Week 10: Reading Diary- The Day I Questioned Reality

A long time ago, my brothers and I were living in the forest.  We enjoyed the woodland creatures as well as the fresh plants and meats available for our consumption whenever we got hungry.  One day, a Brahmin found us though and was in desperate need of help.  He told us that his staff and kindling were taken.  He was on his way to make a sacrificial fire and out of the blue, a huge buck took it.  The Brahmin was elderly and frail, so we agreed to try and help.  My brothers and I ran after the deer for hours.  It’s large graceful bounds outpaced our shorter strides.  Our bodies had been conditioned by living in the forests, but we were not ready for this kind of physical challenge.  We tried our best to beat the deer and save the brahmin’s belongings- after all, if we caught the deer, we would have a dinner out of the meat. After a couple hours, we gave up.  We lost sight of the deer and were far from the area of the forest we typically reside in.  Luckily, we all stumbled upon a river flowing into a lake with cool, crisp water.  My brother Nakula was the first to find the lake so he took a drink first.  I’m not sure what happened, but he died on the spot.  It was horrifying.  My brothers and I were talking and then when we looked back up, Nakula was on his side and had stopped breathing.  My conclusion was that maybe he ran to hard and his heart had given out.  It was extremely sad.  Before we could carry his body back to bury it, the rest of us still needed water.  Sahadeva was the next to take a drink.  He made some sort of weird hand motion as if he was shushing someone but no one but us were there and we certainly weren’t talking in memory of our brother.  Crazy enough, he died on the spot as well.  I could not believe my eyes.  I was extremely distraught but also couldn’t really believe what was happening.  Arjuna and Bhima took a drink at the same time and they, as well, died from some mysterious force.  I was extremely upset and didn’t know what to do.  My body was crying from fatigue and my heart was broken by this point.  I went to get a drink and heard a voice.  I talked to the voice out of curiosity.  Sure enough, it turned out to be my father Yama.  My whole world was turning upside down at this point…my brothers came back to life…and I remain very confused.

Large deer.

(Source:  Wikipedia)

Author's Note:  When I read this tale in the book, I could not even begin to put into words the emotions that would have been felt throughout this whole experience.  One minute, the brothers are chasing a deer together and the next minute, all but one are dead.  Thus, I wanted to try and explain the thoughts that may have accompanied this scene.

Buck, William (1973).  The Mahabharata.