Reading Notes: Five Tall Sons of Pandu, Part A

The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu by Richard Wilson

The Young Princes

• On of the reasons why I chose this version of the Mahabharata to read was due to it having a more focused scope of the Pandavas, which played an important role in the arc of the Mahabharata itself
• Tells the tale of how the talents of Arjuna matches the talent of Karna, who was from more humble beginnings than that of Arjuna, who was royalty
• Fascinating in terms of the matter that lineage and royal blood doesn't have anything to do with power or talent. Multiple backgrounds.

Draupadi's Swayamvara

• This is where there is a major change to the story, where in the original story, Yudhishthira became the wife of all the Pandavas. However, in this version, Kunti tells Arjuna that Yudhishthira was to become the wife of the eldest Pandavas even though Arjuna won the challenge.
• Ongoing battle of skill between Karna and Arjuna, involves the use of disguises for Arjuna who was of royal blood as it was thought they have died by the hands of Duryodhana.

King Yudhishthira

• Even though the Pandavas were the ones that made an alliance with King Drupada, it was Duryodhana, the eldest of 100 sons that hated the Pandavas that divides and takes the richer part of the kingdom
• The inclusion of this unfairness divides the moods of the readers, which creates animosity towards Duryodhana as it was him that takes the richer part of the kingdom where the rest of the Pandavas were to take the western portion of the Yamuna River. 
• Inclusion of where Krishna kills Shishupala due to conflict that Shishupala had with Krishna