Reading Diary B: The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan

I am reading The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan.  One of my favorite stories from this section of the reading was the story of the battle.  I found that the battle was interesting in that leaders of the two armies knew each other well.  Most of the issues could have been solved if the leaders had turned over Duryodhana and his cohorts.  Instead they remained loyal to him even though they knew what he was doing was wrong.  During the battle, it was interesting in how well some of the people fought against the Pandavas even though they were sons of gods.  One of the saddest moments was when Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu went into battle knowing that he would probably die because he had not learned how to escape a formation on how to enter the formation.  Then he did die after being trapped and Arjuna is heart-broken and vows to kill the person responsible.  Another sad moment in the battle is when Bhishma is defeated.  Then he was left on a bed of arrows for days until he died.  If Bhishma had permitted it, he could have probably been saved.  Instead, he decided to die.  At the end of the battle, I found it interesting that Duryodhana remained obstinate until the end.  After the battle, it was odd that they did not remove Dhritarashtra from power.  It was due to his hypocrisy and his inability to keep control that the situation arose in the first place.  In addition, he tried to kill the Pandavas on more than one occasion.

Bhima and Duryodhana's battle (Source: .wikimedia)

Reading Diary A: The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan

I am reading The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan.  My one of my favorite stories in this section of the reading was the part of the story where The Pandavas are hiding in the kingdom of King Virata.  When Duryodhana hears that Kichaka was killed, he only hesitated for a moment then he decided to attack King Virata’s Kingdom.  I found that it was interesting that the kings allied with King Duryodhana were fine with King Duryodhana attacking another king.  It was amusing that Bhima was able to save King Virata and capture King Susharman, who had been the one who advised King Duryodhana to attack King Virata.  Another interesting part of this story is when Prince Uttara had Arjuna become his charioteer and Arjuna acted like he had no idea how to put on his armor.  Then after they leave, Prince Uttara became frightened and wanted to return so Arjuna had him become the charioteer and had Prince Uttara retrieve his weapons from the tree in the graveyard.  Then Arjuna reveals his identity to Prince Uttara.  After that, Arjuna and Prince Uttara go into battle.  When Arjuna meets the enemy, he fires arrows past Drona’s ears and at his feet.  I found that very interesting that Arjuna saluted his former mentor in such a manner.  Then Arjuna defeats Karna and put the rest of them to sleep.  I found it interesting that Arjuna did not kill them and be done with the whole affair because King Duryodhana was with them.  If he had done that, the war could have been avoided.

King  Virata at his court (Source: wikipedia)

Thoughts About Comments

I think that for a good comment it needs to be substantial.  It should include specific details about the readings.  For instance, talk about specific problems in the writing or what was good about the writing.  Also it should include what the reader liked about the theme.  After the good and bad parts of the writing have been addressed, the reader should then focus on how to fix the problems and make the writing better.  I do not always leave comments like this.  I usually leave comments saying what I liked about the story but not its problems and how to fix them.

Storytelling Week 5: Weapons of War

Arjuna receiving weapons from Shiva (Source: wikimedia)

Arjuna was aggravated; he had already spent seven years in the wilderness.  “When will we have a chance at exacting our revenge against Duryodhana?” he thought.

Fortunately for Arjuna, change was in the wind for him and he was about to receive and special knowledge and a mission by Yudhishthira. 

“Arjuna,” said Yudhishthira, “Come, walk with me.  I have an important matter to discuss with you.”

Therefore, Yudhishthira and Arjuna began to walk along the mountain stream that was near their camp and they came to the small waterfall that the brothers regularly used to meditate at.

“Arjuna, I know that you are angry about what has happened, but once again I tell you that it was the will of the gods and they shall allow us to have our revenge in due time.  However, for now I have a special task for you to undertake.  I will teach you a mantra that will allow you to get weapons from gods and you are to go and gather weapons will we are still in exile,” said Yudhishthira.

“I will do as you say,” said Arjuna.

So Yudhishthira taught Arjuna the mantra and Arjuna went and gathered his belongings and said goodbye. 

Arjuna journeyed deep into the Vindhya Mountains to meditate.  He then after meditating for a period spoke the mantra and once again began to meditate.  Then one day a hunter appeared before Arjuna. 

