Reading Notes: Pattanaik's Calendar Art, Part A

This video covered so many topics dealing with the foundations of Hindu faith. I really do like the metaphysical representations of earth and heaven throughout the religious texts. Ganesha is a very interesting example of this. Although he has a human body and spirit, he has an immortal, divine head. This also represents his parents' conflicting wishes for material and spiritual attainment. I feel most people have experienced this strain in their life, and I know that I certainly have, so it's nice to see a story acknowledge this struggle.

My favorite goddess discussed in this video was Bahuchara, goddess of the hijras. I have learned about the hijras and other transsexuals in a sexual deviance course that I took last year. This topic is especially close to me because one of my best friends in high school went through their transition senior year of high school. I like the idea of having a goddess for these people to pray to because it must have been hard growing up in the hetero-normative culture during which these stories take place. However, Bahuchara's origin story leaves more to be desired. I was hoping that it would be someone wanting to swap genders out of their own will instead of their father's.

Bibliography: Pattanaik's Calendar Art, Part A
Image: Bahuchara Devi, Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia Trails: From Surpanakha to Rakshasa

For my storybook this week I am writing about Surpanakha, so I decided to look on her Wikipedia page for any information that wasn't covered in our readings. One of the interesting things I looked into were her parents' history because I'm honestly still a little confused about the Rakshasa identifier in Indian literature. Is it a separate race or just a group of evil humans? Anyway so I clicked on her father, Vishrava first, and guess what? He is a powerful and respectable yogi! So why are Surpanakha and Ravana so evil? Her rakshasi mother, Kaikesi apparently schemed in order to cause Vishrava to leave his first wife and have four demonic children with her. From there I clicked on a link to the Rakshasa page where I sorted out all of the confusion I had. They are there own distinct race although they apparently have children with humans all the time. There is a negative connotation related to cannibalism (man eater is another name for them) although there are good rakshasas. Mainly their powers of illusion are what make them distinct from humans.

Image: Demon, Wikimedia Commons

Story: Young Heroes, Part 2

Hercules' father was sitting inside when his son came running into their home. The little boy had come home after finishing his lessons for the day. He rushed to where his father sat and jumped up on his lap.

"Will you tell me another story about Krishna?", he pleaded.

"Of course", his father replied, laughing, "I wish you were this enthusiastic to hear from your teachers. Which story would you like to hear? He has defeated monsters, defended his village from destructive gods, and married many beautiful women."

"Are there any with animals?", Hercules asked.

"Hmmm. Oh yes, perhaps two of the most important stories of all involved a bull and an elephant. I should have known you would want to hear these tales. You always did have a soft spot for fellow creatures."

As they both got comfortable, the father began the story:
"In Krishna's village there lived these incredibly mean bull, named Hastin. It was so aggressive that few in town would even go near it. One day, Krishna came upon his brother bragging to the townspeople that he was going to kill this beast with one powerful punch.

As a lover of all god's creatures, Krishna was horrified. He interrupted his brother, saying that instead of allowing them to harm the animal, he would safely ride Hastin by the end of the month.

Starting that day, Krishna sat near Hastin's stable, playing his soft flute music and slowly gaining the bull's trust. He started by slowly moving closer and closer to the creature, then giving him food and treats, until Hastin finally allowed Krishna to touch him.

On the last day of the month, the village was having a large festival. Krishna came barreling through the middle of twon on the back of the crazed bull. Everyone ran after him to see how this act would end. However, instead of throwing young Krishna and maiming him, Hastin eventually grew tired and allowed the boy to ride him."

"Oh, wow", said Hercules. "But when does the the elephant come in to the story?"

"Have patience, my son. I knew you would be especially interested in the elephant so I saved it for last.

"Now when Krishna had grown older, his destiny was to defeat his uncle, the evil King Kamsa. When the time came for him to fulfill this prophecy, he traveled far away from his home to the great city of Mathura.

Alas, King Kamsa knew of the prophesies and had heard of Krishna's coming, so he sent a terrifying elephant, Kuvalaypida, to the gates of the city to kill the young warrior. This elephant was so large and violent that none of the king's guards could control it. It's sole purpose was to rampage through the battlefields during times of war.

Yet, this elephant was no match for the strong and agile Krishna. He dodged its every attack as the creature attempted to trample him. He grabbed Kuvalayapida by the trunk and flung him aside, but the animal came running back. In this moment, Krishna knew that he could easily kill this beast, but his mind returned to the bull, Hastin, from his home village.

