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...

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...

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...

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...

For Part B of the Jataka Tales I chose another animal story. As you may know if you are reading this post or blog, I am a big fan of animal folktales and stories. I chose to read The King's White Elephant. I have always known elephants as being very prominent in Indian culture from the god Ganesha to elephants in India. Sometimes I have even seen grooms come on top of an elephant to their wedding! Thus, I wanted to see how the elephant was portrayed in the short story. The story was very simple and did not really have many lessons that I could derive. Perhaps you could see some themes such as helping others or doing ones duty, but that may be too complicated for a short and children story such as this one. To be perfectly honest, I was kind of unsure of how the story would end when the king came towards the end to purchase the elephant. I thought he would injure the elephant or treat it in some way that the carpenters disapproved. This may be from seeing how kings acted int he Indi...

 For this week I chose to read the Jataka tales. Last year taking Mythology and Folklore, I really enjoyed reading short stories and folktales with clever endings and animal characters. The first story I read for Indian Epics was about the Goblins in Lanka another example of a fun short story. Thus, I wanted to pursue more of these stories through the Jataka tales. In particular I read The Monkey and the Crocodile. It was interesting to see in the note that the Jataka tales were actually folktales told by Buddha about his previous lives. Regarding the story I read, I could see why Buddha told the tale as there are some interesting lessons that can come from the monkey's actions. Like most animal short stories, there always seems to be a smart animal that is seemingly not that powerful but always overcomes the dangerous but dumb animal. I do wonder why there are so similarities between these animal stories and perhaps its just that many cultures had a tremendous emphasis on brains v...

 Part B of the Epified Mahabharata Videos was again similar to what I viewed in Part A. The highlight fo the video were the illustrations and the clear succinct version of the story. It does make me wonder how long the illustrations took, and this may be another reason why the videos are relatively short. The video is much easier to understand than the Public Domain version as it does not use an older style of English. Watching the video version of the Mahabharata again brought to my attention how fortunate Pandu was to have a wife who could summon the gods. Ultimately, this was the only reason the story develops and brings Pandu back to relevance. This story line also brings to light how important all the curses or boons given in the past affected the future or led to plot lines in the epic. So much would not happen if these did not occur. The video also me want to research the practice of sati , which is where the widow sacrifices herself upon her dead husband's funeral pyre. I ...

 Part A of the Epified Mahabharata videos was an enjoyable introduction to a different medium presenting the Indian epic. I really enjoyed the simplistic telling of the story compared to the public domain version, and I found it not difficult to follow along as well. I remember reading the Mahabharata for the first time and getting very confused on the characters and how they all related. The video kept the story succinct and to the point, avoiding this confusion. Perhaps this may because I am more of a visual learner but regardless I see the videos as being easier to understand. I also enjoyed the illustrations provided in the video. It was cool to see how thy drew the images, and they often effectively displayed the emotion of the characters according to the plot line. It did play outcome what lime a movie, and I would have enjoyed if there was animation as there was for the Sita Sings the Blues version of the Ramayana.  In regard to the story line, I did not find too many d...

Part D of the Mahabharata did not disappoint and kind of ended up how I expected and remembered when I rad the epic a long time ago. Ultimately, the Pandavas were always considered the good guys in the epic and it was not surprising to see them come out on top. One aspect of Part D I found noteworthy was how all of the curses and promises made earlier in the epic came true. The characters really enjoyed vengeance and revenge, and those two themes were strong throughout the epic. One example was Bhishma being killed and then getting to choose his own death. Bhishma was rally in a tough place having known both sets of cousins, so I think it was nice at least he could choose how he left. Additionally, the Mongoose story was nice to take away from the epic. Another aspect of the epic that I found weird was how Krishna passed away. To me it does not really make sense for a god to die, but I guess since he was in an incarnation it really just transformed back to his true self. There were som...

 Part C of the Mahabharata brought forth the plot I was most excited about the epic: the battle. I enjoyed reading the buildup, especially the role Krishna and how he dialed with having to decide between the two sets of cousins. Personally, I would have made the same decision as Arjuna and chosen Krishna rather than having the ten crore army. I feel that having god on my side would make any amount man power futile. I was also interested by how Bhishma decided to be the commander for the Kauravas. I was also unsure of how he would have to decide between the two, but I guess he just decided to stay at the position he already had with Kauravas. Part C also left many questions to be answered, and I am ready to see what comes of Karna vs Arjuna. I kind of expected Karna to have some motivation to join the Pandavas after hearing he was their true brother, but he seems really motivated to defeat Arjuna. On that note, I am curious to see how the arrow he was given by Indra affects the batt...

 Part B of the Mahabharata finally got into the meat of the conflict between the two sets of cousins. In particular, I enjoyed reading some of the stories of Arjuna after he was exiled. Arjuna's name is very prominent among Indian boys, especially as Arjun, so it was interesting to read some of his feats. One aspect of the story that really caught my attention was how much importance was placed on gambling. It seems almost hard to believe how the warriors were forced to gamble or be shamed. Perhaps it was an aspect of Indian culture back then, but it does seem gambling ultimately might what causes the Great War between the cousins. Part B also included more stories on swayamwaras which were also prominent in the Ramayana. Like Rama, Arjuna also had to prove his worth with a bow and arrow, this time having to hit a target rather than breaking the bow of Shiva as Ram did. The last story was also interesting to read, specifically about the swastika. We are so ingrained to consider the...

 Like with the Ramayana, I decided to go with the public domain version to begin my reading. I have read the story before as child, so I had some understanding of the epic which offset the difficult language at times. Compared to Ramayana, I feel that there are way more characters than Mahabharata. It got confusing at times to remember who was who, and I often had to use the links associated with the characters to remember their roles. I see myself having to utilize a character list of the Mahabharata to make sure I do not get confused between characters. Pertaining the story itself, it was interesting start to the epic. It is quite different compared to the Ramayana and part A really focused on introducing characters and setting up the battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas. One thing I am looking forward to reading about is how Bhishma as he has seems to much influence between the kingdoms and their rearing. The story really set the reader up with what to expect for the battle ...

Sita Sings the Blues was such an interesting concept and so different compared to what I read for the Ramayana. It was hilarious to watch as well as entertaining. For Part A I watched the video until the intermission at 48 minutes. I like the focus on Sita as well as the introduction of other characters such as Nina and Dave. The songs sung by Sita were a unique aspect of the video and it really made Sita more noteworthy and open as compared to the Ramayana. One part of the video I found interesting was the discussion about Ravana being a good king. I have always associated Ravana with evil and being bad, so it was interesting to see this other concept. Ultimately, he was evil being the king of the demons and kidnapping Sita, but it was still surprising to hear some good aspects. This also goes back to my point in previous reading notes where I was surprised the gods would reward demons or evil characters with boons. Ultimately it seems the most important point was having devotion and ...

 The final part of the public domain Ramayana brought to conclusion a truly "epic" epic although with some surprises at the end. The battle was interesting and great, and I enjoyed how some of the conflicts faced by the hero's were solved. In particular was how Hanuman picked up the mountain with the plant medicine used to revive those who died. There were some moments that surprised me such as Lakshama's death, but in the end the hero's won. This is similar to the overall message of Ramayana, signifying the battle of good and evil with good winning. The part of how it took a special arrow to defeat Ravana reminded me of the Greek mythological figure Hydra who also had many heads like Ravana and needed a special method to defeat. Again, this parallel between cultures is something I have seen often throughout the epic. The end of the epic was something new to me as I had not read the part where Rama banishes Sita. It was surprising to me see him do that, but it rea...