Week 13: Reading A

Ravana and Rama

Ravana's Evil Trickery:

Ravaṇa received reports from his spies that the monkeys were amassed outside the city

Suka told him that Rama’s army was inestimable in size and power. 

He recommended that Ravaṇa immediately return Sita to Rama

Ravaṇa bragged of his power at length. He had no intention of making peace with Rama

He needed to more carefully assess their power 

He ordered Suka and another Rakṣasa, Saraṇa, to enter the enemy ranks.

As the two spies wandered amid Rama’s soldiers, Vibhishana detected them

Lanka was impenetrable even by the denizens of heaven, never mind a few monkeys.

Saraṇa went on to describe all of the powerful monkey generals, pointing them out one by one

Ravaṇa dismissed the spies and went into his rooms thinking of Sita

The demon decided to play a trick upon Sita

Rāvaṇa fabricated a whole story about how the army of monkeys was annihilated by the Rākṣasas. He told Sītā they had been wiped out during the night

He threw down a head that resembled Rama's and told Sita her husband had died

Sita is informed that the hed is an illusion

Bibliography

Title: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love and Wisdom

Author: Krishna Dharma

Year: 2008

Week 12 Reading EC: Another Jataka

THE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS:

Quail

Many Quails lived together in the forest

A man lived near by

The man listened to the  quails chirping and figured out how to call them

Once they would all come to him he cast his net and captured the quails to sell them

The birds planned a way to escape the net the next time the man tried to capture them

They would fly away while sticking their heads through the net holes

The man was too smart, he knew once the birds disagreed with each other he could capture them

The birds began to fight as predicted, and the man captured them

Bibliography:
Title: Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt
Illustrator: Ellsworth Young
Year: 1912

Week 12 Reading A: Epified Krishna

Krishna Epified:

There was a boy who had enemies even before he was born

They tried to keep him from being born/ growing up

They tried to kill him every chance they got, but he survived, and grew up to become a king

His friends and enemies were unaware that they were a part of his world, not the other way around

Krishna

Bibliography : Author: Epified

Week 11 Story: Cretaceous Kindness

Author's Notes:
This story is based on the Patient Buffalo Jataka. In the original story, a large buffalo lived in a lake covered in the shade of a large tree. A monkey would constantly bug the buffalo, bu the buffalo did not really mind as the monkey was not very smart. A fairy then asked the buffalo why he did not just gore the monkey. The buffalo explained that he did not mind the nuisance, and that the monkey was unintelligent. In response the fairy made it so the buffalo could not be caused any suffering by anyone. In my rendition of this Jataka I replaced the buffalo with a T-Rex, the monkey with a Raptor, and the fairy with a godly orb. This helps the dinosaur survive the cretaceous extinction event.

Cretaceous Extinction Event

It was your average day to the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago. The foliage was green and luscious. The sun was shining bright down upon the earth with great intensity. The ponds and lakes were all so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom. All the dinosaurs were hunting for food, and living their lives to the fullest. Little did they know, everything was about to change that day.

The tyrannosaurus dwelt deep in the aforementioned foliage as this was one of the coolest places in his area. He would leave to go and hunt for less fierce dinosaurs so that he could eat. Occasionally the T-Rex would be pestered by a raptor, but he never really minded it. This raptor would throw rocks at the much larger dinosaur, and scratch up his favorite tree. The raptor would also make his minuscule  roars in an effort to wake the T-Rex. The raptor was so small that the T-Rex knew eating him would be of little to no value. The T-Rex just ignored his little nuisance for a while, but as time went on the little guy grew on the T-Rex.

One day, an orb of light floated down from the heavens, and questioned the T-Rex. "Why do you not just kill this smaller creature? It would be rather easy for you given your size and strength" the orb said. The T-Rex responded, "Well, he is just so small, and unintelligent that he would try and pick a fight with me. I just see no reason to retaliate against such a small, and less intelligent creature." The orb was surprised by this answer, and granted the T-Rex anything that he desired.

All of a sudden great fiery meteorites came blasting through the ancient atmosphere. The T-Rex knew what he desired now. He wanted to survive these deadly flaming space rocks, and wanted to bring his new raptor friend along with him. The orb obliged him, and placed a force-field around the two until the meteorites stopped falling. Once the rocks stopped falling, the two dinosaurs were among the only survivors of the cretaceous period. The earth was covered in a a grey film, and smelled of burnt plants. This began a new period on the earth, the Paleogene Period.

Bibliography:

Bibliography: 

Title: Twenty Jataka Tales

Author: Noor Inayat (Khan)

Illustrator: H. Willebeek Le Mair

Year: 1939

Reading: More Jatakas B

THE ELEPHANT AND THE DOG:

A dog used to go into the stable where the king kept the elephant

The dog was going there to eat food left by the elephant 

The elephant began to share his food with the dog, and they would eat together

A farmer saw the dog, and asked the elephant keeper if he could buy the dog

The elephant keeper needed money, so he sold the dog

The elephant was sad now because he missed his friend

The elephant refused to eat, and the king asked where the dog was.

The dog then ran back to the elephant.

elephant

Bibliography: 

Title: More Jataka Tales

Author: Ellen C. Babbitt
Illustrator: Ellsworth Young
Year: 1922

Reading: More Jatakas A

THE OTTERS AND THE WOLF:

A wolf desired to eat some fish one day

He saw two otters on the bank looking for fish

One of the otters saw a great fish, and caught it by the tail

The other otter helped the first bring the fish to land

They could not decide how to divide the fish up, and asked the wolf for help

The wolf cut off the tail and gave it to one otter, and the head and gave it to the other

He then took the main portion of meet back home, and shared it with his friend

Wolf

Bibliography:
Title: More Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt
Illustrator: Ellsworth Young
Year: 1922

Tech Tip: Reverse Image Search

Ravana

I had never actually searched by image on google. I was aware of the ability to do so, but just had never done it.