Krishna reacted quickly to tear down some thick vines from the nearest trees. He then tripped the great elephant and tied up its legs so fast that those watching say he disappeared for the moment. When he was seen again, Kuvalayapida was lying on the ground with its legs and trunk bound by the vines.

After defeating King Kamsa, Krishna returned to this elephant and treated it in the same way he treated Hastin years ago. He slowly gained its trust until it became one of the most docile creatures in the kingdom. Kuvalayapida remained Krishna's favorite royal elephant, riding it for all of the festivals and parades.

So, my son, what is the moral of both these stories?", asked the father.

After a long pause and a puzzled look from Hercules, the father spoke up again. "Kindness is ultimate strength."

Author's Note: So I continued my theme of a young Hercules from last week, although I drew more stories from part B of the Epified videos this time. These two stories of Krishna really stood out to me while reading because I am such an animal lover. I understand that a lot of times when animals act out aggressively, it is because they are hurt or afraid. I also think that kindness and humility are two of Krishna's best qualities. I did alter the story of the elephant to add a happy ending. In the Indian epics he actually just kills Kuvalayapida with one punch (hypocritical right?).

Bibliography: Epified Krishna Videos, Part B
Image: Be Kind to Every Kind, Flickr

Reading Notes: Krishna and Rukmini, A Love That Will Not Be Denied

This comic book was quite interesting and picked up right where the Epified videos ended. As Krishna defeats Kamsa and restores the rightful throne to Mathura. Rukmini hears about everything and arranges her own path to marry the hero.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this story is that Rikmini's parents also want her to marry Krishna. It is only her brother, Rikmi who sees him as an enemy and therefore unworthy of his sister's hand in marriage. Yet, for some reason his judgement trumps his father's. I don't really understand why this is. Is it a cultural thing that I haven't seen before? Is his father just old and weak? Or is Rukmi just corrupting and abusive?

I also found it interesting that Rukmi's punishment at the end was to shave half of his head and half of his mustache. Krishna was actually scolded for doing this because it is so shameful. It is a bit bizarre, but I suppose I have seen this concept in other cultures before. It's crazy that this is now a popular hair style in society. I wonder what life Rukmi must live after this is done to him.

Bibliography: Krishna and Rukmini, A Love That Will Not Be Denied Vol. 516
Image: Skrillex, Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: The Parijata Tree and Other Tales of Krishna

This is one of the amazing comic books from Bizzell. I jumped forward a lot in Krishna's life to when he has many wives.

The first story centers around Satya Bhama, Krishna's second wife I think. I like that she plays an active role in helping Krishna during battle, but this story leaves me feeling unsure if her actions were just. She feels that she doesn't receive the recognition she deserves so she picks a fight with Indra, destroying his celestial army, to make her point. It is nice to see such a strong woman in the Indian epics, but this particular exhibition of power seemed a little petty.

The second story is about a beautiful woman named Lakshmana, which I think is hilarious. She holds a swayamvara to secure Krishna as her husband and become his third wife. Krishna has so many brides it's a little shocking to me, but I guess that it was culturally normal for that time and place. In the third story, you see how they all get along with one another and work together when Krishna is in danger of being stolen away by a sage.

Bibliography: The Parijata Tree and Other Tales of Krishna Vol. 767
Image: Lord Krishna's Marvelous Leelas by Abhi Sharma, Flickr

Reading Notes: Epified Krishna, Part B

I absolutely love the stories of Krishna, and they just keep getting better! My favorite from this part would have to be when Krishna rides the violent bull, Hastin. As the video says he teaches the villagers the importance of kindness. While his brother was talking about killing the bull with a punch, Krishna showed the mean bull love over the span of a month to gain its trust. This story stood out to me because I was raised around all types of animals and know that fear often looks the same as aggression. The story touched my heart and is one that many people in our society could learn from.

The elephant, Kuvalayapida sent to attack Krishna also stood out to me for the same reasons. Here is this animal that is known to be aggressive and is forced to be a tool in massive warfare. It's no wonder that he doesn't let any human come near him! I would like to write a story in which Krishna shows this elephant kindness as well.

I do find it extremely sad that he isn't allowed to marry Radha. I can only imagine the heartache these two felt in the time between being denied marriage and Krishna actually leaving the village to fulfill his destiny.

Bibliography: Epified Krishna Videos, Part B
Image: Decorated Indian Elephant, Wikimedia Commons

Story: Young Heroes, Part 1?

Hercules was sitting by himself on the hill again, begging the gods to make him normal as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He had just caused another catastrophe in town, destroying the town market and injuring two villagers by throwing a small pebble at the walls. Of course this was all by accident for he never wished harm on any person. His strength was just far too strong for a young boy to master and control.

