Reading Diary B: Krishna’s story from Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita.

For this week, I am reading Krishna’s story from Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita.  One of my favorite stories from the reading is the story of Krishna returning to Mathura.  I found it interesting that if King Kansa was so worried about the prophecy why did he go and invite all the cowherds to a festival so that he could try to kill Krishna by wrestlers.  Also instead of out-right killing Krishna he instead tried to have him sneakily killed by one of the wrestlers.  Which I found odd because King Kansa was already known as an evil man and a tyrant so I do not think that the people of his kingdom would find it odd if he decided to just go and kill him.  Something else that I found interesting is that King Kansa challenged Krishna and Bolarama to wrestling because Krishna and Bolarama were skilled in wrestling.  In addition, the power of Krishna was well known so it might have been more beneficial if Krishna and Bolarama had been challenged in the ways of war that they had been able to learn because they were from the cowherds and not from the Vrishnas.  Finally, after King Kansa had realized that the crowd was supporting Krishna and Bolarama and the wrestlers were fleeing, it was odd that he tried to have all that Krishna held dear slain.  He knew that Krishna was going to defeat him so it was odd he made the situation worse instead of trying to change his ways and beg for mercy.

Krishna killing King Kansa (source: wikimedia)

Reading Diary A: Krishna's Story from Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita

For this week, I am reading Krishna’s story from Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita.  One of my favorite stories from the reading was the story of Krishna and the snake Kaliya.  One of the reasons that I liked the story was that this was one of the first times that Krishna openly showed his power to others.  In most of the previous encounters, no one was there to witness his power.  I found it interesting that Krishna even though he was a baby was able to comprehend what was going on around him and even defeat asaras.  Most likely if King Kansa had attacked Krishna in his early childhood he would have been defeated even then because Krishna seemed to have all the power of Vishnu at an early age.  In the story of Krishna and Kaliya it was interesting that even though Krishna possessed the body of a human he did not seem to be affected by the poison of the lake.  Also it was interesting that Krishna’s companions did not believe that Krishna was alive when he threw up his flute because it was his most prized possession.  But then Krishna appeared and stomped on the heads of Kaliya.  It was odd that Krishna who first attacked Kaliya would then spare the life of Kaliya and force him to go to the ocean.  After the battle, it was interesting to see that Yasoda looked and saw Krishna swallow the flames when she was told not to.  It will be interesting to see were that leads.

Krishna lifting a mountain (source: wikimedia)

Storytelling Week 9: The Beggar God

Sati entered into the grand palace of Daksha Raj on top of Mahadeva’s bull.  She hoped that her father would see the error of his ways and treat Siva kindly.  As she entered the palace, her mother, Daksha Rani, ran out to greet her.

“I was worried that you were not coming,” said Daksha Rani.

Sati’s sisters saw the exchange and were jealous because they had not been greeted as such, so they went and told their father, Daksha Raj, that Sati had arrived to attend the yagna. 

“Sati is at the yagna?  She should not have come.  I will see to it that she does not remain.  Bring her to me,” said Daksha Raj.

Therefore, Sati entered into the palace and came into the throne room.  As she walked towards Daksha Raj’s throne, the thousands of guests all beheld her with admiration at her exquisite dress and grace.  When she arrived at the throne of her father, he began to berate her and Siva. 

“Siva is just a beggar god, he does not deserve to attend a yagna like this,” said Daksha Raj.

After angrily insulting Shiva for a while, Daksha Raj finally ceased to talk then Sati said to him, “While Siva is a beggar; he only cares about the love of his children.  Because such have words have exited your mouth and because such insults towards Shiva do not belong in a human, you shall no longer have the head of a human but of an animal.”

Therefore, Daksha Raj’s head turned into a goat.  Then Sati as she held the audience hall spellbound left the chamber.  As she walked to the stable were Mahadeva’s bull was stabled she marveled to herself that someone so powerful and had so many gods supporting him could be so wicked. 

So, Sati left the city and returned to her home with Siva.  When Siva heard from Sati, what he had foresaw what would transpire at the palace he was filled with rage towards Daksha Raj.

So Siva went down the mountains to the city where Daksha Raj lived and finding Daksha Raj he killed him and began killing everyone else in the palace.  When his rage finally began to subside, he restored the residents of the palace back to life and granted boons to each of them but to Dahsha Raj he said, “I will restore your voice and head but in your time of greatest need nothing shall exit your mouth but the voice of a goat.”

