Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part B

The Golden Goose is the story of a city and the people of Benares. One day, golden clouds covered their sky and they didn't figure out why. A goose was then flying through the sky, but it wasn't an ordinary goose. It was a beautiful golden goose they lit up the sky. The King looked up through his castle and called out to the goose, explaining "Great bird of those why fly through space you are certainly the king". The King called everyone to come out and celebrate and honor their visitor. The flock of geese following the golden goose thought the King just wanted to be the golden gooses friend. So the goose went down to earth to greet the king, then back up to his companions. The goose then headed home to his kingdom at Cittakutta. As time passed, the King of Benares longed more and more to see the bird. He walked to Lake Anokkatta every day looking for the bird. One day, two young geese under the golden gooses rule approached him and said they hoped to race to the sun. They persisted, even after the golden goose said it was not wise. The King repeatedly said no, so the young geese went anyway without permission.

The King knew what these two young geese were up to, so he followed them anyway. The two geese grew so tired of flying for so long, and the King saved them and flew them back down to land. The golden goose decided to visit the King of Benares again, and the King was overjoyed at his visitor. The King brought a golden throne for the goose and invited him inside. The goose spoke of his speed and the King asked if there was anything faster than him. The golden goose informed him that Time was a hundred thousand times faster than the himself. The golden goose then decided it was time to return back to his kingdom.

Source: Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat


(The Golden Goose: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part A

The Fairy and the Hare was the best story out of my selection. We begin our story with a hare that lived in a small village. This specific hare wasn't like the others though, as it was the sweetest out of all. He had three friends, a jackal, a water-weasel, and a monkey. The four friends met up one day to talk and the hare taught everyone how to love everyone they came into contact with. The hare told his friends that they should not eat any food they found the next day, but give it to someone in need. The jackal found a hut with food and after no response, he took the meat with him. A fisherman had caught fish and had hid them in the sand to come back and grab, and the water-weasel found this hiding spot. After calling out asking whose fish this was, with no response, the water-weasel took the fish. The monkey then climbed the tree and grabbed some ripe mangoes. Lastly, the hare went out hunting for others. The hare leaped with joy at what he thought he could offer to someone to eat, himself.

There was a sweet fairy that lived in the forest, named Sakka. This fairy knew everything that happened in the forst, from the tiniest ant's action to the large bears. The fairy knew these four friends had been out hunting look for food for the smaller animals, so she changed herself into an old beggar man. She first approached the Jackal begging for food, who gave up his piece of meat he stole. Next, the fairy went to the water-weasel, who gave her his fish. Next, she went to the monkey who gave her all his fresh mangoes. Lastly, the fairy went to the hare, who offered himself as food. The fairy made a fire and the hare gladly jumped into it, but the flames were as cool as water and didn't burn him.

Source: Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat


(The Hare: wikipedia)

Reading Notes: Krishna Part B

In order to tell the coming of Krishna, we have to then tell The Passing of Krishna. Krishna had returned from Indraprastha at this point. Prince Samba and some other young nobles decided to go to Pindaraka. They ran into Vishvamitra and other powerful sages and Samba wanted to trick them. So Samba dressed up as a young married woman and approached Vishvamitra. Sambra's friends tried to trick Vishvamitra, but he saw right through them. In anger he cursed Sambra and they all ran back to Dwarka and to tell their story. The curse was that the club Sambra had been given would destroy their entire race, so King Ugrasena destroyed the club. It came back together and fell into the hands of Jara.

Years later, Dwarka began to fall apart. Prince Krishna told everyone to leave the city and find shelter elsewhere. Krishna and the men went to Prabhasa in order to worship the goddess Saraswati so the terror would end. Krishna and the Yadavas went along to Prabhasa, but they were a prideful group of men. They ignored Krishna's commands and instead of worshipping Saraswati, drank the wine of the land. The man all suddenly irrupted into a large fight between each other, and after Krishna and Balarama failed to stop the war, they joined in. All of the Yadava nobles killed each other and only Krishna and Balarama were left. Balarama was eventually killed and Krishna was all alone. Krishna was injured in the foot and had no way to move. His chariot arrived with his horses and his servant, who sprung to Krishna's side when he saw what had happened. Krishna knew he was destined to returned back to the heavens so he told his servant to go back to Dwarka and tell the story of what had happened that day. His servant did as he was told and Krishna's spirit flew high into the sky.

