Indian Epics OU

Danger of the single story. Chimamanda used her experience of growing up in Nigeria in a happy home. She realized when she came to America that people often associated her with an African stereotype that she did not fit. As she came to realize she also was subject to judging and stereotyping people. She says that when people only rely on a single story of a person that they narrow their view and often are quick to judge others. I thought many of the points she made were very true. If people did more research and were not relying on a single narrative they may understand the world a little bit better. Her points made me reflect on my life and that I think everyone could be better about judging others less and trying to understand cultures unlike their own. Imaginary friends and real-word consequences- I found this video very interesting because it is a subject that I had never thought about. Even though I never thought about the effects of this I feel that it relates to me very much. ...

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...