“Greetings,” said the hunter, “I am seeking a deer that has fled onto this mountain, have you seen it?”

“I have not seen it but you are welcome to eat and rest here,” said Arjuna.

Then the hunter transformed into Shiva who then gave to Arjuna the astra, pasupatha, and left.  Similar events then occurred with the gods Varuna, Yama, and Kubera and they all spoke of victory of the kauravas.  After these events occurred, Arjuna decided to travel to another mountain to meditate and while he was traveling on a mountain path, a chariot suddenly appeared before him.

“Get in,” said the driver, “and I will take you to Amaravathi.”

So Arjuna got into the chariot and rode to Indra’s city.  When he arrived, he was greeted with a great celebration, as he was Indra’s son.  Then after the parties had finished, Indra imparted his weapons and the secrets of them to Arjuna.

“Arjuna, I give you me weapons and the secrets of them.  Use them wisely and you will achieve victory in your coming battles.  But it is not enough to just know of battle so I will have you learn also of the arts of music and dance,” said Indra.

So Arjuna spent his time learning the arts and one night when he was meditating, Urvasi came into his room and offered herself to him because she had fallen in love with him.  But he could not break his ascetic vow and viewed her as one would view their mother.

“For ignoring me and my advances may you be treated as a eunuch by women,” said Urvasi.

After a period had passed and Arjuna was preparing to leave Indra said to him, “The curse is actually a blessing in disguise and it will be needed in the thirteenth year.”

So Arjuna left Amaravathi, returned to his brothers, and prepared for war.

Author's note:

The source material for this is The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan.  This story is based of the original story of Arjuna going and receiving weapons from the gods.  I decided to stay close to the source material and focus on expanding on it.  I thought it would be interesting to learn more about Arjuna and the events surrounding his time acquiring the weapons.  

Bibliography:

The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayn (1978)

Reading Diary B: The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan

I am reading the Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan.  One of my favorite stories in this section of the Mahabharata is the section with the dice games.  I found it interesting how Yudhishthira knew that gambling was dangerous and that he should not partake in it but he still did because Kshatriyas do not refuse a challenge.  Then Yudhishthira allowed himself to be caught up in the game and bet everything that he had.  Then after he lost what he had it was given it back by King Dhritarashtra after he granted two wishes to free Yudhishthira and his four brothers.  Then as Yudhishthira was returning to his home he is called back to play more dice and he accepts again.  Then as was expected he lost again and was forced to go into exile for twelve years and the go incognito for one year.  The fact that later he says he thought he could win the dice game and take Duryodhana’s kingdom is ludicrous especially considering the fact he was terrible at the game and the person he was playing was good at the game.  In addition, it is odd that he continued to bet in the second game after the first round.  He could have played a round with a minimal bet and when he lost, he could have retired and gone back to his home.  However, he instead continued to bet and lose.  I think there was a lesson to be learned from this about excesses, about knowing your limits, about gambling, and about being level headed.  

Yudhishthira gambling (Source: wikimedia)

Reading Diary A: The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan

I am reading the Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan.  One of my favorite stories in this section of the Mahabharata is the story of Drona training the Pandavas, the Kauravas and his son.  I found that it was interesting that Drona spent time secretly training his son, Ashwatthaman, in additional methods of war that he did not teach the Pandavas or the Kauravas but Arjuna saw them training and secretly learned the techniques.  Karna when he was found out by the Brahmin who was training him that Karna was not a Brahmin was cursed but Arjuna was never discovered watching Drona and was not cursed as a result.  Later when Drona has his life saved(a test) by Arjuna when he is being attacked by a crocodile in a river and Drona then teaches Arjuna a secret weapon but no indication is given that he also taught his son.  Prior to this event Drona had set up an artificial bird as a target as a test and when Arjuna is the only one to pass he is praised.  It makes me wonder if Arjuna had to some degree become something like a son to him because Drona spent extra time training him and the Pandavas.  The story of Drona and Drupada was also interesting that Drona wanted get revenge on Drupada because he betrayed him in a time of need.  Drona, once Drupada was brought to him by his pupils, had Drupada’s kingdom split in half, gave half to Drupada, and said that they were still friends.  