Source: Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C. A. Kincaid


(The Death of Krishna: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Krishna Part A

The story of Krishna is very fascinating. The Coming of Krishna was by far the most interesting story to me of how Krishna came to be. Lord Vishnu was a fearless deity and a supreme leader of the world. The Earth had begun to suffer and came to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu listened and created two humans, Balarama and Krishna, who were destined to slay all the demons that walked the earth. Kansa was the strongest demon of all, who tormented the Earth and human race. The heavens declared though that Vasudeva, Kansa's cousin, and Devaki's eighth child would kill Kansa, so the demon prince panicked. Vasudeva swore to Kansa that he would not allow his children to kill him, so he sacrificed his children to Kansa.

Prince Kansa flew into a blind rage over time, killing the eldest six kids of Vasudeva and Devaki and threw them into a dungeon. Vasudeva and Devaki became pregnant with their seventh child, who was Balarama. Lord Vishnu had to protect this child though, so he placed the child in the womb of Vasudeva's other wife. It came time for Vasudeva and Devaki's eighth child and Krishna was born a righteous soul. The heavenly baby spoke to Vasudeva and told him before King Kansa awoke to take him to the wagon of one Nanda. The prison gates swung open and the guards all fell into a heavenly sleep, so Krishna escaped with his father's help. In the wagon was a woman who had just given birth, so they switched the heavenly Krishna for the newly-born infant. The guards awoke the next morning to this baby girl by Devakis side and Kasna killed her. The baby's spirit though informed Kasna that his true enemy had escaped and would come for him one day.

Source: Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C. A. Kincaid


(Krishna: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab Part B

Silence is Golden was my favorite story from this reading. There once was a young jackal-lion cub that was very small. His father was a lion while his mother had been a jackal. They fell in love and had the young cub. The cub had taken after his father in looks, an almost identical twin you could say. There was one difference though and it was that his voice took after his mothers. People thought he was a lion cub, as long as he didn't open up his mouth. This young cub loved playing with the other lions, as they were very rambunctious group. They would stumble around all over each other and make a mess of everything.

One day, while they were playing around, the cub thought he could scare all of his friends. So he opened his mouth wide hoping to roar, but could only yell out a yelp like his mother would make. The other young lions were all confused, and didn't know what was going on. They didn't understand what strange sound this young lion cub had made and if he was even a lion. One of the cubs began to make fun of the poor jackal-lion cub, and all the others joined along. They all said mean words and said how much he looked and walked like a lion, but how when he opened his mouth, he was anything but a lion. They all said he was a jackal and nothing more than that. The young jackal-lion cub became very distraught and upset by everyone disowning him, as they began to tell him that he needed to keep his mouth shut for the rest of time. He didn't have a lion's roar so there was no use in ever saying anything. The young cub sulked away in sadness, and learned then to always hold his tongue when in the presence of others who thought they were better.

Source: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales by W. H. D. Rouse


(The Cub: needpix)

Reading Notes: The Giant Crab Part A

The Giant Crab is personally to me a major story from this reading that I found really interesting. It starts off at this lake in the mountains where a giant crab lived. This wasn't any ordinary crab though. He was the biggest crab that had ever lived, as he was bigger than a dining room table and had armchair sized claws. This crab was a loner, who lived in the lake by himself. There were many different animals though that lived in the mountains by the lake and they needed water to drink. From tiny foxes to huge elephants, there was a variety of animals. The crab though was very hungry all the time though, so whenever an animal would come up to the water's edge, the crab would grab the animal with his claw. After drowning the animal, it would make for a tasty dinner for the giant crab. This went on for what seemed like forever. The crab only grew in size from his feast. The animals were running out of water though and didn't know what to do, until one day an elephant decided to stand up to the crab.

All the elephants created a plan to trap the crab while they were near the water's edge. The crab grabbed onto one the elephant's leg and tried to pull him in. The wife of this elephant begged the crab to let her husband go. The crab found the elephant to be very attractive, so he asked her for a kiss. The elephant pretended to be pleased, so the crab let go of the other elephant and made his way toward her. The elephant who had been released then let out a giant trumpet sound and launched himself onto the crab's back. The elephant weighed too much for the crab shell, so it fell apart into tiny pieces. The animals all rejoiced and went on with their happy life.

