Reading Notes: Nine Ideal Indian Women: Sita, Promila, and Shakuntala, Part B

I've loved this reading. it's a whole new approach to the stories I already know. I was shocked when I read about Sita and Rama's first encounter to find out they were both so young! It was said that at the age of fourteen Sita's father began looking for a husband for her. It also said that Rama was sixteen when he completed the task of breaking the bow. I feel that their whole meeting and becoming a couple was not explained thoroughly enough for me in the Ramayana. I was excited for all of the details. The imagery created when they first laid eyes on one another was absolutely perfect. I also was unaware that Rama's full name was Ramchandra. I think the story of Rama and Sita will always captivate me the most.

Bibliography:

Title: Nine Ideal Indian Women: Sita, Promila, and Shakuntala 1919

Author: Sunity Devee

(Rama and Sita)

Reading Notes: Nine Ideal Indian Women: Sita, Promila, and Shakuntala, Part A

I decided that for my last reading I would read about Indian women. So far I've really enjoyed learning of Sita's background. They each have such unique story. I thought it was interesting that the word sita means furrow. I was surprised to find that Sita was actually found inside of a furrow in a gold gharrah (pitcher). It was said to be buried in the ground. How was a baby alive inside of a pitcher, buried underground? Well I guess things do not have to make logical sense in epics. I am eager to read more about the other two women. I like that there are stories that solely focus on the india women. That's pretty neat to me. I hope I can come up with a great story this week after reading the Nine Ideal Indian Women!

Bibliography:

Title: Nine Ideal Indian Women: Sita, Promila, and Shakuntala 1919

Author: Sunity Devee

Reading Notes: More Jataka Tales, Part A

I stuck with my recent theme of Jataka tales this week. I am hoping next week to branch out more. I think the stories about women look interesting so maybe I'll tackle those next. This week I read a few Jataka tales but there's one I particularly enjoyed. It is called "The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer". I liked that in this story they all ended up helping one another escape death. I truly valued the lesson taught here. I think that these days it can be hard to find loyal friends. These three friends demonstrated a perfect example of loyalty to one another. The turtle and the woodpecker worked together to save the deer from the hunter. In return, when the turtle was captured by the hunter, the deer came to his rescue. In the end they were all able to keep their lives. This ordeal brought them all closer and it is said that they lived out happy lives together from then on. I think one big reason I am drawn to these stories is because they typically involve animals. Animals are one of my biggest passions. I also enjoy these stories because of the lessons they teach. Some lessons may be easier than others, but each and every one are important. 

Bibliography: More Jataka Tales 1922 by Ellen C. Babbitt 

(Bambi and Friends)

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales, Part A

This week I read some more Jataka tales. In part A of the reading, I particularly enjoyed the story about The Fairy and The Hare. It taught a wonderful lesson about being selfless. The four animals decided to not eat for a day and save their food for someone who really needed it. So all but the hare found food to give away. The hare was beside herself trying to find food to give away. Then she decided she would give up herself as food. While this story is the extreme, it truly teaches such an important lesson. Being selfless is such a rewarding act. For the past two years, during thanksgiving, my family and I go to the City Rescue Mission in downtown OKC to eat with the homeless people. Some don't talk, they just eat. But some share their stories. Or if there are kids, they're always fun to play with. It's really rewarding to get to share a meal with people who may go hungry some days. It also really does make you thankful for what you have been given in life. I really enjoyed the moral of The Fairy and The Hare.

Bibliography: Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat (Khan)

(The Fairy and The Hare)

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales, Part B

I read another Jataka tale tonight. I really like these because they have to do with animals and animals are one of my biggest passions. I read "The Elephant and The Dog" this time. This was about the friendship built between an elephant and a dog. In life there seems to be many interesting animal friendships. I feel that the human race could learn a lot from nature. An elephant and a dog could not be more different but that doesn't stop them from loving one another. Once they are separated both are devastated. The elephant won't even eat or bathe. In the end once the dog returns to the elephant they are both elated. In life sometimes we think if someone is drastically different from us we won't be able to get along. But we are all living and breathing beings, on the same earth. When it comes down to it we aren't that different at all. We are all capable of love, every single being. I fully believe that. I really loved this short little tale and feel that I will be able to write a great story this week based off the Jataka Tales.

