Bhima after killing Duhshasana
(source: tostrength)
There is a certain sadness to this opening of the reading simply because the Pandavas are still very hesitant about this upcoming war. Eventually, they realize that is it practically unavoidable and there best option is to engage so there are not at a disadvantage.
Death is everywhere. It's odd to read about these characters being killed off one by one after reading about them for such a long time. I understand that this was bound to happen, but there seems to be much more death than that of the Ramayana.
Continuing a small comparison to the Ramayana on the topic of deaths, it seems like there is much more violence in this epic. The deaths are overly violent which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely a change of pace from the previous reading.
Bhima sort of lost me after his murder of Duhshasana. The death didn't bother me but the actions that followed seemed a little extreme. It didn't necessarily disgust me, but I guess I was just caught off guard with the violence post-death.
After reading the end of the war, I was really impressed with the suspense that was created and successfully carried out in a way that should satisfy the reader. There was so much going on during the battle that my levels of engagement were top-notch.
Dragging in another comparison from the Ramayana, it seems like life after the war in this epic was just as chaotic after the war. There seemed to be somewhat a sense of peace after the great battle in the Ramayana. In the Mahabharata, many deaths followed which was interesting.
Overall, I definitely think this was a lesser favorite of mine. I had a little harder of a time keeping up with the characters as well as the family ties in this epic. It was not as clear-cut as the Ramayana. However, I did enjoy the epic as there always seemed to be tension which is my preference in reading.
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Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata
Link to this reading guide
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