Week 13: Buck's Mahabharata (pp. 191-305)Assignments - Reading Guide A - Reading Guide B - Mahabharata Resources |
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Your Reading A for this week is Buck's Mahabharata, pp.
191-246. You might want to read over the previous
reading guide to remind yourself of what has happened so far.
Buck opens with the story of Kauśika who
always told the truth, but ended up in hell anyway, since he told the truth to
thieves, helping them to catch their victims.
p. 191. Yudhishthira at the lake. The Pandavas chase a deer deep into the forest. Yudhishthira sends his brothers one after another to fetch water from a lake, but they do not return. When Yudhishthira comes to the lake he finds their bodies. An invisible voice tells Yudhishthira he must answer questions before being allowed to drink. Yudhishthira answers all the questions, and then learns that this is a test posed by his divine father, Dharma (remember: Yama is the "Dharmaraja"). The four brothers are then revived.
p. 199. In Virata's court. King Virata is
the ruler of the Matsya kingdom, where the Pandavas decide to spend their thirteenth
year of exile in disguise. Before joining the court, they hide their weapons
in a tree in a cemetery. Yudhishthira enters Virata's service as a brahman
with expertise in dice and chess.
Bhima becomes Virata's
cook. Sudeshna,
the wife of Virata, employs Draupadi as
her personal maid. Sahadeva impresses
Virata by being able to predict an eclipse 
(supposedly the eclipse happens
when Rahu swallows
the moon and it then emerges from this throat, since only his head became immortal
when he drank the amrita).
Virata agrees to put Sahadeva in charge of tending his cattle.
Urvaśi's curse
transforms Arjuna into
a eunuch and he lives with the women of the court as a teacher of music and
dancing, taking the name Brihannala (Vrihannala). Nakula takes on a job tending
the horses.
p. 209. Karna and Indra. [Note that Buck includes this story of Karna and
Indra which was omitted in Narayan, while Buck is going to omit the story of
Karna and Parasurama, which Narayan did include.]
Indra decides he wants the armor and earrings which Karna was wearing when
he was born and which form his natural armor. Karna's divine father, the sun
god Surya, warns him to refuse Indra, but Karna says he is honor-bound to agree
to this request. Karna assures Surya he will get something in return from Indra.
Indra comes to Karna disguised as a friendly brahman and asks for the armor
and earrings. Karna recognizes Indra, and demands an infallible throwing dart
from Indra, which Indra gives to him, although it can be used only once.
p.
215. Kichaka. Kichaka is
the brother of Sudeshna, and is Virata's general. He conceives a passionate
desire for Draupadi at first sight. Draupadi resists his attentions and warns
him that she is under the protection of five gandharva husbands.
Kichaka scoffs, and assaults her. Draupadi runs to Virata for protection but
this does not deter Kichaka. Draupadi arranges a midnight rendezvous with Kichaka,
and sends Bhima in her place. Bhima crushes Kichaka into a shapeless ball of
flesh. Kichaka's kinsmen are outraged, and want to burn Draupadi on Kichaka's
pyre but she is rescued by Vaiśravana,
the treasure lord. [Notice that this is different from the rescue by Bhima described
in Narayan's version.]
p. 222. The cattle raid. Now that Kichaka was dead, Suśarman and Duryodhana prepare a raid on King Virata's cattle.
Virata takes his army to chase after Suśarman, but this leaves his kingdom
unprotected. Only Prince Uttara is on hand when Duryodhana and the Kaurava
army launch the second phase of the attack.
[Note that the prince is named Uttara with a short "a" at the end
of his name, and the princess is named Uttara (Uttarâ), with a long "a" at
the end of her name.]. Draupadi
tells Uttara that Brihannala had been Arjuna's charioteer and so Uttara appoints
Brihannala to be his charioteer. Arjuna pretends not to know how to put on
his armor, and he then drives Uttara out to the battle front. 
When Uttara sees
Duryodhana and the Kaurava army, he runs away in fear but Arjuna drags him
back to the chariot and offers to do the fighting while Uttara drives. They
retrieve the weapons from the tree in the cemetery and Arjuna reveals his identity
to Uttara. Arjuna blows his conch shell to announce the coming battle and Duryodhana
insists that the Pandavas have failed in their obligation to remain concealed
for a year.
Bhishma corrects Duryodhana, telling him that the exile of the Pandavas
is finished, and that they met the stipulated requirements.
Arjuna uses a weapon to make the Kaurava army fall asleep and he and Uttara
cut pieces of cloth from the sleeping Kaurava generals.
Bhishma does not fall asleep like the other generals, but he is unable to stop
Arjuna.
When Duryodhana awakes he sees Arjuna leaving the battle field, victorious.
Princess Uttara is surprised when her brother returns with a strange warrior
in his chariot. Virata offers Princess Uttara to Arjuna as a wife, and they
marry. [Note that Buck does not include the character of Arjuna's son Abhimanyu,
so here Arjuna replaces Abhimanyu as Uttara's husband.]
p. 235. Sanjaya's visit. Sanjaya comes
to see the Pandavas on a mission from Dhritarashtra.
Yudhishthira says he wants Indraprastha to
be given back, or at least five villages, one for each brother.
Krishna weeps
when he sees Sanjaya became he realizes the days of the Kauravas are coming
to an end.
Dhritarashtra wants to give Indraprastha back to the Pandavas, but
Duryodhana refuses to give the Pandavas any land at all.
Karna says he is ready to fight the Pandavas single-handed, but
Bhishma is pessimistic about victory and this enrages Karna.
Karna refuses to fight so long as Bhishma is bearing arms.
Kripa thinks the war is a terrible thing but he agrees to support Duryodhana.
p.
238 Krishna. Arjuna
and Duryodhana both go to see Krishna on the same day and find him asleep.
When Krishna awakes, he sees Arjuna first and offers him a choice: he can take
Krishna as his ally, or he can have all the soldiers of Krishna's army. Arjuna
chooses Krishna as his ally, giving the soldiers to Duryodhana. Duryodhana
is delighted with this choice. But first Krishna makes one last effort to secure
a peace at Hastinapura. Krishna goes to Hastinapura where
he sees
Vidura and Kunti.
Vidura wants Krishna to avoid Duryodhana, but Krishna is not afraid.
Duryodhana offers Krishna various gifts, but Krishna refuses them and tells
Duryodhana he should surrender 
half
of the kingdom to the Pandavas. Duryodhana will not compromise. Meanwhile,
Krishna's ally Satyaki is
aware that Duryodhana and his brother Duhśasana plan
to capture Krishna, and he warns Krishna.
Duhśasana does draw his sword in order to threaten Krishna, trying to arrest
him.
Krishna hurls his chakra at
Duhśasana and it cuts off his head.
A stream of energy exits from Duhśasana's body and enters into Krishna. [Note
that Buck has conflated characters here, substituting Duhśasana for the character
of Śisupala, who was killed by Krishna but who was energetically joined to
him after death, just as Buck describes the slaying of Duhśasana here.]
p. 244. Krishna and Karna. Krishna
then leaves the court, and has a final conversation with Karna, pleading
with him to desert Duryodhana and join the Pandavas, who are his brothers.
Karna refuses, and declares that his loyalty to Duryodhana is absolute. He
explains that his mother abandoned him, and that he regards Adhiratha the
chariot driver and his wife as his true parents.The battle is set to begin
in seven days' time.
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