Week 7 Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part C

Image Credit. Pandavas. Source: Wikipedia.

      The first story that caught my eye was the story of the riddles at the lake. I find it really surprising that four of the Pandavas, Bhima, Nakula, Arjuna, and Sahadeva, fell prey to drinking the water even though they were warned. The setting is very interesting and tempting here. I wonder if the yaksha knows that his lake will be tempting for those that pass by and uses that to lure in victims. The riddles are all very confusing and I thought that they were quite long. I wonder how long and complicated the riddles in the longer version are. I like that Yudhishthira is very patient and answers each one diligently. I also really like how he uses his wishes to help himself and the other Pandavas.

     The second story that stuck out to me was the one where the Pandavas and Draupadi spent some of their exile in the palace of the Rajah. It was very interesting how they each took on such a diverse role. They filled roles such as Yudhishthira as a dice teacher, Bhima became the head chef, Arjuna started as a dancing teacher, Nakula watched over the horses, and Sahadeva was over kine. I enjoyed that the Pandavas stayed close to each other all living in the palace. Draupadi even found a job as a bondwoman for the queen. Thought Draupadi had some stipulations before she would accept the job. I like that she kept her sassy spirit and still retained a sense of regality at the end of her time in exile. I like how Bhima got a chance to shine at the end of the story. I also liked that the Queen was worried that Draupadi's great beauty would attract many men and cause trouble but she was not jealous of her beauty.

Source: PDE Mahabharata. The Court of King Virata. Riddles at the Lake.