Reading Notes: The Indian Heroes: Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City Part B

C. A. Kincaid: The Indian Heroes: Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City

http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2014/05/reading-guide-week-1-kincaid-mahabharata.html

(Image Information: 18 Days of The Mahabharata War - Summary of the War; https://vedicfeed.com/18-days-of-the-mahabharata-war-summary-of-the-war/)

-After twelve long years of hiding and living in the forest, the Pandavas made plans to spend a year in disguise at the court of King Virata. As Yudhishthira learned the art of gambling and disguised himself as Kanka, a gambler.

-After the year is almost over, Kichaka, Queen sudeshna's brother, begged her to send the beautiful maid to him and tries to rape her also. When Bhima finds out, he makes a promise to take revenge and after taking Draupadi's spot in the dark, he crushed Kichka to death and rolled his corpse up into a ball. Yikes. 

-At the end of the exile, the people wanted to burn the Sairandhri on Kickaka's funeral pyre. After learning from King Susharma of Trigarta that Kichka is dead, Duryodhana decides to attack King Virata.

-The song of Virata, Prince Utara took Brihannala to be his charioteer, and Brihannala made Uttara get the weapons back. After putting on his armor, Karna rode out to confront the chariot and they dueled. Both were injured but alive. 

-For the great battle to come, Yudhisthira and his brothers start to prepare for war. Using, shikhandi, a soldier who wore women's clothes as Shikhandin is a born woman who changes gender, Arjuna is able to injure Bhishma enough to make him retire from the battle and await death lying on a bed of arrows.

-Bhisma's mother, the goddess ganga, sent swans to warn Bhisma in order to delay his death until the solstice, with a truce in the fighting until his death.

-The Kaurava survivors (Aswatthaman, Kripa, and Kritavarman), raided the Pandava camp in the night and slayed Dhrishtadyumna and all the Pandava army except for Yudhisthira,  all his brothers, and Krishna.

-Every one of Draupadi's sons are now dead and Abhimanyu is dead as well along with hundreds of sons of Dhritarashtra.

In my next story, I will be focused on writing a build up for a big major event that happens in the story just like the battle in Mahabharata. Really enjoyed the way this story was written, especially the way the stories made the characters seem like war hero characters. That certainly made it easier for me to read the story.