Reading Diary B Week 10: Narayan's The Mahabharata

1. After surviving the fire trap set by Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas hid in a village. Eventually, King Drupada offered his daughter's hand in marriage in a tournament. Arjuna entered and won Draupadi's hand. In this version, it was not Kunthi who said they must share her after the misunderstanding was remedied, it was Arjuna. He did not want to sin and disobey his mother. They all agreed to share Draupadi.

2. Dhritarashtra learned about this from Duryodhana who was angry about the situation. Because Drupada was an enemy of Drona who had sided with the Kauravas, the king thought it would be wise to gain the Pandavas favor now that they were the son-in-laws of King Drupada. He invited them to his palace where he offered them half of the kingdom. They would have Khandavaprastha. 

3. When they arrived at Khandavaprastha, they realized it was a desert wasteland. They were happy with it, though, because it was a place to call their own. They worked very hard and the gods were on their side so it turned into a splendid city called Indraprastha. 

4. Sage Narada moved easily between the worlds of men and of the gods and he enjoyed involving himself in both groups affairs. He would be an interesting assistant on Surya's show.

5. Arjuna was exiled for twelve years for intruding on Draupadi and Yudhistira. During this time, he married Ulupi and Subadhra.

6. The success of their city made them want to throw a celebration. They performed a rajasuya sacrifice and many people came to celebrate, including Duryodhana. He was offered luxurious accommodations. He was very jealous and perceived that the Pandavas were mocking him.

7. During his time in exile, Arjuna received the Gandiva from the God of Fire for setting fire to the Khandava Forest.

8. Duryodhana comes up with a way to humiliate the Pandavas and to weaken them. He has his father build an even bigger palace. They invited the Pandavas to attend a party in their new palace and they invited Yudhistira to a game of dice. He said gambling was immoral, but he could not refuse his host. When he began playing, he lost all thought except the game. He could not think straight and could not tell right from wrong. He gambled away everything, including himself, his brothers, and his wife Draupadi. Vidura tried to convince them to stop, but Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra would not. 

9. When they went to retrieve Draupadi, she asked who was gambled first, her or Yudhistira because if it was him, he would have no right to gamble her away. She said she was in the woman's month and she could not go with them. They did not listen and dragged her into the assembly. They tried to disrobe her but the gods gave her unlimited cloth  to cover herself. 

Draupadi in the assembly photo found on Wikimedia Commons