Story Planning: Story about a T-Rex(To be titled later)

T-Rex Story Plan:

This story will be based on the Patient Buffalo Jataka. In this story a giant buffalo lived underneath a tree in a pond. A monkey often came by to annoy him. When asked by a fairy why he does not simply just kill the monkey he responds by saying that the monkey was not gifted with much intelligence. A fairy then gives the buffalo a charm so that no body could cause him to suffer. 

World Map Cretaceous Period

In my rendition I plan on replacing the buffalo with a T-rex, and the monkey will be portrayed by a raptor. The story will be set in Cretaceous period.  At the moment I am thinking of incorporating the mass extinction event of dinosaurs in this story. The fairy will be some god-like deity. 

Bibliography: 

Title: Twenty Jataka Tales

Author: Noor Inayat (Khan)

Illustrator: H. Willebeek Le Mair

Year: 1939

Reading: Jatakas B

The Patient Buffalo:

Water Buffalo

A giant buffalo was resting under a tree

A pair of eyes poked out of the bushes and looked at the buffalo

It was a monkey who was not afraid of the buffalo

The monkey tried to irritate the buffalo to no avail

A fairy asked the buffalo why he did nothing about the monkeys constant annoyances 

The buffalo said that he should not harm the monkey for the monkey is unintelligent

The fairy thought this was nice and gave the buffalo a charm so that no one could cause him to suffer

Bibliography: 

Title: Twenty Jataka Tales

Author: Noor Inayat (Khan)

Illustrator: H. Willebeek Le Mair

Year: 1939

Reading: Jatakas A

The Monkey-Bridge:

A giant monkey one ruled over eighty-thousand monkeys in the Himalayas

The monkeys were happy living in the shade of a magnificent tree

They also ate the fruit of the tree 

The monkeys were warned not to let a piece of fruit fall in the river

It might attract man who will come and take the fruit

One day a piece of fruit fell in the river and was discovered by a king

The king searched for the fruit, and eventually found it in the Himalayas on the river

In the fruit tree they also saw monkeys scurrying along

They planned to shoot the monkeys and take the fruit

The people wind up striking down the great monkey and learning a lesson to love

Monkey Jataka

bibliography:

Title: More Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt
Illustrator: Ellsworth Young
Year: 1922

Week 9 Story Telling: The Riddler Strikes Again

Author's Notes:
This story is based off of "Riddles at the Lake". In the original the pandavas brethren went to leave the forest they had lived in. On the way out they came across a body of water, and a voice asking them a riddle. The first few brothers ignored this, but the wisest of the brothers answered the questions thoughtfully. The first of the brothers died, but the wise brother was able to survive due to his ability to answer the riddles. Robin represents the first three brothers. Batman is the wise brother, and the Riddler represents the voice. The voice in the original story goes on to reveal itself to be Yaksha.

Bat Symbol

Story:

It was pouring rain in Gotham one evening. The bat-symbol was shining in the sky, and Batman was preparing to go to whatever the disturbance was. He slid down from Wayne Manor into the Bat-Cave, and then he jumped into his suit. Now that he was ready he hopped into the bat mobile, and raced away towards his newest destination. It turns out that he was on his way to solve a riddle left by none other than the Riddler.

As Batman arrived on the scene he noticed a body lying on the ground. It was his sidekick, Robin. "Robin must have tried to solve this riddle himself, and met the consequences of a wrong answer.", Batman Said, as he checked on his friend to see if he was still alive. Robin was only unconscious, so Batman placed him in the bat mobile, and set off to solve this riddle.

Batman approached the wall in which the riddle was inscribed. It read, "  I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscle, yet I rule two hemispheres. What am I?". Batman thought what robin might have answered out to solve the riddle. Whatever it was, it ended up knocking out his friend. Next, Batman turned his attention to actually solving the riddle. " What could this be?" he asked himself, as he wracked his brain for a potential solution. Suddenly, he figured it out. "I've got it!", he shouted, " The answer is the brain!".

After shouting out his answer, batman heard a rumbling coming from the wall the riddle was written on. A compartment had opened up in the wall releasing a tube along with a note. The gave a hint as to where the Riddler was located. The tube then began spraying out a gas that would knock out anyone if too much was inhaled. Batman then darted for the bat mobile, and left towards his next clue.

Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution part B Favorites

Son of the Sun:

Kunti was wise when she was growing up

Sage Durwasa paid a visit to their village

Everyone was afraid of the sage except for kunti

Kunti served the sage and kept him company

Durwasa was used to being avoided, and enjoyed her presence

When Durwasa had to leave he whispered a mantra into Kunti's ear

This gave her the power to summon any god she wanted

She did not believe this so she tried it, and summoned the sun god

She winds up in the possession of the son of the sun god, but can not keep him as she is unmarried

Kunti puts the baby in a basket and sends it down the river

Sons of Pandu:

Pandavas

Pandu accidentally kills a hermit and is cursed

Kunti first calls upon Yama

Yama responded to kunti's chant

He gave her a son that would be the embodiment of virtue and patience

Pandu is very happy with his new son

Kunti then calls upon Vayu dev, the wind god, and was given yet another son

Kunti went on to do this everal more times with several different gods

Each time resulting in more epic sons

Pandu was still cursed, and soon perrished after pushing himself on madri

Madri went into the flames with pandu as he was cremated

Kunti could no longer bear the sight of her old home

She took off with the pandavas

Bibliography: 

Title:  The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution

Author:  Epified TV (India)

Year:  2015-2016

Reading: Mahabharata Karmic Revolution favorites

Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution:

I. Introduction

• The Mahbhrata is a story that spans the entire subcontinent.
• Vias dictated the story to Ganesha, the lord of beginnings       
• The story has been retold by many other story tellers. Each have put their own touch on the story.
• The Mahabhrata is the story of kings, queens, heroes, villains, and a great war.

