’t understand why Amba wanted to kill Bhishma when he was nice to her. If I was her I would’ve wanted to get revenge on the king that turned her away after all she went through to get to him.

• I wonder what would have happened if someone other than Radha had found Karna?

• There should be some kind of sign to show people when an animal isn’t a real animal but a person in animal shape. That could’ve saved Pandu and Dasharatha’s lives. I hate how before these people die they have time to put curses on people.

• The story of Pandu's wives arguing about who should burn themselves alive to follow him in death would be a good topic for a story this week.

• Bhima's story with the nagas would be a good take on good outcomes from bad things.

                                                                       

(Pandu's fate)

Bibliography: PDEMahabharata