Source: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales by W. H. D., Rouse


(Crab: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B

The Maiden Who Became a Knight is my favorite story from this reading, especially since it is a more empowering story about a female figure, retold by a female voice. The story begins with the eldest queen of Drupada and how she was unable to have a child with the king of the Panchalas. Drupada prayed every day for a son to be born, instead of a daughter. He dedicated his son to fight the battle against Drona. Shiva blessed him and his wife became pregnant, but with a daughter. Shiva did promise Drupada though that a son would be the next born child. Drupada went home and told his queen of the news, and she was overwhelmed with happiness and blessings. The queen was due to give birth and after she did, they informed everyone they had given birth to a son, although it was indeed a daughter. No one was suspicious and the lie went on. They named their daughter Shikhandin, which had a feminine form of Shikhandini. She was raised as a warrior, going through everything that a prince would train as and for. This daughter was just as strong as all the other princes. It was time for this "son" to find a wife, so they searched far and wide for a suitable bride. When the king of the selected bride heard of the rumors that the prince was in fact a woman, he vowed revenge on Drupada and swore to destroy his kingdom. Drupada felt guilty and weak at this time, and the queen publicly took responsibility for this lie. Drupada and his council concluded that the marriage proposal was all in good faith and they believed the daughter to be a son. So they prepared for war and prayed to the gods for help.

Source: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita


(Shikhandi Battle Scene: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

The Promise to Drona was one story that really stood out to me throughout this weeks reading. Drona had taken these princes as his students one day and called for them to gather together and lay down. Drona promised these princes that he would teach them to become strong warriors and learn how to bear arms. He had a special plan for these men. At the sound of this declaration, the princes all became silent in unison. Although one of them, Arjuna, the third eldest Pandavas, swore that he would accomplish this goal set before them. Drona instantly favored Arjuna from this moment on, as he saw all the pontetial Arjuna held and the warrior he would become. Drona and Arjuna had a special bond because of this, and they never wavered from each other's side. Arjuna was set to master the arms he would soon to learn. Princes from all around came to see the famous Drona, master of arms and teacher to men. All of the Kurus and Pandavas were his pupils, and these princes were set to be strong warriors. Karna soon came along and he was very different from the rest. He was rumored to be the adopted son of another royal member of the court. His true birth blood was unknown to everyone though. Karna and Arjuna soon became enemies within their training, always pitted against each other. Karna befriended Duryodhana and his brothers though, not the Pandavas. Arjuna took every opportunity he could to learn and master every skill they were taught, so he could be better than the others. Arjuna was eating one night and found out that even in the dark he could eat without a problem. So he also started training at night and when Drona found him so, he embraced the student fully realizing all the potential this young prince had inside of him.

Source: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita


(Drona: wikipedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Duryodhana in the Lake is one of those stories that really stood out to me. The Kauravas at this point had fled in terror after Karna had been killed. Kripa told Duryodhana that peace was to come as the warriors had been killed. Duryodhana was scared of everything he had done to the Pandavas and that they would not accept his plea for mercy. Duryodhana realized that the war would have to continue till the end. Shalya was the new leader of the Kaurava's army, which had decreased in numbers greatly. The Pandavas were fighting warriors that never ceased so on the eighteenth day Duryodhana decided to run away, taking with him his mace. He had the power to hide in the water for as long as he needed, so he dove into the lake and hide beneath the water's surface.

Shalya was eventually killed by Yudhishthira, and he fell hard. Sahadeva killed the fake Shakuni and Bhima killed all of Duryodhana's brother that had survived. The only remaining heroes left of the Kaurava's army were Ashwathaman, Kirpa and the hidding Duryodhana. Bhima eventually discovered where Duryodhana was hidding and Yudhishthira went to the lake to tell him to come out. Duryodhana told the Pandavas to take him kingdom as he was going to the woods for meditation in exile. Duryodhana and Yudhishthira fought back and forth. Eventually, Duryodhana and Bhima fought in battle and Duryodhana was slain. Bhima's destiny was fulfilled and Draupadi was avenged. Yudhishthira was not happy though, as this death would look bad on all of them. Arjuna took Bhima away. Yudhishthira knelt by Duryodhana and asked what he should do to honor Duryodhana, as he had been cheated in battle. Krishna tried to find the balance in everything that had happened, as all the bad equaled each other out. Krishna easied the venegful spirit of Balarama and told him not to cause any more battles.


