Indian Epics OU

Kali is nature and Gauri is culture where not only the fit thrive but the unfit may also. In the Puranas men and women are used to explain the relationship between mind and the world around. It is important not to think of the stories as man and woman but as mind over matter. Do not think of them physically but symbolically. Yoga-maya is perceived reality filtered through the human mind. Shiva is the destroyer of culture because he withdraws completely from nature. His mind is completely clean and pure void of thoughts. Shiva's seed gives rise to six boys from the six star goddesses. The six headed skanda is made by fusing all the children together. Shiva is immortal so does not need to bare children because he will never need to be reborn. Parvati wants a child that shiva will not give her so she creates a child without a man. The child is beheaded but when realized that it was her child he replaced the head with the elephants head. The god who removes obstacles is what that child...

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were all born from the unfertilized eggs of Adya. Vishu agreed to be her lover as the other two would not but she had to give him a third eye. She said yes but he used it against her and turned her to ash. Three goddesses were born from the ash and became the wives of the three sons. Males fighting for the attention of females- due to insecurity men create social laws such as marriages. Men are not needed for reproduction for each woman. Many women become celebrated and you see groups of women pictured with only a single male. Females dominate in Mahabharata where women had the choice of the man and they would not be rejected. Virginity used to be thought of as a woman who was ready to give birth. Also a woman after childbirth. The shift of this meaning also showed the shift in worshiping women to looking down upon them. Urbanization was focused on obedience and was often enforced by men. Women are often associated with nature and just as men domesticate na...

The Patient Buffalo- A mischievous monkey wanted to make a buffalo angry. First he tried jumping on his back but the buffalo did nothing. He bounced on his head but still he did nothing. He wanted to make the buffalo angry but nothing seemed to work. A fairy appeared and asked the buffalo why he did not make the monkey go away with his strength. The buffalo did not want to punish a little animal with a little brain. His patience won the fairies approval and she waved her wand so he could not face suffering ever again. The Noble Horse- There once was a beautiful horse who was noble and lived in a palace. When war broke out he was taken into battle. Each battle he won with victory and they captured the king as they prevailed. One battle the horse was wounded. He knew that the final battle could not be won without him. So he told the warrior to take him and he would lead him to victory one last time. He won that last battle but lay bleeding in the end. He said the warrior but let the ca...

Chief of the dogs Source:  goodhousekeeping The guilty dogs- A king drove a chariot into the city and put his horses up for the night. It rained down on the chariot and the dogs were tempted by the wet leather and chewed them to pieces that night. The king was so mad that he order all 700 dogs in the city to be killed. The chief of the dogs consoled them and said only the guilty should be killed. He thought the dogs of the palace could be the only dogs that had access to the chariot. The chief bravely went to the king to ask him to spare the city dogs. He was granted access to the king because of the love in his eyes. The king agreed to question the royal dogs and they were found to be the guilty ones. The king admitted his guilt and gave all of the city dogs lavish food and they were all allowed to live. The tortoise and the geese- An old tortoise was offered to be taken to a golden cave. In order for him to get there two geese offered to fly him while he held onto a sti...

Brahma wanted to test Krishna's divine power because he was too kind and shared his food. Brahma stole the cows for a year but Krishna created them from his own self. This proved his divinity so he returned the original cows to the village. Krishna's older brother wished to be strong enough to punch and kill the bull. Krishna told his brother that was not a good deed because this bull was the breeder for all of the cows. This bull was mean but Krishna spent a month getting to know him and played the flute for him. After that month he rode the bull and everyone was shocked. He was able to calm the bull and everyone realized that kindness was stronger than violence. Krishna wanted to marry rhada but his mother did not approve. He found that his desitny was not to marry her even though he loved her so. He found out that his parents were not his birth parents and he was the savior of dharma. He left his village to fulfill his destiny and face Akurur who had sent attacks on him ma...

He heard that his sister's eight child would kill him. Instead of killing them he killed all of their kids. The seventh child was transferred to another womb and the king thought that she had a miscarriage and was happy. The eight child was the reincarnation of Krishna and would fulfill the destiny he had worked to avoid.  To protect the child from death he escaped the prison cell that was unlocked. He went through the forest and came to a fierce river. A serpent protected them from the rain and he walked through the river that was not deep. He went to a gypsy camp and traded his son for a girl named maya. The king had found out that the eight child was born and laughed when he found out it was a girl. He went to kill the child like he had all of the others until she turned into a goddess. She told the king that his destiny to be killed would be fulfilled when the time was right. Krishna attracted merchants and men from around to visit. The king sent a demon to kill Krishna but ...

"The brave little bowman" There was a small man who was excellent at shooting but he knew that nobody would take him seriously due to his size. He wanted to join the army but needed to find a big man to ask the king. He found a man digging and he agreed to join the army with the little man and ask the king. The king agreed and sent them on missions to kill a tiger and a buffalo. During time of war they sent the big man still not knowing that he was not the shooter. The big man was scared but the little man saved him and defeated the army. The king finally praised the little man for the shooter he was. "The Lion in Bad Company" When a young lion approached a wolf who could not get away he begged for his life. The wolf promised to serve the lion if he could live in his cave with him. The lion's father did not approve and said wolves could not be trusted. The wolf suggested one day that they catch a horse. He led them to the riverbank where ponies were drinking...

