Week 10: Reading Diary B

Points of Interest

• Enemies yet family, want peace yet conflict only resolved by war
• Krishna is a strong character that moves the story yet doesn't really take the lead-- he has some parts by himself, but he's representing the Pandavas
• spurned advice is a theme with Indian epics... Duryodhana rejected Gandhari's advice... his own queen! (p. 140)
• Duty is important, and krishna emphasizes that with Arjuna-- it's strange to read about Krishna's ability to detatch when it comes to the greater good and be a god while being a human. If that happened to me, I'd also dry my tears quickly and get to work.
• "These men who stand before you are already slain through their own karma" (p. 148)
• They took a break at the end of the day and relaxed "with song and dance" (p. 149)
• Krishna calls out Karna! "Honour! How late you are in remembering this word!" (p. 163)
• Bhima-- the guy who gets things done (p. 165)
• War aftermath is never all glory, as evidenced after the war won by the Pandavas