His father came up behind the little hero and sat beside him in the grass, pulling him onto his lap and comforting him.

"Papa, why am I so different than all of the other boys? I don't like making so many people upset with me", said Hercules.

His father replied, "You were sent to us from the gods for a reason, my son. You may not see it yet, but one day you will save countless numbers of people, much more than you have upset. Let me tell you a story about another young hero that grew up in a village similar to ours.

"His name was Krishna and, like you, he had been sent from the gods to his parents. His parents realized how important he was and hid him from the mad king by giving him away to a different couple. This couple raised him in a small village where he soon got into even more trouble than you.

Like you, Krishna's adoptive parents realized that their son was no ordinary boy at a very early age. One day while his mother was washing clothes in the river, Krishna had crawled away from the blanket he was set on. When his mother heard screams about a runaway cart, she realized her son was missing and went running to find him. However, when she found her baby the runaway cart had already been tossed aside and now lied in pieces. She asked the witnesses who to thank for saving her son, but everyone replied that he had stopped the cart himself.

Once Krishna was few years older, his mother witnessed another incident that left her without any doubt that her son would one day be a great hero. Krishna's brother had come in the house, telling his mom that Krishna had been eating mud again. Immediately the mother came outside and demanded the young boy to open his mouth. When he complied with the request, Krishna's mother saw something much greater than mud in her son's mouth. She saw the entire universe, galaxies swirling and planets revolving. She would have gone into madness if she had stared any longer at the miracle before her, but little Krishna closed his mouth just in time to save his mother's mind.

These are only a couple of the feats that Krishna performed as a child. Although the other kids and adults in the village were uneasy of his gifts at first, they came to love him and later on ask for his help to save their homes."

"Wow, Papa. Krishna is so amazing! I had no idea there were other kids like me. Please tell me more stories about him", Hercules gushed as his father finished speaking. The tears had stopped falling and in their place was an excited smile.

"Another day, my son. Krishna defeats many monsters like giant snakes, vampires, and other demons, but right now it is dinner time. Let's go back to the house before your mother begins worrying."

Author's Note: I couldn't help drawing parallels between young Krishna and Hercules as I did the reading for this week. There are just so many similarities it's crazy. To be honest I am drawing most of my knowledge about Hercules from the Disney movies, but I still think there are similarities. There are both young demi-god heroes that live with adoptive parents in small villages. Because this story was so easy to write and there are so many interesting stories about young Krishna, I might write a sequel next week about young Hercules.

Bibliography: Epified Krishna Videos, Part A
Image: Yasoda with Krishna, Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Epified Krishna, Part A

These videos are so great. I was interested in watching some of the others, but they were too long. I didn't have time to watch a playlist with thirty minute episodes tonight. Maybe in the coming weeks I will have more time because the Hindu calendar videos particularly look good.

Krishna's childhood is so neat and remind me a lot of the Disney Hercules story in which this demigod is sent to live in a small village with human parents. As the parents and the villagers realize that Krishna is not a normal boy, they come to respect and rely on him. This is much better than the rejection Hercules faces, but I wonder how this praise doesn't get to Krishna's head. He still seems so humble and wise in the Mahabharata even though he was the favorite child and a troublemaker growing up.

The beginning of Krishna's story is very dark. I couldn't imagine how his poor mother and father felt, being trapped in that prison cell for so long and watching each of your children be beaten to death by your own family. I truly hope King Kamsa gets what's coming to him soon.

Bibliography: Epified Krishna Videos, Part A
Image: Hercules strangling a snake sent to kill him in his cradle, Wikimedia Commons

Week 8 Growth Mindset

I feel that I do well with about half of the growth dimensions listed on the website like motivating myself, setting my own goals, and wanting to try new things. However, the other half of the list are things that I could still improve on including feeling bored with my learning, wanting to do things correctly the first time, and feeling defensive about my mistakes.

I have a bad case of senioritis already that is becoming more and more difficult to fight off. Additionally, I am continuing through the medical school application process which I am highly motivated to do and do well, but this distracts me from work and school. I do seem to incorporate more of a growth mindset at work right now because I have just received a promotion.

Hopefully as I go on through the semester and I finish my application essays and work training, I will be able to focus more on my classes and growing as much as I can for them.

