Oh, William Buck, how I missed your delightful prose!! I cannot wait for you to tell me all of the stories that were omitted from Narayan's Mahabharata, and to retell the main storyline with your wonderful imagery! Therefore, let us begin!!!
Even before we enter the chapters of Buck's Mahabharata, he presents us with a teaser description of the characters. And once again, I realize just how much Narayan's versions of these epics lack in style, how much Narayan's versions lose in overly simplifying the stories and not utilizing the glory of descriptive language and perfect word choice. Or maybe I just realized how much I missed Buck. . . That could also be it, haha.
Additionally, it's interesting that Yudhishthira is "the embodiment of all manliness," and yet the key characteristic of his personality is that he is "kindhearted." Not at all what you would expect, with the emphasis put on religiosity and the warrior. Intriguing. . .
Ganesha!! I've always loved you for your image alone. But seeing as you wrote the epics down for the poets, I love you all the more.
Also, odd that Ganesha is the god of writers and thieves--it makes you think there is some comparison to be made there. Huh.
Can you imagine first meeting your father and you call him a beggar and he insults you and then decapitates you? There's a situation that will lead to major daddy issues. But now I know how Ganesha got his elephant head, so wooo! Haha.
More etiological myths--yesssss! Though, I don't know what to think about the fact that the ocean was originally milk. . .
Does anybody else simultaneously love and hate the roundabout ways in which the epics are framed? How you go from present to past to deeper past to present to deep past to past to . . . I have no idea.
You have to love how easily people in the epics give away favors. "You can have anything you wish!" Hah! So often it works at cross-purposes with what the person wants, but why not give away an unnamed favor? Is this a cultural thing? Or is it simply to advance the epics, haha.
Also, did a lot of ancient Indians live to really old age? Or at least some of them? 'Cause there are a lot of reallllllly old people in the epics.
You're sweating? Really? Ok, then, I guess it's about time for you to be reborn anyway. . .
So, a daughter sits on the right thigh of a man, and a lover sits on the left. Good to know. Random, but okay.
"We were wondering. . . Will you be our mother?" Not at all an unusual request. So let's just laugh it off--oh, wait, you're serious? What on earth (or in heaven, should I say) did you do?
You have to really love someone to marry them on your mother's word and agree to never ask their name or interfere with their actions. Also, you have to love them a lot to let them drown seven infant sons before finally objecting. Like, damn.
Born of a spilled seed carried by a hawk and dropped into the mouth of a fish. Totally normal. And with all that, why not just add in a lingering aroma of fish? Next, let's have a tryst in the middle of a river in the middle of a day with lots of people around us. And thank you for removing my fishy odor as a payment for my love! Wait a sec. . . does that make me a prostitute? In any case, I gave birth to the famed poet Vyasa, so can I really complain? (Such convoluted plot lines in these stories, haha.)
Sometimes I wonder if the Indians just didn't have the creativity to come up with new names. So, instead, they add a syllable or a letter here or there, and thus name their children. For example, see Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika.
"'. . .the wife is most dear who is stolen by force!'" I object to this statement--it necessarily depicts women as objects, as something to be taken without any thought to the woman herself. Stupid ancient, objectifying, misogynistic pigs.
[And now, once again, I really have to speed things up.]
Interesting how Buck didn't emphasize the circumstances of Vyasa's sons' births, whereas Narayan did. Curious.
The ability to call upon any god in order to have a child with them--what an odd gift. I mean, what do you say to that? Thanks for the opportunity for unlimited divine sex? And is there not some kind of moral issue there?
Pandu killing the deer while they are "joined in copulation" reminds me of Tiresias being cursed for striking two copulating serpents. Why this of all things is a common story between two different cultures, I have no idea.
Can you imagine carrying one hundred sons?!?! I just. . . I don't even. . . just no. NO.
Okay, if they're from a ball of flesh, that's slightly less distressing. But only slightly.
Ordering your wife to have sex with specific gods in order to bear you sons--that is so messed up on so many levels.
A bow made of sugarcane and strung with a line of bees. . . That is seriously adorable!
Kripa and Kripi. Again, such original names, haha.
Can you imagine promising your mentor that if you ever come against him, you will fight to win? That's harsh, man.
Brahmanas are very forgiving. That's why when you deny us a night of shelter, we take half of your kingdom. Hearts of butter, indeed.
Interesting what a strong role Aswatthaman plays with Drona and the Pandavas in Buck's version versus Narayan's.
I love how Buck describes Karna as easily better than Arjuna, as the greatest warrior on earth. It really provides a heightened sense of anticipation, seeing as I know later on that he will face off against the Pandavas. Also, we see how Karna becomes indebted to Duryodhana simply because of a competition and a "friendship."
And with this lengthy post concluding, I bid you adieu!!
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