Week 9 Storytelling: King Duryodhana and the Pandavas

A messenger had just returned to King Duryodhana with news that the Pandavas were approaching the House of Joy. King Duryodhana became excited at the thought of his enemies walking into his trap. "Those Pandavas are fools," Duryodhana proclaimed "Messenger, ride to the archer hiding near the House of Joy and tell him to launch a fire arrow once the Pandavas are asleep."

King Duryodhana and his army. Source: Wikipedia

The messenger quickly departed for the House of Joy. As he rode towards the House of Joy he thought about the situation. "How cowardly of King Duryodhana to slaughter the Pandavas in their sleep. Why would anyone want to do this to the Pandavas? They are friends of the people." The messenger decided that he would change the course of events this evening. He rode around the camp where the King's archer was waiting for the signal to fire, and rode straight to the House of Joy. Upon seeing the magnificent house for himself, he understood why the Pandavas could be lured here so easily. He presented himself at the door and said, "Pandavas, I am an agent of King Duryodhana, and I request your audience." The Pandavas gathered at the door and received the messenger. "Pandavas, you are in great danger. King Duryodhana built this place as a trap. This place is meant to be your grave, not your home. There is an archer waiting in the forest to loose a fire arrow on this house while you are sleeping. Flee this place and I will order him to fire, then you may plot your revenge against Duryodhana. I will tell nobody that you have survived."

The Pandavas were shocked by this news of treachery from King Duryodhana. They thanked the messenger for saving their lives and quickly gathered their possessions. They then fled into the forest outside of the House of Joy and waited to watch it go up in flames. Meanwhile, the messenger rode to the archer in waiting. He arrived and showed the King's seal to the archer. "The Pandavas are fast asleep inside the House of Joy, send them to their graves." The archer sent the fire arrow flying and after a brief moment the House of Joy exploded in flames. "Our work here is done. Let us return to King Duryodhana and tell him that the Pandavas have perished." They returned to the king and told him that the House of Joy was in flames. The king was relieved by this news and retired to his chamber.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by Narayan's The Mahabharata. I wanted to tell an alternate version of the story where King Duryodhana is betrayed by his own forces. The Pandavas are loved by the people and would not want to see them killed by Duryodhana.



Bibliography: 

• Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Week 9: Reading Diary B

I bet that Duryodhana was shaking in his boots when he realized the Pandavas were still alive. Luckily for him, his son decided to take the diplomatic approach and make peace with the Pandavas. I'm surprised that the Pandavas needed a sage to tell them of the dangers of sharing a wife between five brothers. I can't imagine sharing a significant other with one person, let alone five. At least they take yearly rotations.

Duryodhana seems like a very jealous and petty man. I'm sure this will end up haunting him, for karma cannot be avoided. Playing dice seems like a strange way to settle the score and take revenge, but I suppose if they stakes are high enough then a game of dice is a bit more than just a game. Yudhishthira and I have something in common, we are terrible gamblers. I can't believe he gambled away his brothers and wife. Druapadi seems like a woman you don't want to mess with, not to mention her powerful husbands. Duryodhana is really digging himself into a deep hole.

I don't understand how Yudhishthira can gamble on behalf of the other Pandavas, especially after the first time. If I were a Pandava, I would have called a family meeting and removed Yudhishthira from a position where can has the power to gamble my life away. Yudhishthira may be a terrible gambler, but he does understand that revenge is a dish best served cold.

Week 9: Reading Diary A

As soon as the woman by the river agreed to marry Shantanu on the condition that he would never question her, I knew something was fishy. I guessed many things, but I did not guess that she would drown her own children. I thought this was extremely messed up, but of course there is more to the story than that. So it turns out that she is a god, who has been giving birth to gods and then killing them so they can become gods again. From this perspective it seems that the eighth child is the unlucky one, for he has to endure his human incarnation.

Bhishma seems like a pretty selfless person in renouncing his claim to the throne and letting his father marry another woman. I could not imagine letting my father get married again if it meant that I would never be able to marry a woman. I don't think Bhishma deserves the revenge that amba is seeking, after all he let her go to the person she wanted to marry. The King of Shalwa proves to be a jealous man for no good reason, Amba should be plotting against him. I love how the birth defects of Vyasa's children were brought about because of things like the mother closing her eyes while conceiving the baby.

So far this story has featured a lot of sex. Even the deer was getting it on. But of course the deer was actually a god so Pandu is totally going to die if he has sex again. Pandu wants sons, and finds a clever loophole to get them without having sex. Of course these aren't really Pandu's sons, but he will be their father.