Reading Notes: Indian Heroes Part B

The Year of Disguise:

Plot: The Pandava Princes are on their last year of the 12 years of exile. They decide to live in disguise in Viratnagar to hide from Prince Duryodhan. Prince Yudhisthira disguised himself as a gambler, Prince bhima as a skilled cook, Prince Arjuna as a dancer and singer, Prince Nakula as a horse groomer, Prince Sahadev as a cowherd, and Princess Draupadi as a waiting maid. They hid their weapons before entering the palace and asked for an audience with King Virata. After 12 months, Prince Kichaka returns and asks Queen Sudeshna to send Draupadi to his room with food but he embraced Draupadi as soon as she entered his room and then threw a bunch at her when she ran away. Draupadi begged the king for help but he turned her away so she went to Bhima who took revenge on Kichaka for her.

Setting: King Virata's Palace

Draupadi humiliated in front of King Virata: Wikipedia

Bibliography. "The Year of Disguise" from The Indian Heroes:Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City by C.A. Kincaid: web source

Reading Notes: The Indian Heroes Part A

The Winning of Draupadi:

Plot: The Pandavas went to Panchala to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. The goal was to shoot an arrow through a ring high above the ground without looking directly at the ring. The problem was that the bow given to the suitors to use was stiff because of the wood used. Suitor after suitor failed to even bend the bow until Karna stepped up and held the bow with dexterity. However, Draupadi refused to take Karna as her husband and stopped him from even trying. Prince Arjuna then proceeded and was dressed as a Brahman beggar. He successfully accomplished the task but the crowd was outraged that a Brahman from a different caste would be marrying Draupadi so they rushed to swarm him but his brothers protected him and then duels started between the princes. In the end, Arjuna won Draupadi's heart and the Pandavas went home. Their mom didn't know what the prize was so she told Arjuna to share with his brothers so they all married Draupadi one after the other.

Setting: King Drupada's palace in Panchala

Arjuna winning Draupadi's hand in marriage: Indian Myth

Bibliography. "Winning of Draupadi" from The Indian Heroes:Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City by C.A. Kincaid: web source

Reading Notes: Nayaran's Secret

I watched Nayaran's Secret from Seven Secrets of Calendar Art.
Narayan is a God who's sleep marks the dissolution of the world, so the world only exists when Narayan is awake. If no one is there to observe that the world is exist, then does it exist? If Narayan is the observer but he is asleep, then the world must not be there if no one is there to observe it. Hindus believe that people live multiple lives and this is just one of many. Narayan awake is also called Vishnu. The awaking is associated with Shiva. Brahma was angered by Narada and cursed him to be restless until it was time for Vishnu to sleep again so Narada is the cause of many problems. Narada provokes people and fills minds with insecurities and jealousy while Vishnu fixes all of these.

Nayaran: Shimran

Reading Notes: Vishnu's Secret: Detached Engagement Brings Order

I watched Vishnu's secret.
The the first video explains reasons why cows are sacred in the Hindu religion and how Vishnu is the cow herder who brings harmony between humans and nature. Shiva is a bull that we should not strive to be. Vishnu's law upholds Dharma which tells man to not destroy nature. Vishnu also has a measurement scale that is based on love, care, and affection so he turns away from domination over each other. Vishnu determines who does good and who doesn't. Civilization needs a perfect amount of compassion. The second video explains the story of the Ramayana and goes into how Ram was exiled and how he met Sita who went with him on the exile. Ram is also the reincarnation of Vishnu so it connects to the first video. Ram is about laws and conduct while Krishna focuses on love and affection.

Vishnu: Knapp

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

Bhima and Dushasana

Characters in the Scene: 

Bhima
Dushasana
Karna
Arjuna
Susharman
Yudhishthira

Plot: Arjuna starts by fighting Susharman but then Karna starts attacking as well so Bhima holds off Karna until Arjuna is done with Susharman. Dushasana comes to aid Karna but Bhima remembers his oath that he made to slay Dushasana and drink his blood for showing his thigh to Draupadi and causing her great shame. Bhima takes down Dushasana, chops his head off, and drinks his blood to everyone's horror.

Setting: Battlefield

Bhima drinking Dushasana's blood:Wikipedia

Bibliography. "Bhima and Dushasana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie: web source

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part C

Bhima and Kichaka

Characters in the Scene: 

Bhima
Kichaka
Draupadi
King Virata

Plot: Kichaka spotted Draupadi and requested that his sister send Draupadi to deliver food to his room but when she arrived, he grabbed her by the waist and she threw the plate of food at him while trying to escape. He caught up to her and punched her in the face so she ran to King Virata to ask for help and told him what happened to her. King Virata was afraid to cross prince Kichaka so he just laughed her off and said it was her loss to reject prince Kichaka. Draupadi then went to Bhima to tell him what happened and Bhima told her to request a meeting with prince Kichaka at night and  Bhima would go in her place. Bhima hid his face so that Kichaka wouldn't know who he was later and Bhima continually beat Kichaka until he was unrecognizable. Bhima then told Draupadi to tell everyone that it was her immortal husband that killed Kichaka.

