Week 11: Buck's Mahabharata (pp. 1-91)Assignments - Reading Guide A - Reading Guide B - Mahabharata Resources |
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Your Reading B for this week is Buck's Mahabharata, pp. 49-91.
You might want to read over the previous
reading guide to remind yourself of what has happened so far.
p.
51. The house at Varanavata. The blind king Dhritarashtra sends the Pandavas and Kunti away to Varanavata for the festival of Śiva. His
sons Duryodhana and Duhśasana employ the minister Purochana to build a fire-trap
for the Pandavas there. Vidura warns Yudhishthira about the danger, and they
prepare a tunnel that will allow them to escape from the house, leaving six
corpses behind in their place. Bhima sets fire to the house, killing Purochana
and they flee through the tunnel to the river where a boatman waits to take
them away. They wander in disguise as brahmans.
p. 58. The rakshasa king Vaka. The Pandavas and Kunti take
up residence in the village of Ekachakra.
The family that they are staying with draws the lot for providing a human sacrifice
to the rakshasa king Vaka (Baka) who
demands yearly tribute from the village. Kunti decides that they can send Bhima
out to fight the demon. Even though he has no weapons, Bhima is able to defeat
the demon with his bare hands.
p. 64. The children of Drupada. Vyasa arrives
and explains that he is going to take the Pandavas to the swayamvara of Draupadi,
the daughter of King Drupada of Panchala.
Drupada had been in despair after the humiliation of being captured by Drona and
giving up half his kingdom, so he begged the god Śiva for a son who could defeat
Drona. Siva appeared to Drupada in a dream and told him to pour two cups of
butter into the fire, one for a son, one for 
a daughter. This is how Dhrishtadyumna and
Draupadi were born. The Pandavas attend Draupadi's swayamvara, still disguised
as brahmans. Drupada has set an archery test that only Arjuna can
pass. Arjuna wins Draupadi, although everyone is surprised since he appears
just to be a wandering brahman. Krishna and
his brother Balarama are present at the swayamvara and they offer their congratulation
to the Pandavas for Arjuna's victory.
Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu, tells Arjuna that he remembers
their past lives together, but Arjuna does not remember. Dhrishtadyumna comes
to take the Pandavas with Kunti and Draupadi to Drupada's
palace. Draupadi marries all five of the Pandava brothers.
p. 75. Indraprastha. Much to Duryodhana's disgust, Dhritarashtra
rejoices when he learns the Pandavas are still alive and he gives them the
region of Khandava to
rule. The Pandavas build the city of Indraprastha near
the Khandava forest. Meanwhile, Arjuna goes to visit Krishna at Dwaravati
(Dwaraka).
Krishna's brother Balarama recalls how when he was drunk, he wanted to take
a bath in the Yamuna river
so he used his plow to force the rivers of the Yamuna river to come to him.
(This story is alluded to in Buck; you can read more about Balarama in
the Encyclopedia.) Arjuna falls in love with Krishna's sister Subhadra and
with Krishna's encouragement he takes her to be his wife.
p. 80. The burning of Khandava forest. The fire god Agni comes
to Krishna and Arjuna in the former of a woodsman with gold skin dressed in
black rags, his mouth smeared with butter. Agni wants to eat the Khandava
forest and needs their help. Each time Agni tries to burn Khandava forest, Indra protects
it with rain. Arjuna and Krishna agree to ward off Indra while Agni burns Khandava
forest. Agni gives Arjuna the bow Gandiva as
a reward, and he gives Krishna his iron chakra.
As Agni burns the forest, Arjuna disperses Indra's rainclouds and Krishna shatters
his thunderbolt. The other gods - Varuna, Yama, Skanda, Vaiśravana
(Kubera), and Surya -
come to watch. The asura named
Maya, the architect of the gods, flees from out of the forest and seeks Arjuna's
protection from Agni. As a reward for his rescue, Maya builds a great palace
for the Pandavas.
p. 88. Duryodhana comes to Indraprastha. Duryodhana and Śakuni pay a visit to Indraprastha. Duryodhana is fooled by the illusions of the palace
and is mocked by the Pandavas, especially Bhima. Yudhishthira accepts Duryodhana
and Sakuni's challenge to a game of dice. Arjuna warns Sakuni that nothing
good could come of this dice game. Foreseeing disaster,
Vyasa takes his mother Satyavati, along with Ambika, Ambalika, and the mother
of Vidura, away to the forest so that they will not have to witness the war
that is to come.
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