The Pandava Bachelors: Meeting the Bachelorettes

Vasuki walks on to the stage smiling. He is wearing a black tuxedo. "Hello again everyone! Welcome to the second part of the Bachelor!", Vasuki greets the crowd. "Today these lovely gentlemen will be meeting their new brides!",  he continues. The crowd roars in excitement.

"But before we bring out these beauties, we're going to have these gentlemen have a seat." The five men exchange looks with one another and then look at Vasuki in confusion. They thought the chairs facing the crowd were for the women.

"What are you guys waiting for? Sit down!", Vasuki happily exclaims. The men hesitantly sit down on the chairs. The stage crew comes out rolling a large wall and places it in between them and the side where the women will be entering. 

"What's going on?, Bheem asks. Vasuki replies, "I'm glad you asked, Bheem! We are going to change things up a bit. Instead of picking your wife, I'm going to introduce them and ask them some questions. If you like the answers, you'll have the choice to pick one the ladies to marry." Vasuki  gestures to someone to come onto the stage.

"Come on out ladies!", exclaims Vasuki. The crowd claps and screams as the beautiful women walk out in a line. There are even some wolf whistles.

"Welcome ladies!", greets Vasuki. "So before we start asking questions, let's introduce our bachelorettes!" Vasuki faces the first lady and says, "First we have the magnificent Ulupi! She is the daughter of a Kourayva, the king of snakes?", Vasuki asks as he looks toward the black-haired woman in confusion.

The woman confidently looks at the crowd and says, "That is correct. My father is a snake charmer. He can get any snake under control just by looking at them."

"Scary, but interesting, and how about you? I'm assuming you've grown up around snakes, surely you've wrestled some.", asks Vasuki.

"I have as a matter of fact. I have also fought a few demons.", Ulupi replies.

"Wow, not only is she brave, but she is strong, like a warrior!", exclaims Vasuki. Vasuki's statement catches Bheema's attention. 'Warrior', he thought. Sounds like my kind of woman.  Bheema smirks at this thought.

"Next, we have the sweet Chitra."

"So tell me, Chitra, what do you look for in a husband?" 

Chitra is wearing a pink, long-sleeved dress that flows out with golden earrings and a necklace. She shyly looks up with her big blue eyes and softly says with a smile, ,"I want a  husband who will love me as much as I will love him."

Yudhistira slowly looks up at the sound of Chitra's voice. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Very nice!", reples Vasuki. "So what are your hobbies?"

Chitra replies, "I like painting and dancing."

"Well there you have, it! Chitra everyone!", says Vasuki. The crowd claps as they look at Chitra in awe.

Yudhithira tried to ignore the sound of his heart pounding in his chest and listen to Vasuki introduce the next woman but his thoughts kept going back to Chitra. He has never met or seen this woman, yet he felt the need to protect her. 'She sounds so delicate and innocent, not to mention she enjoys dancing and art.', he thought to himself.

"Next we have -", Vasuki is interrupted all of a sudden the red-headed woman takes the mic from him. The crowd laughs. 

The woman says, "No need Vausks, I can introduce myself. The name's Draupadi. My hobbies are wrestling and shooting things with my bow and arrow." She hands the mic back to Vasuki and goes back to her spot where she casually stands.

Arjuna looks amused and couldn't help but laugh along with the crowd. 'A woman who takes charge, I like that', he thought. I bet she's feisty!

"Well then, there you have it! Draupadi everyone!", says Vasuki in amusement. There are some wolf whistles from the crowd which makes Draupadi glare at the crowd, causing them to get quiet. She was obviously not one to mess with.

"Next we have, Subhadra!", says Vasuki. He gestures to the woman with black hair wrapped in a bun. She's wearing a short red dress, with black heels. 

"So what can you tell us about yourself, sweetheart?", asks Vasuki.

Subhadra happily replies with a smile, "I enjoy riding horses, and sword fighting in my spare time."

"Sword fighting? That's crazy! I definitely would not want to get on your bad side", Vasuki grimaced. Subhadra laughed along with the crowd.

Nakula's ears perk up. This whole time he had spaced out not really listening to these women were. He didn't really care and was only here because his parents forced him. Hearing that this woman enjoyed riding horses peaked his interest. Most of the women he's met have never liked horses. They would always yell like banshees at the sight of a horse. 'Maybe this Subhadra chick might be the one', he thought. She's down to earth, and doesn't mind getting down and dirty with the horses.

"Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?", asked Vasuki asks Subhadeva.

"Not really."

"Well then there you have it! Subhadea everyone!", exclaims Vasuki. The crowd claps.