(Duryodhana in the Lake: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part C

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Riddles at the Lake was one story that really stood out to me throughout the section of readings. The Pandava had been in exile for twelve years at this point in the woods. One last challenge blocked them though from this exit of survival. A stag with twig antlers was sprinting away through the woods, and they were instructed to catch it. The twigs were needed to start a fire. After chasing the stag, they were all exhausted so they needed to rest and drink some water. Yudhishthira had sent Nakula to the river, but said not to drink from it until he had answered the question. Nakula was so thirsty though, he completely forgot about all the fear of the Yudhishthira. As he drank from the waters, he died. Sahadeva followed his brother andgazed upon the pool, and even though he heard the voice too, he drank from the pool. He died.

Arjuna approached the water and demanded the voice show itself. He ended up drinking from the river, along with Bhima, and they both fell dead. Yudhishthira approached his brothers and saw them all dead, and asked the voice to appear. The voice claimed he was yaksha and he had warned his brothers to not drink the water. Yudhishthira told the yaksha to ask his questions and so it began. The yaksha asked a multitude of questions, each one being answered by Yudhishthira with a sense of wisdom and knowledge. After all the questions had been answered, the voice revealed himself as Dharma, the god of wisdom and justice. Dharma granted Yudhishthira two boons, and then he asked Dharma to bring his brothers back to life. So Dharma accepted this request and brought his brothers back and gave the brothers all the power to claim the thrown and to never be challenged.


(Pandava's Exile: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B

Wife of the Five Pandavas is the one story that stood out to me the most. The Pandava brothers went towards their mother, Kunti, to tell her that had a marvelous gift. Kunti told her sons to share the gift, as they become a foundation of brotherhood. Yudhishthira, one of the brothers, told their mother that the gift was Princess Draupadi. Arjuna had won her at the "auction" of sorts for wives (might I add, I find great offense to this). Kunti becomes a little upset at the idea of this and the fatal consequences that may follow. Arjuna then said how he had won the princess and so she was destined to be his bride. They begin to bicker a little and decide that Drupada should have the final say in who Princess Draupadi should marry. Every Pandava desired to have her as bride though. King Drupada was sad his daughter had been sent away and sent his son away in disguise to see what was happening with his daughter. When Drupada's son returned with what had just happened, the king was happy that the brothers were kshatriyas and not the brahmins. Drupada sent word to the Pandavas that there would be a wedding feast, so the Pandavas went. The brothers tell Drupada that Arjuna had won Draupadi. Drupada visibly ecstatic. Drupada invited the Pandavas to stay at the palace for a couple of days so the brothers did. The oldest brother and Drupada decided that a great rishi should be invited to way in on the decision of who Drupadi should be the bride of, so Vyasa came. Vyasa told them that Draupadi was the re-incarnation of a woman who had prayed five times for a husband. So Draupadi was destined to marry all five of the brothers, as these brothers were all incarnations of Indra. Drupada gave permission for his daughter to marry all the brothers, so all the brothers wed Draupadi. Drupada gave the Pandavas many gifts and this was the end.

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie


(Pandavas: wikipedia)

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

Drona was the biggest character that stood out to me within this reading. This story was written by Donald A. Mackenzie and surrounds the life of Drona. We start of with Bhishma looking far and wide for a warrior that had brains. This man would be Drona, son of Bharadwaja. Drona was more than happy to train the princes and bring them to their title of standing. Drona had no mother, since he was born by a nymph. Drupada was somewhat of a brother to Drona, as he was of similar origin. Drupada's father though was Prishata. As they grew into men, fate divided the two apart. Drupada became King of Panchala and Drona married Kripi. Drona and Kripi had a son named Ashwatthaman. Drona was devoted to raising his son. Drona received heavenly weapons and the power to control them from Jamadagni. Drona wanted to share his wealth with Drupada, so he went to his childhood friend. Drupada basically spit in his face through words and so Drona hurried away from the kingdom without a remark.

The next story that is important to the previous is Drona's Revenge written by Donald A. Mackenzie. Drona, at this point, has built a mighty army that is ready to fight Drupada. Drona tells his army to defeat Drupada and to bring him to Drona. A war began and Drupada was eventually defeated by Pandava. They destroyed the city and brought Drupada to Drona. The two men begin to speak, in a passive aggressive tone. Drupada asks to be friends again and Drona agrees. Drona took possession of half of Drupada's kingdom and the two men went on their way. Drupada also knew that he would never be able to defeat Drona, so he never tried to fight again. The Pandavas started a great war with surrounding kingdoms and extended their kingdom for many miles.

