Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B

The House of Fire

• Prince Vadhura knew what Duryodhana was plotting but his status was low due to his mother being a slave girl
• The Pandavas and Queen Kunti loved the beautiful palace But Prince Yudhishthira saw  the furniture and the tapestries were were all soaked in oil. And that the palace and roof were made of material that would easily burn like wood. 
• He said, 
• "I fear, my mother, that we are in grave danger and the King or Prince Duryodhana seeks to burn us alive. Else why should the furniture and tapestries be soaked in oil and the palace walls and roof be made only of wood?"
• Prince Vidhura decided on helping them and helped the Pandavas make an underground passage that went into the woods
• Purochana was ready to set the house on fire but Prince Bhima set the house on fire while sending the rest into the woods and Purochana was consumed in the fire
• A wind came that also caught the fire, a low caste woman with five kids came and the Pandavas gave them food but they all perished in the fire
• The village men thought Queen Kunti and her family died and Duryodhana thought his plot was accomplished

Bhima and Hidimba

• Pandavas are in the forest
• Bhima carrying everyone amidst the dangers of the forest and ran through
• They found a place to sleep and stayed under the Banyan tree as Bhima watched over them
• Hidimba=rakhshas
• "his eyes were red, and he was red-haired and red-bearded; his cheeks were of cloud color and his mouth was large, with long, sharp-pointed teeth which gleamed in darkness; his ears were shaped like to arrows; his neck was broad as a tree, his belly was large, and his legs were of great length."
• A rakhshas woman fell in love with Bhima
• The brother and sister get in a fight and Bhima attacks and gets rid of Hidimba

Bhima and Hidimbi

• The female rakshasa kept watch of the family and they met her after waking up
• Arjuna asked Bhima to kill the male rakshasa fast because they get stronger at night so he did
• Kunti and her sons fled the forest
• Bhima asked the female rakshasa to leave them or he would kill them too but she used her compassionate words to convince Kunti to stay
• Bhima wedded her and she had a son named Gatotkacha
• "his eyes were fiercely bright, like arrows were his ears, and his mouth was large; he had copper-brown lips and long, sharp teeth"
• The Pandavas were promised help whenever they needed it by Gatotlacha who rose to youth soon after birth

Bhima and Baka

• Pandavas came a town called Ekachakra
• Brahmin explained the problem with living there
•  "The town Ekachakra, in which we live, has been conquered by a fierce and a cruel chief called Baka. In other respects he rules us well and guards us from our enemies. But every week we have to send him as food a cartful of rice, two buffaloes, and a man or woman from one of the townspeople's houses. To each house the turn comes in due order. And if the house to which the turn has come fails to send him his weekly tribute, he enters the town with his guards and slays and devours every man and woman in the house which has left his tribute unpaid. Today the turn has come to our house, and we are trying to decide who among us shall go as Baka's blood-tax with the cart of food."
• queen remembered Bhima and there he was
• He took Baka out of the towm

Birth of Draupadi

• Drupada lost palace to Drona, makes pilgrimages, even offered upayaja 1 million cows for a son
• Yaja granted him a beautiful girl
• "She was exceedingly dark, with long curling locks and lotus eyes, and she was deep-bosomed and slender-waisted. A sweet odor clung to her body."
• Heaven said she had a divine plan and would become the chief of women
• Kunti wants to come to Panchala
• Draupadi- Pandava queen
• Brahmins praised Draupadi's beauty
• Pandavas acted like beggars to get close to Draupadi

Draupadi's Swayamwara

• Drupada wanted Arjuna to become his son in law
• Made a powerful bow for a strong man
• To catch a target
• a high pole was erected, and it was surmounted by a golden fish, which was poised above a swiftly-revolving wheel.
• The rules of the games:
• "The man who will bend the bow and shoot an arrow through the wheel which will strike and bring down the golden fish shall obtain my daughter in marriage."
• Mighty men were there, one tried after another but failed the task and Karan was doing it successfully but Draupadi rejected him
• The Pandava brothers came and it was Arjuna's turn. He hit the target fishes eye and Draupadi was overfilled with joy
• Draupadi put the bridal garland over his shoulders to show he was meant for her
• Jealous rajahs came to attack Arjuna and the princess but the Padavas intervened
• Krishna took her hand and walked away