"And last but not least, we've got Nikki!", says Vasuki. He gestures to the woman whose black hair is covering her face. The woman looks up at the crowd. The black eyeliner makes her light brown eyes pop out. She's wearing a black dress with black heels.

The mysterious woman just blankly stares at the crowd.

'What would you like your future husband to know?", Vasuki asks Nikki. She does not reply and looks back at Vasyki with a stone cold face. This intimidates Vasuki a little but he shakes it off with a smile and looks back at the crowd.

"A lady of few words I see. Well it looks like Nikki will remain a  mystery for now.", 

Sahadeva tilts his head from under his black hat and smirks. 'This Nikki girl sounds like a challenge. I like it.', he thought to himself.

"And here we have it! Our five bachelorettes! Who do you think each bachelor will choose? Until next time!", says Vasuki.

The crowd claps and roars in excitement.

Bachelor Show Banner created using Canva

Author's Note: This story is continuing from Week 9. In the original story, Arjuna marries all these women (except Nikki) and the bachelor's are all brothers that end up marrying the same wife. I wanted to change that and give each of them their own wife. I also thought I would the story more interesting by making the Pandavas do a blind marriage. Instead of meeting the women and deciding they liked them based on their appearances.

I ran out of bachelorette's so I added Nikki. I did some research on the women (except Nikki) and found a few traits and created their personality based on those few things. I also considered what each of the bachelor's looked for in a wife. I thought I would also share what the bachelor's were thinking since they wouldn't really say much in this story.

It's really different from the original story but I tried to keep their names the same as the original story. I shortened Chitrangada's name to Chitra since it would be easier. In the original story, I felt like Draupadi was pretty vocal about how she felt, especially when her husband gambled her away. She also openly rejected Karna. I gave her a leader type of role in this story because she was so vocal and determined to fight for her equality. Draupadi took the microphone away from the host to show this and gives Vasuki a nickname.  I also gave her red hair to symbolize her short-temper.

Famous Last Words: Good News, Bad News, and More Good News!

So I just got back from my LAST Spring break yesterday. It was really fun. I visited the zoo with my friends and we fed the Lorikeets and we also hung out at the dog park a lot. I also got to make a day trip to Dallas and learned how to use chopsticks at this sushi place. Thankfully, they had some vegetarian sushi.

Later in the week it was national puppy day. My dad was working as usual at the hotel and a found a puppy in one of the rooms. The customer wasn't there but after they got back, they said they were planning to give it away. My mom said yes but then had second thoughts and gave him back. On Sunday she brought it down to babysit and was planning to keep him overnight to see how he and Shiva would interact but the customer had a daughter who wanted to spend the night with the pup first so we gave him back (we hadn't adopted him yet) . Yesterday before I headed back to Norman though, my parents finally decided to keep him so now we have 4 dogs. Shiva really loves his new little brother.

Here is a picture of him.

Today I got an email from the Study Abroad Office, and unfortunately I won't be going to Spain. On the bright side I still have my trip to California and Texas though. I also just found out one of my cousin's got engaged which is really exciting cause that means another wedding is around the corner. I don't think I ever mentioned this but my brother and I are youngest in our whole family so most of my cousins are either married or engaged.

Although I won't be going abroad, at least I have my new puppy. I am so excited to go home this weekend so I can play with my new little nugget.

Week 10 Reading Notes: Karmic Revolution, Part B

Draupadi's Swayamwara

A contest is held to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. All the princes are invited including the Pandavas. The challenge was to string a bow and then hit the eye of a fish with it. Duryodhana tries and fails. Arjun wins.

Karna's Humiliation

Karna begs a Pursharam to be his teacher. He is asked if he is a Kshatiya. He tells him he is also a Brahmin. He is taught the secrets of fighting. Pursharam is sleeping on Karna's lap and Karna gets bit by a scorpion and doesn't make noise. Pursharam notices Karna's bleeding and Pashram gets angry and accuses Karna of lying about his caste and curses him.

He is cursed to forget his skills on the day he needs them the most. 

 Draupadi's Husbands

The brother's call out to Kunti while she's inside her hut and assumes they brought food and carelessly told them to share whatever they brought among themselves and realizes she made a mistake.

A sage reveals that Draupadi had prayed for a husband in her previous life.

Return to Hastinapura

Duryodhana calls his council after finding out the Pandavas married Draupadi. The council advices him to give them part of the kingdom. Drona suggests a messenger go and get them and bring them back to Hastinapura.

Creation of Indraprastha

Arjun and Krishna meet Agni. Agni wants to set the forest on fire to satisfy his hunger. A palace is built and a new kingdom called Indraprastha is created. People from Hastinapura move to the new kingdom.