Setting: Prince Kichaka's palace

Draupadi and Kichaka:Wikipedia

Bibliography. "Bhima and Kichaka" from The Indian Heroes by C.A. Kincaid: web source

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B

Wife of the Five Pandavas

Characters in the Scene: 

Five Pandavas
Draupadi
Vyasa
Drupada

Plot: Arjuna won Draupadi as a wife in an archery contest but when they came home and told their mom that Arjuna had won a great prize, she told them to share the prize among them. It was too late at that point to take back what she said so they were conflicted on what to do. Drupada sent his son as a spy who overheard the Pandavas talking so he went back and reported to Drupada who requested the Pandavas come back to the palace. They turned to Vyasa for help on what to do and he said that Draupadi had to be the wife of all five princes because she had requested for a husband five times in her past life and now she was being granted her wish. The five pandavas are also reincarnations of Indra so they count as the same person so Draupadi was married off to each son in five consecutive days going from oldest to youngest.

Story Idea: I want to add more detail to the scene but keep the plot the same because I really enjoyed reading this scene.

Draupadi and her 5 husbands:Wikipedia

Bibliography. "Wife of the Five Pandavas" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie: web source

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

Amba

Characters in the Scene: 

Shiva
Amba
King of Shalwas

Plot:
Amba asked Bhishma to go to the king of Shalwas who she intended to marry and Bhishma let her go but when Amba went back to the king of Shalwas, he rejected her and coldly sent her away with no affection. She had nowhere to go because she felt so ashamed that she was rejected on both sides so she went to an ashram where she felt that Bhishma was the route of all of her problems. Shiva showed up and said he would grant Amba a boon and she requested that she slay Bhishma but Shiva said she would need to be reborn into a different body who would grow into a fierce warrior to defeat Bhishma so Amba stepped into figure to be reborn.

Amba being reborn :Deviant Art

Bibliography. "Amba" from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita, web source

Reading Notes: Dharma Ramayana Part A

The Trial of Strength

Plot:
Rama, Laksman, and Vismatria set out on a journey to Mithila. They hear of a bow that has been passed down in the Janaka family but no one has had the power to string the bow until Rama arrived. He was able to not only string the bow but he actually broke the string. Rama won Sita's hand in marriage and then Urmila and Laksman ended up getting married too. They had a huge ceremony and made sure to invite Dasaratha. After the wedding, they headed back to Ayodhya but ominous birds swooped low to foreshadow that something bad was coming. A dust storm formed and out came Parasurama, a sage who had killed many. Parasurama challenged Rama after having heard of his strength and Rama passed his test which revealed that he must be an incarnate of Visnu. 

Setting: On a journey to Mithila

Rama breaking the bow: Quora

Bibliography. "The Trial of Strength" from Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma, web source

Reading Notes: Nivedita's Ramayana Part B

Rama's Sons

Characters in the Scene: 

Valmiki
Rama
Lava
Kusha
Sita

Plot:
Valmiki taught Rama's sons: Lava and Kusha to sing about all of the wonderful things that Rama has done and many enjoyed those songs. Rama finally met them and offered them money but they rejected it because they live in the forest and have no use for money. Rama eventually figures out that they are Sita's children and sends a messenger to bring her back to test her innocence again.

Setting: At Rama's palace in Ayodhya

Lava, Kusha, and Valmiki: Detechter

Bibliography. "Rama's Sons" from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita, web source

Reading Notes: Nivedita's Ramayana Part A

Kaikeyi's Scheming 

I wrote notes about this scene from the Ramayana PDE I read the previous week so I wanted to do the notes on this scene again but this time written by a different person to focus on some key differences. The first difference is that the scene starts off with the narrator talking about how Kaikeyi is generous and kind but not innocent enough to avoid being persuaded by evil which foreshadows what is coming. In the PDE version, you don't see it coming. Also, Manthara talks about how Rama's mom might take revenge on Kaikeyi for something that Kaikeyi had done to her in the past. Kaikeyi also gets mad and exclaims that Rama must be banished, but in the other version, you don't find out what she was going to do with the 2 boons until the next scene when she talks to the king. Manthara in this version tells Kaikeyi to banish him for 14 years but she never said that in the other version which is why I wrote my story based on the fact that Manthara was not the one who suggested those things to Kaikeyi but in this version, she did.

Manthara and Kaikeyi: Netzone

Bibliography. "Kaikeyi's Scheming" from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita, web source

Extra Reading: Ganesha's Secret

Ganesha's Secret

The video explains the different components of Hinduism but focuses on the end on Ganesha. Ganesha is a key figure in Hinduism that stands for the union between two opposites. Ganesha came about after Poverty sculpted a child that came to life but Shiva didn't recognize the child as his own because he did not even want children. Shiva ended up beheading the child and Poverty expressed great grief so they attached an elephant head back on to bring the child back to life which brought about Ganesha. 

