Indian Epics

For Part B of the Fables of Bidpai, I decided to focus on the story The Lean Cat and The Fat Cat. I must say it was the title that drew me into the story as I initially had no idea what to expect. After reading the story, I found it to be quite amusing and a little ridiculous haha. The ridiculous part to me was how the king had a decree to hang a cat if it was found to be stealing food. Just imaging a king making that decree in a royal court and then actually acting on this policy is so funny to me. Yet, I know this is a story more for children, so I understand sometimes ridiculous plots are needed to get the point across. A consistent lesson that I have seen among the short stories is the lesson of greed and the consequences that come with it. This was evident in the story about the Wolf and Two Otters, Ape and Boar, and now the Lean Cat and Fat Cat. You have to feel bad for the woman because she did warn the cat of the potential trouble it would get in, but then again, the cat was hu...

For Week 15's reading options, I chose to read the folktales from the Fables of Bidpai. After reading some of Aesop's fables in mythology and folklore and seeing in the description how the fables are similar, I decided to explore these short stories. Particularly, for Part A, I chose to focus on The Ape and the Boar. I was kind of disappointed with the length of most of the stories as I wish they were longer, but I decided to focus on The Ape and the Boar as it reminded me of other stories I read this semester. One story it reminded me of was the Wolf and the Otters. I think the central message in both stories is to warn of being greedy and the pitfalls that come with always wanting. We saw that with the two otters as well with the boar since it led to him breaking his own neck. One aspect of the story that I wish was more detailed was the conflict the monkey was going through. It was mentioned at the beginning how he had to save food for the winter and was getting tired of the...

 For Part B of Week 14 reading, I continued the Jataka Tales. Specifically for the week I read The Elephant and the Dog. What really sparked my interest to read the story was the title. As a fan of dogs and knowing the importance of elephants in Indian culture, I was curious to see how the two animals interacted in the story, and I was definitely not disappointed. I loved the heartwarming story of the dog and elephant's friendship and how they needed each other to live. It is always surprising to me how animals from different species are able to form friendships, but I think it highlights how even in animals, love and friendship has no boundary. If I were to retell the story, I would probably add a personal touch such as replacing the dog with my own dog, Max. He is a German Shepherd who loves to hang out with other dogs, so I think he quickly make friends with the elephant. Additionally, I think adding dialogue between the two animals could help showcase their friendship and add m...

For week 14, I decided to explore some more Jataka Tales. Like I have said many times before, I love reading short stories, and I especially enjoyed reading the Jataka Tales earlier this semester. For Part A, I decided to read The Otters and the Wolf. When I first read this story, I thought the ending was deceptively funny. I was not expecting such a blunt ending and resolution to the conflict. Normally when I read these quick short stories, there is always some witty end or clever move made by the main character. However, the story simply ends with the wolf splitting apart the fish and then going home. I am not sure what lesson can be derived from the story other than not to quarrel with others or you might end up missing out. This is what happened to the otters. Hopefully they learned not to be selfish next time they catch a fish. I could see myself doing a story retelling on this story because the ending is so anticlimactic. I think emphasizing the lesson of not being greedy would b...

100 Word Story : Percy staggered through the forest until he came upon an unfamiliar sight. Appearing before him was a camp almost exactly like Camp-Half Blood.  As he entered the gates, he was met by many demigods. They introduced themselves as sons and daughters of Hindu gods and how excited they were to meet Poseidon's son.  Soon the headmaster of the camp, Guru Venkaswami approached Percy. He had asked Percy to arrive to the camp, so that he could join forces in their fight against the fearsome Rakshi.  Together Percy and Rahul, son of Indra, would attempt to defeat the evil demon. Two sentence story: Percy Jackson arrived to the Hindu Demigod Camp in need of assistance. Rahul, son of Indra, and Percy would travel together to defeat the Rakshi demon.  Sources: There was no particular source for this story other than my previous readings of Percy Jackson and Indian stories.  Author's Note: I am a big Percy Jackson fan, so I thought it would be cool to introdu...

Part E of the Epified Mahabharata videos followed upon the gambling match that I was so looking forward to watching in Part D. I do feel bad for Draupadi was given away as if she was nothing. It is unfortunate and wrong that in previous times as well in other cultures how women were often more considered as property rather than humans. Also the fact that Pandavas were exiled over a gambling match is still so puzzling to me, but I will leave my confusion over the gambling match on that point. Part E also finally brought forth the ending of the Mahabharata. I forgot how Arjun had to procure the celestial weapons of Shiva in order to defeat the Kauravas. Now we all know how great of a bowman Arjun was already, so when you give him Shiva's bow, you kind of know already that Kauravas had no chance. Another aspect of the story that I am not sure was in the Mahabharata was how Indra taught Arjun how to use the lightning bolt. This reminds me of Greek mythology and Zeus, specifically the P...

 After seeing the storylines in Part D of the Epified Mahabharata videos, I was really excited to see one of my favorite and most intriguing plot within the epic was being illustrated: the gambling match. I remember reading this story in the Mahabharata and was throughout confused as to why the gambling match was considered to be so important. To me it is almost unbelievable that Yudhishthir would be willing to bet all of his belongings and even his wife to the Kauravas. Additionally, why would declining to participate in a gambling match mean so much to the Pandavas? I do not really understand why so much honor is placed on a gambling match, which is ultimately based on luck then really skill like fighting. It seems as if the Pandavas were always destined to have the lower hand in whatever they did against the Kauravas, but I guess since they win in the end, it really does not matter. I also wonder how Shakuni was able to deceive the game. Did he count cards or were his dice cheat...