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie



(Mahabharata: wikipedia)

Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita Reading B

Source: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita

The first story that caught my interest was Sita's Second Trial that I found refreshing from this viewpoint. Rama, at this point in time, has been governing Ayodhya for ten thousand years. Sita was now with child and Rama wanted to give her a special gift, so he asked if there was anything she desired. Sita wanted to visit the hermitages of the sages so Rama planned the visit. Rama was later that night talking with his counsellors and friends, and asked what the citizens had been saying of Sita. They then told him that everyone had been speaking ill of Sita and her time with Ravana. Rama's heart sank and he told everyone how faithful Sita had been in her time with Ravana. Rama knew he could not have a wife though that no one believed in. Rama instructed Lakshman to take Sita on the trip. Lakshman began to weep on the trip and when Sita asked what was wrong, he said he simply missed Rama. Lakshman then informs Sita he has been instructed by Sita to leave her there, as she has been renounced. Sita faints at this news. Sita asks Lakshman to send a message back to Rama, that she had always been faithfully and loving of Rama and she would never do anything to betray him. Lakshman returned to Rama and Valmiki's son found Sita along the river-side. Valmiki took Sita back to their hermitage and gave her to the wives to shower her with affection. Lakshman then told Rama the deed was done, and everyone was a mess of emotions. Lakshman left Rama alone and came across a dog waiting at the gates, and he asked what he needed. The dog replied he had a message for Rama, but he could not enter to tell him due to his ungodly nature. The dog simply would not enter.


(Sister Nivedita Home Morum: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Sister Nivedita Reading A

Source: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana by Sister Nivedita

From the section of readings by Sister Nivedita, the first story I loved from her viewpoint was the Golden Deer. Sita, Rama and Lakshman are in the woods when they come across a beautiful deer. This wasn't any average deer though, as it was Maricha, an obedient servant of Ravana. He transformed into a magnificent golden deer that attracted the eye of anyone who crossed its path. Maricha roamed around hoping to be seen by Sita and he eventually was. Sita begged Rama to either catch or kill the deer for her, and Rama, in his own fascination, agreed. Lakshman was weary though and warned Rama that it might be a rakshasa in a disguise. Rama chose not to listen and to leave Sita in Lakshman's protection while he went to hunt down the deer. Rama intended to bring back the deer skin with his arrival. Rama hunted the deer farther and farther away from his wife and brother and eventually grew tired. Maricha was joined then by another deer he created to trap Rama. Rama brought out his bow and arrow and shot the deer. As Maricha was dying, he assumed his own form and tried to draw Lakshman away from Sita. In Rama's voice, he called out for Rama's wife and brother. Once Sita heard this cry, she forced Lakshman to leave to go help Rama, even though Lakshman knew it was not a good idea to leave her alone. Sita said some cruel things and so Lakshman was forced to leave Sita alone in the woods. 

The next story following this one was Sita Stolen, which I felt added to this previous story. Sita was now all alone in the forest and Ravana assumed the form of a beggar to approach her. The forest fell silent because everything knew who he was and was scared of him. Ravana asked Sita to become his wife and he would give her palaces and jewels. This made Sita mad and she yelled at him how she was loyal to Rama. Ravana became enraged and turned into a monster that rose up into the sky. After a quick battle, Ravana grabbed Sita and took her away up in the sky. Sita dropped her belongings down in the hopes they would find their way back to Rama. 


(Sister Nivedita: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part D

The first reading that I liked from this set was the story of Ravana's Death written by Donald Mackenzie and Romesh Dutt. At this point everyone is fighting and Ravana has grown ten heads. Rama is running forward in order to attack Ravana. Brahma had created a flaming weapon that would protect the gods, so Rama grabbed it and threw it at Ravana. This killed Ravana instantly and Rama had saved the day once again. Heavenly music started playing from above and a voice started singing a song. Rama entered the city in victory. Vibhishana performed the appropriate funeral ritual from his fallen brother and was later crowned King of Lanka. In the next part of the verse, this course has a lyrical tone speaking about the great battle. They speak of the firing weapon of power. It tells of how Ravana was slain and a cry of terror arose from the world. Heaven had never been so happy. Rama was the true champion.

