Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part C
Mahabharata
Bibliography: Public Domain Editions Mahabharata: Life in the Forest
This story is about the Pandava's exile and how they spent their time in the woods.
The Pandava princes begin to enter a long period of exile, and they wander deep into the forest with Draupadi. They came to the Brahmins and lamented their tragic situation saying, "Our kingdom is lost to us," he said, "and our fortune; everything is lost; we depart in sorrow, and must live on fruits and roots and the produce of the chase. In the woods are many perils — many reptiles and hungry wild animals seeking their prey." The Brahmins listened and suggested to the rajah that they should call to the sun god and pray. So they did, and suddenly, Surya, the god of the sun, appeared. Surya gave a copper pot that was ever filled with food. From that point on, the Pandavas and their wife Draupadi lived in the woods for 12 years alongside the Brahmins. Overall they survived and lived quiet lives vistiting holy shrines, bathing in sacred waters, or conversing with the Brahmins. However, sometimes they would have to endure tempests and heavy rains, and Bhima, the strongest Pandava, would carry them all on his back when they were faint and weary in despair.
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