Mahabharata Reading Notes: The Burning of the Forest, Part B

Mahabharata: The Burning of the Forest

Characters:

Krishna (M) "Supreme God" god of compassion, tenderness, and love

Pandavas (M) "five brothers" all married to the same woman

Draupadi (F) "tragic heroine" most beautiful woman of her time

Subhadra (F) "brave sister" Krishna's sister

Arjuna (M) "protagonist" skilled archer married to Draupadi

Agni (M) "fire god" guardian deity

Indra (M) "diety of the heavens and storms" celebrated for his powers

Varuna (M) "God of the sky and water" justice and truth

Ashwasena (M) "the snake" a son of Takshaka

Takshaka (M) "great dragon king" most venomous snake and can fly

Maya (M) "the demon" son of a rishi

Places:

Yamuna "longest tributary river" Ganga

Khandava "ancient forest" burned down

Plot:

This is a story that ends in sadness for some (animals of Khandava forest) and happiness for others (Agni, Arjuna, and Krishna). Agni had tried to use his power of fire to destroy the forest numerous times before, but Indra stopped this from happening by using his weather powers. Krishna and Arjuna teamed up and to accomplish Agni's goal to destroy the Khandava forest. While the forest was being burned, Indra struck Arjuna with his bolt and injured him, but the forest was still successfully burned to the ground. 

Important Phrases:

Women in the party took so much liquor their gait became unsteady

telling of their exploits

Agni was hungry for the Khandava forest

Indra put out the fire with torrents of rain

Arjuna extinguished it with his arrows

Animals perished in the flames

Agni became more bright and vigorous

Image Information: Mahabhrath Arjuna. Source: Flickr.

Bibliography: The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie (1921) Source.