The other story I really enjoyed was Sita and Rama by Sister Nivedita. Rama had called Hanuman to go check on Sita for him and he found her naturally resting by the Ashoka tree. The rakshasis guarded her a normal. Sita wanted to see Rama so she sent this message along with Hanuman. Rama had called for her return, but she must bathed and covered in jewels. Rama was so overcome with sorrow over her capture by Ravana when he saw Sita that he was desperate to see her. Rama ordered that Sita come to him on foot and say no wrong in seeing her. Rama gets to see Sita for the first time since she had been a prisoner and he could hold none of his emotions back when he caught sight of her. Rama became torn and realized he couldn't be with a wife who had caught eyes of another. This is the most tragic story I have read through these stories.

(Ravana versus Rama and Hanuman: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part C

Throughout my readings, the first story that stood out to me was Sita and Ravana by Sister Nivedita. Ravana has taken Sita prisoner in his kingdom over the seas. Hanuman arrives where Sita is said to be held captive and notices a very fragile and weak prisoner in the palace. Hanuman assumes it is Sita based off her jewels described by Rama and her spotless skin. Sita was guarded by many rakshasis in this kingdom. Hanuman was overwhelmed with joyful tears thinking about Rama and Lakshmana. While Hanuman was watching Sita, Ravana awakens and heads over towards Sita, who becomes visibly upset by his approach and sobs. Ravana tries to court Sita with every jewel and wealth imaginable but she continually turns him down saying Rama will come and kill him. Ravana gave her two months to accept his offers to become another one of his wives and if she refused after that point, the rakshasi could torture her forever.

The next story I enjoyed was Hanuman and Sita by Donald A. Mackenzie and Romesh Dutt. Hanuman approached Sita in secret and at first she thought it was a trap of Ravanas. Once she saw the ring of Rama that Hanuman possessed, she became ecstatic with happiness. Hanuman offered to carry her away, but Sita was modest and wouldn't allow any man to touch her other than Rama. So Sita gave Hanuman the jewel from her hair and told him of Ravana's two month plan. The next part goes into a more poem style verse. Sita speaks to Hanuman about her woes and how much she misses Rama. Sita asks if he misses her as well and if Lakshman is still by his side. Sita is so overcome with emotion about the thought of Rama and wants nothing more than to be back in his loving arms.

(Sita being Kidnapped: flickr)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B

I became really interested into the story of Shurpanakha after reading a few entries about her. In Shurpanakha and Rama, written by Donald Mackenzie. Shurpanakha was a man eater that was cursed with hideous looks and forced to live in the jungle. The moment Shurpanakha saw Rama, she fell in love. Shurpanakha decided that she would change her form into someone more beautiful in order to steal Rama away from Sita. Shurpanakha introduced herself into a beautiful young women and approached Rama, where he introduced himself as well. Shurpanakha told Rama she had chosen him as her husband and was needed to help rule over her great empire. Rama told her no, that he was in love with Sita, but that his brother Lakshmana was in need of a bride. Shurpanakha became enraged and spoke of how she would come to destroy the weak human Sita and take her husband. Rama heard this chant and repeated that Lakshman was in need of a wife and had a lot of love to give.

The next story involving Shurpanakha that caught my eye was Lakshmana and Shurpanakha also written by Donald Mackenzie. From the start of this story, we learn that Shurpanakha runs away from Rama and goes to Lakshmana. Lakshmana instantly starts making fun of Shurpanakha and this totally enrages her. She goes to attack Sita in a blind furry in which Rama pushes her away. Lakshmana pulls out his sword and cuts off the nose and ears of Shurpanakha, so as she runs away she's screaming at the top of her lungs. Shurpanakha runs to her brother Khara, who, surprise surprise, becomes infuriated when he sees his sister bleeding. Shurpanakha told her brother that Rama and Lakshmana attacked her because she wanted to drink Sita's blood and then asked her brother to bring her Sita. Khara instructed fourteen rakshasas, the man eaters, to go get the three people living in the jungle, but none of them returned as they had been killed by Rama and his celestial arrows. Khara calls upon an army to come along with him as they go and kill Rama. As the rakshasas approached, Rama knew something had to be done. The last part I am a little confused about, I believe Rama cuts off Sita's nose and ears so he can protect her life and be even with Shurpanakha.