Image: The more you learn, the more places you'll go, Growth Mindset Memes

Week 8 Reflections

I changed my note taking method after a few weeks in order to better prepare for the storytelling assignments. I used to make bullet points as I read the stories, but now I just write in paragraph format after I've read everything. I think this has helped significantly because it allows me to focus on what stood out most to me. I tended to focus too much on every single detail with the bullet points. Now I have fewer story ideas, but they are more developed so I have more of an idea of what I can write before I sit down to do the storytelling assignment. For the rest of the semester I would like to read stories beyond the epics and take full advantage of the books at Bizzell.

I have not been the most consistent with the weekly storytelling assignments. This is due to my note taking and just not having enough time. I've found that if I don't have a well developed idea of what to write before starting the post then it can take me much longer than an hour to complete my story. My writing has become more efficient as I find styles that I like and have more practice with creative writing. I would still really like to try the five motif writing style, so perhaps I will try that soon. I am also developing the style that I want for my storybook.

Normally I don't like some of my classmates' informal style of writing. The stories that I enjoy reading and commenting on have a good amount of detail and imagery, not just motions and dialogue. However, I am trying to use a more informal format for my storybook. so I may pay closer attention to those stories as I go on through the semester.

Image: Keep Calm and Blog by Caroline Coles, Flickr

Story: One Hundred Sons

Gandalf and Pippin set out for Minas Tirith to warn the people of Gondor of the coming attack from Mordor. Although they are in great haste, they reluctantly stop to rest for the night. As they lie down to sleep, Pippin begins to ask about the steward of Gondor.

"His name is Denthor", Gandalf starts, "His is a proud and stubborn man, but not totally evil. He has great power, but will never be called a king. He has resisted sway from Sauron and his darkness. However, he won't be very cooperative in our cause now that his son Boromir has died. Say what you will, but he does love his sons."

"Are the stories about him true?", asks Pippin, "Aragorn told us some tales late at night."

"About his birth? There are so many rumors, but I'll tell you the one I know.

Denethor is from a great lineage, son of Ecthelion II and Gandhari. His parents were quite in love and before long were expecting their first child. Gandhari was so excited to bear children, but this pregnancy was fraught with problems. She lied in bed all day only to be awaken by nightmares of hellish creatures at night.

The day Gandhari gave birth was the saddest of her life. After all her suffering, she bore a mass of putrid flesh. Instead of a healthy baby boy, she met a lifeless lump. Overcome with depression, she immediately ordered the servants to take the rotting lump away and dispose of it in the forest, but a dark sorcerer stopped them.

No one knows how, but he had made his way into the castle and had been lurking through the halls the day that Gandhari gave birth. Once he overheard the woman crying and telling the servants to dispose of the rotting flesh, he stepped in to intervene. He soothed the grieving woman and whispered promises to her, saying that he could make her the mother of one hundred sons. All she had to do was give him the dead lump.

He divided the mass into one hundred pieces and had Gandhari's servants bring him one hundred basins filled with oil. In each basin, the sorcerer placed one piece of the lump for each one of the sons to grow. As the children developed in those basins, evil omens were seen around Gondor. Shadows loomed in the corners of the palace and packs of wargs were spotted stalking the gates of the castle.

Then, one day a basin broke and Gandhari beheld her first son, Denethor. As more of the other children broke out of their basins, everyone in the kingdom could see that there was something demonic in their births. Yet, Ecthelion and Gandhari's love blinded them, so they raised their children just as they would any others.

So when Denethor became of age, he naturally took his father's place as the ruling steward of Gondor. Although the people respect him, they will never forget the story of how he came to be."

Author's Note: This story was inspired by the story of Gandhari's One Hundred Sons and Lord of the Rings. I thought this would fit into the world of dark magic and kings perfectly. Although Denethor isn't necessarily a king, he is the closest to an evil man ruler in Middle Earth. Unfortunately, I could not find the name of his mother so I just used the original story's name because I like it very much.
The original story is about Gandhari, Dhritarashtra's wife, bearing their sons. A brahmin is the one who promises her one hundred sons, but the result is the same: an evil ruler whom the people are obligated to respect.

Bibliography: Epified Mahabharata, Part A, Episode 12: One Hundred Sons 
Image: Denethor, Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Harischandra, The King who Chose Rags Over Riches

This is an interesting story of trials and temptations. Harischandra, the king of Ayodhya, loses everything after he interrupts Sage Vishwamitra in the forest. He is forced to give the sage his kingdom as well as a dakshina (a concept I still don't completely understand) which causes him to sell his wife, son, and himself as slaves. Later, his son dies and he even denies his own wife the right to cremate their son without payment.

Well, it turns out this is all a test of Indra and the gods so everything is given back to Hirschandra. This is a very harsh test of devotion, but it's testing the man's devotion to his promises than any spiritual or moral values which I think is interesting. It appears that this story claims it is not only right, but expected to sell your wife and child if it means paying back your debts.