Ganesha: Patheos

Video Source: Ganesha's Secret 

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part D

Valmiki's Hermitage

Characters in the Scene: 

Lakshmana
Rama
Lava
Kusha
Sita

Plot:
Rumors are rampant about Sita's unfaithfulness to Rama due to her imprisonment at Ravana's. Rama decides to send Sita to exile where she stays with Valmiki and has two sons named Lava and Kusha. Rama still has guilt about killing Rama so he sends a horse for sacrifice but the horse is captured by the twins so Lavashmana leads an army to retrieve the horse but ends up getting killed by the twins. Rama then personally goes with his own army and meets his children for the first time but the twins do not know who their father is.

Setting: At Rama's palace and then at Valmiki's hermitage

Story Idea: It wasn't enough that Rama made Sita walk through fire to prove her loyalty to Rama but he has to exile her even after all of that? I want to change the story by getting rid of the rumors and instead have people talk about how happy they are that Rama and Sita, the power couple, are finally reunited. I especially want to take out the exile because if the exile never happened, Lakshmana would still be alive too! However, I want to keep the part where she has the two kids!

Sita with her children: Ram

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part C

Hanuman and Sita

Characters in the Scene: 

Hanuman
Sita

Plot:
Hanuman finally finds Sita and convinces her that he was sent by Rama to save her by showing her Rama's ring and sympathizing with Sita. Hanuman offers to take Sita back to where Rama is but she refuses to touch any male figure unless it is Rama.

Setting: Ravana's Palace

Story Idea: I was upset that Hanuman didn't tell Rama all he had seen when he found Sita. I could change the story to where Hanuman tells Rama about the fact that Sita didn't go back with Rama because she did not want to be disloyal to Rama by touching another male figure and that she even withstood the death threats from Ravana in order to remain loyal to Rama. 

Hanuman and Sita: Quora

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part B

The Chase

Main Characters: 

Sita
Rama
Lakshmana

Plot: Sita is attracted to a deer in the forest that is actually a rakshasa in disguise and asks Rama to obtain the deer for her. Rama successfully kills the deer while Lakshmana and Sita wait in the cave but the rakshasa imitates Rama's voice and exclaims a cry for help to draw out Lakshmana. Lakshmana does not fall for the rakshasa's trickery but Sita convinces Lakshmana to leave her to help Rama because she cannot live without him.

Setting: In the forest

Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and the golden deer: Ramayana

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part A

Manthara and Keikeyi

Main Characters: 

Manthara
Keikeyi

Plot:
Manthara despises Rama because of a past incident and goes to Keikeyi the day before Rama's coronation to tell Keikeyi to stop it from happening, otherwise Keikeyi's son, Bharata, would be exiled in the future. Manthara reminds Keikeyi that she still has two favors to request from the king after she saved the king's life. Keikeyi demands that the king banishes Rama for 14 years and make Bharata the king instead.

Setting: On the palace roof

Story Idea: I want to tell the story from Manthara's point of view because the story makes her out to be a really evil person who convinces the queen to betray the king but Manthara never told Keikeyi what to ask the king for. She never told the queen to banish Rama for 14 years. 

Manthara and Keikeyi: Ramayana

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie, web source

Reading Notes: Jatakas, Panchatantra, and Other Fables from India

The Golden Goose

Main Characters: 

Goose
Mom
2 Daughters

Plot:

A goose with golden feathers offered to give his feathers one by one to a poor mother with two daughters so that they could sell the feathers and live off of it but the mom became greedy and made a plan to grab the goose the next time he comes and take off all of his feathers by force. However, the golden feathers turned to plain white feathers because they were taken by force rather than voluntarily by the goose and then the goose never came back so the greedy mom was left with nothing.
Moral: Greediness leaves you with nothing in the end. 

The Golden Goose: Ellsworth Young

Bibliography. "The Golden Goose" from Jakata Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt with illustrations by Ellsworth Young, web source

Reading Notes: Jakatas

The Cunning Crane and the Crab

Main Characters: 

Crane
Fish
Crab

Plot:

A crane convinces fish that are living in a dried out pond to come to a fresh new pond with abundant resources on the other side but at the cost of their lives as the crane eats them one by one while carrying them in his beak over to the other side. However, a crab outsmarts the crane and convinces the crane to allow the crab to hold onto the crane's neck. The crane tries to trick the crab like the others but the crab had the upper hand and clipped the crane's head off.
Story Idea: Instead of using a crane and fish as the main characters, I could use a cat and mouse instead but still keep the story the same because I really like the story. 

The crane and the clever crab: istorybooks

Bibliography. "The Cunning Crane and the Crab" from The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse with illustrations by W. Robinson, web source

Reading Options

I want to explore the stories with curses in them! I think they would be interesting and entertaining to read.

Mahiravana: A Magician Outwitted
The description sounds fascinating from the kidnapping and sacrifice. I also think the title is enticing!

Subhadra: Beloved Sister of Krishna and Balarama
The description sounds like there is drama because Subhadra gets married to someone else unexpectedly.

Tales of Arjuna: The Exploits of an Exceptional Warrior
I am excited to read about the mysterious monkey and why the forest burns down.

Tales of Arjuna: Comic vine