Drona testing his pupils (Source: wikipedia)

Storytelling Week 4: The Voice of Queen Mandodari

Queen Mandodari hurriedly entered the royal court.  As she ran to appeal to Ravana to quit his fight against Rama, she thought back to the words that a servant had told her.  The servant had told her that one of the other servants had had a premonition that spoke of a monkey that set fire to the city, Ravana being humiliated, then Ravana being killed.  The first event had already occurred and she was worried that the other events would come to pass.  She saw Vibhishana and ran toward him.

“Vibhishana!”  Queen Mandodari yelled, “one of the servants told me of a premonition and it has been true so far.  If Ravana continues to desire Sita and starts a war it will mean his death.”

“We must convince him to not go to war,” said Vibhishana, “but do not mention the premonition, for if he hears of this he will discredit it as gossip of women and will desire to prove it false.”

Therefore, Vibhishana and Queen Mandodari entered the audience chamber of Ravana.  Queen Mandodari threw herself at the feet of Ravana and said to him, “Abandon your fight with Rama, and return Sita to him, for he will destroy us all.”

“Hahaha” said Ravana, “I will prove to you that Rama is just a puny human.  I will kill Rama and make Sita my queen.”

So Vibhishana then approached Ravana during the war council.  “Ravana, we should not go to war.  Rama is no ordinary human.  He broke the bow of Siva and he leads a mighty army to take back his wife that you stole from him.  Return his wife and let us end this matter.”

“No!  I will not return Sita, who should be my queen, I will never submit to this Rama.  Get out of my sight” said Ravana.

So Vibhishana left Ravana but before he departed Lanka, he visited Queen Mandodari.  “My Queen, I have been abandoned by Ravana.  I now depart to join Rama’s camp.  I pray that we can meet again when this war is over” spoke Vibhishana.

Queen Mandodari began to prepare for the arrival of Rama’s army.  “If Ravana wants to desire other women and bring about his own ruin I will have nothing to do with this,” said Queen Mandodari. 

When Rama’s army entered the city Vibhishana went to Queen Mandodari and said “Rama is going to spare Lanka and make me king over the land.  Will you be my queen?  Let us rekindle our love for each other that Ravana forced us to abandon all those years ago.”

Queen Mandodari mourning Ravana's death (Source: wikimedia)

Author’s Note

I got my inspiration for this story from The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould.  I decided that while I would follow the lore of the story for the most part I wanted to tell the story from Queen Mandodari’s point of view.  I decided to make her similar to Vibhishana.  While she was a raksha, I made her not needlessly violent and one of the voices of reason to Ravana.  I also wanted to make her a more approachable and a character that the readers’ could identify with.  Because Queen Mandodari would later marry Vibhishana, I thought that it would be interesting to have Vibhishana and Queen Mandodari love each other but had to abandon their love because Ravana desired Queen Mandodari to be his wife.  The reason it was at the end and not at the beginning of the story was that I thought that it would be more interesting for Queen Mandodari to play the role of a loving wife rather a queen with a lover.  I wanted to make them both loyal subjects to Ravana until Ravana’s folly of desiring Sita spelled their doom.  Which I hope was shown when they both try to make Ravana return Sita. 

Bibliography

The Divine Archer By F. J. Gould (1911)

Reading Diary B: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould

I read The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould.  One of my favorite parts of the reading this week was the events leading up to the battle between Ravana and Rama.  This rendition of the story seemed to go more into the details of the events that occurred with Ravana.  I enjoyed seeing details about what was going on in his kingdom.  I found it interesting that several of the rakshasa were afraid of Rama and want Ravana to return Sita to Rama.  Queen Mandodari was interesting because I figured that she would be going along with Ravana but she instead tries talking to Ravana to persuade him to not go to war with Rama.  I think she had a few reasons for this was the size of army that Rama had gathered was said to be eighteen thousand billion.  Another reason was that she had heard of his exploits with the bow and knew that he was no ordinary man.  Something else that I found interesting in this version was that Vibhishana was an ally of Rama from the beginning.  In the Narayan’s version, he became an ally after he left Ravana’s kingdom.  When Rama arrived in Lanka, I found it interesting that he could see Ravana’s crown and Queen Mandodari’s earring from a great distance.  Then it was odd that he shot the crown and earring and took them instead of shooting Ravana.  If he had shot then he might have been able to end the war without having very many casualties. 