Old:  Duryodhana was very much jealous of Bhima's victories and strength. Thus he developed a plan. One night he poisoned Bhima's food and threw Bhima's now passed-out body into the jungle.  What Duryodhana did not know was that the Khan, the great king of the tiger, had seen his dirty actions and rescued Bhima. He called upon his fellow tigers to bring Bhima to their kingdom so they could save him.   The tigers gathered and prayed to Parvati to return Bhima. Soon Bhima woke up, but this time with the strength of a 1000 tigers.  He returned victoriously back to the kingdom. New:  Duryodhana was jealous of Bhima's victories and strength so developed plan.  That night he poisoned Bhima and threw Bhima's body into the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan.  However, soon came the great king of the tigers, Khan and his human friend Mowgli. The two set out a plan to save Bhima.  With the help of Akela the wolf and Bagheera the panther, Khan and Mowgli made a pot...

Part D of the Epified Mahabharata Videos illustrated one of my favorite parts of the epic, when Arjun won Draupadi. It is amazing to me how marriages were based on these challenges, such as the one we saw when reading Ramayana and how Rama won Sita. Another detail of the video that I enjoyed was remembering that Arjun was a Brahmin and not a Kshatriya. To me Arjun is one of the most fierce and brave warriors in the Mahabharata, so I have to remember his origins as a Brahmin and not the warrior class. This role he had came back to bite him when he helped the Brahmin whose cattle was stolen. Again, it is difficult to wrap my mind around a wife being the wife of all those brothers, but I also understand it is necessary for the plot line. If not, Arjuna would have never been exiled. It was unfortunate to see Arjun get punished for trying to do something helpful by finding the thieves, however, something that I have seen in Indian epics is that if a curse or boon is broken, then it is bindi...

For my Week 12 free reading choice, I chose to pick up on the Epified Mahabharata videos that I watched earlier this year. I remember the videos as being quite interesting with detailed illustrations, so I wanted to see how the story carried on with Part C. Additionally, the Mahabharata was perhaps my favorite story to read this year, so it was an easy decision to watch the Epified videos. It was an adjustment at first because I had to remember the storyline that I had left off earlier, but it was not difficult after watching some of the previous videos in Part A and Part B. The first few videos on Part C really reminded me how important roles were in Indian society. Karna had much difficulty in finding a teacher to teach him how to fight as they all demanded to know if he was of Kshatryia (warrior) class or not. I do know that case systems are banned in India today, but the effects still continue to linger on. However, class and roles disparity is something we can see across the world...

 Now David was the best marksman of all the men in the kingdom. Whether it was from a 1000 meters away to a close range shot, David he could hit all targets. Yet, he was consistently denied from serving in the army. You see, he was a short man and thus did not meet the physical requirements to be a standing officer and soldier in the army. One day David was out target practicing when he noticed an imposing man cutting down trees. As he observed the giant man, he knew this was his opportunity to join the army. He would ask the man to join the army and if David could be his squire. There was no way he would refuse. An army job was the best job as it meant weekly pay, food, and housing. David approached the tall man and learned his name was Goliath. Goliath was susceptible at first, but then quickly agreed after hearing all of the benefits it entailed. Together they traveled to the king's place so they could enlist the soldiers. Standing before the king, they offered their services an...

Part A of More Jataka Tales revealed many interesting stories, but this week in particular I read The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer. I was initially interested in this story because of the title. Normally woodpeckers, turtles, and deers are not animals that I associated with South Asia, so I wanted to see how they were portrayed in the story. However, after reading the story, there really was special South Asian twist and this story could fit in with any culture really. I did enjoy reading the short story as it was heart-warming and had a happy ending. I appreciated the teamwork of the animals as well as the self-less desire to help one another even if it put themselves in danger. The hunter antagonist is interesting and I feel that this often the villain in short stories I have read. Perhaps this alludes to the significance animals have within South Asia. For a potential retelling of the story, I would, as I probably would for most of these short stories, add more detail to the plot li...

After reading the Jataka tales for week 10, I knew more Jataka tales was the easy choice for my reading for week 11. I enjoy reading short stories and folktales that have funny or clever endings, and this is so very true for the Jataka tales. For this week, I chose to focus on The Brave Little Bowman. This was the classic underdog story that is often presented in these folklore type stories like in the Rabbit and the Tortoise. For this story, there were some verbiage that I did not understand such as the word "page". After trying to find various definitions of the word, I found that the word also refers to a boy who is training for knighthood and is below a squire in service to a knight. Regarding the storyline of the plot, it seemed the take-home message of the story is that your size or strength does not better but rather your skill. Like with most short stories, it is a simple plot that could be enhanced with more details such as giving characters name. I also thought it w...

100 Word Story  Duryodhana was very much jealous of Bhima's victories and strength. Thus he developed a plan. One night he poisoned Bhima's food and threw Bhima's now passed-out body into the jungle.  What Duryodhana did not know was that the Khan, the great king of the tiger, had seen his dirty actions and rescued Bhima. He called upon his fellow tigers to bring Bhima to their kingdom so they could save him.   The tigers gathered and prayed to Parvati to return Bhima. Soon Bhima woke up, but this time with the strength of a 1000 tigers.  He returned victoriously back to the kingdom. 6 Word Story Tigers saved Bhima from Duryodhana's jealousy.  Source:    Indian Myth and Legend  by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)  Author's Note: For this story, I decided to incorporate another classic Indian tale, The Jungle Book. Although Khan was the villain in that story, I decided to make him the savior in this story and thus instead of having snakes save Bhima...