Reading Notes: Indira Parthasarathy's Krishna Krishna, Part D

• Krishna finds his double, Paundraka. Paundraka says Krishna is his reflection, and Krishna respond it would be funny to fight his own reflection. What one of them did? Like one is in a fun house or something.
• You can kind of look at the debate and “battle” between Paundraka and Krishna as a debate of religion and logic.
• Paundraka also seems like a schizophrenic is he believes that he is an incarnation of Vishnu. But as was said, the people around him did encourage him to believe this for one reason or another.
•  The exchange of youth for old age sounds like vampirism. But I have already used vampirism in a story. I guess this could be twist for Yayati could be like he has to feed on others as a vampire that rapidly ages physically because he was not faithful to his wife, and the only way to undo this curse would be to feed on one of his sons (i. e. an exchange of old age for youth). The sons could either just refuse or even kill him.
• There are five circumstances under which it is okay to lie. And a man to refuse a woman’s offer to join her in bed would result in him going to hell? This all sounds so strange to my western ears.
• What if Puru died from the exchange of youth? I think their times will continue to tick on, but their looks and times will switch. So it is possible for Yayati to keep Puru’s youth for so long that Puru may die before it is ever returned to him, right? Or is youth just referred to here as physical look and strength without time?
• There is something I have been confused about: how quickly some of these children in a lot of these stories grow up. Some were implied normally, some quickly, and some instantaneously, but I could never be sure in some cases.
•  I still wonder why, of all things, Yudhistira noticed Karna’s ankles as similar to Kunti’s. It just seems like such an odd detail. And why did Karna appear before the Kauravas and Pandavas again? And unless I was not paying any attention at all or it’s not obvious to me, but why was Karna held so highly in the eyes of everyone? What am I missing here!
• What if Dhrishtadyumna had escaped Aswattama’s attack and killed Aswattama instead?
• The talk of the universe and black holes reminds me about something that known as the universe constant? I don’t remember if that is what it’s called, but I remember that depending on it’s relation to 0, the universe has three end possibilities. If it is greater than 0, the universe is infinite. If equal to 0, the universe is finite. If less than 0, the universe will expand to a point then implode upon itself. The last one could seem to be a case that would work for a rebirth of the universe.
• What if perhaps Krishna had gone through with seeing Radha in her old age?

Radha Krishna and gopis gather near a waterfall

Web Source: Infinite Eyes on Flickr

Bibliography. Krishna Krishna by Indira Parthasarathy, link to Overview.