Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita's The Mahabharata Part B

Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists
by Sister Nivedita and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

Part B reading is the second half of the Mahabharata from Sister Nivedita's voice, in which she has included it in the book Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists, by Sister Nivedita (Margaret E. Noble) and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, published 1914. What's really neat is there are some really nice drawings, which were overseen and some even drawn by Rabindra Nath Tagore.

Shikandini becomes Shikandin
This was a cool little treasure trove of a story -- a girl was born who was declared by Shiva that she would become a man in her lifetime. Her mother, having the utmost faith, declared her a boy when she was born, issued the drecee and celebration and rituals of a baby boy born to happen, and raised her and trained her as a boy. When it was time for her to wed, she went to the forest and a yaksha heard her troubles. This yaksha, Sthuna, gave her his manhood and his strength, and agreed to live in his house as a woman for Shikandini. However, when the god that the Yaksha worshipped came through and saw him in his womanhood, he laughed, and cursed the yaksha to live out his days as a woman until Shikandin's death.
-The yaksha's house was an interesting abandanoned, haunted house, creepy maze of a place that all the local villagers feared.
-"All this was destiny, Shikandin, it could not have been prevented." interesting.

Bhishma on the bed of arrows

14 The Great Host of the Dead -- Vyasa granted the mourners that for one night they could sit and be with the dead. They rose out of the water of the Ganges and then returned there. When they rose out of the waters to be with the still living, they were wearing heavenly garb and were splendid. No malice or envy was around that night, and everyone enjoyed and was lightened.

Yudhistira And the Dog -- the Dog turns out to be Dharma, Yudhistira's father. Yudisthira alone enters heaven and sees his enemies, but not his brothers or wife. He then goes to Hell, and is enraged, and somehow? manages to get everyone to Heaven instead.