II. Shantanu the Unfortunate

• The Mahabharata is said to begin at many points, but can be seen as an account of how karma functions
• King Shantanu fell in love with the river goddess, and asked her to marry him.
• Ganga said yes
• She mad Shantanu promise to never question her decisions
• He agreed, they married, and were happy for a time
• They had their first child and it was drowned by Ganga
• Shantanu was devastated, but did not question his wife as promised
• Ganga killed their next six children without question from Shantanu
• As ganga was about to kill their final child, Shantanu finally questions Ganga
• She replies, and leaves shantanu, walking off with his only remaining child

III. Devavrat Returns

Devavrat

•  16 years after his wife left him, Shatanu found himself at the banks of the Ganga. 
•  His sadness was interrupted by fighting. The man he saw possessed skill that he had not seen before
•  Shortly after the fighting he saw his wife, and found out this young man was his son
•  Shantanu brought back to its kingdom its new prince
•  Shantanu fell in love, but could not marry due to already having a son. He was depressed
• Devavrat decided to do something about this.

IV. Devavrat becomes Bhishma

•  Prince Devavrat goes to the Fisherman and begs him to allow his father to marry his daughter
•  The fisherman still refused
•  Devavrat vows to never mary so that his father can marry. He vowed to never father any children before all the gods.
•  Prince Devavrat becomes known as Bhishma- he of the terrible oath.

Bibliography:
Title:  The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution
Author:  Epified TV (India)
Year:  2015-2016

Week 8 Progress

I am pleased with my progress in this course to this point in the semester. I am no ahead, but I am not behind either. This is a good place to be currently. I only want to avoid getting behind for the rest of the semester.

Motivation 

Week 8: Comments and Feedback

I think that the class has provided great feedback over all. There is quite a it of praise, but there are also constructive comments. As well as questions posed to help better every one's writing. I like to think I give at least generally helpful feedback when I post comments. I try to leave a comment about layout, and structure of writing. I also try to get more detail out of some plot element, or description.

I think the blog comments are a great way for us to get to know one another a little bit. It has been fun reading comments on my own postings, and I hope others feel the same enjoyment from it as I do.

Feedback Components 

I selected the above photo because I feel it is concise, but also shows a lot of detail in regards to giving quality feedback. 

Week 8: Reading and Writing

Overall, the reading and writing assignments have been fun. I have read a great deal more this semester than I have in the past, and that has been good for me. The writing component is a different outlet that I had not used in the past, and I find my self enjoying utilizing it.  I think my biggest accomplishment of this class was just being able to complete everything to this point. I generally get behind in courses with such a fluid structure.

Ravana

My favorite photo from my postings has been the one above. I just think it is a cool and menacing image of Ravana.

Week 7: Story Planning: The Riddler Strikes Again

The Riddler

I plan to write story based off of " Riddles at the Lake" . When I read this story I instantly thought of the Riddler from the Batman Comics. The story will be set in Gotham, and I will represent Yaksha with the Riddler. The brothers who drink the water without answering the riddle will be represented by some to be determined characters from the DC universe. From afar Batman will study what happened to his fallen friends, and eventually Batman will approach the Riddle, and solve it. This will lead him to the Riddler, or at least a step closer to finding the Riddler. They will possibly commence in fighting, or maybe the Riddler will escape to place more riddles for the Batman to solve in the future. I think this is going to be a very fun story to delve into.


In the Original Story:
When the twelfth year of exile was nigh to an end, the Pandava brethren bethought them to leave the forest.
They saw a stag that had the antlers to kindle a great fire
The brahmin appealed to Yudhishthira to pursue the animal, and the Pandavas endeavored in vain to kill it or recover the sacred twigs
upon following the stag, several of  brothers came upon some water, and were thirsty. They drank it and fell dead.
At length wise Yudhishthira approached the pond. He beheld his brethren lying dead, and sorrowed over them.
The Voice said, "I am a yaksha. I warned thy brethren not to drink of this water until they had answered what I should ask of them
The Voice said, "Who maketh the sun to rise? Who keepeth him company? Who maketh the sun to go down? In whom is the sun established?"
Yudhishthira answered these riddles and many more
Many such questions did the Voice address to wise Yudhishthira, and he answered each one
 the yaksha revealed himself in the form of Dharma, god of wisdom and justice

Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading: Mahabharata Part D

Drona in Command:

Drona takes command of Duryodhana's armies

He vows to make Yudhishthira his prisoner

Arjuna vows to defend his brother even at the cost of his own life.

Death of Drona:

Ashwatthaman the elephant

-As long as Ashwatthaman lived it came to be believed that his father would never be conquered

- Bhima, therefore, being bent on the defeat of Drona, selected an elephant named Ashwatthaman and slew it with his own hands and then threw himself in his might on the Kuru front in the neighborhood of Drona, shouting, "Ashwatthaman is dead! 

-Drona heard the words, and for the first time his stout heart sank.

-He would not believe it unless it was undeniably confirmed by  Yudhishthira

-Making his way to Yudhishthira, Drona asked him for the truth, and Yudhishthira answered yes

-Then Drona, in his despair for the loss of his son, became unable to think of his divine weapons. 

- Dhrishtadyumna, the Pandava general, had seized his sword and leapt to the ground in order to attack Drona in personal combat.

The Night Raid:

When night fell, the dying Duryodhana was visited on the battlefield by Ashwatthaman, son of Drona, and Kripa, and Kritavarman.

Ashwatthaman was given permission to attack  the Pandavas while yet they slumbered

Drona's son went forth in the darkness to glut his hunger for vengeance because that his sire had been slain

At the gate of the Pandava camp an awful figure rose up against the conspirators

Bibliography: Mahabharata, Epic of the Bharatas, by Romesh C. Dutt, Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita, Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading: Mahabharata Part C

Life in the Forest:

The pandavas wandered into the forest

Yudhishthira lamented his fate to the brahmins as he wandered towards the forest.

A brahmin advised the deposed rajah to call upon the sun god.

