Reading Notes: Kincaid's Indian Heroes, Part A

I appreciate the fact it starts acknowledging Rama and Sita in Vishnu's heaven.

 Part 6 seems to be along the same lines as the Mahabharata we read before. Not much variation, at most just less detail. This section is about the birth/raising, to the point of finding bodies in the burnt house, believing the Pandavas had passed.


Part 7: Seems like the other version as well. Stays with the main point of the story. I don't feel like there is much variation here either. This part is about them going through the woods, killing the monster, wedding the sister, reuniting, rejoining the family in town, and killing that towns "ruler" that was tormenting them. Finally they arrive in town to compete for Draupadi.

Part 8: Is this supposed to be the same as the other? Arjuna wins her hand, queen accidentally says to share her, everyone ends up agreeing. Draupadi weds all the brothers.

Part 9: Their cousin finds out they are alive and that they wed. Cousin invites them back to mend fences, gives them part of the country. They go and build a wonderful city. For a second I thought they forgot the oath, but it was just mentioned at a different time. Arjuna went to the woods, and had the alligator-water nymph thing. Then the whole burning of the forest. Then he gets his own bride. Moya of the nagas built a wondrous palace with the nagas jewels, and they sent some around as tribute. They wanted to do a sacrifice to show he was the highest, but krishna said to eliminate J first, so they managed that by bhima wrestling him

Part 10: They do the ritual, cousin comes and gets jealous. Comes up with a plan to have Pandavas face a family member who cheats in gambling. They loose everything. Draupadi gets their freedom and everything returned, but had a messenger chase them to challenge them at dice once more. Because of the curse, they accept and return. The pandavas lose and have to spend 12 years in exile and 1 year hidden.

Part 11: They go into the forest. Vyasa tells Y to have arjuna go see Indra for armor to defeat their cousin after the exile is up. He made it to the spot, saw what he believed to be one of the immortals, and set up camp there for a month. He ends up wrestling one of the immortals who gifts him the armor. Bhima gets caught by a huge snake. Y faced the challenge given and answered all the snakes questions, breaking the curse and returning him to human form.

Part 12: This is the year of hiding. Each chose their disguise and they chose a city and went. They hid their weapons and entered the city. They all found employment with the king. Draupadi was requested to go to the queen's brothers room, and was unsure. H tried to embrace her, she ran out. He followed mad and struck her. King didn't want to hear it, so she told Bhima. He was angry and promised revenge. He told her to have the prince meet him. He beat the prince until he was totally unrecognizable.

(image from Flickr)

Bibliography:

  Gibbs, Laura. “Kincaid. The Indian Heroes.” Kincaid. The Indian Heroes, http://freebookapalooza.blogspot.com/2016/07/kincaid-indian-heroes.html.