Narada visits Indraprastha

Narada visits the Pandavas at Krishna's requests to guide them. He meets Draupadi and tells the Pandavas the story of the Asur brothers. Like the Pandavas, the brothers were inseparable until they fell in love with the same woman. They ended up killing each other. Narad advices that they each spend time with her for a year and if one intrudes, then they must be exiled as a consequence.

Arjuna's Exile

Arjun accidently enters the room while one of his brother's is spending time their wife. He was trying to help a brahmin and went to go get his weapon which were in Yudhistra's room. He asked for permission to enter but doesn't wait for a response because he needed to help the brahmin despite knowing he would be exiled. Yudhisthira forgives Arjuna and tells him he doesn't have to go to exile because he was trying to help a brahmin but he insists that he needs to since he broke the rule and that it's his dharma to go. 

Arjun's Journey

• 12 years of exile

He chose dharma over his family. Arjun sets off with a group of brahmins into the forest and meets several women. He also marries and has children with them.


1. Draupadi

He spends his time in the Himalayas and meets Ulpi.

2. Ulpi - Arjun tells her he's married but gives into her temptation.

• Arjun broke his dharma as a husband by being unfaithful.

He wanted to explore and ended up at a kingdom. Arjun stays in a palace and is disguised as a brahmin and meets his third wife.

3. Chitrangada

• Arjun has a child with her and leaves her in the middle of the night.

Arjun reaches Dwarka

Krishna and Arjun 
Image Source: (Wikimedia)

Arjun reunites with Krishna again and catch up. Krishna tells Arjun his experiences were meant to happen. Arjun confesses his attraction to Krishna's sister and asks for permission to marry her. Krishna agrees. Balram planned to marry her so they scheme a plan to kidnap her and marry her.

Krishna and Arjun were not right to do this to Balram or Krishna's sister since Arjun is already married. Balram was also set to marry her already.

Week 10 Reading Notes: Karmic Revolution, Part A

Karna's Quest

Karna wore an enchanted armor. He was found in a basket, floating in a river. He wanted to learn under Drona but he said he only taught a certain caste. He never told Drona that he was a part of the caste Drona taught but didn't want to insult his parents. 

This could be Karna's good karma. He was good to his adoptive parents.

The Kshatriya

Every teacher refused to teach Karna because he was the son of a charioteer. He finally tells a teacher, Parshuram that he is a Brahmin and finally gets a teacher. He gets bit by a scorpion while his teacher sleeps on his lap. He remained silent while his teacher slept. His teacher gets angry and curses him and believes he's not really a Brahmin because he stayed quiet when he got bit.

This makes a great case against Karna or Parshuram. It depends. 

Karna Becomes King 

A tournament is held so the Pandavas and Kauravas can demonstrate what they've learned. Karna shows up and demonstrates his skill and does better than Arjuna. Arjuna feels insulted and Karna doesn't win the tournament. He had to be of royal blood in order to fight the Pandavas and they all laughed at him. They humiliate Karna so Duryodhana declares him king of a kingdom under him in order to fight the Pandavas.

The Pandavas deserved what they got from Karna. 

Drupad Humiliates Drona 

Drona gives the Pandavas a mission after he teached them. Drupad and Drona became good friends and Drupad made a promise to Drona that he would share half his kingdom with him. Drona suffered poverty and takes his offer several years later and is humiliated by Drupad.

Drupad gets his karma through Drona.  Drona can make a case against Drupad for breaking his promise. 

Wax Palace Conspiracy

The Kauravas are jealous of the Pandavas because they had better skilled and got more attention from people. They scheme to get rid of the Pandavas by getting a palace built of wax and setting it on fire with the Pandavas in it. 

Pandavas Escape

The brother escape with Kunti through a tunnel. The builder's living quarters are at the front of the gates so he wouldn't die in the fire. The people and Kauravas believe the Pandavas and Kunti are dead.

Pandavas Escape from Wax Palace
Image Source: India Today

Bhim Kills Bakasur

The Pandavas and Kunti disguise as Brahmins and find shelter in the house of a scholar. Bakasur, an asura (demon) steals his people's food which leaves the people starving. If the people don't give him food he eats them and their family. It's the scholars turn to deliver food so Kunti sends Bhim who eats all the food before he gets to Bakasur and then kills him. 

The Birth of Draupadi

Drona trains the Pandavas to fight Drupad. Drupad performs a fire ceremony and Draupadi and her brother are born. After she is older, her father invites men since she was ready to get married. 

