Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part A
PDE Mahabharata by Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore
Since this is the beginning of the Mahabharata and many characters are introduced, I decided to base my notes on the characters and how their relationships are intertwined. It's confusing to keep track of the origin of each character and their motives, so hopefully these notes will make the further readings less confusing as the story continues and characters from earlier episodes return.
Characters
Vyasa: author of Mahabharata, son of Satyavati and Parashara, Island-born.
Ganesha: Vyasa's scribe.
Satyavati: daughter of king, foster daughter of fisherman, beautiful, fishy smell but lost it by having Vyasa, marries Shantanu.
King Shantanu: powerful, married to Ganga then left by her, loves Satyavati.
Ganga: goddess, wife of King Shantanu, divinely beautiful, mother of Devavrata.
Devavrata (Bhishma): son of Ganga and Shantanu, possesses powers of Vasus, "terrible", abducted three princesses.
Chitrangada: Son of Shantanu and Satyavati.
Vichitravirya: Son of Shantanu and Satyavati, takes throne, dies without having kids.
Amba: oldest princess, loved king of the Shalwas but he rejected her, wants to kill Bhishma.
Ambika: wife of Vichitravirya, mother of Dhritarashtra.
Ambalika: wife of Vichitravirya, mother of Pandu.
Dhritarashtra: Son of Vyasa and Ambika, born blind, rules after Pandu's death.
Pandu: Son of Vyasa and Ambalika, "the pale one", took throne, cursed by sage saying Pandu would die in the arms of his wives.
Vidura: Son of Vyasa and Ambika's handmaiden, Dharma's human reincarnation.
Kunti: Pandu's wife, celestial origin, adopted by rajah of Shurasena, secretly mother of Karna, mother of Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna (Pandava brothers), chief rani, takes care of all sons after Pandu and Madri die
Madri: Pandu's best loved wife, purchased by Bhishma, mother of Nakula and Sahadeva (Pandava brothers), burned with Pandu because she was his favorite wife.
Karna: son of Kunti and Surya, raised by Radha and Adhiratha after being found in Anga in a river, returns in contest, loyal to Duryodhana.
Pandava brothers: Pandu's children that were the sons of gods and his wives, since Pandu was celibate after his curse, excel at Drona's training.
Gandhari: Dhritarashtra's wife, mother of hundreds of sons.
Duryodhana: eldest son of Gandhari, favorite child, proud, extremely jealous, evil-minded, leader of Kaurava's, wants Purochana to kill the Pandavas.
Bhima: eldest of Pandavas, hated by Duryodhana and poisoned by him, returns from underworld with supernatural strength.
Drona: son of Bharadwaja, chosen by Bhishma to train the sons, married Kripi, father of Ashwatthaman, enemy of Drupada, took half of Drupada's kingdom.
Yudhishthira: spearman, Pandava brother.
Arjuna: noble bearing, Pandava brother, highest warrior skill, most loved by Drona, envied by Duryodhana, son of Indra.
Ekalavya: Bhil, wanted to be Drona's pupil.
Since this is the beginning of the Mahabharata and many characters are introduced, I decided to base my notes on the characters and how their relationships are intertwined. It's confusing to keep track of the origin of each character and their motives, so hopefully these notes will make the further readings less confusing as the story continues and characters from earlier episodes return.
Characters
Vyasa: author of Mahabharata, son of Satyavati and Parashara, Island-born.
Ganesha: Vyasa's scribe.
Satyavati: daughter of king, foster daughter of fisherman, beautiful, fishy smell but lost it by having Vyasa, marries Shantanu.
King Shantanu: powerful, married to Ganga then left by her, loves Satyavati.
Ganga: goddess, wife of King Shantanu, divinely beautiful, mother of Devavrata.
Devavrata (Bhishma): son of Ganga and Shantanu, possesses powers of Vasus, "terrible", abducted three princesses.
Chitrangada: Son of Shantanu and Satyavati.
Vichitravirya: Son of Shantanu and Satyavati, takes throne, dies without having kids.
Amba: oldest princess, loved king of the Shalwas but he rejected her, wants to kill Bhishma.
Ambika: wife of Vichitravirya, mother of Dhritarashtra.
Ambalika: wife of Vichitravirya, mother of Pandu.
Dhritarashtra: Son of Vyasa and Ambika, born blind, rules after Pandu's death.
Pandu: Son of Vyasa and Ambalika, "the pale one", took throne, cursed by sage saying Pandu would die in the arms of his wives.
Vidura: Son of Vyasa and Ambika's handmaiden, Dharma's human reincarnation.
Kunti: Pandu's wife, celestial origin, adopted by rajah of Shurasena, secretly mother of Karna, mother of Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna (Pandava brothers), chief rani, takes care of all sons after Pandu and Madri die
Madri: Pandu's best loved wife, purchased by Bhishma, mother of Nakula and Sahadeva (Pandava brothers), burned with Pandu because she was his favorite wife.
Karna: son of Kunti and Surya, raised by Radha and Adhiratha after being found in Anga in a river, returns in contest, loyal to Duryodhana.
Pandava brothers: Pandu's children that were the sons of gods and his wives, since Pandu was celibate after his curse, excel at Drona's training.
Gandhari: Dhritarashtra's wife, mother of hundreds of sons.
Duryodhana: eldest son of Gandhari, favorite child, proud, extremely jealous, evil-minded, leader of Kaurava's, wants Purochana to kill the Pandavas.
Bhima: eldest of Pandavas, hated by Duryodhana and poisoned by him, returns from underworld with supernatural strength.
Drona: son of Bharadwaja, chosen by Bhishma to train the sons, married Kripi, father of Ashwatthaman, enemy of Drupada, took half of Drupada's kingdom.
Yudhishthira: spearman, Pandava brother.
Arjuna: noble bearing, Pandava brother, highest warrior skill, most loved by Drona, envied by Duryodhana, son of Indra.
Ekalavya: Bhil, wanted to be Drona's pupil.
Vyasa, author of Mahabharata. (Wikimedia)
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