 Surya appeared before Yudhishthira and gave  him a copper pot which was always filled with food 

They wandered in sunshine and in shade, hey suffered also from tempests and heavy rains

The Himalayas:

The Himalayas

Great sages visited the three brothers in Indra's Celestial City, and from one Yudhishthira obtained skill in dice. 

the sages told them many tales of people who suffered and made self-sacrifices

they underwent long exiles and performed penances so as to attain to great wisdom and win favor from the gods.

after the exiles went northward towards the Himalayas, and at length they beheld afar off the dwelling of Kubera

Kubera walked forth and spake words of wisdom unto Yudhishthira, counselling him to be patient and long-suffering

The exiles wandered on, and one day, when they sighed for Arjuna, they beheld the bright car of Indra,

Arjuna appeared, and he was received with rejoicing, and all the Pandavas returned together to Kamyaka.

Riddles at the Lake:

When the twelfth year of exile was nigh to an end, the Pandava brethren bethought them to leave the forest.

They saw a stag that had the antlers to kindle a great fire

The brahmin appealed to Yudhishthira to pursue the animal, and the Pandavas endeavored in vain to kill it or recover the sacred twigs

upon following the stag, several of  brothers came upon some water, and were thirsty. They drank it and fell dead.

At length wise Yudhishthira approached the pond. He beheld his brethren lying dead, and sorrowed over them. 

The Voice said, "I am a yaksha. I warned thy brethren not to drink of this water until they had answered what I should ask of them

The Voice said, "Who maketh the sun to rise? Who keepeth him company? Who maketh the sun to go down? In whom is the sun established?"

Yudhishthira answered these riddles and many more

Many such questions did the Voice address to wise Yudhishthira, and he answered each one 

 the yaksha revealed himself in the form of Dharma, god of wisdom and justice

Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Tech Tip: Typing Test

For this tech tip I took the online typing test at key hero. I have used some other typing speed assessments in the past, and this one was very similar to the other ones I have used. I like to check on my typing speed every so often just to see how I stack up with others who have taken these tests. I do not type all that fast, but my result this time had me at 60 wpm with an 85% accuracy. I will take that, but strive to improve upon it.

Week 6 Story Telling: How the Oompa-Loompa's Seized the Chocolate Factory

The chocolate Factory

The sun was setting on another long, winter day in the Chocolate factory. Outside the factory it was icy, and the wind was howling.  As the day came to its end  the hurried noises of the Chocolate Factory quieted down. The machines stopped booping and whirring, and the smell of chocolate faded away slowly.

As the Oompa-Loompas began to head to their sleeping quarters some of the worker's became almost irate. "If I have to spend another minute wasting away in this factory, I will snap!", said Fred, the most senior Oompa-Loompa in the factory. " I am with Fred!" said George, Bob, and Henry. That very evening Fred called an emergency meeting among the Oompa Loompa's. "I am tired of working for that old coot Wonka. I say that we rise up, and confront that man! Let us take over this factory! Think about it Oompa's, We could run this place however we wanted to if we were in charge." Fred said, in a triumphant tone.

As the Oompa-Loompas listened to Fred's speech they began to realize that he was right. They could rather easily seize this factory, and run it. This was because there were hundreds of Oompa Loompa's and only one Willy Wonka. The Oompa-Loompa's devised their plan that evening. They would strike in 3 days, and finally gain control of the factory in which they had slaved in away for years. The next day, the Oompa-Loompa's went back to work like normal. They made the chocolate, taffy, gobstoppers, and any other candy you could think of under the watchful eyes of Willy Wonka.  "Work harder Oompa's! we need more candy!" Said Wonka menacingly.

The Oompa-Loompas appeared to be working as normal to Wonka, but that was far from the case. The Oompas were busy sabotaging the machinery of the factory in order to distract Wonka so that they could take him out. They rigged the ever-lasting gobstopper machine to explode. They knew this would be enough of a distraction to over throw Wonka.

The next two days passed by, and it was time for the Oompa-Loompas to strike. The trap they had placed on the gobstopper machine went off, and the machine exploded causing great chaos in the factory. "What the hell was that!?" said Willy Wonka, as he went to go see what made that noise. As he stepped out of his office he saw the flaming gobstopper machine, and demanded the Oompa Loompas fix it. There was an issue though, the Oompa Loompas were not on the factory floor. Willy Wonka was enraged by this, and set off to go fix the machine himself. Willy Wonka approached the gobstopper machine with a fire extinguisher, but as he approached the Oompa Loompa's came out of hiding, and began their attack on Wonka.

Hundreds of Oompa Loompa's began pouring out of every hiding place in the factory and ran towards their boss. As Wonka realized what was going on, they had picked him up and thrown him into the raging fire of the gobstopper machine. As their boss was burned alive, the Oompa-Loompas celebrated their victory and put out the fire themselves. "We have finally been freed from this tyranny! " Fred proclaimed. " Now we can pursue whatever we want!". The Oompa's began to chant about their victory. "You can all go and find a new home, or stay here if you would like." Fred said.

The Chocolate factory was no more a chocolate factory. Some of the Oompa-Loompas decided to leave the factory totally to pursue their dreams. George went on to become a doctor at a local hospital, Bob wound up becoming a lawyer, and Henry opened up a very successful night club. Others stuck around to see what was to become of the place they had spent the majority of their lives seemingly enslaved.

The remaining Oompa-Loompas in the factory decided what the factory should produce now that they weren't being forced to make candy all day. They decided to turn the old chocolate factory into a bicycle factory as they all found out they enjoyed cycling.

Author's Notes: This story is a retelling of the story of how Ravana gained control of Lanka. Lanka is represented by the chocolate factory, and the Oompa-Loompas are representative of Ravana and his armies. Ravana seized Lanka similarly to how the Oompa-Loompas seized the factory. I thought this was a rather fun story to write with very relate-able character's to anyone who has ever seen the movies they are based off of.