Hanuman's visit to Lanka (Source: wikimedia)

Reading Diary A: The Divine Archer By F. J. Gould

I read The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould.  One of my favorite stories in this reading was the story of Rama arriving in Videha.  I enjoyed how the story went into detail at what Rama and Lakshmana did in the city.  In comparison to Narayan’s version of the Ramayana, this version includes more about the events surrounding Rama’s wedding to Sita.  This version for instance includes the part about the hermit coming and wanting to kill whoever broke Siva’s bow but on seeing Rama string Vishnu’s bow by touching it, the hermit clasped his hands and said “Glory to the mighty Rama!”  In addition, it goes into detail at what happened when Siva’s bow broke talking about how the earth shook.  Then it talks about how heaven and earth both celebrated.  Another section that I liked was Sita and Rama married.  In Narayan’s version, it is just his wedding but in this version of the story, all four of the brother’s are married.  Also, the dowry that was given to them was massive.  I found it odd however, that Lakshmana was said to be married but later it said he was not.  When Raksha tries to woo Rama she is rejected by Rama, Rama tells her that he has a wife and that he does not like the food of Rakshas.  Then he tells her that Lakshmana does not have a wife.  The only things that I can think of is that Rama was lying, Lakshmana was fine with pologamy, or he was no longer married.  Nevertheless, whatever the reason it does not matter because he turned Raksha down and she transformed and he cut of her nose and ears. 

Rama breaking Siva's bow (Source: wikimedia)

Styles Brainstorm

Topic:

My storybook is going to be over Vishvamitra.  It will tell the story of his life.  It will start at his birth then it will go into the stories of his time in solitude.  Then it will go through the story in The Ramayana.  I will use The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan and it will include stories from the comic book Vishwamitra: The King who became an Ascetic.  I struggled to find stories of Vishvamitra because most of the articles were either not sourced or were an analysis of his life through science.

Bibliography:

1.  The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic, by R. K. Narayan (1972)

2.  Vishvamitra (Amar chitra katha Comics), by Anant Pai (January 1, 1980)

Possible Styles:

One style is that is a viable option is for the story to be told in first-person style and have it in present tense.  This would allow me to focus on Vishvamitra and his viewpoint.  Which would cause the viewpoints of other people to be neglected but would allow me to focus on Vishvamitra and his strengths and weaknesses and allow a bond to be developed between the reader and Vishvamitra.  This style would also be written in the style of a frametale to link the individual stories together.

Another style would be for me to write the story as an anthology and when writing it to use first-person, third-person, and third-person style to lead the reader in the direction I wish.  This would encompass giving limited information to the reader, to using emotion, etc.  By doing this I can give the reader different perspectives, which in turn cause the reader to see different characters and situations in new lights that, would otherwise have not occurred. 

Telling the story in third-person style and in a frametale style is a standard option but still allows the reader to experience the story.  I like this style because it gives the reader the most knowledge so that the reader can see what is coming but the same time the reader will have the suspense at not knowing what is going to happen.  I would use the omniscience to my advantage by focusing on the emotional aspect because the reader can see what is happening but cannot do anything about it. 

One style that I do not know if it would work would be to tell the story in third-person with a frametale style.  Within the story, though I would include a few sections of first-person style.  This would allow me to focus emotions and information that I then could then use later on.  I do not know if this would work in practice but I believe that it would effectively guide the reader in a direction that I wish.  