The yagna (Source: wikimedia)

Author’s Note:

This follows along the same storyline of Sati from the book Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee.  I wanted to tell a variation on the story were Sati does not actually decide to die.  So I had Sati return to her home and had Siva go on a rampage in the palace of Daksha Raj instead. 

Bibliography:
Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee (1919)

Reading Diary B: Nine Ideal Women by Sunity Devee

I read Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee this week.  The women that I read about today were Sati and Uttara.  One of my favorite stories is from the life of Sati.  It was the story of how she came to be with Siva and how she lived with Siva.  I found that it was interesting that Sita was discouraged from marrying Siva.  Even though Siva was a poor god he was still the god of creation and as such Daksha Raj should have been happy to have his daughter marry Siva but instead it vexed him that Sati chose to marry Siva.  Even Siva’s attire should have impressed Daksha Raj.  Cobras formed Siva’s crown, around his should was a tiger’s skin and he held in his hands the earth, sky and seas.  He also could see the past, present, and future.  After the wedding, Sati and Siva lived humbly but they loved each other so much.  They spent time with each other in a garden where nature sang praises about them.  Another story I liked was also from the story of Sati.  It was when she decided to go to her Daksha Raj’s yagua.  It is odd that even though she loved Siva so much she decided to go against his wishes and go to the yagua even though they had not been invited.  Then after she goes to the party, it is sad to read of how her father, Daksha Raj, treated her.  It was also sad when Sati cursed her father then she died.  Siva’s sorrow after that was understandable and it was odd that he could do nothing for her soul after she had died.

Shiva mourns Sati (Source: wikimedia)

Reading Diary A: Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee

This week I am reading Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee.  The women I read about today were Savitri and Damayanti.  Both of these women had amazing stories of devotion to their husbands.  One of my favorite stories of these two women is from Savitri.  It occurred after Savitri had married Satyaban and was when Satyaban died.  I found it interesting that Yom would go to such lengths to get Savitri to go away but it was not until after the last wish that Savitri got what she wanted.  She first wished for healing for her father in law then a son for her father then she wished for a son as well.  It is odd that Yom did not pay attention and understand the implications of granting the third wish.  But Savitri understood and used the wish to her advantage and told Yom that it would not be good for her to have a child as a widow.  So after that Yom realized what he had granted and gave Satyaban back to Savitri and promised that she would never be a widow.  Then the story ended with Satyaban’s father getting back his kingdom.  One story of Damayanti that I liked was the story of her finding her husband, Nal again.  It was amusing that to bring out Nal she decided to say that she was getting married again.  But she knew that by saying that she would be able to find Nal.  Then when she found Nal again, they remarried again, and then Nal went back, got his kingdom back from his brother, and then forgave his brother.

Damayanti and the messenger swan (Source: wikimedia)

Reading Plan

For week 9 I plan on reading Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee. The reading unit I plan on reading is the epic women one.  And for weeks 10 and 11 I plan on reading the stories of Krishna and Shiva in the Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita.  I plan on finishing for weeks 12 - 14 by reading The Story of the Great War: Some Lessons from the Mahabharata by Annie Besant.

Shiva (Source: DeviantArt)

Bibliography:

Title: Nine Ideal Indian Women
Author: Sunity Devee
Year: 1919

Title: Cradle Tales of Hinduism
Author: Sister Nivedita
Translator:
Year: 1907

Title: The Story of the Great War: Some Lessons from the Mahabharata

Author: Annie Besant
Year: 1899

Reflections: Looking Forward

For the second half of the semester plan on doing my homework earlier in the day so that I can spend more time thinking what I will write instead of quickly thinking and then writing.  I would also like to try to get ahead in my assignments so that I do not have to stress every night.  For my writing, I would like to try to make my writing easier to be drawn into so that the reader can experience the story better.  I am hoping that for my reading that I choose some complex stories because I enjoy challenges.  I hope that I interact more with the other students over the second half of the semester.  I also don’t plan to do growth mindsets or curations unless I want some bonus points.  I hope that this class continues to require me to invest time so that I can learn.

