Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata, Part D

As frustrating as it was to read about Draupadi’s birth-based rejection of Karna in “Karna’s Humiliation,” the way it scarred and impacted his character arc is still really compelling. It might end up being interesting to write about a character who’s got a similarly complex relationship with his birth and bloodline, and how the two interact and conflict—a character who deserves the best based on skill and merit alone, but is also never going to be allowed to accomplish anything through legitimate venues, because of his family or their past, maybe even something his family is known for or illegally participates in. I could see a story spun off of this about a character from a Mickey O’Neil-like background, cast out and judged by everyone else and so deciding to get what he wants by less legitimate means if necessary.

I was also really struck by a line from “Narad Visits Indraprastha.” In it, the Pandavas are being told a story about a couple of brothers with a very tight-knit bond: “They knew the only way death could approach them was if they killed each other.” Unfortunately, the brothers in the story ended up fighting over a girl, because of course. But I do think there’s a lot of painful potential in the idea of two brothers who put each other ahead of everyone else, till something goes wrong and turns the two of them into bitter enemies. Somehow, being enemies with someone you still care a lot about seems much more bitter than someone you’ve just always disliked—you have to love someone at least a little to deep-down hate them, right? Plus the situation would be even more complicated because of the fact that the brothers know each other’s likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, histories. Because they know each other, period, full stop. And I think some interesting, complex storytelling issues could come from that.



Bibliography: Epified: The Mahabharata, by Epified TV. Source: YouTube.

Image Credit: Street Lamp at Night, by Pexels. Source: Pixabay.