Reading Notes: Mahabharata PDE Part D

Mongoose (Wikipedia)

Source
The Mongoose, The Story of The Great War, Annie Besant.

1. Takes place after the great horse sacrifice
2. A mongoose with a half gold coat appears
3. says the horse sacrifice is nothing compared to a brahmin giving barley powder
4. The others asked the mongoose to explain
5. So the mongoose told the story
1. A brahmin and his family lived on grain after a harvest
2. they ate once a day
3. they were starving
4. a stranger came to visit and asked for food
5. the father, mother, son, and young wife gave their food to the stranger
6. After eating the visitor reveled him self as Dharma (Yama) Lord of Death
7. Dharma blessed the entire family and took them to heaven
6. The mongoose got his coloring by roll in the family's left over barley-powder
7. The mongoose looks for a sacrifice as great as the family's meal
8. He has yet to find one
9. Not even Yudhishthira's gold and jewels compare

Source

The Pandavas Depart, Indian Myth and Legend, Donald A. Mackenzie.

1. Team Pandava and wife Draupadi were told by the sage Vyasa their time had come to leave this world
2. One by one they all died in the following order:
1. Draupadi (loved Arjuna over the other brothers)
2. Sahadeva
3. Nakula
4. Arjuna (overconfidence in his skills)
5. Bhima (pride, cursing, and gluttony)
3. Yudhishthira is the only one to make it to heaven
4. Indra told Yudhishthira to leave his dog behind
5. He said no saying he would have no joy if he abandoned his faithful hound
6. The hound transformed into Dharma (father)
7. Dharma praised his so for being loyal to him
8. He said their is no equal in heaven because of Yudhishthira's loyalty.