Vishvamatri being addressed as Maharishi by gods alarmed by him (Source: wikipedia)

Reading Diary B: The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

I read The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan.  One story that stood out to me was the battle between Rama and Ravana.  It is odd that Ravana after being bested by Rama once did not try and submit to Rama instead he sends his generals and his family.  Then when they are all defeated he dresses in fine armor and goes out to battle.  But before the battle there are negative signs all around him that spell of his defeat.  Instead he does not believe that Rama, who he believed to be just a mortal, could defeat him in battle.  Rama’s skill shows in this battle because he is able fight against Ravana who was able to fire ten bows at once because of his twenty arms.  In addition, Ravana had other weapons like a trident and astras.  But Rama is able to counter all of the weapons.  One oddity is that Rama was unable to protect his chariot driver, Matali, and an arrow pierced him in his heart but because he was a god, he was able to be revived by Rama.  Another story I found interesting in this section was the story of Rama testing Sita.  I found it odd that he was so cold to her before she proved her purity.  Because he had to have known that Sita was pure but whether or not the world believed it should have not have mattered.  I was happy when Rama accepted Sita after she had proved her purity by stepping into the fire and Agni carried her out.  

Rama and Ravana fighting (Source: wikimedia)

Storytelling Week 3: The Imprisonment of Sita

As she sat in the garden, Asoka Vana, Sita contemplated on her state and mourned. 

“Why did I ask for the golden deer?” She pondered, “why was I not content with what I had.  If only I had not told Lakshmana to go and save Rama.”

A period of time passed and Ravana approached Sita and said to her, “surely Rama has abandoned you.  Would it not be better to come to me and become my queen?”

Sita replied, “I would rather spend an eternity of eternities away from Rama then to become your queen.”

Ravana was angered at her response and had his rakshasa women harass her daily until she would change her response.  But no matter how much she was abused by the women, yelled at by him, or cajoled by him, Sita would not change her response to him.  Therefore, Ravana sent spies out to find Rama so that he could battle Rama and remove Rama’s head. 

“For surely,” said Ravana “She will love me if Rama is obliterated by my hand.”

When the spies came back they reported of a massive monkey army led by Rama and that the army was searching for Sita. 

Ravana then declared, “Gather our armies and prepare for a war.”

A few weeks after this transpired Sita was being to lose hope and was contemplating suicide when her daily abuse from the rakshasa began.  Shortly after that, Ravana appeared and tried to convince her to become his queen.  She as usual spurned all of his advances. 

After Ravana had left and the rakshasa had finished their abuse, Sita said to herself “I shall end my life before I waste away here and lose all hope of rescue.  O Rama!  Have you forgotten me?”

As Sita was preparing for her suicide a Hanuman slowly appeared in front of her, he explained to Sita all that had been occurring, and that Rama had been preparing and searching for since the moment she disappeared.  When he had finished explaining he produced Rama’s ring and showed it to her.

Sita was overcome by emotion and said to Hanuman, “that surely is Rama’s ring.  I am the most blessed of women that he is still searching for me after all this time.”  Then she produced her last piece of jewelry that she had hidden away in a knot in her sari-end.  Sita then said, “I shall wait her for Rama to save me for I could not sully Rama’s honor by returning with you.  Please tell Rama that I breathlessly await his arrival and rescue.”

Hanuman meeting Sita (Source: wikipedia)

Author's Note:

This story is based off of events in The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan.  I took the story of Sita's capture and retold it from a viewpoint that focused more on her and the events occurring in her area.  My goal was to focus on Sita plight and draw emotion from it.  

Bibliography:

          "The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic" by R.K. Narayan, 1973.

Reading Diary A: Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

I am reading The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan.  My favorite story in this section is the battle of Sugriva and Vali with an assist from Rama.  I found it interesting that Sugriva was able to survive so long against Vali.  Which makes me wonder if Vali was using his full strength.  The moment that Vali was pierced by the arrow was the start of the realization of Vali that he had done wrong.  The argument between Vali and Rama caught my attention because it seemed like an intense argument.  Vali was sure that Rama had wronged him because Vali was sure that he had done nothing wrong.  Then Rama explained to him that he was wrong and then Vali realizes that he was wrong.  It was good to see that Vali went from ignorance to something akin to salvation.  Another story in this section that I liked was when Jatayu tries to save Sita from Ravana.  I wonder why Ravana did not initially fight with all of his strength but instead tried to spare Jatayu’s life.  I also liked how bravely Jatayu fought even though he had to have known that he was probably going to die and then when he was dying he lived long enough to tell Rama that Ravana had taken away Sita.  Then later in the story, Hanuman met Sampati it gave a happy moment in the story when Sampati told his story and regained his original form when Hanuman and his men all shouted “Victory to Rama!”

