Reading Notes; Epified: Mahabharata Part A
I chose the Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part A because I enjoyed the visualization aspect, similar to the Sita Sings the Blues. Part A particularly focuses on the Mahabharata's creation.
(Video still of one of the opening sequences of the Karmic Revolution video series. Photo can be sourced here)
Intro: It explains the importance of the Mahabharata to the region. It is significant literature because it contains a large source of culture and has been passed down over centuries. It is rumored to have been from the word of Ganesha. There are many retellings, which have been adapted in different ways.
Episode 1: King Shantanu falls in love with a river goddess and ends up proposing to her. She says okay, only if he never questions her, which he agrees to. The new Queen ends up drowning a child. As most fathers would, he was upset, but tried to keep to his promise so he never questioned her. She ends up drowning and killing 6 of their children. It was when the 8th child was born he finally spoke up, to which she responded about 8 Vasus who were sentenced to a mortal life. She was trying to help them by freeing them as soon as they were born. She leaves with their only living child.
Episode 2: It has been 16 years and King Shantanu is still upset about this situation. He is on the river of his wife. A young archer tames the river and Shantanu is taken aback. His former Queen, Ganga, appears and finds out the archer is his son, Devavrat. He takes his son back home. He also falls in love again with a fisherman's daughter named Satyavati. There are some concerns with who will inherit the kingdom because of his first son. Devavrat clears up the issue with the fisherman so his dad can marry his daughter.
Episode 3: Devavrat convinces the fisherman by giving up the throne and vowing never marry anyone/father children. Devavrat then is known as Bhishma. His father, the King, is not happy with Bhisma's vow, but realizes his son's dedication to make him happy. He gifts his son a boon to choose when to die, so Bhishma can't die without wanting to.
Episode 4: Bhishma follows through with his vow, and ends up raising his half-brothers after their father passes. One of the half-brothers dies, so the other takes the throne but is not healthy. Bhisma realizes he needs children so the throne can be passed down. He does so by seizing 3 princesses for his half-brother to marry.
Episode 5: Bhishma brings the princesses back home. The oldest princess wants to marry her true love, which Bhishma allows. However, when she returns home, her love doesn't want her as she is another man's property. She then returns to Bhishma, but he can't take her because of the vow not to have children/marry. She basically has messed up her life so she wants to seek revenge on Bhishma as she believes he is the root of her problem. There is a battle but the oldest does not get the revenge she wants, but vows she will one day.
Episode 6: The half-brother king dies. There is no heir, but there are two Queens. The late King Shantanu's wife wants Bhishma to father children but he does not want to because of his vow. She then tells him of a son she had before meeting King Shantanu, named Vyas. She said he was supposed to be the best poet in the world, but sent him away promising to bring him back if she needed him. She wanted Vyas to father the children but he was ugly so there were hesitations.
Episode 7: Vyas and Ambika had a child but the child was blind because of the fear the mother had of Vyas's looks (she had her eyes closed to disregard him). Ambika had to warn her sister to not repeat her mistake of closing her eyes. Ambalika did this, but her child would be pale and in bad health because of the state she was in during this. Satyavati was unhappy with this situation so convinced Vyas to make another visit to the Queen but actually sent a servant girl. The servant girl did not mind him and the two had a healthy child. There are three kids total, 1 is not a 'royal'.
Episode 8: Dhritarashtra is the blind King. He had the title but Pandu did more of the logistics of ruling. Bhishma set up a situation for Dhritarashtra to marry another King's daughter, Gandhari, but this King and his son worried Dhritarashtra's blindness would be a problem. The princess however was okay with his blindness and even vowed to give up her ability to see. The two wed under Pandu.
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