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March 27 - March 27, 2023
“Sometimes light illuminates things that are better left in the dark. Besides, you never know who is watching.”
Aru would stand at the entrance, her gaze resting on her favorite statues—Lord Indra, the king of the heavens, wielding a thunderbolt; Lord Krishna, playing his flutes; the Buddha, sitting with his spine straight and legs folded in meditation—before her eyes would inevitably
The way I could picture this description just fine makes me feel SO GOOD!
“The Mahabharata tells the story of a civil war between the five Pandava brothers and their one hundred cousins—” “One hundred cousins?” said Arielle. “That’s impossible.”
I get so agitated reading this moron's response ugh
“Oh, Aru, Aru, Aru…what have you done?”
That was PRETTY pretty
But no, he was too embarrassed to go without his underwear.
With Sri Krishna's thoughtful consideration, yes lol
In the stories, the other Pandavas didn’t even know he was their brother until the war had begun.
Until their brother died, actually
“Can’t the Lord of Destruction just say no thanks?” “You know nothing of the gods,” sniffed the pigeon.
“I’m Aru.” The other girl blinked. “Mini.” “What?” “I’m Mini,” the girl repeated. “I mean, I guess you are short,” said Aru. “But—” “As in that’s my name.” “Oh.”
COKKKKKKKKKK
Aru wasn’t sure whether that made them mythical boats or guard dogs. Judging from the way the makara was excitedly wagging its tail, she was going with the latter.
I can't with this girl
Aru hated that story. The exile was completely unnecessary. His brother and Draupadi even forgave Arjuna when he explained that he just had to get his bow and arrow.
That is NOT how things worked, baby...........
“Death?” she whispered. “I’m the Daughter of Death?”
I am more inclined to believe that Yamaraja isn't Dharmaraja/Dharmadeva, tho....... It is believed that Yudhistira was the son of Dharmaraja, therefore I don't think it should be identified as the God of death
“Maybe the souls of demons get to be reincarnated? Like us.”
YUP!
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT WHEN GIRLS WITH PIGEON DID TAKE FLIGHT TO STOP THE SLEEPER IN HIS QUEST TO WAKE LORD SHIVA FROM HIS REST
This is dope. reminds me of those full of prophecy forest or trees in Trials of Apollo hahaha so gooddddd. particularly love the last line; to wake Lord Shiva from his rest.
Just like your mother. Slippery and deceitful.
I mean, maybe the Sleeper implied Kunti because Kunti was indeed ... deceitful??? Not in the worst way, but yeah. She kept secrets. Huge one (that Karna is her son, too) and then Yudhistira cursed every woman so they won't be able to keep secret kan ya ....
“What about when knights aren’t strong enough?” “Even when they fail, they’re still knights,”
“Anything and everything can kill you, Mini! You don’t need to point it out all the time.” Mini straightened her shoulders. “My mother always says that knowledge is power. I’m just trying to make us more powerful.” “And my mother says that ignorance is bliss,” said Aru under her breath.
GIRLS /sobsinthecorner
“The You-Know-Who?” she whispered. “He’s not Voldemort!” “Well, I don’t know what else to call him!”
I'M ON THE FLOOR
Now Aru understood why Mini was so hesitant about everything. Not once had Mini been taught to think that maybe she was supposed to be the hero.
Sexism run deep here
Was she a heroine if all she did was fix a mistake she made? Or was it heroic because she was willing to fix it in the first place?
“We’re Pandavas,” said Aru, loudly enough for the Otherworldly spirits to hear. “We can do better than the Seasons.”
Smart baby yeay yeay
“I’m not Arjuna,” said Aru, lifting her chin. “I’m Aru.”
well, even tho im sure arjuna has reached the sole purpose of life and that is to reach the supreme one's place to be a devoted devotee, this is still mesmerizing. it's only the same soul in arjuna's material body that burns inside aru, so yes, she is aru. (but this is still a worldly way of thinking, the acknowledgement for what belongs to you such as yourself, your house, your family, and anything else). source: bhagavad gita. im sure. i read it. multiple times. periodt.
“His name isn’t Subala. It’s Shakhuni. I suppose you could call him Shocky. In which case I imagine this might be a shocker.”
“I shall take you,” said the horse. “None can move faster than I, for I move at the speed of thought.”
IF I REMEMBER IT RIGHT, AIN'T THIS UCCHAIHSRAVA???
“Are you ready, daughter of Indra?” it asked. “Nope,” said Aru. She took a deep breath. “But let’s go anyway.”
U GO GURLLLLLLLLLL
You could show up like Aragorn in the last Lord of the Rings movie and raise your sword while a bunch of ghosts spilled out behind you.
SO HILARIOUS JDNJDJD AND YEAH, THIS LEHENDARY SCENEEEEEEEE
They burst through the Night Bazaar to a flurry of gasps. Shopping carts squealed and scattered. Tents leaped out of the way, tassels wrapping around them like someone hugging themselves after a bad fright. A rakshasa who had just purchased a snack from a street vendor dropped his food. A smaller rakshasa cackled, swooped down, and ate it.