The monkey and the crocodile. The croc wants the heart of a monkey but they dont swim. He finds a greedy monkey that wants the ripe fruit on the island. He convinces him to ride on his back and tries to drown him. The monkey deceives the croc by telling him his heart is in a tree. The croc then notices the monkey has moved to a different tree and hops to the island using a rock in the water. One night he lays on the rock and waits to eat the monkey. The monkey sees him and tells him to open his mouth so he can jump in. The monkey escapes again by hoping on his head and back to safety. The croc realizes the monkey is too smart and gives up trying to eat him. The turtle who couldn't stop talking. Two geese became friends with a turtle. One day they told him that they were flying back to their home and wished he could come. They said they would take him if he could hold onto a stick and not talk. The turtle agreed. As they flew over a group of children they pointed and laughed. He t...

A conflict over land and who is in charge leads to war. Drona even tries to stop the war but even with great efforts he fails. Many people in the war were family members and did not want to fight. Drona had trained Arunja and did not want to be against him in battle. The battles begin. Arunja did not want the war but as it began he became even more hesitant to be on the opposite side of his own family members and his trainer Drona. He is forced to fight and his life is spared. Bhishima is killed by arrows when he refuses to fight a warrior that was born a woman. He had been successful in previous battles but dies when he lays down his weapon. Before his death he wishes for peace but that does not happen. Drupadi kills Drona after the death of the elephant and Karna takes over as the leader. Two battles between Karna and Arunja result in  a draw as they are equal competitors. On the final battle Arunja kills Karna with a single arrow in a field. Another commander is put into place a...

Cattle Raid Source:  iereadingguides Drona trains all of the princes in the art of war. As they battle he puts a stop to it when two of the cousins become too intense. When a strange warrior challenges one of the brothers and wins so he is crowned king. He is really the son of a charioteer with humble beginnings. There is a contest that the princess of drupadi wants to Arunja to enter because of his talents. Although the mysterious warrior wins again she does not want to marry a man of humble beginnings. A hermit then does the same feat and is chosen as the winner. He goes home with the princess but his mother declares he must give her to his eldest brother. The kingdom is then split between the two royal families. The eldest brother then loses his wife in a game of dice. The winner banishes her to the forest. When she refuses to go she is dragged by her hair to the councils chambers. She agrees to go the forest in exile and remains for 12 years and the last year must be disg...

Chariot as Drona dies Source:  Blogger The night of the battles was the nightmare of many. All men were "bloodthirsty" no matter the relation. Brothers fought against brothers and fathers against their own sons. Arunja finally called for a truce. For the time being all men laid down where they were and rested. Drona decided that the next day either he would die or Arjuna would. After a night of rest the battle continued amongst the men. The battle continued to be bloody and the death toll was rising. Karna fought an epic battle but in the end he died. Ashwatthaman also died in battle. Drona was so saddened by the death of his son he refused to fight anymore and laid down his weapons. His weapons were seized and his head was cut off. Source .  Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists  by Sister Nivedita (1914). [400 words]

Riddles at the Lake Notes The Great Banyan in India Source:  world atlas Yudhishthira and Nakula were very thirsty and one climbed a banyan tree to look for water. Nakula went towards the water for a drink but heard a voice. The voice told him he must answer a question before drinking but he ignored it and after drinking the water he died. His brother followed and repeated what his brother did and he died as well. After four fell dead Yudhishthira went towards the water. He finally agreed to the voice that he would answer the question. The question seemed to be a riddle and asked. " Who maketh the sun to rise? Who keepeth him company? Who maketh the sun to go down? In whom is the sun established?" He answered and the voice continued to ask him questions. After four questions that Yudishthira answered the voices final question was " Who are worthy of eternal torment?" As with all of his questions he thought of his answer and told the voice. The voice then reveled...

Beautiful woman Draupadi  Source: Etsy Birth of Draupadi Drupada had lost most of his kingdom and wanted to have a son. He wanted the Brahmins to procure a son for him, first he offered a million cows but Yaja agreed to a sacrificial ceremony. Drupadas goal was to avenge Drona for the loss of his kingdom. Both of the brothers were willing to do the ceremony but their mother was not. Without her joining the sacrificial rite began. In the flames a son dressed in armor appeared and proclaimed his vengeance on Drona. A daughter also appeared, this time from the ashes. A beautiful women, slender, with dark hair and lotus eyes. She was destined to "accomplish the decree of the gods". When Drona heard of this he took Panchala and wanted him to become an accomplished warrior. The daughter was also destined to become a queen. Her beauty was celebrated. When the Pandavas heard this story both brothers in secret and still disguised wanted to win the beautiful woman for their b...

