Week 12: Buck's Mahabharata (pp. 93-189)Assignments - Reading Guide A - Reading Guide B - Mahabharata Resources |
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Your Reading A for this week is Buck's Mahabharata, pp.
93-138. You might want to read over the previous
reading guide to remind yourself of what has happened so far.
p.
95. The gambling match at Hastinapura.
You already know that Yudhishthira has
accepted the invitation to the gambling match. When the Pandavas arrive
at Hastinapura for
the match, Duryodhana explains
that Śakuni will
throw for him.
Arjuna warns Duryodhana
that only disaster can come from this dicing match.
At first, Śakuni and Yudhishthira staked gold, pearls, elephants and other
material wealth. Yudhishthira then gambles away his brothers, and then himself,
losing everything to Śakuni. Finally, Yudhishthira
stakes Draupadi and
loses. Duryodhana orders that Draupadi be summoned and set to work in the kitchen.
Duryodhana sends Duhśasana to
summon Draupadi to the assembly hall and he pulls her there by her hair. As
Duhśasana is about to strip off her clothes,
Krishna miraculously
comes to Draupadi's aid, so that each time Duhśasana strips off a dress, another
appears in its place. Draupadi then hits Duhśasana, which enrages Duryodhana. Dhritarashtra intervenes
and crushes the dice in his hand. At Draupadi's request, Dhritarashtra first
frees Bhima and then the other Pandava brothers, and he
then frees Draupadi and restores all their wealth to them. Duryodhana proposes
one final throw of the dice, with the loser having to go into exile in the
forest. Yudhishthira
loses, and the Pandavas, together with Draupadi, go into exile.
p. 105. Arjuna's adventures. After Krishna visits them in
the forest, Arjuna heads into the mountains. He meets an old man beneath
a pine tree drinking from a clay cup who turns out to be his father Indra.
Arjuna shoots an arrow at a wild boar, which has been shot by another hunter
too, a mysterious figure dressed in a tigerskin who turns out to be the god
Śiva. Then Matali arrives
in Indra's chariot arrives to take Arjuna away to Indra's heaven, Amaravati.
Up in Indra's heaven, gandharvas and apsarases live
in the Nandana Grove ("Pleasure" Grove)
where Arjuna sees Indra and his queen, Indrani. Indra tells Chitraratha, chief
of the gandharvas, to go summon apsaras Urvaśi and bring her to Arjuna (Urvaśi
is madly in love with Arjuna).
p. 119. Nala and Damayanti: The Swayamvara. Meanwhile, Vyasa comes to see Yudhishthira in the forest and tells him the story of King Nala,
who was even more unfortunate than Yudhishthira.
Nala was the king of the Nishada people and he was in love with
Damayanti, the daughter of Bhima, the king of Vidarbha (not
Bhima, the son of Pandu!). A swan told Damayanti how wonderful Nala was, and
she fell in love with him. On his way to Damayanti's swayamvara, Nala met the gods
Indra, Agni, Varuna and Yama, who all wanted Damayanti for themselves.
Indra sent Nala to explain to Damayanti that she was to choose a god for
her husband. Even though the gods disguised themselves as Nala at the swayamvara,
Damayanti was able to identify Nala and choose her as her husband. The evil spirit
Kali (not to be confused with the goddess Kâli) had also wanted to marry
Damayanti and he vowed to ruin their happiness by taking possession of Nala.
p.124. Nala and Damayanti: The Dice Game.
Kali told Nala's brother Pushkara to
challenge Nala to a game of dice.
Kali then possessed Nala and caused him to lose everything to Pushkara.
Nala had to leave his palace and go away with Damayanti, each dressed in
a single robe, and Nala later lost his own robe while trying to catch some
birds.
Nala decided to abandon Damayanti while she was asleep, hoping she would
go back to her father's house.
Nala divided their one robe into two, and took half with him, leaving half
with Damayanti. When Damayanti awoke, she did not go home to her father's house,
but kept looking for Nala everywhere. The ascetics in the forest advised Damayanti
to go to her father's palace and wait for Nala there but instead she followed
a caravan to the kingdom of Chedi.
When Damayanti was attacked by the people of Chedi, the brahman Sudeva rescued
her.
Sudeva persuaded Damayanti to go to her father the king and to get his help
in looking for Nala. Damayanti's father promised that he would search for Nala
everywhere.
p. 130. Nala and Damayanti: The Charioteer Vahuka. Meanwhile,
Indra had arranged for the naga Karkotaka to help Nala. In a forest fire, Nala
rescued Karkotaka but Karkotaka then bit him. Karkotaka's poison turned Nala
into a twisted and ugly person, completely unrecognizable as Nala.
Karkotaka told Nala to call himself Vahuka [Bahuka], and to go offer his
services to King Rituparna.
As Vahuka, Nala became King Rituparna's charioteer. King Rituparna was glad
to have a charioteer who could make his horses go very fast.
The brahman Parnada met Vahuka in King Rituparna's court and realized he
was Nala. Parnada then went to Damayanti and announced that he had found
Nala at King Rituparna's court.
Damayanti sent Sudeva as a messenger to Rituparna, inviting him to a swayamvara.
Rituparna begged Vahuka to get him to Damayanti's swayamvara as quickly as
possible. On the way, Vahuka asked Rituparna to share with him the secrets
of successful gambling. The knowledge of gambling finally drove Kali from Nala's
body (
Karkotaka's poison had been burning Kali inside Nala's body).
p. 135. Nala and Damayanti: Reunited. Damayanti sent
her maidservant Keśini so speak with the charioteer Vahuka.
Keśini recognized Nala and told him to go to Damayanti, and so the two were
reunited. Nala returned to his home and
Pushkara challenged his brother to another game of dice where the stake was
Damayanti.
Nala won back his kingdom and wealth in the final dice game with Pushkara. After
telling Yudhishthira the story of nala,
Vyasa then teaches him the science of gambling with dice.
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