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| Vyasa quote from the Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan, meme generated here |
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| The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose of the Indian Epic by R.K. Narayan1978 Book cover image from Indian Epics Reading Guides |
It took place in Hastinapura, which today is considered to be held within the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Modern Day state of Uttar Pradesh (highlighted in red)
in India, bordering Nepal.
5 Divine Brothers VS 100 Cousins
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| Draupadi and Her Five Husbands by Raja Ravi Varma |
Page 5 - Amba: One of the sisters set to be wed to Vichitraviraya, Bhishma's younger brother.
Amba would not be wed to him, as she desired to be wed to the King of Salwa. She was sent to the King's house, and he refused her and sent her back to wed Vichitravirya, but she came back and offered to marry Bhishma, which he refused, due to his vow of celibacy. He sent her back to Salwa, who rejected her, and she was passed back and forth and back and forth. She later transforms into a male warrior and kills Bhishma.
Page 6 -- Satyavathi's origin story: she is the daughter of the womb of a fish when her father, a gandharva, spilled his seed over a river as he was flying across it. The fish was looking up at the time, and it entered her, and she conceived. It's like what we tell little kids all the time: Don't swallow watermelon seeds, or you'll grow one in your belly! I could write a tale spinning these two ideas together. The odor of fish clung to Satyavathi due to her origin.
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| Shantanu woos Satyavati by Raja Ravi Varma |
