Week 13 Reading Part B

I read Dharma's version of The Mahabharata where Dṛṣṭadyumna chastises the Pandava brothers. Arjuna is really sad that so many people are dying but Dṛṣṭadyumna puts some sense into him by letting them know all the bad that Drona has done. The passage is really great because it goes into depth with the moral argument of fighting. I'm not sure if Dṛṣṭadyumna really made an appearance in Narayan's version but this was great! Also he reminds Arjuna of how Abhimonyu died. 

Abhimonyu being killed by the Kauravas source

Bibliography:
Krishna Dharma - The Mahabharata

Week 13 reading Part A

This week I read about the how Dhritarashtra was so upset after hearing how Bhima killed Duryodhana that he tried to embrace Bhima and kill him. The detail in Krishna Dharma's version is so much better than R.K. Narayan's version because you actually see how Dhritarashtra ends up hurting himself. Dharma describes the king as coughing up blood after embracing and breaking the iron statue of Bhima. Also, I really like the detail of how sad Dhritarashtra was after hugging realizing he would have killed Bhima if he had actually embraced the real Bhima. The detail of the sorrow makes the king a lot more relatable to the audience. I think at some point the readers can relate to a moment of action that they would have regretted doing if it actually had happened. Luckily, Krishna was able to foresee the anger and saved Bhima.

Dhritarashtra embraces Bhima's statue source

Bibliography:

Krishna Dharma's - The Mahabharata

Week 12 Planning

This week we read a lot of poetry in my Auden course. Specifically, we read T.S. Elliot's Four Quartets and that is something that really stood out to me because he specifically made Indian Epic references. For my last story and addition to my portfolio, I am planning on doing something in the last and final realm of the Inferno where Patrick will meet the devil himself. I'm not sure what stories or who I will use yet, but there are a lot of great material from the past four authors that I might incorporate all into one big medley of an adventure. I am thinking I will use the image of the devil chewing on three traitors, and have one of them be Faust from Goethe's Faust. Then perhaps for the other two traitors I might include Richard Wagner and Zarathustra? I am not too sure where I want to go with the the whole descending into the last part of the Inferno yet. 

However, for my story for next week, I think I will take to the part where Arjuna fights Karna and Karna forgets the words to summon his ultimate weapon. I think I could really do a medley with that and have God be Krishna who gives advice to one of the characters (maybe T.S. Elliot) as he fights against... somebody. Anyways, there is a lot of great stuff that is coming up and I am really excited to take this last story to finish! Also, I think I will end the adventure with a twist as well from Dante’s ending and instead of having Patrick black out and wake up out of hell, I might just have the devil pick Patrick up and eat him. That would be really interesting and I think would be kind of funny as well!



source The devil eating people

Bibliography:

Dante's Inferno
R.K. Narayan The Mahabharata

Week 12 Reading Part B

I chose the part where Arjuna has to face Karna, but before that,  a lot was happening with Bhima and the Kauravas. One thing that occured that I think I missed in R.K. Narayan's version is Bhima's assault on Dussashana and drinking his blood. The detail in Krishna Dharma's version is gory and awesome. I love the dialogue that the other kauravas said after seeing Bhima drink blood. There was a comic level of fear that is depicted in Dharma's version that I did not see in Narayan's version of the Mahabharata. This gives me great ideas for my story.

source Bhima drinks Dushasana's blood. 

Bibliography:

Krishna Dharma - the Mahabharata

Week 12 reading part A

I am continuing with reading more of Krishna Dharma's Mahabharata this week! The passage i looked at was the one about the Bhagavad Gita. I chose that one specifically because in my Fate and the Individual class today, T.S. Elliot made a reference to Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield and it was something from the Bhagavad Gita that Krishna read to Arjuna that allowed him to gain his composure. The spiritual ideas are great. I also am figuring out what I want to do with my last story - possibly something with Faust and Mephistopholes and twisting the plot of where Arjuna surrenders himself to Krishna, Faust surrenders himself to Mephistopholes and thus bounds himself to hell.
Anyways, as far as the actual reading today, one thing that stood out to me was the grief that Arjuna felt at having to fight his brothers. He so much would rather die than to kill them. However, in his doubt his gives himself up to the teaching of Krishna and I think that is so cool. It reminds me of my faith and the constant struggle of religion and giving oneself up to whatever it is that one believes in.

source Krishna shows his full form to Arjuna

Bibliography:
The Mahabharata by Krishna Dharma

Week 11: Story Tristan and Isolde Story

After disguising himself as TANTRIS, Tristan seeks the aid of Isolde in order to cure his wound. As he was passing out into her arms, Tristan has a dream of falling in love and marrying Isolde.