Rama, Lakshamana, and Sugriva talking (Source: wikimedia) 

Week 2 Review

I found this picture the course announcements for Tuesday.

Difficult is not impossible (source: ouclassannouncements)

Tech Tip: Pinterest Research 2

In this tech tip I researched the use of the search and pin pages functions in pinterest.  I typed in Hatsune Miku into the search bar and then using the results from the search was able to find pins that I liked and links to boards with material I was searching for.  Link to the Pinterest Board.

Vocaloids (Source: haikudeck)

Hatsune Miku in wedding outfit (Source: Flickr)

Reading Feedback Week 2

The reading selection I picked was The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan, which was one of the books recommended for the course and was purchased at Ratcliffes.  I picked that book because it was recommended and had a reading guide.  I spent less than an hour reading the sections for both A and B.  One thing about the book that I do not know whether is true or not is that my roommate said that liberties were taken in this version of The Ramayana, which I feel like, makes this more like one of our stories we write rather than a source material.  

Rama stalks Marica (Source: wikimedia)

Indian Epic Topics

1. Possible Topic: The god Hanuman

I was looked into Hanuman at Laura Gibbs suggestion. I found that he was an interesting god because he was pivotal in Rama defeating Ravana. I found it interesting how faithful he was to Rama. In Mahabharata the fact that he messed with Arjuna when Arjuna was building the bridge I find amusing because it seems like he was “monkeying around.” I have only researched Hanuman on Wikipedia. One idea I have for a story is writing about his role in The Ramayana. Another idea is to tell his story in the form of a journal. Another option would be to retell of his exploits in Mahabharata.

Hanuman opening his chest to show Rama and Sita what was in his heart (Source:wikimedia) 

2. Possible Topic: the Maharathis Karna

I was interested in Karna because of my roommate. Karna is an interesting figure in that he is loyal and courageous and the made promises that would not benefit him. His ability in battle is also amazing. The only research I have done is read Karna’s Wikipedia page. One idea for my story would be to write about the story in Mahabharata and include stories on his curses and his promises. Another idea would be for the story to take place in the viewpoint of the gods and have them comment and spectate on the battle.

3. Possible Topic: Prahlada

Prahlada seemed to be an interesting in the fact that he was a daitya demon but he worshiped Vishnu. The fact that Prahlada had divine protection from Vishnu was interesting. Another part of his story that I liked was that Narasimha came and killed Hiranyakashipu thus ending his reign allowing Prahlada to rule. One option for a story would be writing about his life. Another option would be telling his story from the viewpoint of others. The only reading I have done on Prahlada has been from the Wikipedia page.

4. Possible Topic: the Brahmarishi Vishvamitra

I found that his story was very intriguing. The fact that he was a king who then became a Brahmin to gain power to defeat Vashista was a little odd. Then later he makes up with Vashista when he becomes a Brahmarishi. One option for the story would be for me to write about his history from his time as king to his time in The Ramayana in his viewpoint. Another option would be for me to write about his time doing penance. The only research I have done on Vishvamitra is what I have read on his Wikipedia page and what I have read in The Ramayana.

Storytelling Week 2: Rama and the Cursed

A report on Rama and Lakshmana’s activities:

