Uncle’s Gift
Dhritarashtra is a fascinating character to me. He seems to want to please everyone and in doing so he pleases no one. He also is a pacifist, which is also ironic because all of his decisions in an attempt to create less conflict, end up leading to conflict…it’s a very interesting plight. I think it’s interesting that the book even states that he had, “no mind of his own” (pg. 244). He does have a very good heart though at the core of his being. Also though, his character kind of drives me insane. But that’s just me personally. I really like the use of foreshadowing to Dhritarashtra about his decision making by all of his advisors. It becomes very apparent in this section of the story that his sons, particularly his eldest son Duryodhana, are his greatest weakness.
Stakes Unmatched
This whole entire scene was infuriating, but also very entertaining. The fast-paced rhetoric of Yudhistira raising the stakes and Sakuni repeatedly saying, “I win” really allowed the reader to feel the frustration of the whole event. It also allowed the reader to see how quickly Yudhistira lost everything.
I really like that Draupadi has a voice and she’s not afraid to use it. She is very outspoken in comparison to the women in the Ramayana. I especially like the scene where she refuses to come to be a slave and she uses the logic of the situation to get out of being enslaved. Then, on top of that, she uses logic to get back all that Yudhistira lost. While she ultimately was decided against, I still like that she at least gave up enough of a fight to make everyone re-think their own opinions. I also like later on in the chapter when she and Yudhistira have a conversation about all that went wrong and she actually speaks her mind and is listened to by her husbands
Below is an image from the Wikipedia commons titled, "The Ordeal of Queen Draupadi" by Warwick Goble, 1913. It is an image of the scene when Dussasana is trying to disrobe Draupadi, but he fails to when she asks for a miracle from God.
Bibliography: R.K. Narayan, The Indian Epics Retold: The Mahabharata, pp. 243-284
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