Bibliography: The Uttara Kandra Christian Literature Society for India. The Sacred Books of the East Described And Examined: Hindu Series

Reading Notes: Mahabharata part B

The House of Fire:

Prince vidura guessed the plot of prince Duryodhana

Prince yudishthira knew they were in trouble from Vidura's words

The pandavas and Queen Kunti arrived at the palace at varanavata and marveled at its beauty

Yudishthira saw that although the palace was beautiful, it was covered in oil and would burn down easily, so he questioned why they were that way

Vidura thought that if the Pandavas could dig an undeground tunnel, then they could escape the palace

They worked by night, and covered up their progress with wooden boards by day

Purochana was waiting for a moonless night to set fire to the palace

This gave the group more time to escape, and prince Bhima wound up setting fire to the guards tower

The fire was carried y wind to the palace, setting it ablaze

Indraprastha:

Duroydhana learned that the pandavas were still alive

They had formed a powerful alliance with Drupada

The Pandava brethren returned to Hastinapura with Vidura

 Dhritarashtra spake unto Yudhishthira and his brethren and said, "I will now divide the raj between you and my sons.

In time the fame of Rajah Yudhishthira went far and wide. He ruled with wisdom and with power, and he had great piety. 

Yudhishthira

The Gambling Match:

when Duryodhana had witnessed the triumph of the Pandavas, his heart burned with jealous rage

 Shakuni, Prince of Gandhara, and brother of Dhritarashtra's queen, was renowned for his skill as a gambler.

Duryodhana plotted with him, desiring greatly to subjugate the Pandavas,

Duryodhana was well pleased at this proposal

So it came to pass that the Pandava brethren, with Kunti, their mother, and their joint wife Draupadi, journeyed to Hastinapura in all their splendor.

On the day that followed, Yudhishthira and his brethren went together to the gambling match

At the first throw Yudhishthira lost; indeed, he lost at every throw on that fatal day

One by one he staked and lost his brethren, and he staked himself and lost also.

Duryodhana cursed Vidura, and bade one of his servants to bring Draupadi before him.

Bibliography: The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid, Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading: Mahabharata Part A Favorites

Devavrata's Vow:

The King was sad and told Devavrata his secret

Devavrata went to find the daughter of the fisherman, and did so successfully

The fisherman informed devavrata that if Styavati bore sons, thenthey would not inherit the kingdom

Devavrata made a vow renouncing his claim to the throne to allow for Styavati's children to reign in the future

Devavrata was henceforth known as Bhisma 

Bhisma didend up ruling as a regent for some years

Drona:

Bhishma stated that young men should be trained to bear arms. 

He searched for a wise former warrior to teach people this

On his search he found Drona.

Drona had no mother, and was born by a nymph

Of similar origin was Drupada, son of a rajah named Prishata

The two friends grew up and were parted by fate

Drupada became a king, and Drona married and had children

Drona devoted himself to rearing his son, while he accumulated the wisdom of the sages and performed sacred rites with pious mind like to his holy sire.

heavenly weapons were bestowed upon Drona, and he went to visit his childhood friend

Drapuda did not accept his old friend as a friend any longer, saying that it had faded away

Drona

Drona's Revenge:

After the Pandavas and Kauravas became accomplished warriors. Drona sent them to smite Drapuda in battle

The two groups could not wage war together, due to their jealousies. The kauravas attakced first, and were defeated

The Pandavas then rushed against the enemies of Drona

Drupada tried to turn the tide of the battle surrounding himself with powerful warriors.

The Pandavas were too much to conquer, and they laid waste to the capital

Drupada was brought before Drona, and Drona said "At last I have conquered thy kingdom, and thy life is in my hands. Is it thy desire now to revive our friendship?"

Drona took possessions of half the kingdom, and the two became "friends" once more

Drupada sought of ways to bear a son who could defeat his enemy

Bibliography:  Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Week 5: Story Planning: How the Oompa-Loompa's Seized The Chocolate Factory

The idea for this story comes from The Uttara Kandra . The retelling of the story of how Ravana gained possession of Lanka. It will be set in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, and will involve the oompa Loompa's gaining control of the factory. Dialogue between leader's of an Oompa Loompa rebellion will lead to the initial attack of the workers. After a back and forth altercation between Wonka and his former workers's, the rebellious group decides they are not satisfied with their freedom, and seek more land. Ravana would be represented by the Oompa Loompa's and Wonka would represent Kuvera. I thought of the Oompa Loompa's because I just saw a picture of one, and thought it would be an interesting twist to this story.

Kuvera

In the original story:
Sumali came from Patala and told Ravana to regain Lanka
Prahasta was sent as an envoy to Kuvera, convincing him to leave
Ravana then occupied Lanka,  and married the daughter of Asur Maya , Mandodari
Not satisfied with his conquering of Lanka, Ravana set off to Kuvera's place of exile
The two battled, where Ravana changed forms, and defeated Kuvera
Ravana took a pushpaka car from the dead Kuvera
Ravana was then Known as "terror to creatures"

Bibliography: The Uttara Kandra Christian Literature Society for India. The Sacred Books of the East Described And Examined: Hindu Series

Reading Notes: Nivedita Ramayana Part B

Indrajit, Ravana's Son:

Rama was overwhelmed with grief as Sita had been killed by Indrajit

Vibhishana thoughtthis to be untrue

he said it was merely a device to delay the monkey army until indrajit had performed a sacrifice and became invincible in battle

The two rose and pursued Indrajit

They find Ravana's son and then kill him causing great rage from ravana

Ravana vowed to end Rama and Lakshman

Indrajit

Ravana's Fury:

A great battle commenced killing a large portion of both armies

Sugriva killed many great warriors

Ravana arrives wielding a Brahma weapon and scattering monkeys about

Rama and Ravana launched attacks back and forth at each other

Lakshman came in to assist Rama  

Rama set his mind upon the battle, and Hanuman went to Himalaya and brought back healing herbs for Lakshman

