Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part B (Arjuna and the Asparas)
Arjuna and the Asparas
Arjuna is still in exile, and he comes across a sea shore. He asks the holy men dwelling nearby if they could bless him and allow him to swim in the water. They bless him, but warn him that the river is filled with alligators. He laughs at this, and goes into the water anyways. An alligator grabs him by the leg and drags him underwater, and just when he is about to give up he remembers Ulupi's saying that no water creature will be able to kill him. He regains his strength and swims to the shore while dragging the alligator behind him. When he reaches land, the alligator turns into a beautiful water nymph. Her and her sisters were put under a curse, so he goes back and rescues all five sisters. They thank him, and he never sees them again.
I particularly like this story because it seems like a fairy tale rather than a story in an epic. If I recreate this story, I want to have more dialogue between the characters, and also make it a bit more dramatic to where the readers really think that Arjuna is going to die. I also like this story because it has a lesson behind it. No matter how low you think you've gone, you can always choose to swim up. Also, I think it really gives the lesson that once you over come your obstacles in life, you can go back and help other who are facing similar challenges, such as when Arjuna helped the water nymph's sisters.
Bibliography: "Ajuna and the Asparas" from The Indian Heros by C.A Kincaid, via PDE Mahabharata
Arjuna is still in exile, and he comes across a sea shore. He asks the holy men dwelling nearby if they could bless him and allow him to swim in the water. They bless him, but warn him that the river is filled with alligators. He laughs at this, and goes into the water anyways. An alligator grabs him by the leg and drags him underwater, and just when he is about to give up he remembers Ulupi's saying that no water creature will be able to kill him. He regains his strength and swims to the shore while dragging the alligator behind him. When he reaches land, the alligator turns into a beautiful water nymph. Her and her sisters were put under a curse, so he goes back and rescues all five sisters. They thank him, and he never sees them again.
I particularly like this story because it seems like a fairy tale rather than a story in an epic. If I recreate this story, I want to have more dialogue between the characters, and also make it a bit more dramatic to where the readers really think that Arjuna is going to die. I also like this story because it has a lesson behind it. No matter how low you think you've gone, you can always choose to swim up. Also, I think it really gives the lesson that once you over come your obstacles in life, you can go back and help other who are facing similar challenges, such as when Arjuna helped the water nymph's sisters.
(Arjuna Statue, Wikipedia Commons)
Bibliography: "Ajuna and the Asparas" from The Indian Heros by C.A Kincaid, via PDE Mahabharata
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