As Vishvamitra was walking with Rama and Lakshmana, he began to tell them the story of Thataka and her sons, Mareecha and Subahu.  Vishvamitra spoke of how Thataka was a pure, courageous demigod.  Then he spoke of how Mareecha and Subahu were full of mischief and how they had gone around and in their pride and ignorance had reaped destruction upon the landscape.  After that he spoke of how Thataka’s husband, Sunda, saw what Mareecha and Subahu had done and saw that it was desirous and went into the forest where they lived and pulled up the father trees and killed the wildlife and how Subahu had incited the ancient and great sage Agasthya to great rage over the destruction of the forest.  Vishvamitra then said of how at that moment Sunda was struck down by Agasthya for his deeds.  Then Vishvamitra angrily spoke of how Thataka, Mareecha, and Subahu had gone into the forest to seek and bring to justice the killer of Thataka’s husband and Mareecha and Subahu’s father and when they had located Agasthya, Agasthya without second thought sentenced Thataka, Mareecha, and Subahu to become asura.  He then whispered of how Thataka, who was free from any wrongdoings and had merely gone out to seek justice, was now wandering about devouring sages for her being wrongly judged.  Rama then spoke of how he would free Thataka.  When suddenly Thataka appeared in their midst and began to attack them.  Thataka threw her trident at Rama, which he then deflected and destroyed with an arrow from his bow.  Then Rama quickly strung a spirit arrow (arrow that had been cleansed at a shrine on the Ganges River) and shot true and pierced the heart of Thataka.  The instant Thataka was pierced by the spirit arrow, cracks began to appear all over Thataka’s form with light bursting forth, and a beautiful voice emanated from Thataka thanking Rama for freeing her from the curse.  Then she burst and the light flew to Rama and was absorbed into him.  Vishvamitra then asked Rama what had Thataka done and Rama replied that Thataka as thanks had attached her spirit to him and now her strength was now his strength and she would protect him and guide him in the future.  Vishvamitra, Rama, and Lakshmana then journeyed and arrived at the site for the yagna and as the ritual was being performed, a host of asura appeared.  Rama using Thataka’s strength shielded the ritual from the asura.  Among the asura slain were the sons of Thataka, Mareecha, and Subahu.  Then after the ritual Vishvamitra spoke to Rama and told him that he had a difficult life in front of him and then they journeyed to a secluded region of the forest and Vishvamitra taught Rama and Lakshmana all the arts of warfare.  Shortly thereafter, a host of gods appeared and all the gods of warfare went and blessed Rama and pledged their service to Rama.  So ends my report.

Seshenona Arben – Captain of the Dragoon Shadow Guard

Long Live King Dasharatha!

Rama shooting Thataka (Source: wikimedia)

Author's Note:

This is based of Thataka's story in The Ramayana By R. K. Narayan.  I tried to create a story of that was viewed from a distance and at the same time invoke emotion using the situation of Thataka.  The reason that I tried to create a story viewed from a distance was that it limits the emotions generated by the individual characters, which causes, I believe, the reader to have to draw the emotion from the actual events and their own self.  I came up with the situation with Thataka with a variation of a scene from Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari.  In the original scene an elf who was bound to a magical ring and due to circumstances her lover had to leave her and she cursed her fellow elves and her fate being bound to the ring and left her home.  Then she was given a fake magical ring with a promise to heal her heart by a demon king and was forced into his service. Then she was defeated by the hero in the story which freed her from the fake ring.  So in this instance of the story instead of a ring it was a curse.  In the original story however, Thataka is an raging monster that for all intents and purposes deserves her punishment.   Then she is killed by Rama. 

Bibliography:

         "The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic" by R.K. Narayan, 1973.

Reading Diary B: The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

I am reading The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan.  My favorite story in this section is the story in Chapter 4, Encounters in Exile.  I like how Rama handles the situation with Shurpanakha.  Rama discovers that even though she appeared beautiful on the outside, she was rotten on the inside.  When he is talking, he begins to become evasive and declines her advances.  When Sita appears, Shurpanakha becomes aggressive and slanders Sita but Rama handles the situation with tact and grace.  The next part I liked was when Shurpanakha returns to Rama’s residence to get rid of Sita.  I found that the response of Lakshmana was interesting.  It was odd that when he grabbed Shurpanakha and had discovered that Shurpanakha was a woman and instead of killing her, he cut off her ears, nose, and breasts.  I found that this punishment seemed excessive.  However, I felt she should have been killed because she was an asura.  I also wondered why Lakshmana did not wait for Rama to return to deliver the punishment.  Another part of the story that I found interesting was the response of the other asura, mainly her family.  The reason I found this interesting was that Shurpanakha was able to deceive her own family regarding the matter.  She when talking about this matter specifically avoided mentioning that she was in love with Rama and that it was her own fault.  Another thing I liked in this chapter was the strength of Rama.  He was able to defeat more than one asura army.  This story has advanced in many ways and I am excited to see how the story progresses.  

Rama, Sita, and Shurpanakha (Source: wikimedia)