Week 10: Reading Diary A - The Suspense of the Battle

Reading Diary Pg. 85-131

• The gods send a gandharva to provoke Duryodhana.
• A battle breaks out and the gandharvas take Duryodhana captive, but he later gets freed by the Pandavas.
• Duryodhana's original plan to humiliate the Pandavas had completely backfired. 
• In the forest, the Pandavas are approached by a brahmin. He comes to them desperate because a giant deer has stolen his equipment that he uses to make fires. 
• The Pandavas chase after the deer in attempt to catch it, but fail. 
• As they are walking back, Nakula finds a lake and wants to drink because he is thirsty. 
• A voice arises from the lake telling him that he must answer a series of questions before he is allowed to drink out of the lake. 
• He ignores the voice and drinks out of the lake water anyways. This kills him instantly.
• Sahadeva, Arjuna, and Bhima also drank out of the lake without acknowledging the voice and ended up dieing as well. 
• This ended up being a test by their father, who is the God of death. 
• The brothers are brought back to life, and are sentenced to exile. On their thirteenth year of exile they received the gift of unrecognizability.
• They spend twelve years of exile in the forest and then are disguised during the thirteenth year.
• Draupadi is raped by Kichaka, so Bhima squeezes him to death.
• The story of Kichaka raises suspicion in Duryodhana's eyes. Susharman takes king Virata prisoner, but is backfires as Bhima rescues him and then captures Susharman. 
• Susharman, one of Duryodhana's sidekicks shows excitement when he hears of his death, and suggests that they attack Vitrata and steal his cattle.
• Prince Uttara, the son of Virata, hears the news of the cattle raid and take his charioteer. He ends up being terrified as they approached the enemy and then runs away. He is told to drive the chariot so that he can fight instead. 
• In a moment of anger, Virata throws dice as Yudhishthira and draws his blood 
• Uttara and Abhimanyu get married. 
• Krishna and Balarama attend the wedding and send a messenger to ask Duryodhana if half of the kingdom could be given to Pandavas. 
• Satyaki urges that everyone prepare for war. Both of the pandavas and Duryodhana are recruiting allies for the upcoming war. I have a sense that they are really nervous for this war or battle to break out. 
• The Pandavas end up making another bid for peace, asking that they all be given five villages and in turn the war can be avoided. 
• Duryodhana wants to accept the offer but when the time comes he cannot resist his will.