Week 11 Reading Diary A: Starting Buck’s Mahabharata

When I read Narayan’s version of the Ramayana and Buck’s, I found them to be pretty comparable as far as how easy they were to follow. With the Mahabharata, however, I am noticing a very significant difference in how well I am able to keep up with Buck’s version. It is straightforward, and he frequently restates the relationships between characters, which I find super helpful. Since my comprehension is so much better, I am finding Buck’s Mahabharata a lot more enjoyable than Narayan’s.

One of the stories I wrote in my storybook was about Kurma the turtle, an incarnation of Vishnu that helped the gods hold up Mount Mandara when they were trying to churn the ocean of milk. I thought it was super interesting that this story was included in the Mahabharata, but Kurma was left out of it. There were also some notable differences from the Kurma story I read. For example, I originally read that the reason the gods needed the nectar of immortality was because Indra had gotten them cursed and they all had become mortal. I’m sure there are a lot of variations to the story, so it’s neat to read the different ways it’s told.

(The Churning of the Ocean of Milk)

Week 9 Reading Diary A: Starting the Mahabharata

I like the Mahabharata a lot so far, but it is for sure a little less straightforward than the Ramayana. There are so many characters to keep track of! I definitely needed to refer to the Reading Guide a number of times to remember who was who and who did what.

The birth stories are really interesting. I like the rivalry between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The competitiveness and conflict between them is fun to read about, and I find myself always cheering for the Pandavas. I think I’m supposed to feel that way. But I have a superstar sibling, so I can feel sympathetic to the Kauravas, too.

My favorite part of the first reading was when Vidura warned them that the house they were staying at in Varanavata was going to be burned down, so they built a long tunnel right in the middle of it! The code part was cool, and I bet that was a neat engineering feat, as well.

(Draupadi and Pandavas)