Navigating Solutions and Darkness

Adapted from this site. Near the ashrama of Dronacharya, where Arjun and his brothers learned the martial arts, there lived a bright Nishada boy named Eklavya. He desired to learn the art of archery from Dronacharya. But Drona would never accept Eklavya as his disciple due to his low caste. It was futile to dream of such a privilege. But the boy was not be put off. His determination knew no bounds. Near his house, under a tree, Eklavya installed a clay idol of Dronacharya that he worshipped as his Guru. Daily, placed offerings in front of this image and taught himself the art of the bow and arrow. His lessons paid off, and he attributed his success to his Guru Dronacharya. One day, Drona and Arjun were passing near the hut of Eklavya. It was pleasant and peaceful afternoon and people were taking rest. But the tranquility and silence was broken by constant barking of a dog. Eklavya did not like this, and therefore, he shut the mouth of the dog with an arrow. Dronacharya an...

Crossposted from here : Written on October 21, 2015 Title:  Bhimsen Author:  Prem Panicker Year of Publication: Series:  N/A Goodreads Rating (Avg.):  4.12 Goodreads Rating (Mine):  3 Some Spoilers Are Bound To Be Around Plot Description:  A retelling of another retelling of the epic poem Mahabharatha, from the perspective of the second brother – Bhim. Let me start from the top. The Mahabharath is an epic poem, somewhat similar to the  Illiad  or the  Odyssey.  Like with those poems, there have been numerous versions of the Mahabharath, numerous perspectives and retellings, and along the way, new myths and legends are continuously being tacked onto the end of it. Panicker’s story is a loose translation of an older version written in Malayalam by M.T. Vasudevan Nair called  Randamoozham (Second Chance ). What Panicker and Nair both attempt is to engage with the myths and legends that surround the stories about the Mahab...