Rama was granted a chariot by the gods, and Ravana then launched a great weapon at Rama which turned into snakes

The presiding gods of the weapons in the battle sided with Rama, and Rama began to injure Ravana

Ravana Slain:

Rama hymns to the sun, and is purified

He then turned to deal with the impending attack of Ravana

The battle began and Rama chopped off the many heads of Ravana, but more kept growing back

Rama then took up the Brahman weapon given to him

He set the weapon on his bow and fired it at the chest of Ravana

Bibliography: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana Sister Nivedita 

Reading Notes: Nivedita Ramayana

Ravana's Wrath:

Ravana was advised to destroy Rama by carrying away Sita

He approved of this adivse, and sought the help of Maricha 

Ravana wanted to destroy the sacrifices of brahmans and possess the wives of others

Maricha warned Ravana not to mess with Rama, because rama was going to kill him

Sita Stolen:

Ravana assumes the shape of a wandering Yogi

He approachedSita and tried to persuade her to leave the forrest with him

She told her story of being Rama's wife, and this angered Ravana

Ravana reveals himself, and once again attempts to persuade Sita

Sita is angered by this 

They go back and forth for a bit, until Ravana seizes Sita and takes her away

Sita Stolen

Sugriva:

Rama and Lakshman reach the mountain where Sugriva lives

Sugriva lived in exile and was driven from his home and robbed of his wife by his brother Vali

Lakshman told sugriva that Rama needed his help

Rama and Sugriva were made sworn friends

Ramahelps Sugriva regain his throne

Sugriva assembled all the monkeys in the world to aid Rama

Bibliography: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Ramayana Sister Nivedita

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

Canvas App

Until this semester I had not been utilizing the canvas app. Instead I would just get onto safari on my phone, and log in to canvas through that each time I wanted to check something on my phone regarding a class. Using the app has made that process so much easier, and the app is formatted for the phone. So, I don't run into any of the issues I would while using the web browser on my phone. 

Tech Tip: Google Timer

Google Timer:

I had never used google timer before today, but I am going to try to incorporate it into my work flow. I feel like setting specific amounts of time for me to work on certain things will increase my efficiency. Especially when taking breaks. Having that audible reminder will prevent me from accidentally spending too much time doing one thin, or not doing another task.

Week 4 Story: Donkey Kong's Capture

King K. Rool was the evil king of the Kremlins, and often found himself kidnapping others to try and defeat his biggest foes. After observing from the trees for a while, Donkey Kong knew he needed to do something to save his friend. Diddy kong had been captured by King K. Rool, and was dwindling away in his improsonment. Donkey over heard K. Rool telling Diddy that he would be killed unless he told the King where Donkey Kong was hiding. Diddy kong's days were numbered, he only had two months until he would be executed. Upon hearing these details Donkey Kong started to run away along the tree tops to go think up a plan to save his friend. In doing so Donkey smashed tree limbs to the ground, and caused several of K. Rool's minions to become alerted to his presence. At first only smaller low ranking kremlins were sent at Donkey kong. After them more highly trained kremlins came after Donkey Kong. One by one King K. Rool's evil army went after Donkey Kong only to be shot down by Donkey Kong's Coconut rifle. After watching several of his minions meet their demise at the hands of Donkey, King K. Rool knew he needed to try anther approach. He sent his top general to bind Donkey kong up and bring him back to his Kremlin Keep. Donkey kong had grown tired, so he was bound rather easily by the top ranking member of K. Rool's army. As he was bound by the rope, Donkey kong fell to the earth, and was dragged back to K. Rools Keep. Once they arrived at the Kremlin's Keep, Donkey kong had regained his energy, but decided to not make a move to free his friend yet. King K. Rool was excited as he thought he had finally captured his biggest enemy, but just as K. Rool was starting to gloat Donkey kong burst out of his binding. An epic battle was about to commence.

King K. Rool

Author's Notes: In this week's story I decided to take the story of Hanuman;s Capture and twist it with one of my favorite video game characters growing up. Donkey kong was one of my favorite games as a kid, so all of the characters are inspired by characters from the video games. Hanuman had just seen Sita as she crawled toward the tree he was hiding in. Hanuman then dashes away but is followed by Ravana's minions who are slain at first, but eventually manage to capture the giant monkey. He falls to the earth and is dragged to Ravana. I left it off at the battle to create some suspense.

Bibliography: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita

Wikipedia Trail: Ravana to Syama Sastri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravana
I started this Wiki trail on Ravana as I was jus reading the page to help research for my storybook. I read about his use of the Veena, so I clicked that link to read a bit more about this instrument.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veena
I got to listen to the recording of veena improvisation, and I think that the veena sounds a like different combination of a guitar and a violin. From this link I clicked on Carnatic Music as I had never read about this system of music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_music

I had never heard of this system of music. It is commonly associated with southern India, an is oneof two main subgenres of classical Indian music. Carnatic music is usually performed by small ensembles. From here I wanted to know about some of thefamous composeres of carnatic music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syama_Sastri
I am going to find a recordingof Syama Sastri's music as soon as I am finished writing this post. He seems to be a very accomplished Carnatic composer. Also a rather prolific one.

Syama Sastri

Comment Wall

Ravana's Memoirs

Here is my comment wall for my Storybook. It should be a fun and musical adventure.

Ravana

Reading Notes B: Ramayana Part D Favorites

Ravana and Lakshmana:

Ravana mounted his chariot remembering those who had already died.

He set off followed by his army.