This sounds so great but the last two sentences-- I CANT---- THOSE WERE HILARIOUS
“That was once the pedestal from which the Ocean of Milk was churned,” said the horse.
IT'S THE LAUTAN SUSU GAISSS TEMPAT NGADUK AMRTA
“Wait. What’s your name?” “Uchchaihshravas,” it replied.
KAN KAN KANNN. BENERRRRRRR
“That is poison. Specifically, halahala poison.”
OHHH YANG DIMINUM DEWA SIVA BUAT NYELAMETIn DUNIAaaa pas pengadukan lautan susu!!!!!!!
Mini reached for a small pebble on the ground. “Um, Mini…?” And then she hurled it straight at the gigantic cauldron full of poison, hollering, “For science!!!”
Yeah.......... For sCIEnc3
A tiny bit of the poison had found shelter from the fire in a new place: the statue of Shiva who had once crouched openmouthed behind it. Now his throat glowed bright blue.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHHHHHHH! exactly like the tale of the churning of ocean of milk
“Why aren’t you even trying to open it?” demanded Aru. “It’s not polite to force things.” With that, the door gave way with a sigh and a groan.
I'M LAUGHING
She breathed a little easier when she remembered that, in Hinduism, death wasn’t a place where you were stuck forever. It was where you waited to be reincarnated. Your soul could live hundreds—maybe even thousands—of lives before you got out of the loop of life and death by achieving enlightenment. A dog woofed in the distance.
YASHHHH
Sometimes it takes moments of horror or happiness to, if you will, unleash that knowledge.”
“What made Arjuna great wasn’t his strength or his valor, but the way he chose to see the world around him. He looked around, questioned, and doubted. You, too, are perceptive, Aru Shah. What you do with those perceptions is up to you.”
They were so convincing that when an enemy prince (who was also the Pandavas’ cousin) came to visit, he fell through a floor tile that was actually water, and he nearly broke his foot jumping into a pool that turned out to be cleverly polished sapphires.
Just mention Duryodhana's name, you know. It's totally okay :)
“How fitting that I am called the Palace of Illusions when all I have left are memories. Perhaps memories are the grandest illusion of all,” said the palace quietly. And then, in a voice even softer and smaller: “In my memories, they seemed so happy with me.”
This is magical........
She should have paid more attention when she was watching Lord of the Rings last week. Maybe if she’d looked at how Legolas used a bow instead of, you know, just looking at Legolas, she would’ve been a little bit more prepared.
With the amount of The Lord of the Rings references in this book, I gotta befriend Roshani Chokshi #fr
The real one said, “And so it stands to reason that the fastest thing in the world is not a person or a creature, but a thought!”
YASHHH. The thought is even faster than the wind, or light.
“I missed you,” said the palace. “For three hundred years after you left, I kept the floors polished and the ceilings free of dust. I kept the larders full, and I watered the plants. But you never returned. Did I do something wrong?”
WHY AM I CRYING????????? God this is so SAD
“This is a piece of home,” said the palace. “It will provide you with rest and shelter when you are in need. Granted, it cannot create an arena or training grounds like I can…but it can give you the part of me that matters most: protection.”
ISTG my tears just *rolled* out of my eyes
“It is better, perhaps, to be thought of as a fiction than to be discarded from memory completely. If it is not too much to ask, would you think of me fondly every now and again?” The torches sputtered. “It makes a difference to me to know that every now and again I am remembered.”
EH INI BENERAN SEDIH BANGET GUE HARUS APA COBAAAA
“Good-bye, good-bye, Pandavas! Do great things! Make good choices!” said the palace. The door swung shut. “And if you must forget me, at least do it with a smile.”
This feels like how Bob wanted to say hello to the stars.......... MY TEARS
“You are merely a child, and children are sometimes the cruelest of all. You have taken everything from me. For that, I curse you, daughter of Indra,” said Shukra. He held out his hand. “My curse is that, in the moment when it matters most, you, too, shall forget.”
YESSS, A CURSE! All stories from itihasa, purana, and more Vedic sources is never complete without a curse. Mahabharata started with a curse, Ramayana also started with a curse, and even the Bhagavata Purana also started with a curse. This is exhilarating omg
She stopped at the end of the hall, where the diya awaited. “I’m sorry,” she said. “So sorry. I never wanted this to happen. But know that I used your secrets not to destroy you, but to hold you. I bind you with my heart, the same heart that I gave to you willingly. I bind you with something that is not made of metal, wood, or stone. I bind you with something that is neither dry nor wet.”
Kok jadinya kayak anugerah Dewa Brahma ke Hiranyakasipu..........
“Wait,” said Aru. “The lightning bolt. It’s not dry or wet—”
Eh jadi inget kayaknya ada deh yang ngebunuh asura pake busa juga karena it's neither wet nor dry........... (tiba-tiba inget, tAPI LUPA nama asuranya... but I'm sure yang ngebunuh Indra, sih.. HARUSNYA.... i dont trust my memory)
Wish and Time simply watched the two of them inch toward the exit. “See ya later!” Time bowed its head. “Inevitably.”
INEVITABLY. YES. Of course. /cry
“At least it’s not a parking lot?”
Iconic.
