Krishna was known to be a good leader, though he was also known for doing what was needed to get his way or to provide aid for others. One example of such was his manipulation of events so that his sister Subhadra would wed Arjuna, rather than being used as a prize by their father. This greatly upset their father, but it allowed for Subhadra to choose who she was going to marry. This manipulation of events meant that Krishna became the brother in law to Arjuna, one of the pandavas. As such, he became friends with them and did his best to help them in their times of need. After the pandavas were discovered in the court of King Virata, he went with his older brother Balarama to the wedding of the king's daughter, Uttarâ and Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra. It is after the wedding that Krishna states that Duryodhana should be given the message to give half of the kingdom to the pandavas, letting the groups live in peace and not go against one another. At the same time, they are making preparations for the expected upcoming war. It was well known that Duryodhana had driven himself almost mad in his obsession with destroying the pandavas and everything that they held dear to them. What had been a childhood rivalry had corrupted itself and become a consuming lust for humiliation and destruction.
At the court of Krishna, Arjuna came to represent all of the pandavas. Duryodhana also appeared to ask for his aid. Neither expected for the other to appear before Krishna, requesting the same thing; his help in their battle against one another. This is were things became interesting. Krishna seemed to realize that something along these lines was going to occur, and thus proposed that one side of the battle would be given his aid, while the other fighter would have the aid of his million soldiers. Now, this seems like the side that had his soldiers would be given a much larger advantage. Arjuna, however, sought to have Krishna's aid. This delighted Duryodhana, who believed his victory over the pandavas was basically insured by that move. He never thought to question why Arjuna, known as a brilliant fighter, would choose to handicap himself in such a manner. If he had, he would have realized that Arjuna never handicapped himself; the real winning choice was to have Krishna aid in battle. After all, who said that his soldiers would go against him? And the Pandavas were already fighting at a disadvantage of numbers. Krishna knew what would be useful and allowed the men to choose between themselves what they wanted.
Showing posts with label Week 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 10. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2014
Week 10: Reading Diary A
Duryodhana and the gandharvas
- Duryodhana makes camp near the pandavas for the sole purpose of mocking them.
- A gandharva, or heavenly being, is sent to provoke him, leading to him being captured.
- The pandavas rescue him, resulting in his plan backfiring completely.
The voice in the lake
- The pandavas hear a voice telling them to answer questions before drinking. All but Yudhishthira fail to do so, dying as a result. It turns out to be a challenge by their father, the god Yama, who then revives them and gives them the gift of being unrecognizable.
In the court of King Virata
- The brothers and Draupadi go to court in disguise, finding work there. Draupadi is raped, begging for revenge. Bhima kills the man who attacked her, who turned out to be a general and the queen's brother. Draupadi has to beg to remain in court.
The Cattle Raid
- Duryodhana's ally, Susharman, wants to raid the cattle of King Virata now that the general Kichaka is dead. He ends up being captured by Bhima. Prince Uttara takes Arjuna with him into battle as his charioteer, but ends up making him fight while the prince drives. In the end, in a fit of rage King Virata throws the die at Yudhishthira, drawing blood and revealing who he was. He gives his daughter Uttara in marriage to Arjuna's son Abhimanyu.
Preparing for Battle
- Battle preparations are made on both sides, as they gather allies to fight with them in the war. Arjuna chooses to have Krishna fight with the Pandavas, meaning that Krishna's soldiers will fight for Duryodhana.
Dissension at Hastinapura
- The king and queen do not support what their sons are doing, with Queen Ghandari going so far as to denounce the war and the actions of her son. Her husband the king is much more weak willed, saying he doesn't support it, but doing nothing when in the presence of their son.
- Duryodhana makes camp near the pandavas for the sole purpose of mocking them.
- A gandharva, or heavenly being, is sent to provoke him, leading to him being captured.
- The pandavas rescue him, resulting in his plan backfiring completely.
The voice in the lake
- The pandavas hear a voice telling them to answer questions before drinking. All but Yudhishthira fail to do so, dying as a result. It turns out to be a challenge by their father, the god Yama, who then revives them and gives them the gift of being unrecognizable.
In the court of King Virata
- The brothers and Draupadi go to court in disguise, finding work there. Draupadi is raped, begging for revenge. Bhima kills the man who attacked her, who turned out to be a general and the queen's brother. Draupadi has to beg to remain in court.
The Cattle Raid
- Duryodhana's ally, Susharman, wants to raid the cattle of King Virata now that the general Kichaka is dead. He ends up being captured by Bhima. Prince Uttara takes Arjuna with him into battle as his charioteer, but ends up making him fight while the prince drives. In the end, in a fit of rage King Virata throws the die at Yudhishthira, drawing blood and revealing who he was. He gives his daughter Uttara in marriage to Arjuna's son Abhimanyu.
Preparing for Battle
- Battle preparations are made on both sides, as they gather allies to fight with them in the war. Arjuna chooses to have Krishna fight with the Pandavas, meaning that Krishna's soldiers will fight for Duryodhana.
Dissension at Hastinapura
- The king and queen do not support what their sons are doing, with Queen Ghandari going so far as to denounce the war and the actions of her son. Her husband the king is much more weak willed, saying he doesn't support it, but doing nothing when in the presence of their son.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)