Wife of the Five Pandavas

• Kunti asks for the kids to share the gift they received and then realizes it was a bride
• The brothers argue back and forth over who deserves her more and leave it to Drupada
• Drupada called the Pandavas for dinner and asked for them to reveal their identity
• Yudishtira's reply
• ""Know, then, that we are the Pandava princes. Our brother Arjuna was the winner of Draupadi. Thy daughter, like to a lotus, hath been but transferred from one lake to another. I have spoken what is true."
• Drupada was overjoyed
• Drupada is asked about Draupadi but rich says the Gods have declared her the wife of all five husbands
• Vyasa speaks about Draupadi
• "Draupadi was the re-incarnation of a pious woman who once prayed unto the god Shiva for a husband: five times she prayed, and the god rewarded her with the promise of five husbands in her next existence. Vyasa also revealed that the Pandava brethren were five incarnations of Indra, and thus were but as one"
• Drupada agreed and she was married on five days according to the brothers ages
• He gave the five brothers
• " he gave them much gold and many jewels, and he gave them numerous horses and chariots and elephants, and also a hundred female servants clad in many-colored robes, and adorned with gems and bright garlands. Unto the Pandavas Krishna gave much raiment and ornaments of gold, and rare vessels sparkling with jewels, besides female servants from various kingdoms."
  

The Story of Nalayani

• Drupads is concerned about his daughter having five husbands
• Sage tells him she was married to a rishi who after living with her happily gave up life to go meditate and gave up all intercourse. He abandoned her
• When she protested about this the rishi said;
• "You shall take birth as the daughter of King Drupada. There you shall be the wife of five famous men, and you can have your desires satisfied then by them."
• She prayed, still being dissatisfied with not having a husband prayed for one again and again to Shankara
• Shankara gave her a boon
• "You shall be born again as a high-class woman. Five notable men shall be your husbands."
• She protested to having five and being a prostitute but he told her the situation was not as bad as she thought
• She asked for the benefit of virginity before each marriage and she was granted it

Indraprastha

• Duryodhana was angry because he thought the Pandava brothers were dead but they had just made a powerful alliance
• Pandavas returned to Hastinapura with Vidura, Kunti and Draupadi went with them
• Dhritarashtra spoke to Yudishtira and told them he would divide the raj between his sons and the Pandavas
• The Panadavas would get the Southwestern country of khandavaprastha
• Bhishma agreed and so they went. They made a great city like Indra
• " Pandava princes bade farewell to all their kinsmen and to wise Drona, and they went towards their own country. On the banks of the Yamuna they built a strong fort, and in time they made a great clearance in the forest. When they had gathered together the people who were subject unto them, they erected a great and wonderful city like unto the city of Indra, and it was called Indraprastha. High walls, which resembled the Mandara mountain, were built round about, and these were surrounded by a deep moat wide as the sea."
• Raja Yudishthira became famous. He was fair, wise, and pious. 
• "Forest robbers were pursued constantly and put to death, and wrongdoers were ever brought to justice; indeed, the people who suffered from evildoing went before the rajah as children go before a father seeking redress."

Arjuna and the Apsaras

• Arjuna met holy men and asked for their blessing
• He asked to bathe in the water and they tried to warm him of an alligator but he laughed it off and in the pride of youth went anyway
• As soon as he went in the water he felt an alligator biting his leg and eventually gave himself up to his death
• He drove to the shore with the alligator tagging along and when ashore he put his fingers into the alligators eyes and flung him across like a log.
• The alligator turned into a beautiful girl and explained her situation
• ""When we saw him, we thought we would make him break his vows. And we smiled at him and embraced him and tried in a hundred ways to make his thoughts turn from the gods to us. But we tried in vain. After warning us several times, he at last lost all patience. Praying to the gods he called down on us a terrible curse. And the curse was that we should become alligators and remain so for a hundred years."
  
• After begging him for forgiveness he said:
• "'O nymphs, I have cursed you, and alligators you will become. But you may regain your forms once more when a hero by name of Arjuna the Pandava comes and drags you to land.' And thus as thou didst overcome me, O Prince, and didst drag me to shore, I know that thou art Prince Arjuna the Pandava. And I have yet another boon to ask of thee, which is to come with me where my sister nymphs dwell in various spots as alligators so that thou mayst drag them ashore also, and they may regain their forms as water nymphs."
• Prince Arjuna went to various spots and took out the rest of the water nymphs who returned to the sea

Arjuna and Subhadra

• Arjuna traveled westward, reached city of Prabasha
• Raja Krishna welcomed him
• Arjuna wished Krishna's sister for a bride
• Balarama wished the bride ro be given to Duryodhana but Krishna advised Arjuna to abduct the girl and take her as bride by force
• ""Men applaud the kshatriyas who win brides by abducting them."
  