There have been similar stories that we have common across in the assigned readings with this themes as well. Each time I compare them to the testing of poor Job in the bible.

Bibliography: Harischandra, The King who Chose Rags Over Riches (Vol 577)
Image: Harischandra, Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Ganga, The Divine Beauty

This is another comic book on reserve at Bizzell. The title is misleading because this is less about Ganga than it is about returning the Sagara sons to heaven. The current reading guide is also quite confusing.

I vaguely remember this story from another reading, but it's nice to have more details. Basically, Sage Agastya drinks the entire ocean so that the devas can defeat evil asuras who were terrorizing people. To refill the ocean and rivers, King Sagara and his descendants must call upon the goddess Ganga. Sagara has 60,000 sons from one wife and one grandson from his other wife. When a sacrificial horse is stolen, the 60,000 sons go in search of it, but they disrespect Sage Kapila and are all burned. When the one grandson, Amsuman comes upon the ashes, he is told that he must pay penances to the gods in order to bring Ganga to earth and send his uncles' souls to heaven. It takes a long time and multiple descendants, but finally Bhagiratha is able to refill the ocean while sending Sagara's sons to heaven.

The elephants that hold up the earth are an interesting detail in this story that are very creative. I like when animals are used to explain natural occurrences like this.

I am also very interested in adding Ganga to my storybook although I'll need to do more research. From this comic, I can tell that she is a strong, independent woman who is seemingly untamed. Although she has many "fathers" she doesn't seem to have a husband (other than King Shantanu whom she leaves).

Bibliography: Ganga: The Divine Beauty (Vol 515)
Image: Shiva stops Ganga who is falling from the sky, Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Video, Part B

Pandu's curse is so funny to me although it is darker in this video than the last reading. I do like how this version allows him to be with his sons for a time though. I never fully understood how all of the Pandavas were born from gods until this video explained Kunti's magical mantra.

I also never knew about Gundhari's one hundred sons. I think this is a very interesting and dark story. It's really sad that such ominous sons were born to such a lovely couple. I wonder what happened to the rest of their children though. Were they all killed in battle?

Ekalavya's story also makes more sense after hearing it from this perspective. Drona had more reason than just pride in taking the archer's thumb: he was trying to protect Arjuna's confidence and reputation. Still, I am not very happy with Drona's choice and I think this incident shows his negative character, making the feud with his brother more controversial.

I could relate many of these stories to Game of Thrones in which people do many bad deeds in order to maintain their children's throne. Prince Joffrey is as rotten as Duryodhana while their caretakers go to great lengths to protect them. Drona's act of violence reminds me of multiple instances of mutilation in order to cut down powerful characters.

Bibliography: Epified Mahabharata Videos Part B, Web Source
Image: Joffrey Baratheon Game of Thrones by Chris, Flickr

Reading Notes: Epify Mahabharata Video, Part A

I really like these videos. They reminded me of a lot of the cool stories before the Pandavas came along.

I particularly forgot about King Shantanu and his sons with the goddess of the Ganges. I can only imagine what the citizens of Hastinapur were thinking of their queen throughout this time. If they knew, I'm sure there were vicious rumors of insanity and evil manipulation of the king.

There were also new aspects to the stories that the public domain didn't include like Amba going in search of a sage to fight for her. It is crazy to think that Bhishma could be locked in battle for twenty- three days!

Speaking of Bhishma, I'm thinking about giving his story a twist so that I can somehow include him on my dating website. He just seems like such an admirable character. It's a shame that he dies the way he does without ever knowing romantic love.

I do really enjoy the love story of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra. I think it's so romantic that she not only knew she would marry a blind man, but devoted herself fully to  him despite her father and brother's disapproval. I think they would make a lovely testimonial story for my project.

Bibliography: Epified Mahabharata Videos Part A, Web Source
Image: Ghandari explains to Dhritarashtra, Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia Trails: From Varna to Nature Worship

As I've mentioned in some reading notes, the Indian caste system really interests me so this week I did some extra research on it. I started by following a link from the Mahabharata to Varna, the Sanscrit word meaning class. This led me to Purusha Sukta, the hymn where varna is first mentioned. However, many scholars like Max Muller believe that the part about the varnas was not apart of the original text. He believed that the Vedas is a form of nature worship which I might agree with concerning earlier Hindu texts, but definitely not the ones that we have been reading for this class.
Image: Pyramid of Indian Caste System, Wikimedia Commons