Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata, Section A

 Battle of Kurukshetra: Wikipedia

The Eighth Baby:

Shantanu was a king who ruled from the city of Hastinapura. He marries a maiden and he agrees that she is free to do as she wishes. She drowned seven of her newborns a river, the king did nothing for leave that she would leave him. The king finally stops her after the eighth baby and she left him. She turned out to be the river deity Ganga. The Vasus were the babies and were punished having stolen Sage Vasishta’s cow. Ganga took the eighth child and disappeared for years. She returns him to the king once is grown. The king falls in love with another girl, Satyavati, four years after. Her father wants their child to be on the throne, the king refused. Devavratha gave up the throne and told the woman's father that he would remain a bachelor. Devavratha became known as Bhishma. Satyavathi bore two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, Chitrangada was killed in battle. Bhishma acted as a regent at the request of Satyavathi. A swayamwara was hold three daughters of the Kasi kingdom Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika. Bhishma seized the three girls for his brother. Ambika and Ambalika were married to Vichitravirya and were happy. Vichitravirya then dies of disease without children. Satyavathi requested Bhishma marry his brother's wives to continue the bloodline, he refuses. Satyavati tells a story of her time with a rishi, who she had a child with. Vyasa, her child, is summoned by thought. The widows rejected Vyasa appearance and one child was blind while the other was pale. Ambalika maid then sleep with him and their child, Vidura, is born without any flaw.

Dhritarashtra, the first and blind child, is raised by Bhishma. He marries Princess of Gandhara, who bandaged his eyes to share her husband’s plight. Dhritarashtra give his authority to Pandu, the thrid child. Pandu has two wives,but is cursed to die during sex and thus as no children. This is due to him shooting a celestial being in the form of a deer while it was having sex. His pale brother, Kunthi, offers him a solution. Kunthi had earned the blessing of Sage Dhurvasa and was given a mantra which would allow Pandu a son with a god. Yudhishthira,meaning unflinching in war, was born after the god Yama was summoned. Pandu then had Bhimasena with the god Vayu. After a year Arjuna was born with Indra. Pandu went for two more sons with Aswins, Nakula and Sahadeva, against the wishes of his brother and wives. Pandu's brother Dhritarashtra has one hundred sons. Pandu dies when he makes love to Madri. Madri went into the pyre along with her husband, leaving Kunthi to raise the children.

Enter–the Players:

Kunti and the Pandavas go to Hastinapura, where Dhritarashtra is now ruling. The Pandavas and Kauravas are raised in the same household together. Duryodhana was teased by his cousins. Duryodhana and his accomplices attempted to kill their cousins, especially Bhima. Drona trains all the boys together with his own son, Ashwatthaman. Arjuna does well in training. Karna arrives welcomed with open arms by Duryodhana. Karna wishes to engage Arjuna in single combat. He is made King of Anga by Duryhodhana as he could not prove his heritage to the guru Kripa. Drona wants his pupils to capture King Drupada. The king is capture and Drona keeps half of his kingdom and returns half to back Drupada.

House of Joy–and Ashes:

Dhritarashtra decided for Yudhistira to be his heir. However he regretted this because of Yudhistira popularity with the people. Dhritarashtra tries convinces his father to exile the popular Pandavas. A House of Joy is created to kill the Pandavas. However, they are warned and when the house catches fire the Pandavas escape though a tunnel. This makes everyone believe they are dead, and much public morning occurred. Dhritarashtra is filled with regret.

Bride for Five:

Hidimbi, a rakshasa, falls in love with Bhima and have a son, Ghatotkacha. Kunti and the Pandavas travel into the forest where they live. Vyasa tells the Pandavas to disguise themselves as brahmins to to conceal their identity. Bhima fights Baka and easily defeats it to everyone surprise.

Source:
Narayan, R. K., & Wendy Doniger. (2013).The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. University of Chicago Press.