• Arjuna took the girls hand and lifted her to the chariot, and they fled away towards Indraprastha
• Balarama was not happy
• "Thou art calm, and I can perceive that Arjuna has done this thing with thy knowledge. Thou shouldst not have given our sister unto him without my consent. But let the deed be upon his own head, for I will pursue him and slay him and his brethren, one and all."
• Krishna explains to him that this would not be the right way to fix the situation
• "Arjuna is our kinsman and of noble birth, and is a worthy husband for Subhadra. If thou wilt pursue him and bring back our sister, no one else will marry her now because that she hath been in the house of another. Better were it that we should send messengers after Arjuna and invite him to return here, so that the marriage may be held according to our rites."
• He went back home with Subadhra and was greeted nicely by everyone except bitter Draupadi
• Both of the wives became friends. Draupadi had five sons to each husband and Subadhra had 1

The Burning of the Forest

• Krishna visited and in the happy occasion the Draupadi and Subadhra became intoxicated and gave much of their expensive items away
• Brahmin approached Krishna and Arjuna who wanted to consume the forest to regain his strength
• They asked for celestial weapons in return which they got
• "Arjuna got a bow from the god Varuna with an inexhaustible quiver full of arrows, and a chariot full of weapons. Krishnagot a mace and discus.
  
• Indra had a battle but Arjuna won and only 6 animals escaped. Agni, the Brahimi was full of vitality again. He drank rivers of fat and marrow.
• The six animals: "The snake Ashwasena, a son of Takshaka; four birds; and the demon Maya, who was the son of a rishi." 

Maya's Palace

• Maya promises to build a palace for the Pandavas  in return of Arjuna saving his life
• Maya was the architect of the demons
• "He had great stores of gold and gems, which he kept on the Himalayas guarded by rakshasas and yakshas"
• In 14 months he a made a beautiful palace full of gems which looked like a heavenly building and he had 8,000 demons guard it
• Duryodhana thought a crystal surface was a pool of water. After finding out his mistake the king was in sorrow. He also mistook a lake of crystal water "adorned with lotuses of crystal petals" for land, and fell into it with all his clothes on.
• Looking at the site Bhima, Arjuna and the twins laughed loudly.s, Duryodhana was offended. He refused to look at them. He drew up his clothes to cross a piece of dry land which he had mistaken for water, they all laughed again. 
• He also thought a closed door made of crystal was open. He bumped into it hurting himself. And mistaking another closed door for the same reason, the king fell trying to open it And coming upon another door that was really open, the king thinking it was closed, went away from it.
• King Duryodhana was sad and bitter at the prosperity of the Pandavas. The prince thought of that assembly house and that unrivaled prosperity of the wise Yudhisthira

The Pandavas Victorious

• Pandavas more victorious
• Yudhisthira declared to do Rjasurya- supreme power over all
• Krishna and Indrashathra talked about another Raja that was just as strong
• Jarasandhra
• He was of "great valor and matchless strength. His body was invulnerable against weapons; not even the gods could wound him with mace or sword or with arrow. He was also of miraculous birth, for he was born of two mothers who had eaten of a mantra-charmed mango which fell into the lap of his sire when that he was childless and was undergoing penances to obtain offspring."
• The three went disguised as enemies but Jarasandhra found out they ere warriors
• Krishna asked him
• "O king, we challenge thee to combat. Set free the rajahs who are in thy dungeons, or die at our hands!"
• He replied
• "I have taken captive in battle these royal prisoners of mine, whom I shall offer in sacrifice to Shiva, according to my vow."
• Bhima won the battle and the King was slain
• Krishna got Aaghya
• "is the origin of all things; the universe came into being for him alone. He is the incarnation of the Creator, the everlasting one, who is beyond man's comprehension."
• Krishna killed Sishupala who spoke against him, whose passion filled soul entered Krishna's body
• They performed funeral rights for the dead

The Gambling Match

• Duryodhana was envious once again
• He been plotting with the help of Shakuni who said
• "Be advised by me. Yudhishthira loves the dice, although he knows not how to play. Ask him to throw dice with me, for there is no gambler who is my equal in the three worlds. I will put him to shame. I will win from him his kingdom, O bull among men."
• They invited the Pandavas for a gambling match\
• The game was rigged and Shaken was going to win 
• "He gambled away all his money and all his jewels, his jeweled chariot with golden bells, and all his cattle; still he played on, and he lost his thousand war elephants, his slaves and beautiful slave girls, and the remainder of his goods, and next, he staked and lost the whole kingdom of the Pandavas, save the lands which he had gifted to the brahmins. Nor did he cease to play then, despite the advice offered him by the chieftains who were there."
• After losing everything Shakuni offered him to Stake Draupadi to regain all of his power and wealth so he staked her
• Duryodhana had won Draupadi
• "Now hasten unto Draupadi and bid her to come hither to sweep the chambers with the other bonds-women."
• Vidura had spoken up against it and became cursed by Duryodhana

Draupadi Lost

• Draupadi was not ready to lose herself to Duryodhana and protested
• Angrily she was thrown in the dungeon
• Dragged her in her slipping garments by her long and trailing hair,
  And, like sapling tempest-shaken, wept and shook the trembling fair!
• "Leave me, shameless prince Duhshasan! Elders, noble lords are here; Can a modest wedded woman thus in loose attire appear?"
• "Loosely clad or void of clothing, to the council hall you go.
  