Bibliography:
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

(Elephant and Dog)

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales, Part A

This week I decided to read the Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. I read the tale of "The Foolhardy Wolf". I liked this tale because I feel like there is a huge underlying lesson to it. In life I feel that often we become too confident in our ability to do things on our own. This kind of reminds me a bit of the relationship between a child and their parent. Children are always so eager to go out and do things on their own, until they really get thrown into the real world. I know this happened to me once I went to college. Being an adult definitely isn't easy. In this story the lion was making all the kills for the wolf as long as the wolf would look out for prey and notify the lion of them. They had the perfect dynamic going on until the wolf grew bigger and took on too big a task. He wanted to take down his own elephant and in ignoring the lions warnings that he wouldn't be able to do it, was killed by the elephant. I am so eager to read more of these tales and hopefully compile them into a story of my own about life lessons!

Bibliography:
Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

(Lion and Wolf)

Reading Notes: Pattanaik Calendar Art, Part A

(Elephant Head)

I thought this video was so interesting. I really am fascinated with the Indian culture. It is amazing how in depth everything goes. Even the simplest things have meaning to them. Ever god is so unique and each serve a different purpose. Each detail on every god is a symbol for something. I like the the Indian culture has reasons for their traditions. I feel that in many cultures a tradition is just a tradition and there's not explanation for why or how it started. Indian culture, to me, seems more like a fantasy. I know that to those who claim the culture this is all very real to them. A human with an elephant head? That is something completely normal in Indian culture. To me that's something I'd see maybe in a Disney movie. But I love this about Indian culture, the sky is the limit. It is captivating. I learned so much more about the culture just from this one thirty minute video over the Indian Calendar Art!

Bibliography:

Title: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art 2009

Author: Devout Pattanaik 

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues, Part B

I was surprised by how much I liked this film. It really isn't my typical style but I think I found it so odd that it was intriguing. I liked that in the end the connection was made with the modern day couple and The Ramayana. The whole time I couldn't figure it out, besides the fact that they were in India for part of the film. I really liked being able to watch The Ramayana in a film. This allowed me to focus a lot better than when I read it. I am not much of a reader but I do really liked films! I feel like I could definitely make a unique story out of Sita's time in the forest while she was pregnant. I feel like Sita faces a lot of unnecessary ridicule after she is taken by Ravana. I would like to make a story where Rama stands up for Sita more instead of just banishing her to the forest! 

(Sita and her sons)

Bibliography: 

Sita Sings the Blues 2008

Nina Paley

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues, Part A

(Sita Sings the Blues)

I typically am not a huge fan of cartoons like this but I actually didn't mind this one. I liked how colorful it was and I really enjoyed the commentary. It was comical to me how they struggled to get the story straight between the three of them. I thought it was weird that Lakshamana wasn't in this cartoon. In Narayan's Ramayana he was there in the forest with Sita and Rama. I was a it confused with the correlation between the people who moved to India and The Ramayana. That part didn't make much sense to me. Overall though, I really liked the first half of the movie. It kept me interested the whole time and gave me an even better understanding of The Ramayana. 

Bibliography:
Sita Sings the Blues 2008
by: Nina Paley 

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution- Part A

(Vyasa)

I really liked these short YouTube episodes of The Mahabharata. I am a visual learner so the narrations during the episodes were very helpful to me. I get sleepy when I read and my mind wanders but when I have someone read something to me, I find it's a lot easier for me to focus and hone in on details. I was able to clear up parts of Mahabharata that were fuzzy for me after the first time I read through it. The characters were also a lot easier to keep straight with the illustrations. Though the names are still confusing and most I cannot even pronounce! This week I think I might write about Vyasa and the three women, Ambika, Ambalika and the servant girl, who bared his three sons. I find the story very interesting and will have to think of a clever way to make it my own.

