Week 6 Story: The Trophy

It was a new start to the year and the men's golf team had a incoming class of 5 freshman. While these 5 kids were all different in their respective personalities they acted like brothers ready to take on the world. While each freshman was not the best player in country as a whole they were able to achieve great dominance and power in the world of college golf. They believed in each other just as much as they believed in themselves and this combination of confidence and belief is lethal in a sport like golf. They all had their sights set on the national championship but it was unheard of for 5 freshman to go on to win a national championship. They wanted to achieve the title everyone was fighting for but it would be a long and difficult road for the 5 freshman also known as the Pandavas.  The year started with many different teams from around the country and it was not an easy road at the start for the Pandavas. They were defeated often in the start to the season but with battle and tournament experience as they went a long they started to get stronger as a core leading to success leading up to the National Championship. The National Championship is a long week over the course of nine days and having to play the best players in the world to win the very expensive and elusive National Championship trophy. The only bad part of wining the trophy is that they have to share it between the 5 of them but they have never had a problem with sharing before. As the week went on they continued to impress the crowds with their great play all the way up to the final match. Waiting for them in the finals was the defending champions from the year before and they too had their sights on winning another national championship. The day went on and the Pandavas had one of the best days of golf they have ever played. They went on to win the National Championship and win the Trophy to bring back to their University.

(The national championship trophy)

The Trophy

This story is in reference to the actual group of 5 brothers that are the sons of Pandu and wives Kunti and Madri. They were known to be great warriors and won many battles. They were all married to one wife Draupadi after Arjuna, one of the brothers, wins her in a contest. He agrees to share his wife with the 4 other brothers. They were known as the Pandavas as well. Draupadi is obviously the trophy that the brothers are trying to win in the story I wrote.

Mahabharat, Slavitt, David R., and Henry L, Part A

Reading Notes: Part B

The pandavas were under pressure from many people as they were under fire about their recent marriage but a few of these people are scared because they know as a core set of 5 the pandavas are strong especially with their special weapons to go along with it. One of the ways they can see the demise of the Pandavas is by playing a game of dice and tricking the Pandavas. they can not pass down on a challenge. Yudhisthira is playing the dice game and starts to lose everything and will not stop till he wins. He eventually bets away his brothers and himself and even goes as far as to bet and lose his wife. The brothers and their wife are taken in and stripped completely all of their belongings. Yudhisthira and his brothers are let go but that makes Duryodhana furious and invites them all back for a rematch but this time the stakes are more steep as years of exile are involved in the punishment. Once again Yudhisthira loses and he and his brothers go into exile. they are given a copper bowl and a endless food supply so they are able to eat while they are away. Arjuna rejects a woman that falls in love with him and a curse it put on him but it will lead to benefit later in life. He also acquires weapons from the gods and this makes the Pandavas very happy.

Mahabharat,Slavitt, David R., and Henry L, Part B

(The five brothers and their wife)

Pandavas

Reading Notes: Week 6 part A

This story already starts off a little different because of how the women ins this story is killing babies by drowning them in a river. There is a lot of different people marrying others and switching throughout this first part of the story. A lot of the couples are summoned because one person does not want to sleep with someone so they tell someone below them in the hierarchy chain to sleep with that person. This continues all the way till a more important character comes into play named Pandu. Pandu is born looking very pale and is not allowed to have children because of a curse put on him. He has two wives though. Pandu is hunting one day and kills a deer as it is having sex but he is curse again that he too will have to die while having sex the same way. Panda ends up having 5 sons by the help of a God, Yama, but ends up dying while having sex later on. His wife Kunti has to take their 5 sons with her to Pandu brother house so that they will have a place to live. The 5 boys also known as Pandavas are loved by the new people and Pandu brother kids start to resent them for it. They want to have the Pandavas exiled from their land. Eventually they build a trap for the Pandavas in this house of joy built for them. It is made of very flammable material so it will catch on fire when they are in it. They narrowly escape but everyone else thinks they are dead. Through a contest in the woods one of the Pandavas is able to win and makes Draupadi the wife of Arjuna but Kanti always says that the 5 brothers must share everything they win. This means Draupadi is now the wife to 5 husbands. This was not the first time this has happened to Draupadi however as once in a different lifetime she was married to a sage that would make love to her through 5 different men. Once her husband left her she prayed to shiva that she would have those 5 men again.

(Pandavas and their wife)

brothers and wife

Mahabharat,Slavitt, David R., and Henry L, Part A