Reading Notes: Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata, Section B

Notes: 

I cannot believe I am already halfway done with the Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata. The second quarter of the story really escalated from what I was expecting. I thought the Pandavas were going to be the villains in this story and not the Kauravas. Now I am rooting for the Pandavas to win.

I really enjoyed the stories regarding Arjuna. One story particularly was when Arjuna comes to a deadly lake overrun with crocodiles. Those crocodiles ended up being apsaras who were cursed by a rishi at one point. The only way to be released of the curse would be for a Kshatriya to free us. I would change this storyline to where one of the crocodiles tore up Arjuna's clothing before freeing an apsara. This would make Arjuna mad and the apsara forever seeking forgiveness. I would add additional creatures in the lake that would have different curses and different ways of Arjuna freeing them. It would make the story a little more exciting to see how all of these creatures got cursed.

I also thought the story of Bhima fighting a rakshasa was interesting. A rakshasa smelled humans in the forest, while Bhima stood guard over his mother and brothers. The rakshasa told his sister, Hidimbi, to lure Bhima away but she fell in love with him at first sight. She protected Bhima with supernatural powers and he ultimately ended up defeating and killing her brother. They had a son together. I would change the plot of this story just a little bit. I would have it where Bhima is aware of Hidimbi and tells her that if she helps him, she will become his wife. All she had to do was deceive her brother and Bhima would take care of the rest. Bhima and Hidimbi would get married and have kids, but Bhima would leave. Hidimbi would seek revenge for Bhima leaving her and curse him to never be able to have kids again. It would give the story a not-so-happy ending. I want to do this because not every story has a happy ending.

An image of Bhima and Hidimbi. (Source)

Bibliography: Tiny Tales from the Mahabharata, Laura Gibbs