Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita The Mahabharata Part A

Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists
by Sister Nivedita and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
from Indian Epics Reading Guides

This week I am reviewing the Mahabharata through the authorship of Sister Nivedita. I first began to fall in love with her when exploring extra reading options from the beginning of the semester, and am really enjoying her emphasis of the religious in her translated edition of the story. Hopefully I'll find the time to work through this book in its entirety, but for now, I am focusing in on the Mahabharata.

Ekalavya -- poor Ekalavya becoming such a learned archer, but then he gives up his right thumb as his "teacher's fee", even though only the clay statue of Drona "taught" him. What stupidity!

Ekalavya Gives up His Right Thumb

The House of Lac: I was interested to see how Sister Nivedita would address the morally troublesome episode where 5 siblings and their mother's charred ashes are found in the burned house where the Pandava brothers and their mother were supposed to have burned to death. Here, they simply were drawn to the party, happened to imbibe to much to drink, and sadly perished in the fire. I also found it quite interesting that the boatman had been sent to wait for them to ferry them across the river, but he was dredging the bottom of the river to find a ford, for who knows how many months? A year? waiting. Ang he kept his guise up the whole time, and went back to his "job" even after he ferried them across!

The rice gained by begging every day is divided into two portions, then Bhima gets one portion, and the remaining four brothers and their mother share the other portion.

Again, we see magical Brahmastras and Mantras bestowed upon certain characters (Arjuna). I can't help but think of entangling the Bhramastras up with elements from Harry Potter, or even the Ring from the Lord of the Rings. I probably won't use this idea, as I've already read another story entangling these plot lines, but it is interesting the sheer amount of *magic* that seems to occur throughout.

** The rainbow is said the be the bow of Indra, Indra being Arjuna's father.

Kirat-Arjuna
from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
by Sister Nivedita and Ananada K Coomaraswamy
p166