In between takes, I scribble my take on events involving Arjuna in the Mahabharata. 

As an actor, I like to dabble, dipping into a little history, a bit of geography  especially related to the Epic. It puts things in context, I feel, and helps me enact a scene.  For example, we think of forests as precious these days - as they were too in the days of the Mahabharata, but again it depends on context.  I read somewhere that the rich but clay-heavy soil in the area made it difficult to till and one of the ways was to burn down forest areas to a debris that would allow future fields, easier to till.  Therefore, in keeping with dharma, it was the right thing for Arjuna and Krishna to burn down that dead wood.

So here goes my little poem:

swans glide in the sylvan glade where sages spring serene

ham-sa, so ham  intones their breath with summer's breeze

crystallising the autumn sun mellows streams aquamarine

sleepy dove and dreamy deer dappling the winter trees

 natural harmony, moving reel each season

sometimes the rhythm stills to a stagnation

even sattwa sans rajas turns tamasic treason

 flow swamped,  deadwood seeks conflagration

feral now the ancient forest fetid grows

dank dark mushrooms drink deluge cloud

back to reptile reverts, the warm-blood slows

piling python chokes the peacock proud

ravaging roots spread far and wide

blood-suckers drain to barren the land

  hark to the flame!  Arjun and Krshna ride!

destroy to create -  too few understand.

Arjuna does what it takes

Krishna  action awakes!

From Khandava

Rise Indraprastha!