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution by Epified TV (India)

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Part D

It was a bit sad how the epic ended up. Many died and Yudhistira, though he became king, was distraught over the fact that he killed so many people. He even wanted to exile himself for doing so. Krishna finally was able to talk Yudhistira into taking on the kingdom, though convincing him had been no easy task. Yudhistira appointed everyone to their duties, Bhima to be the yuvaraja, Bidura as his counsellor, Sanjay to the finances of the state, Bakula to be in charge of the register of the armed forces, Arjuna to defend the country, Dhaumya to be the Chief Royal Priest and Sahadeva to be his personal companion. This is a great example of something I struggle with in this epic, there are SO MANY characters! Truly it was a challenge to keep them all straight. Overall I would have to say I did enjoy the Ramayana better but both were truly interesting and gave me much more insight on India culture! (Also I have really enjoyed all the colorful pictures that go along with the pics! They're always so vibrant!)

(Yudhistira and Krishna)

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata 

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Part C

One of the chapters that's really stuck out to me so far was the "Hundred Questions" chapter. I love how there's always so much nature involved in these epics. The imagery in this chapter was also very appealing. I found it interesting the each brother still drank the water even though the voice warned each not to. Even though they could each (besides Nakula) clearly see the outcome of drinking the water without answering the questions- they could not ignore their thirst. When Yudhistira arrived and obeyed the yaksha, i found the questions and answers to all be very intriguing. While reading this it really reminded me of a mom berating their child with questions. I thought this could be a possible way for me to put a fun twist on the story. Maybe the brothers stayed out too late the night before and the moms asking typical mom questions like "Who were you with?" "What were you doing?" Where were you at?" Because I'm sure we have all been there and I'm sure we can all attest to the fact that moms can truly ask a hundred questions! 

Bibliography:

Narayan's Mahabharata 

(Yuhistira and the yaksha)

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Part A

Whoa. There are a ton of characters in this epic. And to make it even more confusing their names are even similar... (Amba, Ambika and Ambalika for example). That reminded me of my great aunts who were named Reeva, Rita and Reeba. I was astonished by how many sexual encounters were going on here. It seemed that the top priority was to make sure that the dynasty lived on and that there was an heir to the throne. They were desperately trying to pop out sons in order to keep their kingdom alive! So far it has also been very dark. Like with Ganga drowning every child she had and then letting the eighth live but sentencing him to a life of celibacy. Or also, it was pretty morbid when Pandu died because the curse placed upon him (during intercourse, yikes) and then his wife Madri killed herself as well. So far this isn't much of a feel good story. I haven't thought of ways to make it my own just yet but I might attempt to give them each a bit happier endings. This reminded me of how I used to tell stories as a child... I would end every story with "and then they died." Comical as a little girl but not the best ending for a story. Also I wanted to note that my friend pointed out that in the beginning of the first chapter when Ganga drowned the children in the river it reminded him of the lady of the lake who is in many fairytales. He said that this story in particular was a lot like the Irish fairytale. He told me as well about all the fairytales in which the disney moves like Cinderella, Snow White and The Little Mermaid were based off of and how all of them ended morbidly. I found that super intriguing and was able to relate to how Disney changed these stories to make them appealing to us and turned them into movies. I feel like this is very similar to what we are doing in this class with manipulating the stories to make them more of our own!

Bibliography: (I didn't know where to find the link to Narayan's Mahabharata.)

(The Lady of the Lake)

Reading Notes: The Ramayana Part D

Wow, what an intriguing ending. This epic was embellished with so much imagery and action which made me truly love it. I LOVE the Interlude. I read someone's story they wrote based on the interlude about how Sita had to prove herself to Rama by stepping into the fire and I loved the twist they put on it. I would like to work my magic on this part as well and see what I can come up with. I think there are so many details leading up to that moment and the suspense build up is off the charts. I also feel her walking through a fire is so poetic, just goes to show the crazy things people will do for the ones they truly love. I found it so odd that Rama spent all that time and effort to save Sita just to tell her they could never live together again, however I am glad they ended up together. In the student story I read Sita actually left Rama since he doubted her. It was very empowering and I liked that alternate ending. I need to brainstorm some more but I think maybe I could add an even bigger twist to this part of the story!! I think I will do a portfolio for the class project so I'm eager to write a strong story for my portfolio this week!! 

I thought this picture showing Sita's fire test was really neat. I love the colors used here. 

(Sita's Fire Test)

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.

