Monday, September 17, 2018

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part C

In this section of the reading, there was a specific part that stood out to me and created interest in a possible story. There is a part when they are traveling through a forest and chasing after a deer. Suddenly, they come across a lake. They are tired and thirsty. The water is desperately needed. A voice tells Nakula that they must answer some questions before drinking from the lake. He ignores the voice, drinks the water, and dies a s a result. This happens three more times. Later, Yudhishthira finds that his brothers are all dead. He answers the questions of the voice. It turns out that answering the questions was actually a test, and the brothers come back to life. They receive the gift of not being recognized.

            As usual with my stories, I like to take themes from the readings of the Indian epics and apply them to everyday life in a manner in which everyone can relate. This excerpt provides a great opportunity to do just that. I could craft a story in which a group of brothers are outside playing and exploring when they stumble into some sort of trouble. Perhaps they stumble upon an open window in the neighborhood with an older woman’s baked pie sitting there, primed for the taking. Two of the brothers could take some of the pie and eat it. They would then be captured by the old lady and face some sort of punishment. The other brother could politely knock on the door, explain that he could smell a pie, and ask if he could have a slice. The old lady could grant him a piece. This whole situation could be a test arranged by the father to see if he sons are behaving properly. The father could be friends with the old lady and have her set this test up. This would be very similar to the plot in the story, but with a different array of characters.



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