Tristan awakens to find himself in a dark room. Isolde is very angry. She just found out that Tristan murdered Morholt and she is very mad. While all  bound in chains, Tristan starts to feel his throat parch. Isolde, confronts Tristan with a vial of liquid DEATH.

"Why am I bound here?" asked Tristan.
"You deceived me!" replied Isolde.
"I'm sorry, but if you had known the truth, then you would not have cured me."
"Better to let you die a just warrior than a lying scoundrel."
"What can I do to make it up to you?"
"You will answer all my questions!!" barked Isolde.

"Why did you do it? Why did you have to murder Morholt?"
"I did what I had to do to defend my king."

After a few more questions, Tristan realizes that he is extremely thirsty.

"I have lost so much blood, I must have a drink!"
"I am not done asking my questions!"

"Please! I feel I will dehydrate and pass out again if I do not have any water! What's in that vial? let me drink!"
"In this vial holds your fate and your death! Drink it if you dare, or answer my questions and I might spare you."

Tristan goes a few more rounds of the trivia.

"Isolde please! I'm so thirsty!"
"No!"

After a few thousand questions, Isolde finds out that Tristan is not so bad after all and he had to do what he had to do in order to defend his king. Tristan also confesses his secret love for her and that he went in disguise only to see her.

"I forgive you." replied Isolde.
"Finally."

Completely forgetting that the vial is poisonous, Tristan quenches his thirst and immediately dies.

Isolde is unfazed by what just happened and goes about her day merrily. 

source Tristan's death and Isolde over his body

Bibliography:

Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde

R.K. Narayan's The Mahabharata

Author's Notes:
Tristan and Isolde is a 19th century opera based off the legend of Tristan and Isolde, a story about a warrior who slays Morholt and is poisoned, and Isolde is the only one who can save him. In the actual opera and story, Tristan and Isolde fall in love. He disguises himself as TANTRIS and seeks the aid of Isolde, unbeknownst to her that Tristan was the one who murdered Morholt. She eventually finds out and they still fall in love. In Wagner's version, the poison vial is replaced with a love potion and they fall in love.

In my rendition of it, the poisoned vial remains poison and Tristan dies and Isolde does not care.

I took the plot from the Mahabharata where Yudihistera is must confront and answer questions from the spirit at the lake before he could take a drink. In the story, Yudihistera succeeds and the spirit rewards him by bringing back to life the 4 dead Pandava brothers.

I decided to do a twist on the story and have Tristan (taking the space of Yudihistera) answer all the questions, and then instead of receiving grace, by his own forgetfulness, he drank the vial and died. I think it's pretty funny and I hope you like it too

Week 11 Reading Part B

The reading about the fighting with Duryahadna was one again ever more detailed and better than the R.K. Narayan's version. The way that Bhima pounces on top of Durayadhana and beats his thigh is very detailed and more satisfying. The dialogue brings the character to life and portrays how awesome Bhima is. Also, it makes it ever more satisfying that Duryodhana was defeated by him for making fun of the girl. Perhaps I could use some of the imagery when I am expanding my story with the Karamazov brothers when I put it on my wall. The story works great and I am excited to almost be done with Krishna Dharma's version!


Bhima beats Duryodhana's thigh source

Bibliography:

Krishna Dharma's The Mahabharata

Week 11 Reading Notes Part A

Today, the reading of Bhisma's fall is heartbreaking. Krishna Dharma does such a great job of portraying how much Bhisma really did not want to fight. The word choice of "not resisting" is amazing and really leads to how heartbreaking this war really is on both sides. Neither Bhisma nor Arjuna wanted to fight till the death.
My favorite scene is how Bhisma chose to not resist at all the volley of arrows that Arjuna sent his way. Also, I did not know that Sikhandi was even relevant in the battle with Bhisma. That detail of Sikhandi aiding Arjuna in his fight against Bhisma was totally glazed over in R.K. Narayan's version, but Dharma makes great use of it in this story. 

source bhisma on Arjunas arrow bed

bibliohraphy:

Krishna Dharma's The Mahabharata