Week 9 Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part B

Son of the Sun

Pandu marries Kunti and Madri. Kunti has a secret son that she abandoned. His name was Karna. Durvasa, a sage that everyone was afraid of, gave Kunti a gift, and had Karna by accident.

 Karna was born with silver earrings and armor.

Pandu's Curse

Pandu went hunting in the woods and killed a couple that was intimate. He was cursed to die if he ever got intimate with his wife. Dhritarashtra (the blind one) became king after Pandu leaves.

Sons of Pandu

Pandavas are born. Kunti calls Yama and his given a son that's gifted with calm and patience (Yudhisthira). 

Vayudev (the wind god) is called and is given another son named Bheem who was dropped and he shattered a rock. He would have strength and courage. 

Arjuna , son of Indra, was destined to be a great warrior and archer. 

Kunti summons the Awshin twins (Nakul and Sehdev) for Madri. 

Pandu forgot his curse and died after he got intimate with Madri. Madri jumped into the fire after his death. 

The Pandavas and Kunti leave and go to Hastinapur. 

One Hundred Sons

Gandhari gives birth to a stillborn and sends it to be thrown into the forest but her husband forbids it. He takes the lump and creates 100 sons out it. All the sons were demonic. Duryodhana was also one of the sons that was born. The Pandavas move in with the Kauravas.

Hate and Hurt

The Pandavas and Kauravas have a rivalry. The Pandavas were loved by everyone while the Kauravas were neglected. His uncle, Gandhari's brother, became Duryodhana's mentor because he understood his hatred. 

In part A, Gandhari's brother, hated Gandhari's husband because he thought his sister's life was ruined.  Duryodhana tries to kill Bheem by giving him a sleeping potion in his drink and throwing him into a lake. 

The Magic Potion

Bheem is bit by snakes but instead of dying he wakes up and fights them off. Bheem meets Vasuki, the ruler of the Naglook. He learns they are related and Vasuki calls Bheem his grandsons. He is given a drink that will given him strength to fight anything.

Drona

Bheem survives being drowned and Duryodhana is upset. The Pandavas meet Drona, a brahmin. He becomes their teacher and trains them to become warriors.

Drona Trains the Pandavas

Yudhishthra was a good charioteer. Nakul and Sahadev became talented swordsmen. Bheem's weapon was a mace and he had a lot of strength. Arjun was the best warrior and could wield every weapon and was good at archery. Drona's motive for training them was vengeance. 

Eklavya's Story

Eklavya by Nanda La Bose
Image Source: Dr. Laura Gibbs

The Pandavas meet Eklavya. Eklavya is a skilled archer and hunter. They discover that Drona was his guru. Arjuna feels betrayed because he was not the best archer. Drona is not aware of Eklavya. Drona has refused to teach him because he was of lower caste. Eklavya taught himself archery. Drona demands Eklavya cut his thumb off so Arjuna could be the best.

Week 9 Story: The Pandava Bachelors

Vasuki walks onto the stage and the crowd roars with excitement. "Welcome to the Bachelor!  I'm Vasuki and I will be your host for this show! We have five handsome and charming men looking for wives. Each of them are unique in their own way. So let's bring them out! Come on out boys!", says Vasuki.

Five handsome men walk on to the stage in a line. They are wearing tuxes and smiling.

"First we have Yudhisthira! Yudhisthira was dressed in a white suite with black shoes. Not only is he the oldest of all the men, but he is also a man of virtue. He is also known to be very patient. His demeanor will calm who comes in contact with him. Yudhisthira enjoys poetry, music, and art. He's a man of few words but has a heart of gold. He also enjoys riding horses, and taking long walks on the beach."

"Yudhisthira, is there anything else you'd like to add?", asks Vasuki. His sweeps his black hair and looks at the crowd with his grey eyes and replies in a soft spoken voice, "Um, not really."

"Alright then! Next we have the notorious, Bhima!", announces Vasuki as he presents an intimidating looking young man. He is well-built with a nice tan and is dressed in a black shirt, pants, and combat boots. "If your into bad boys, then he is definitely the one for you. He will go against all odds even if it means breaking the laws to ensure your happiness. He is also quite the athlete. Besides causing havoc in society, he is also an MMA fighter and has recently won the world championship. He is always traveling and needs a lady that likes some adventure. Some of his hobbies are cooking, archery, and riding elephants." Is there anything you'd like to add Bheem?"

"I want a wife that is strong in spirit. She also needs to be loyal.", replies Bheem. "And there we have it! Bheem ladies and gentlemen!", says Vasuki. The crowd goes wild in excitement.