(Shurpanakha: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part A

The biggest storyline that connected with me was the story of Dasharatha. From beginning to end, he seemed a genuine character that had true love for his kingdom and his family. He wanted to continue his legacy and have a few sons that he could nurture into true kings. The first story is King Dasharatha, as all the stories I will be taking notes about are by Donald Mackenzie. In the King Dasharatha, we get our first look at his character in these stories. As king of Koshala, he needed a son to take over his thrown once he died. The capital of this kingdom was Ayodhya. He had three queens, Kayshalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra.

The next story that is key in Dasharatha's story is Kaikeyi and Dasharatha. This story is key in the overall storyline of Dasharatha. Since Kaikeyi is Dasharatha's wife, you would think she would be loving and stand by his side through everything. This is sadly, not true. Kaikeyi tricks the Dasharatha into vowing to grant two of her wishes. The first, is that her son Bharata be appointed the Yuvarajah, which is the heir to the thrown. The next wish is that he banaish Rama, his other son, to the woods for fourteen years. Dasharatha has no other option than to grant these wishes, which truly upset him. Rama was the shining son destined to take over the thrown, so Kaikeyi was jealous. This leads to a series of adventures along the road.

Lastly, Dasharatha's Death is the final story in the Dasharatha's lifetime. Dasharatha's favorite sons were, in my opinion, Rama and Lakshman. Rama was his eldest son and destined for the thrown, while Lakshman was a loyal son he respected. In some of his final moments, he scolds Queen Kaikeyi for sending his innocent children into the forest. Rama's mother, Kaushalya, came to Dasharatha after Rama's department and blamed him for lying to everyone about Rama being the next king. Dasharatha was so overcome with grief that he passed away while his spirit left the physical world.


(King Dasharatha grieving over banishment of Rama: wikimedia)

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

One story that caught my attention was The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses. Written by Tayodhamma Jataka and translated by Robert Chalmers, this story speaks about a king of a tribe of monkeys, Brahmadatta. As the sole king of Benares, Devadatta controlled an area of the Himalayas. Brahmadatta would castrate his male offspring with his teeth in the fear of one of them challenging his kingship. Buddha was then born as a monkey, Bodhisatta, and was a son of the king. His mother ran away while pregnant to protect him from the king. Bodhisatta had spectacular strength and became curious about his father. Bodhisatta's mother took him to see his father after he was persistent on seeing him. The king was instantly threatened by his son and wrapped him in a warm embrace. The son, as strong as he was, returned to hug and squeezed so hard the father's ribs broke. The father knew his son would eventually grow to kill him, so he tried to figure out how to kill the Bodhisatta first. The father knew of a vicious ogre that lived nearby, so he sent his son there to pick lotuses of a variety of colors. Bodhisatta realized as he approached the lake that an ogre haunted it, so he decided he was going to pick the lotuses without going in the lake. He leaped across the lake with all his strength and plucked two flowers as he crossed over. The ogre in shock of his power, came out of the lake and claimed the Bodhisatta had the ability to conquer all enemies. The ogre respected Bodhisatta greatly so he said offered to carry the flowers for him. At the sight of this, the father shattered into seven pieces. This story was greatly informative and many lessons were learned throughout.

(Lotuses: Wikimedia)

Week 2 Reading Overview

For my future readings, I chose to read the public domain edition: Ramayana. The first thing that caught my eye was that it is free, which tends to attract most people. As I read more about the two different versions, I discovered more reasons why I personally would benefit from the public domain edition. I am a visual learner, so since these readings have lots of illustrations, I was instantly attracted. The first comic book that caught my attention is Ganga. I have always been fascinated with rivers and oceans and all things water, so a story set in the sea seems very interesting to me. The other comic book I would like to read is Rama. The whole story of Rama seems very interesting to me due to all the drama that surrounds his life. My absolute favorite video was the Symbols of Divinity. Seeing what the lotus, linga, and other symbols represent for different divinities is something that I find really fascinating as these types of symbols really vary from culture to culture. The next video I loved was Indian and Greek Mythological Parallels  because I have always been in love with Greek Mythology. Ever since a young age, I have read about Greek gods and goddesses and can name a good majority of them, so seeing the similarities between Indian and Greek Mythology was really cool.
 
(Ganga: Wikimedia)
My favorite image is picturing Ganga, since I realized earlier how interested I am in her story and origin of the sea.