Ravana sees his brother fighting for Rama

Ravana flings a dart at Lankshmana and pinned him to the earth

Rama speaks out to Lankshmana

Battle of Rama and Ravana:

Shakra sent down from Heaven his car and his charioteer, named Matali, to aid Rama

Ravana sent him a rakshasa weapon

The presiding deities of all the weapons came to stand by Rama

the revered Agastya, came to  the gods to witness the defeat of Ravana, drew near to Rama and taught him

Then Rama hymned the Sun, and purified himself

Ravana's death seemed no nearer than before

Ravana's Death:

Rama darted forward and shot off one of Ravana's heads, but another grew in its place

Rama seized the flaming weapon which Brahma had created for the protection of the gods and struck Ravana down with it

The rakshasa hosts broke in flight when Ravana fell, and Rama entered the city in triumph.

Ravana's death

Bibliography: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita,  Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading notes A: Ramayana part C Favorites

Sita and Ravana:

Hanuman sees a starving, weak, a grief stricken yet still beautiful individual sitting in a gorgeous palace

He believes this prisoner to be Sita

Hanuman then sees Ravana walk up to the Ashoka wood (where hanuman was hiding) followed by a train of women

Ravana then walked towards Sita, but she trembled with fear at his approach

Ravana attempted to swoon her with his power, wealth, and comfort

Sita refused all of these and told him of his death at Rama's hands

Ravana gave Sita two months to yield or else she would be tortured and killed

Sita then crawled to the Ashoka wood

Hanuman Captured:

Hanuman was not satisfied with just meeting Sita, he desired to rescue her

He dashed about the Ashoka groves, and left broken limbs in his path

The rakshasis sent messages to Ravana for help, and Ravan sent Jambumali to attack Hanuman

Jambumali was able to injure Hanuman with an arrow, but Hanuman responded by crushing Jambumali with a bolt

More of Ravanas servants went to attack the monkey, but were met with the same fate 

Indrajit was then sent after Hanuman

Hanuman was able to dodge millions of projectiles sent by Indrajit which impressed many gods 

Indrajit meditated and realized Hanuman could not be killed by weapons, so he thought of a way to bind the monkey

Hanuman fell to the earth and was dragged to Ravana

Hanuman captured by Ravana

Ravana's Court:

There was a debate about whether Ravana should let Sita return to Rama, or if he should keep her with him.

Ravanas advisers may have been afraid of him, or may have actually desired to keep Sita there

Either way they were ready to go to war with Rama

They lived for war and feasted on human flesh

Bibliography: Ramayana, The Epic of Rama, Prince of India, condensed into English verse by Romesh Dutt, Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita,

Topic Research: Music

The Uttara Kanda:

I believe that the Uttara Kanda will provide me more than enough material to draft at least three stories. This chapter of the ramayana deals with the history of Ravana, which is a character that I would like to learn more about. I have read that he lobbed off one of his heads in order to craft a veena, and sing to Shiva. The Uttara Kanda gives a full account of the history of the wars of Ravana and his conquest of Lanka. 

Potential story topic 1:

A rewrite of Ravana's birth and upbringing. Ravana went 10,000 years without food. Changing the motives for this would be an interesting topic to elaborate on. Answering such questions as why one would put themselves through that kind of agony. Maybe his motive would be to gain such musical prowess that he could enchant anyone he comes across. 

Potential story topic 2:

Ravana struck fear into gods. He caused dieties to take different forms to avoid him. Indra changed into a peacock, and Yama took the form of a crow, while Kuvera was a lizard, and Varuna was a swan.  Changing ravana's character to being more of a heroic character, and incorporating his musical abiliteis in that would also be a good story to write in my opinion. 

Potential story topic 3:

Ravana was taken prisoner by Arjuna. Writing an epic escape story about ravana utilizing his musical ability to convince his captor to let him go. Utilizing his powerful musical skills, and continuing to reign terror over the lands would be a cool story to delve into. What melody did Ravana play to convince Arjuna to let him go? Maybe incorporating some music into the story would be fun as well. 

A young Ravana defeated by Arjuna

Week 3 Story: The Enchanting Silver Stallion

Two great warriors were escorting a beautiful princess back to her home. Before heading out on their venture to the princess' home, the warriors were warned to not heed any distractions that may come their way. The warriors listened to this advice, and sought to follow it. So, the three set off to get the princess back to her home. Little did they know, a dark wizard was watching them, and planned to trap the warriors, and prevent the princess from returning home. On the way they passed through many different landscapes; a dark and treacherous forest, a rocky mountain range, and finally long flowing plains relatively near where the princess resided. The dark forest presented its own problems for the warriors as there were many monsters that they had to slay in order to make it through. First, they came across a giant six-armed bear. This bear came at them quickly, but was also struck down equally as quickly because it was rather loud in its approach. The first warrior shot the bear in the heart with an arrow, and the bear went down for the count. After making it past the six-armed bear, the warriors came face to face with a pack of wolves. These wolves came from many different angles, and made for a challenge for the warriors. However, in the end they were no match for the warriors as they were able to separate and conquer the wolves with their swords. Making it through the forest was a great challenge for the three, but somehow, they managed to survive that part of their journey. Next, they had to cross through some rocky and mountainous terrain. This was the only challenge they faced during this part of their journey. The three had to work together in order to make all the necessary jumps and steps in this area. The dark wizard was still observing the three on their journey, waiting to make his move at the most opportune time. Once the warriors and princess made it past the mountains, the wizard knew that the three would let their guard down as they only had to make it through a very flat and flowing plain. This was his opportunity. The wizard enchanted a nearby horse, and made him glow a beautiful silver. As the travelers passed into the plains, the princess saw this horse and demanded one of the warriors bring it to her so she could take it home. The wizard's plan was working perfectly. After all of their travels, the warriors had forgotten the advice they had received what felt like so long ago to them. So, the first warrior agreed and started following the horse. This is when the horse started sprinting back towards the wizard. As they approached the wizard's hiding spot, the wizard revealed himself, and launched a spell at the warrior. The warrior was incinerated instantly, and the remaining two members of the party began to flee. Now the wizard had to figure out how to lure the other two toward him so he could finally kidnap the princess.

