Reading Notes: The Kaurava Empire Vol. 1 Part B

Kaurava Empire Artwork (Animation Xpress.com)

The Kaurava Empire Volume 1: Abhimanyu and The Conquest of the Chakravyuha

Written by, Jason Quinn

Illustrated and Colored by, Sachin Nagar

About the book

It is a graphic novel based on the Mahabharata.  Part B constists of  pages 33-66.  This book changes the setting to an outer space environment.  Focuses on the thoughts and feelings of the Kaurava and Pandava families.  The Chakravyuha is Kaurava's ultimate battle formation.  It is all but impenetrable.  If an enemy actually breaches the outer defense he grows weaker as he fights toward the middle.  Meanwhile his opponents are stronger at the middle of the formation, than the outer area.  It is a suicide mission.

Charatcers

The two main characters are teenagers:

1. Abhimanyu (Pandava)
2. Durmashana (Kaurava)

The Two Heroes  Both are written as heroes of their own story, and they occasionally interact with each other.

1. Abhimanyu's adventure:
1. he remembers how to enter the Chakravyuha (Arjuna told his wife while he was in the womb)
2. he and Bheema try to gain enterance.  He does but Bhemma fails
3. Uttaraa pleads for him to come back
4. he kills Laxman by using his magical snake, and it bites off Laxman's head
5. Durmashana and him fight with mases to the death
6. Uttaraa witnesses his death on a video screen
7. His state of mind in his own words at the end of part two, "More than anything I want to be with my wife.  I want to feel my child kicking her belly.  I know I will never feel that again.  There's no way back.  Not now.  I don't want to die.  I want to live forever.  But what is life without honor?"
2. Durmashana's adventure:
1. as the days pass he faces his fear and continues to fight.
2. when he fights Abhimanyu he wants the loser to have a warriors death
3. he kills Abhimanyu
4. he finally became a hero, but doesn't feel like it
5. he has a lot of guilt, thinks he is a murder, not a hero
6. Arjuna kills him to avenge his son
7. he is relieved to die
8. His state of mind in his own words at the end of part two, "So this is what being a hero feels like... It feels like... nothing...like emptiness." and "I'm the hero of the army.  The man who defeated Abhimanyu.  I have respect. But every time I close my eyes, I see his face.  I murdered him.  I'm no hero."