Inspirational Quote (Source: staticflickr)

                                                           

Reflections: Looking Back

Over the course of the semester, so far, I think I have defined the path I want my writing to take but one of my most interesting pieces was from the earlier weeks of the class.  It is Rama and the Cursed and it is told from the viewpoint and is told in a report style.  One of my most favorite readings so far has been the Mahabharata.  One of my favorite stories in there is how Arjuna got his celestial weapons during his exile.  The interactions in this class are unique.  While I do not have any relationship with other students, I recognize the names.  For this class, I do the homework with all of my other homework throughout the day with priority to whatever is due first.  This schedule has remained the same throughout the semester.  I do some of my homework on campus but most of my homework is completed at my apartment.  After the first couple of weeks, I have not done another growth mindset challenge.  I would say that this class has been a good opportunity to practice the growth mindset activities.  If I do the work, I get a good grade but I also have to revise the work, and continue to improve my writing every week.  Like with the growth mindset I did not do any curation after the first couple of weeks.  I am able to keep track of what I learn each week and find it easily because most information I usually download and save.  

Snail crawling (Source: staticflickr)

Storytelling Week 7: The Disciple of None

When word began to travel around that Drona had begun to train the Pandava and Kaurava princes in war other nobles and princes began to flock to Drona from neighboring kingdoms.  One of the princes that happened to flock to Drona from one of the other kingdoms called Nishadha was Ekalavya.  He was from non-Aryan birth and was of a lower race.  When Ekalavya finally arrived at Hastinapur he approached Drona and said to him, “Guru you are well versed in the arts of war please teach your humble student in the art of war.”

When Drona heard this, he was pleased with Ekalavya and said to him, “Boy what is your name?”

Ekalavya then replied saying, “I am Prince Ekalavya of Nishadha.”

When Drona heard this he was saddened because Nishadha was an enemy nation and Ekalavya was of a lower race than the Aryans.  Therefore, he could not teach Ekalavya the ways of war lest the secrets of warfare be revealed to him.  Then Drona said to him, “Boy I cannot teach you go back to your home.”

So Ekalavya left and went into the forest and made a clay statue of Drona that he revered as his teacher.  Ekalavya then began training in archery day and night hoping that one day Drona may look at him with pride.  However, one day a dog appeared and began to bark so Ekalavya turned and shot seven arrows in the mouth of the dog in an instant.  The dog ran away in pain to his masters who happened to be the princes.  When they saw the dog, they marveled at the skill of the archer and began to seek the archer.  When they finally found Ekalavya, they said to him, “Are you the one who shot the dog seven times in the mouth so that it can no longer close its mouth?”

Ekalavya replied, “I am a disciple of Drona like yourselves, my name is Ekalavya, prince of Nishadha.”

So the princes left and told Drona of what they had seen and heard.  Drona at hearing what Ekalavya had said was filled with anger and rushed to meet him.  When he arrived, Ekalavya prostrated himself and Drona asked Ekalavya, “is it true that you are my pupil?”

Ekalavya replied, “If it is the master’s will I am.”

So Drona replied, “A teacher’s fee is required to become my pupil.  If you have not the money a sacrifice must be made.”

Ekalavya quickly answered, “All that I have will be but yours if you ask for it.”

“Cut off your right thumb” said Drona.

Ekalavya without a look of sadness grabbed his knife, cut of his right thumb, and handed it to Drona. Then Drona said, “I do not train cripples and left Ekalavya.” 

When Drona had left, Ekalavya tried to fire his bow again but when finding he could not he began to weep.

Ekalavya cutting off his thumb (Source: wikipedia)

Author’s note: 

This week’s story was inspired by the story of Ekalavya.  This story follows along roughly the same story but I added depth to the story hoping to generate more understanding into why Drona did what he did.  I hope that as this story is read the reader will feel for Ekalavya but at the same time feel for Drona who most likely would have loved to be able to train Ekalavya.  

Bibliography:

"Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists" by Sister Nivedita (1914)

Reading Diary B: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita

I am reading Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita.  Within the text, I read the story of the Mahabharata.  A story that stood out to me in the text was the story of Amba.  I found it odd that she blamed Bhishma for her rejection by King Shalva.  However, when she was being awarded as a prize at the swayamvara she never told her father or Bhishma that she had promised herself to King Shalva.  Instead, she waits until right before the wedding and then Bhishma releases her to go marry King Shalva.  Also she probably could have gone back and married to the king Vichitravirya but instead she goes and lives in an ashram.  There she fuels her anger against Bhishma and vows to kill him.  Then after Shiva tells her that in her next life, she will kill Bhishma.  So then, she builds herself a funeral pyre, lights it and then throws herself on it killing herself.  It is curious that any of the gods would support her.  If Bhishma had not come and she was given to another king, she would have been angry with him.  Instead, most of the blame should have been placed on her.  After she died, she was reincarnated as Shikhandini who was a princess but was raised as a princess.  Then she makes a deal with a yaksha, turns into a man, and goes into battle as a male to kill Bhishma.  It was very troubling how deep a grudge could go.  If Bhishma had been an evil man and it had all been his fault, it would have been more reasonable.  However, as it was Amba was just shirking the responsibility for her actions.  

