Indian Epics

The First Princes of Elephant City Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom called Hastinapura. It was ruled by the King Vichitravirya, who was a generous and wise man. A devout follower of the Gods, the king ruled in accordance with their divinations as well as the moral laws of ethics. The tradition was important to the King, especially the long-standing traditions of royalty and familial relations of property. The King had two sons: Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Dhritarashtra was the eldest, and therefore it was by man’s law that he becomes King after Vichitravirya. The oldest prince was born without sight, coming into the mortal realm with unseeing eyes but a wise mouth. Dhritarashtra enjoyed listening to poetry and learning to worship the Gods and Goddesses. The youngest son, Pandu, was a gift and Dhritarashtra loved his brother well. As Pandu grew older Vichitravirya began to notice that the younger boy had a keen eye for diplomatic situations in ways that Dhritarashtr...

I chose I choose the Kincaid version of the Mahabharata . It focuses on the Princes or the Pandavas brothers. The story I am considering is The Year of Disguise, Part 13 of Kincaid’s version. I love the theme that comes with disguises and the problematic issue of identity that it arises in the characters. At the beginning of the story, it has been twelve years in the forest. The group has a well-formulated plan that has been in the works for quite a while. I think that the time is significant because of how much detail had to be placed into the plan in order for its success. The time is also significant because you cannot take on the identity of something that you, inherently, are not – even for a disguise – without taking the time to adapt to it and learn the nuances of that chosen disguise. This usage of the time can be seen the complicated choices that the disguises are. Yudhishthira had to learn the art of gambling, but not only simply learned the art of it but also to p...

I choose the Kincaid version of the Mahabharata . It focuses on the Princes or the Pandavas brothers. The Princes of Elephant City King Bharata: this takes places after his reign so I am guessing he is mainly used to establish the setting. King Vichitravirya of Hastinapura: he had two sons, Dhritarashtra (blind and older) and Pandu (who became king). Pandu’s 5 Sons: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna (three by Kunti), and Nakula and Sahadeva (two by Madri); they are said to be the sons of the gods. Pandu dies >>> Dhritarashtra becomes king. He and his queen, Gandhari, have one hundred sons and their kids grow up with the sons of Pandu. Duryodhana is the oldest of Dhritarashtra’s one hundred sons who are called Kauravas (decendants of Kuru). All the sons of both brothers are called Bharatas (descendants of king Bharata). Drona teaches the boys and the Pandavas is his best pupils must to the jealousy of Duryodhana.          >...