Reading Notes: Ramayana Part A

1. Vyasa and Ganesh
• Mahabarata author Vyasa
• Brahma told Vedas that Ganesha would be his scribe
• Indra's semen fell into the sea and a fish had children ten months later
• A fisherman took the kids to a king who took the boy and left the daughter to the fisher's wife
• A rishi Parashara called her and offered her protection of her virginity, and she asked for her smell to go away which it did
• A child was born named Vyasa
2. King Shantanu and Ganga
• Introdiuces Bharata-the sire of King Hastin who built the city of Hastinapura
• Introduces King Shantanu- pious and wonderful, his wife was Ganga
• Vashishta does holy meditations, and the devil's bothered him so he cursed himt o being a human
3. King Shantanu and Satyavati
• Ganga would save the Vasus who would give 1/8th of their power to her son who would never have kids or get married
• Ganga came before Shananu as a beautiful woman who straight up flirts with her and asks for her to marry him
• She married him on teh condition taht she would do what she wanted
• she cast her son into teh Ganga water
• The 8th time her husband God mad and her marriage ended, she finally revealed who she was before disappearing with her last child
• She left her son Devavrata as she breifly came back and departed forever

1. Devavrata's Vow
• Devrata known as Bhishma
• King is sad
• Devrata looks for fisherman's daughter who tells him that is she has sons they cannot succeed the King to which he says
• "If thou wilt give thy daughter unto my sire to be his queen, I, who am his heir, will never accept the throne, nor marry a wife, or be the father of children. If, then, Satyavati will become the mother of a son, he will surely be chosen rajah." When he had spoken thus, the gods and apsaras caused flowers to fall out of heaven upon the prince's head, and a voice came down the wind, saying, "This one is Bhishma."
• He married Satyavati and had two sons:  Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.

1. Bhishma at the Swayamvara
• Vichitravirya looks for a wife
• Bhisma sits on half brothers thrown, helps look for.a wife
• Gained 3 princesses after battle
• Bhishma as he was known as means terrible bec his vow was terrible
• one of his sons died in a war and brought them to his wife to become his sons brides

