Reading Notes: The Five Brothers, Part A

Notes taken from "The Five Brothers: The Story of the Mahabharata" by Elizabeth Seeger.

Sons of Pandu
I love reading a story, then finding out the backstory behind the main characters, and this is what Seeger's story does. It takes the backstory of the Pandavas, from when they first arrived in Hastinapura, and provides more detail and imagery than what was provided in the Mahabharata. For example, in the Mahabharata, it doesn't mention the Pandavas noticing the four different castes present in the kingdom. It also provides more details about the poisoning of Bima by the jealous Duryodana (spoiled much?), the meeting of Drona and his skill/accomplishments, and how Arjuna is not one to be taken lightly - he's actually pretty awesome.



(Drona's test, taken from Kidsgen)
The Tournament
In the Mahabharata, I always viewed Karna as a kind of rebellious challenger, but with the explanation given in this story, it seems he has every right to challenge Arjuna. In fact, there's even illustrations! And they make Karna look like the rugged protagonist rather than Arjuna, the one clad in royal armor and offended at Karna's display. I mean, he did everything Arjuna did - a testament of his skill - but Arjuna, instead of being impressed, was upset. It kind of portrays him in a negative/childish light.

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