The Enchanting Silveer Stallion

Author's Notes: This is an adaptation to the Golden deer story. Ravana enchants a deer and makes it look golden, and Sita wants to get a closer look at the deer. So, Rama sets off to go and get the deer for Sita. The protectors of Sita are unaware of the fact that this is an evil plan set forth by Ravana. I made the deer a horse, and expanded a little bit on the settings in which my characters traveled through. As well as provided a bit of reasoning for why the evil character wanted to do this.

Bibliography: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B Favorites

Ravana and Sita:

Ravana disguised himself as a forest sage to talk with the beautiful Sita

Sita believed that Ravana was indeed a Brahmin

Ravana reveals who he actually is and claims he has the power to destroy even Yama

Sita was placed in his chariot and taken away.

Battle with Khara:

Rama decides he needs to battle the demons alone, and sends Lakshmana and Sita to hide in a cave.

Rama's attackers were afraid of him as he appeared to belike Yama.

Khara urged them to attack anyway

Thousands of weapons reigned in on Rama, but he was able to slay Khara's brother Dushana

Khara vowed to avenge the death of his brother, but was then slain by an arrow

The Golden Deer:

Ravana attempts to lure in Sita with a beautiful golden deer, and it works. 

Sita is enchanted by the deer

Rama attempts to bring the deer to Sita

Golden Deer

Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Feedback Strategies

Feed-Forward:

The first article on feedback that I read this week was the one about providing feedforward rather than providing feedback. I liked the idea of feedforward because it focuses on how to fix any potential issues rather than just commenting on what they are. Identifying issues is great, but coming up with ways to fix the issue is far more helpful than just addressing what the problems are. The article made a point that providing feedback often entices the person giving the feedback to attempt to sound overly smart about what they are responding to. Whereas providing feed forward simply focuses on suggestion to fix, and leads to a more pleasant interaction between all those involved in the process. 

Feedforward vs Feedback

Criticizing Praise:

Praise is not always the best option when it comes to giving feedback on a project. If the goal is to improve the project overall, providing nothing but praise does not accomplish the goal at hand. The article describes praise as a verbal reward, and also as a way of "doing to" people rather than "working with" them. It also goes on to say that praise has many undesirable effects. Praise can lead to a lack of interest of the recipient of praise, and usually leads to lower quality work. I would agree with that, one must learn to deliver praise in the right time and place as to not cause the quality of the project at hand to suffer. 

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part A favorites

King Dasharatha:

Valmiki tells the story. There were two mighty kingdoms: Koshala (ruled by Dasharatha) and Mithila (Ruled By Janaka). Dasharhata is the father of Rama, and Janaka is the father of Sita. The capital of Koshala is Ayodhya: Described as having: "wide streets with large dwellings, richly decorated temples, towering like mountains, and grand and noble palaces. In the palace gardens there were numerous birds and flowers, shady groves of fruit trees, and lakes gemmed with bee-loved lotuses" The city was full of prosperous and happy people. King Dasharatha (was of the solar race) lived in a "stately palace", and was served by eight sage counsellors as well as two family priests. He did not have any sons with any of his three queens.

King Dasharatha

Dasharatha's Sons:

Dasharatha desired to fix his sorrows of not having an heir. He resolved to perform the Ashwamedha(Horse Sacrifice) This was done to persuade the gods to give him a son. A horse was released during the final month of the bengali calendar(Choitro) which falls from mid march to mid april. The horse was accompanied by a priest (Brahmin) for a whole year. Once the horse and priest returned the ceremony was attended by many monarchs.(Rama)  After the ceremony an oblation was offered to the gods, who came to the place of sacrifice with the music-loving Gandharvas, the celestial saints, the Siddhas, and seven Deva-rishis. The gods wound up promising Dasharatha four sons. 

Rama: Avatar of Vishnu:

Vishnu the Preserver divided himself into four parts to become the four sons of Maharajah Dasharatha. The wives that had eaten the sacrificial food became the mothers of the sons. The caused great rejoice in the kingdom of Koshala. Rama was the most beautiful of the children, and had all the markings of Vishnu. He revealed all of his knowledge to king Dasharatha, and was beloved by the king. 

Vishvamitra:

There was a great rishi named Vishvamitra. He dwelt in the hermitage called Siddhashrama and came thence to ask a boon from Dasharatha. Two rakshasas, Maricha and Subahu, supported by Ravana, continually disturbed his sacrifices and polluted his sacred fire. Only Rama could overcome these devils. Dasharatha welcomed Vishvamitra gladly and promised him any gift that he desired, However, once he learned what Rama would have to do, it seemed as though the light of his life went out. Vishvamitra assured the king of Ramas victory, and so he allowed his son to go.

Thataka:

The two princes were lead into a dark and fearsome jungle. In the jungle lived the terrible rakshasa woman named Thataka, mother of Maricha. She was misshapen and horrible, and continually ravaged all that country.The two came accros her and were reluctant to strike her down as she was a woman. Eventually rama was convinced to kill her using only sound, and shot an arrow striking the mishapen woman down. The two celebrated their triumph briefly until a band of rakshasas, led by Maricha, son of the hag Thataka, and Subahu, rushed towards the altar to defile the offering with bones and blood.

Bhagiratha and Ganga:

Vishvamitra told Rama this story. In ancient times lived Sagara, a virtuous king of Ayodhya. He had two wives but no children. He and his consorts desired children, so the three of them went to the Himalayas to practice austerities. After one hundred years, a brahmin informed the three that one of thewives would have a son, and the other would be mother to 60,000 manly high-spirited sons. The king was then determined to offer a horse sacrifice. The horse was set to wanderfor a year, but it was stolen by Indra. The 60,000 sons searchedfor the horse. 

Ahalya:

he god Indra fell in love with Ahalya and disguised himself as Gautama. Ahalya was fooled by the disguise, but in other versions, she realized she was sleeping with someone who was not her husband. Gautama found out what happened, he cursed both Indra and Ahalya.


Bibliography: Ramayana Online: Public Domain Edition