Reading Notes: The Ramayana- Part C

There was a great story in the chapter Vali. It told of the misunderstandings between two brothers Vali and Sugreeva- monkeys. They were not typical monkeys though, they knew right from wrong so they were not just animals. And Vali was blessed by Shiva with unlimited strenght. In Vali's fight with Mayavi he had disappeared and upon his return had mistaken Sugreeva's actions to find Vali and make sure he was okay. Vali brutally beat his brother causing him to run away and then stealing his wife. Sugreeva asked for Rama's help to defeat his brother. I think that this could become such an interesting story. Brother's are always fighting I could turn this into a less serious quarrel between young kids. I liked this chapter because in the end Vali was able to realize what he had done and was able to be forgiven for his actions. Rama treated him as more than a monkey and he was honored because of it!

(Rama, Sugreeva and Vali)

Bibliography

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.

Reading Notes: The Ramayana- Part B

I absolutely loved these two chapters. In the first, Encounters In Exile- I was so intrigued by Kamavalli's (Soorpanka) determination to be with Rama. She was described with so much beauty and captivating qualities that I was sure there had to be a catch somewhere. And then once she did not have her way with Rama and was all sliced up by Lakshmana she proceeded to go to her brother Ravana for help. I found it interesting though, that she turned the story all around to make it appear that she had seen Sita and wanted her for her brother. This was very clever of Soorpanka- since she didn't want to reveal to her brother her real emotions towards Rama since Rama was out to kill all of them. One of my favourite parts was when Mareecha morphed into a golden deer with hooves adorned with jewels. The imagery in this part of the book was off the charts. (And I am a sucker for imagery because it really pulls me into a story.) Rama, so love stricken for Sita- obeys her wish you retrieve the animal for her. And as we know, this is only a ploy to get Sita alone so that Ravana can take her, as he is stricken with love for her. All the while this entire plan was set up by Soorpanka who is madly and desperately in love with Rama. Whew, what a love square we have going on here!!

I think I have an abundance of info here to use for my story for this week. I could twist and manipulate the plot in countless ways to really be able to make it my own. I could make it more modern and have them all go to a counseling session- as I have seen other students do in some of their stories. I could maybe pretend they're all celebrities and then have them on a talk show like Ellen. Or even better, have you ever heard of Bachelor In Paradise? It's a show based on The Bachelor/Bachelorette where all these singles go to paradise to find love and there's always a ton of drama. I could put them in that type of setting and really be able to run with it I think. The possibilities are really endless and I can't wait to see what I can conjure up this week!!

(Ravana vs. Jatayu)

Bibliography 

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.

Reading Notes: The Ramayana Part A

(Sita and Rama)

So far I have really enjoyed the Ramayana. I love how it is embellished with details, the imagery is beautiful and the action elements of the book really grab my attention.

As I have stated before, I am a sucker for love so I am sure you all know what story caught my eye (and tugged on my heartstrings) the most. Sita and Rama, so cute. I love how they were infatuated with each other from the very first sight. I would love to do a story based off of their love story. The way that Sita described Rama after seeing him, and in turn the way Rama described Sita was beautifully poetic. (I love Rama's description of Sita on page 25, ah- my heart...) They were caught up just on one another's features and Sita was practically love sick that she may never see him again.

Have you ever walked past a stranger and made eye contact for just a fraction of a second and maybe shared a smile? Well I feel like those moments can be the sweetest and the most bitter because you may never see that person again. I, being the hopeless romantic that I am, hate it when I have an encounter like that with a stranger and realize I just let them walk into and out of my life in like ten seconds. And then of course I'm left wondering "if I would have said something would that person have ended up as a significant part of my life?" DID I JUST MISS OUT ON LOVE?! Cupid, where you at when I need ya? Shoot them arrows boy. Rama and Sita's love story could have ended up this way, with them just missing their chance. But luckily for them- fate was on their side. 

I really haven't had much time to brainstorm how I could alter this story to make it my own but I feel like the possibilities could be endless. Since animals are also such a big passion of mine, I could change Rama and Sita into animals and tell it from a different perspective? Though I feel like I would really like to take time and think out of the box for what direction I would like to take my story. 

As the week goes on I will for sure be thinking about Sita and Rama's story and I hope I can come up with a unique way to make it my own. 

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.