Reading Diary B: PDE Mahabharata

21. House of Fire - I don't understand why Prince Vidura has a miner dig a tunnel out of the house.  Although it is an interesting way for them to escape, it seems unnecessary.  They weren't prisoners, they could have just left when they realized that the house was soaked in oil.  I also expected Vidura to be punished for the deaths of the innocent beggars, but instead, they just provided a means of escape for the Pandavas.

Vidura's Tunnel

Image from Wikipedia

23. Bhima and Hidimbi - That was fast.  Bhima barely knows Hidimbi when he decides to take her as his bride.  Bhima is very good at breaking backs.  He also breaks Jarasandha's back later in the story.

27. Wife of the Five Pandavas - It is strange to me that Draupadi is accidentally married to five men.  People in the Mahabharata take their words very seriously even when the outcome does not make sense.  For instance, when Arjuna walks in on Draupadi and Yudhishthira he stays true to his vow and goes into exile for 12 years.  Even though Yudhishthira did not want Arjuna to depart, he still leaves.  It seems like this attitude of taking the spoken word so seriously causes a lot of unnecessary trouble.

34. The Burning of the Forest - During the wedding of the Pandavas and Draupadi, the Pandavas are said to be an incarnations of Indra. It seems strange that Arjuna would fight Indra if he himself was an incarnation of Indra.

37. The Gambling Match - It is particularly sad to see Yudhishthira gamble all his possessions away.   Gambling is a dangerous endeavor.  Even today, many people are destroyed through their gambling addiction.  Since he lost every single match, I am surprised that Yudhishthira was not wise enough to know that the game was unfair.