Fisherman at sunset Source:  highpointvilla Birth of Vyasa A fisherman who had found two babies and raised the girl as his own daughter. She had grown up but had the smell of fish. Her true father was Rajah and she had been born from a fish. She worked with her father and ferry boats along the river. She was beautiful and caught the attention of Satyavati while she was working one day. He wanted her to be the mother of a son for him. He promised her that if she birthed his son she would no longer smell of fish but rather of perfume. After he made that promise he disappeared. When she gave birth to a baby boy the boy grew instantly into a man. He went into the forest to mediate but said if she thought of him he would return when she needed him. Now that she was beautiful and smelled of perfume the king wanted to marry her. However her father would not let her until the king promised to make his son the heir, to which the king refused. Source .  Indian Myth and Legend ...

Nina and Dave During her trip to New York Nina got an email from Dave saying "don't come back". Nina becomes depressed and cries loudly. Nina still longs for Dave as she sits in her apartment that is empty, has bugs everywhere and rain drips from the ceiling. She dreams about her old life with Dave and wishes that she could go back to that time. One day she decides to call him and starts saying please take me back. Soon she decides she doesn't need Dave and gets a better apartment for herself. She has a new cat and reads the Ramayana comfortably in bed finally happy without Dave. Sita, Rama and Ravana Sita and Rama are back at home. She tells him she is pregnant and he is so happy. Soon he begins to doubt his wife's purity again. He is embarrassed and wonders how the people view him for taking back a wife that had lived with another man. Sita tells his brother Lakshmana to take his wife into the forest to banish her. He leaves her in the forest and becomes v...

Title page for the film Sita sings the blues Source:  sita sings the blues Nina and Dave They live in a new york apartment with a Cat, seemingly happy life. Dave excitedly explains he got a 6 month job in India. Nina seems shocked and Dave never considers her feelings. They passionately kiss goodbye but Dave is excited to go to India for his new job. One month later Dave calls Nina from India and sees nothing wrong with this. Nina is shocked that he is calling because he hasn't thought to give her the home phone number in this long. Dave invites her to India not thinking that she would actually want to travel all the way to him. When Nina arrives Dave pushes away her kiss and says its because they are in India. That night she tries to seduce him like the old time but he rolls over and goes to sleep. Nina is left shocked and feeling unwanted. When Nina and Dave are working one day she gets an email to go on a 5 day trip to New York. Dave excitedly encourages her to go. S...

Painting showing Garuda and Vishnu by Raja Ravi Varma Source:  wikipedia Indrajit The death of Rama had been faked with a false head delivered. The battled continued after this. The monkey swarmed the city and were scaling walls the words they were shouting were " Victory for Rama and for Sugriva!" All day the monkeys continued to fight. The scene is described and gore and flesh were flying. When night fell the battle changed and the demons came out. Thousands and monkeys were killed because it was no contest between the monkey and demon. There was no longer victory for Rama. Indrajit regained his magic and became invisible and instantly got the upper hand in the battle. A thousand wounds were given to Rama and to Lakshmana. That incident stopped the fighting for some time. The monkeys of Ramas army were on edge since the battle had ceased. Rama survived the arrows but thought Lakshmana was dead. The monkey chief sought after a magic herb that could bring the de...

Depiction of Rama a Hindu Diety Source:  Wikipedia Rainy season has halted the journey to find Sita. The months of wind and deluge happen yearly. The month of Sharvan begin the rainy season and they have to sit and wait until the month of Kartik before they continue their journey. His lament talks about how even though time has past his sadness has not faded but grown stronger. He recollects about the day she was taken and her last words to him. They replay over and over again in his head and he feels like a part of him died that day. If he could "slumber in the deep" only death could possibly take away his heartache but he does not know if that will end his suffering. It is the thought of one day having her again that keeps him from death. He could not die knowing she was still living on this earth without him. He imagines the day he will have her back and how it will be to feel her touch again. His suffering is so great he does not know if his heart can heal. Ev...

The cunning crane and the crab Source:  crane and crab  The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India by W. H. D. Rouse. https://sites.google.com/view/jatakas/crane-and-crab The plot is focused on the suffering fish living in a depleting water source. The crane thought how he could manipulate the fish so he could have a big meal. One trustworthy fish is taken to the lake not far away that the crane promises to take them all to. As a manipulation of trust the crane takes the wise fish to the new lake and then back to tell the others. All the while the crab in the lake was watching as the crane took each fish to this new promised land. The crab was not so trusting of the crane for he had never seen this new lake. When he is taken to the lake by the crane he sees the bones of all of the fish from the lake. In this moment he knew he had eaten all of the fish instead. The crab had his claw around the neck of the crane so the crane was forced to take the crab to th...

Source:  Indian Epics images Ahalya, wife of Gautama For week three I have chosen to read Narayana's Ramayana. I like the fact that there is an online reading plan to keep me on track. In the past I have read other books that speak in an old style language and I have trouble concentrating. I much prefer to read something that reads like a novel and I think I will take in more of the information rather than reading and not retaining any of the information. The first comic book that caught my interest was "Shiva Parvati: A story of divine love". This comic sounds interesting because the overview has a lot of drama. I think a story like this would keep my attention rather than stories about war or violence. The second comic that caught my attention was "Sukanya: The princess who married a sage". The story seemed interesting from reading the overview as well. Even though the introduction already gave away the ending the story seems like something that ...