Bhishma refusing to fight Shikhandi (Source: wikipedia)

Reading Diary A: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita

I am reading Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita.  Within the text, I read the story of the Mahabharata.  One of my favorite stories in the reading was the story of Ekalavya.  I found that it was interesting that Drona rejected him.  Considering what had happened to Drona in the past, it seems like Drona would be more sympathetic with Ekalavya.  Instead, when Drona finds out that he had claimed to be his pupil he had Ekalavya pay a teacher’s fee and he cuts of his right thumb and loses his ability to shoot the bow.  This was all because he was a low cast prince of non-Aryan birth and it would be bad if he became better than the princes and learned all the secrets of military science.  Another story that I liked was the story of the princes attacking King Drupada at Drona’s bequest.  I found it amusing that after all the training that the Kaurava princes received, they still rushed in and did not have a good strategy, and as a result, the princes were routed.  However, when the Pandavas attack the use strategy and are able to easily defeat King Drupada.  In addition, after Arjuna had captured King Drupada the Kaurava princes were angry and wanted to sack the Panchala capital even though the Kauravas had first received the chance to capture him.  Another oddity about that was that King Drupada was able to wound both Duryodhana and Karna.  The reason this was odd was the fact that Duryodhana and Karna were almost as powerful as Bhima and Arjuna respectively.  

Ekalavya cutting off his thumb (Source: wikipedia)

Storytelling Week 6: The Regret of a Future King

Yudhistira wept over his fallen family members.  He and his brothers had committed fratricide on a grand scale because of the wickedness of a few individuals.  “What will I do now that the war is over, that our family has been nearly destroyed?  I wish that I had known that Karna was my brother.  I would have gone to him and had him become our king.  How shall I repent for this?” thought Yudhistira.

His brothers were with him and Yudhistira said to him “Our family, who had become our enemies, which we killed, has been granted the right to go to heaven.  However, it does not grant me peace.  Arjuna I will go out into the wilderness and seek renunciation.”

At these words Yudhistira’s brothers were frustrated and rightfully so they thought.  They had endured years of misfortune and they had steeled their resolve to kill their family members.  Now, Yudhistira wanted to shirk his duty and go into solitude.  Arjuna said to him, “We have sacrificed so much for this; we cannot turn back from the path before us.  To turn back now would make those that had died die a worthless death.” 

Then Bhima said to him, “If you speak so about what we have done, it would have been better not to have waged war against Duryodhana.  We should have let Dhritarashtra have his way with us instead.  If not for Dhritarahtra, Duryodhana and all our family would be at peace.  You have a duty to your family and all of your followers; your cast that you were born with cannot be changed.  You have to take up the crown and rule this nation. 

Then the younger brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, spoke to Yudhistira saying, “We have stood by your side all these years and we went into battle for you knowing that we would be fighting our family.  Do not dishonor those that have died by running away.  Dhritarashtra is probably happy thinking that he was able to defeat you in the end.”

After all this Yudhistira was still did not think that he should be king and that he should go into the forest and seek renunciation.  Therefore, Krishna spoke to Yudhistira, “Disregard your own feelings on this matter.  You have wallowed around for long enough.  You cannot think about only yourself you have to act for all that have fought and died and you have to think about all the people that need to be led.”

So Yudhistira decided to become king and led the kingdom for years.

The five Pandava brothers and Draupadi (Source: wikipedia)

Author's Note:  I read The Mahabharata by R. K. Narayan.  For this week I decided to do a variation on the scene were Yudhistira does not want to become king anymore and is saddened by the loss of his family.  For my version I followed the original version for the most part and added in my own version of the conversation which I think got to the root of the problem.  I also added a little spin to the tail by making Duryodhana a good person.

Bibliography:

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