1. Amba
• discloses she loves the King of Shalwa
• she was allowed to leave
• Shalwa sent her off and she went to a hermitage
• she began fasting
• Shiva asked her to slay Bhishma as a man so she entered fire
2. Dhritarashtra and Pandu
• Vichitravirya died before his wives could have children
• Vyasa is called upon by his mother
• Dhritarashtra and his brother (half-brother) Pandu enter the story: sons of Kauravas and Pandavas
• Dhrtashatra was amika's son and he was blind
• Pandu-the pale one- Ambalika's son
• Vidura son of handmaiden had no flaw
• All taught by Bhishma
3. Kunti and Her Son
• Satyavati-Wife of King Shantanu
• Kunti-wife of Pandu
• had a son years before but who was a girl
• King pnatu had two wives
• That son was Karna
• "equipped at birth with celestial earrings and an invulnerable coat of mail which had power to grow as the wearer increased in stature. The child had the eyes of a lion and the shoulders of a bull."
• Kunti packed her child and sent him in a river
• Adhiratha and Radha wanted a son and they found the child and raised him
4. Pandu and His Wives
• Bhismu finally saw his fate in teh himalayas, he swore for celibacy and ran into the woods
• He found a sage there
• Pandu saw a deer, he shot at a rishi and killed the devil as he attcked his fellow mate
• Deer speaks to him"
• "O king, even men that are slaves to lust and wrath, and void of reason, and ever sinful, never commit such a cruel act as this. I do not blame you for your having killed a deer, or for the injury you have done to me. But, instead of acting so cruelly, you should have waited till the completion of my act of intercourse. What man of wisdom and virtue is there that can kill a deer while engaged in such an act? The time of sexual intercourse is agreeable to every creature and productive of good to all. O king, with this my mate I was engaged in the gratification of my sexual desire. But that effort of mine has been rendered futile by you. What have you done, O best of men, in killing me who have given you no offence? I am, O king, a muni who lives on fruits and roots, though disguised as a deer. I was living in the woods in peace with all. Yet you have killed me, O king, for which I will curse you certainly. As you have been cruel unto a couple of opposite sexes, death shall certainly overtake you as soon as you feel the influence of sexual desire. You have slain me without knowing that I am a brahmin; the sin of having slain a brahmin shall not, therefore, be yours. But, senseless man, as you have killed me, disguised as a deer, at such a time, your fate shall certainly be even like mine. When, approaching your wife lustfully, you will unite with her even as I had done with mine, in that very state shall you have to go to the world of the spirits. And that wife of yours with whom you may be united in intercourse at the time of your death shall also follow you with affection and reverence to the domains of the king of the dead. You have brought me grief when I was happy. So shall grief come to you when you are in happiness."
5. The Sons of Pandu
• Pandu cursed by sage/deer
• Madri had two sons and Kunti already did
• King Pandu died
• His children set up a funeral
• wives argue over who should go to God
• Madri passed in flames with Pandu
6. Gandhari and Dhritarashtra
• Dhiritarashta came down from his throne to reign over the kingdom
• He married Ghandari, daughter of Rajah of Ghandhara
• She had 100 sons
• Duryodhana-her baby cried like a dokey-fires broke out lmao
• "O lord of earth, these frightful omens mean that this eldest son of yours will be the ruin of his people. Abandon him, O King; do good to all the world by casting off this one child! It has been said that one person should be cast off for the sake of a family; that a family should be cast off for the sake of a village; that a village may be cast off for the sake of the whole country, and that the whole earth may be cast off for the sake of the soul."
• The king did not listen to Brishma's advice and actually favored this child leadin to the others being jealous
7. Pandavas and Kauravas
• Kunti widowed, raises five sons alone
• She lives in Himalayas under protection of sages
• Pandu;s brother gives them a house for the children and his to live together-Royal palace of Histinapur
• The boys were taught to fight and do work for the palace
• Duryodhana jealous of Bima
• Bhima - the Pandamavas
• Sage opened a porter-asked for King
• porter had powers
8. Bhima and the Nagas
• Duryadhona tries to kill Bhima by poisoning him 
• He bound Bhima and threw him in the Ganga River
• His poison counteracted the snakes poison in the river that tried to killhim and he was alive again
• Meets Aryaka-dweller of underworld
• Given the strength of a 1000 nagas, back home his mom cries
• Bhima goes to nagas-underworld serpants
• Brothers tell him to keep his secret to himself and not tell their cousins the secret
9. Drona
• son of Bharadwaja
• Brave God-adoring son
• instructed to take care of prince's
• Best friends with Drpada, fate parted them
• married Kripi, did sacrifies bec his son cried like a horse
• He recieved heavy weapons
• He greeded Drupada and he replied 
• ""Brahmin, it is nor wise nor fitting that thou shouldst call me friend. What friendship can there be between a luckless beggar and a mighty rajah? I grant that in youth such a bond united us, one to another, but it has wasted away with the years. Do not think that the friendship of youth endures for ever in human hearts; it is weakened by time, and pride plucks it from one's bosom. Friendship can exist only between equals as we two once were, but no longer chance to be. Hear and know! Rich and poor, wise and ignorant, warriors and cowards, can never be friends; it is for those who are of equal station to exercise mutual esteem. Say, can a brahmin respect one who is ignorant of the Vedas? Can a warrior do other than despise one who cannot go forth to battle in his rumbling chariot? Say, can a monarch condescend to one who is far beneath him? Begone, then, thou dreamer! Forget the days and the thoughts of the past. I know thee not. "
• This made him very angry
10. Drona Trains the Princes
• Drona made a condition for the training to which Bhrima agreed
• "I will do as is thy desire, O Bhishma, but on condition that when the young men are become complete warriors they will help me to fight against mine enemy, Drupada, the Rajah of Panchala."
• family priest as well as instructor
• happiest with Pandavas
• Arjuna was a really good warrior and called for jealousy 
11. Ekalavya
• wanted to be Dhrona's pupil
• Aboriginal person
• son of Bhil tribe
• Originally Dhrona resisted, to which he was grief-stricken
• One day someone shot bows at an animal of Drona and he was told that he was Ekalavya's pupil
• Drona asked for his thum and he gave it
• The tribe has used middle finger since then
12. The Contest
• Time to display skills
• Tournament
• Bhima and Duryodhana fight, they mock each other and it gets serious
• Arjuna
• warriorlike
• throws amazing shots
• like an introduction to him as a strong guy
13. The Arrival of Karna
• Son  of Surya
• brothers with Arjun
• challenge one another
• Duryodhana impressed and embraces Karna
• Arjuna gets mad
• Clouds gathered, thunderstorm happens
• Indra shines light on two brothers
• Duryodhana and Karns start a friendship
• Sire of karna comes, wipes his tears of love
• Everyone doubted Arjuna;s skill and Duryodhana took Karna to his own palace
14. Drona's Revenge
• Revenge against King Drupada, childhood friend, misteated him
• Kaurava's attacked him first and were  defeated
• Then Pandavas went
• Drupada led before Drona eventually
• Drona takes final possession of the Kingdom and Drupada has to give up sorrowfully
15. Duryodhana's Jealousy
• Keeps getting jealoud of Pandava success
• Wants to kill Pandavas and Kunti 
• Went and ill mouthed to his blind father about them
• His plan
•  "Let the King," said the cruel Prince, "build a lovely palace of lac at Varanavata. Let it be filled with only wooden furniture, and let the furniture and walls be soaked in oil, so that they may readily burn. Let the King induce by some means or other the five Pandavas and their mother to visit Varanavata and live in the palace. Then, if the King approves, I shall see to it that the palace takes fire, and that my cousins and Queen Kunti perish in the flames.
• Purochana guard to set house on fire and kill them all

Image: Drona and Arjuna

Bibliography:

Laura Gibbs, Mahabaratha Reading 

http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Mahabharata

Image Source:

https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Dronacharya-like-Arjuna-the-most