• "Slave-wench fairly staked and conquered, wait upon thy masters brave,
  Live among our household menials, serve us as our willing slave!"
  

Draupadi in the Assembly Hall

• Shakuni and Karna laughed at Draupadi being a slave
• She asked everyone where their powers went and and how no one would give her justice\
• "Well spoken, well spoken!" they mocked
• Duhshashsana came to strip her naked infront of everyone an she prayed to Krishna. He multiplied her garments so no one could unstrip her
• Karma said to Draupadi
• "Tis not thy blame, O princess, that thou hast fallen so low. A woman's fate is controlled by her husband; Yudhishthira hath gambled thee away. Thou wert his, and must accept thy fate. Henceforward thou wilt be the slave of the Kaurava princes. Thou must obey them and please them with thy beauty. ’Tis meet that thou shouldst now seek for thyself a husband who will love thee too well to stake thee at dice and suffer thee to be put to shame. Be assured that no one will blame a humble menial, as thou now art, who looks with eyes of love upon great and noble warriors. Remember that Yudhishthira is no longer thy husband; he hath become a slave, and a slave can have no wife. Ah, sweet Princess of Panchala, those whom thou didst choose at thy swayamvara have gambled and lost thee; their kingdom they have lost, and their power also."
  
• Bhima angrily said to Yudhisthira
• ""If you hadst not staked our freedom and our queen, O king and elder brother, this son of a charioteer would not have taunted us in this manner."
• Bhima cried
• ""Hear my terrible words, O ye kshatriyas. May I never reach Heaven if I do not yet seize Duhshasana in battle and, tearing open his breast, drink his very life blood!"
• "If Yudhishthira will permit me, I will slay the wretched sons of Dhritarashtra without weapons, even as a lion slays small animals."
• Duryodhana then asked Draupadi to sit on his knee

The Second Match

• Vidhura told Drhitarashta of all that Dhuryodana had done
• "May the prayers of a sorrowful old man remove the wrath of Heaven which these dark omens have revealed
• He went and spoke to Draupadi
• ""Noble queen and virtuous daughter, wife of pious Yudhishthira, and purest of all women, thou art very dear unto my heart. Alas! My sons have wronged thee in foul manner this day. O forgive them now, and let the wrath of Heaven be averted. Whatsoever thou wilt ask of me will be thine."
• She asked for her husband to be set free and not be known a slave
• She was offered a second boon
• "Let Arjuna and Bhima and their younger brethren be set free also and allowed to depart now with their horses and their chariots and their weapons."
• He offered her another boon
• "I seek no other boon, thou generous monarch: I am a kshatriya by birth, and not like to a brahmin, who craveth for gifts without end. Thou hast freed my husbands from slavery: they will regain their fortunes by their own mighty deeds."
• Duryodhana knew what was coming and called for another plan. he said:
• "Thou hast permitted the Pandava princes to depart in their anger; now they will make ready to wage war against us to regain their kingdom and their wealth; when they return they will slay us all. Permit us, therefore, to throw dice with them once again. We will stake our liberty, and be it laid down that the side which loseth shall go into exile for twelve full years, and into concealment for a year thereafter. By this arrangement a bloody war may be averted."
  
• So his wish was granted and the Pandavas were brought back. Yudhisthira lost once again
• At loss Bhima said
•  "Be not too gladsome, O Duhshasana. Hear and remember my words: May I never reach Heaven or meet my sires until I shall drink thy blood!"
• Vidura asked for Kunti to stay due to her old age as the rest change into garments of deerskin
• Vidura blessed the Pandavas
• "Be saintly in exile, subdue your passions, learn truth in your sorrow, and return in happiness. May these eyes be blessed by beholding thee in Hastinapura once again."
• Kunti wept and Draupadi said
•  "From this day my hair will fall over my forehead until Bhima shall have slain Duhshasana and drunk his blood; then shall Bhima tie up my tresses while his hands are yet wet with the blood of Duhshasana."

Ramyana: Yadisthira becomes supreme King

Bibliography:
        Laura Gibbs, Mahabaratha Reading 
        http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Mahabharata

Image Source:

        https://harshadapathare.com/yudhishthira-the-higher-hero/