"Next, we have the fierce Arjuna!" Arjuna had black hair, and brown eyes. He is dressed in a black tuxedo. He casually stands on the stage and stares at the crowd with one hand in his pocket. "Arjuna is a master of archery and is also an MMA fighter. He is very competitive and likes a good challenge.", says the host. "Is there any-", Arjuna cuts Vasuki off.

"I don't want a weak wife. I want one who will stand by my side and fight with me.", says Arjuna in finality.

"Okay then...moving on! Here we have the charming Nakula! Nakula is a professional horse jockey. His hobbies are sword fighting and reading. He is known to be wise yet fierce. He is looking for a companion that enjoys riding horses and sword fighting just as much as he does. Would you like to add anything else Nakula?", asked the host.

"Nope", replies Nakula.

"Last but not least, we have the mysterious Sahadeva! He is wearing a black cowboy hat that covers his eyes with a black cape and cowboy boots. "Sahadeva is a professional bull rider but is not your typical cowboy. Unlike most cowboys, he has the gift to heal animals with the touch of his hands. His hobbies are....it looks like you didn't write anything down Sahadeva", Vasuki says as he looks at the mysterious man. Sahadeva smirks, and says "I'd rather surprise my lady."

"A man of mystery, I like it! Here we have it ladies and gentlemen! Our five bachelor's!"

The crowd claps in excitements.

Pandavas Brothers and Draupadi
(Wikipedia)

Author's Note: I retold the story based off the Pandavas birth. Each of their characteristics was explained in the story. I wanted to try a new style of writing since my other ones are mostly dialogues. I  had to do a little research to write this story since the Mahabharata is a little vague about their personalities. Each brother is dressed differently to show their unique personalities. The story doesn't emphasize how different each brother was so I thought I would write something that focuses on each of their personalities.

Vasuki is the host since in the original story, he gave each of the brothers their powers when they were born. I made Yudhisthira more quiet since I thought it would fit his calm and patient personality. I assumed that if he's patient, then he must also be a good listener as well. He is also more charming in this story than the original one.

The original story describes Bhima as being born with strength. I made him a bad boy in this story since he went against the law of the gods. His name means also means"of terrible might" so I figured a bad boy personality would fit him. I described him as well-built since he was born with strength. He says he needs a loyal lady because he doesn't want her to get tired of travelling with him and needs to be able to put up with his antics.

I made Arjuna seem aggressive since throughout the story, he's usually the one killing and fighting demons. He cuts off the host which demonstrates that he is also impatient.

I did not write much about Nakula and Sahadeva since there wasn't much about them throughout the story. However, I made them opposites in this story and did not mention them being related because of how different they are. After doing a little research, I learned that Sahadeva rode bulls and could heal animal, so I thought he would make a great cowboy. He is also mysterious and introverted which is why he didn't share his hobbies in the story like the others did.

Week 9 Reading Notes: Mahabharata Karmia Revolution, Part A

Shantanu the Unfortunate

King Shantanu fell in love with Ganga. Ganga drowned her children to free them from mortality of the eight celestial spirits to break a curse. Ganga left him and took their eighth child with them. 

Devavrata Returns

After 16 years, King Shantanu returns to the Ganga and meets his son who is now grown up. He also sees Ganga again. Shantanu makes his son a prince and then falls in love with a fisherman's daughter. The fisherman wanted his daughter's son to be king instead. Shantanu gets upset so Devavrata gives up the throne which was his birthright since he was the oldest. 

King Shantanu meets his son for the first time
(BP Banerjee)

Devavrata Becomes Bhishma

Devavrata vows to never marry or have children and was called Bhishma, which means "terrible oath". King Shantanu was not happy and felt his kingdom was doomed. He grants Devavrata a wish which allows him to be immune from death.

Desperation of Bhishma

After King Shantanu did, Bhishma raised helped raised his brothers. He kidnaps 3 princesses, Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika,to marry his 3 brothers,

Amba's Ruin

Amba, the oldest, asked to marry someone else and he grants it but gets rejected. Amba tells Bhishma to marry her and gets rejected again. She accuses him of ruining her life and vows for vengeance.

Satyavati's Secret

Bhishma's brother dies and he learns he had another brother. Satyavati had secretly fallen in love with someone and they had a child. He becomes king and has children. 

Sons of Vyasa

Vyasa was ugly so his wives closed their eyes and turned pale. One son was born blind, another was born pale, and one was wise. 

The Blind Bride

Duryodhana is angry that the Pandavas got the throne. Gandhari knew her husband would be blind and gives up her sight by blindfolding her eyes and marrys the blind son. Her brother is angry because he felt like her husband ruined her life and vowed to get revenge.