The Mahabharata

Reading and Writing Workshop: The Mahabharata and Epic Poetry Motifs
Primary Text:

• The Mahabharata (translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15474

Session 1: The Hero’s Journey and Divine Intervention
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 1: The Adi Parva (The Origins of the Pandavas)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap01
• The Iliad by Homer, Book 1: The Wrath of Achilles
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6130

Motif Focus:

• The archetypal hero's birth and divine aid.

Writing Prompt:

• Compare how divine intervention shapes the fate of the Pandavas and Achilles. How does the role of the gods influence the hero's journey?

Session 2: Oaths, Honor, and the Code of Warriors
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 5: The Udyoga Parva (Krishna's Embassy and the Vows of Bhishma)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap80
• Beowulf, lines 632-836 (Beowulf’s oath and fight with Grendel)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16328

Motif Focus:

• Warrior codes and sacred oaths.

Writing Prompt:

• How does Bhishma’s vow parallel Beowulf’s code of honor? Discuss the impact of warrior ethics on both narratives.

Session 3: Fate vs. Free Will
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 6: The Bhishma Parva (The Bhagavad Gita)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap130
• The Aeneid by Virgil, Book 2: The Fall of Troy and Aeneas' flight
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/228

Motif Focus:

• The tension between fate and personal choice.

Writing Prompt:

• How do Arjuna and Aeneas wrestle with duty and destiny? Write about how each protagonist responds to the demands of fate.

Session 4: The Great Battle as a Cosmic Event
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 8: The Karna Parva (Karna's Final Battle)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap36
• The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet VI: The Battle with Humbaba
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11000

Motif Focus:

• Epic battles as pivotal and symbolic events.

Writing Prompt:

• Explore how Karna’s final battle and Gilgamesh’s fight with Humbaba transcend personal conflict to reflect larger cosmic or societal struggles.

Session 5: Death, Afterlife, and Immortality
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 17: The Mahaprasthanika Parva (The Final Journey)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap15
• The Odyssey by Homer, Book 11: The Land of the Dead
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1727

Motif Focus:

• The journey to the afterlife and the pursuit of immortality.

Writing Prompt:

• Compare Yudhishthira's ascent to heaven with Odysseus' journey to the underworld. How do both texts portray the human desire for meaning beyond death?

Session 6: The Role of Women in Epic Narratives
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 3: The Vana Parva (The Story of Draupadi)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap270
• The Aeneid, Book 4: Dido’s Tragedy
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/228

Motif Focus:

• Women as pivotal figures influencing the fate of heroes.

Writing Prompt:

• Analyze Draupadi and Dido as key figures whose actions and fates shape the epics they inhabit. How does each woman challenge or reinforce the societal expectations of their worlds?

Session 7: The Moral Ambiguity of Epic Heroes
Readings:

• The Mahabharata, Book 9: The Shalya Parva (Duryodhana’s End)
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15474/pg15474-images.html#chap61
• The Iliad, Book 24: Priam and Achilles
  • https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6130

Motif Focus:

• The flawed hero and moral complexity.

Writing Prompt:

• Reflect on how Duryodhana and Achilles blur the lines between heroism and villainy. How do epic poets present their complexities?