Storytelling for Week 7: The golden Sita

Once the last person of Ayodhya  was left, he began to wonder about what would happen to Rama's beloved golden statue of Sita. The person began to try to place it somewhere safe so that it would withstand the storms and changes of earth without it's people protecting it. However, finding the perfect location was the hardest part.

The person searched high and low and finally found a good place in the palace to store her. He placed the statue there and felt at peace about leaving this earth. And so the final person of Ayodhya died in peace and Rama's kingdom was no longer.

Moreover, the statue of Sita swooshed around and transformed into a brand new animal that Brahma had created. It was a mixture between a squirrel, a monkey, and a bear to symbolize the creatures that assisted in saving Sita from her captured state.

The animal traveled to the kingdom of Surgriva as to be with people of his own kind, but he was shunned because he wasn't completely similar to him. Next, it traveled to the squirrels village, but he was entirely too large to fit in with the squirrels. The squirrels were afraid that this creature would stomp and smash them all to death on accident. Finally, the sad creature traveled to Jambavan's kingdom in desperations hope that he could find a home to live. Although, Jambavan was reluctant to accept him. He began to see the resemblance in Sita. Jambavan had an epiphany and knew this was what was made of Rama's golden statue of Sita. With this knowledge Jambavan created the perfect place for this creature to fit into their kingdom. 

Jambavan called to Surgirva once he had heard that he had denied this creature into his kingdom. However, Hanuman traveled to Jambavan as his messenger to pay Surgriva's respect to this creature of Sita's statue and to apologize for their naive response of him. The squirrels traveled to the kingdom as well, but Jambavan was more understanding to their case of not accepting the creature as he was far too large to fit into their tribe. Once all was aware of the importance of this creature, they all were drawn together for eternity in remembrance of the great Rama and Sita . And so once all was calmed down, all the creature of the forest lived happily ever after while Sita and Rama's legend lived on forever.  

(Image Source: Rama and Sita by Ayan Gupta)

Author's Note: I wrote this story as an explanation of what happened to the golden statue of Sita. I wanted it to be something that would allow the other creatures of the story to know that Sita and Rama's legend would live on forever. Also, it needed to commemorate all the creatures that assisted her during her lifetime. I liked how the creature was so different it was hard for them to accept it into their kingdom at first. I chose this image because I couldn't find one that was the golden statue of Sita. But, it still shows the legend of Rama and Sita lives on forever!

Bibliography:  Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.  

Reading Diary B: Rama returns to Ayodhya

I like how this version actually tells of Rama's life after he returns home to Ayodhya.

In the other version the entire book the reader is hoping he will return home and when he finally does that is where the story ends. It leaves the reader dying for what happened next. I enjoyed this version better.

I can't believe after the journey Rama took to save Sita he allows a little gossip of peasants to get in the way of his relationship with his beloved Sita. It is astonishing that he abandons her. As a woman, of course I love that fact that someone rescues her and returns the precious princess to her father to take of her. She deserves to live as royalty as she is so pure and priceless after all. 

I also find it funny that Rama thinks he should have a festival and has the audacity to go to Janka to invite Sita's family. I am glad he saw her there.

Although Narayan leaves his book after Rama returns home to Ayodhya, I can understand why. In his version, I was left absolutely loving Rama, but in Buck's version the end makes me feel differently about Rama. I spent the entire book routing for him, and then he abandons Sita. It shows even the best of us let the opinions of others into our heads. It is surprising how influential a couple of little words can have on all of us. This speaks volumes to the situations going on in my life right now.

(Image Source: Rama returns to Ayodhya)

Reading Diary A: Ravana and Rama fight

I like how much more detail is provided in Buck's version of The Ramayana.

I feel like I can really visualize the battle at a deeper level.

It was different how the demons fought at night in this version

I liked how Indra sends Rama his chariot because even though he hasn't been the nicest character he wants Ravana dead. Especially since his son had defeated him, and Lakshmana has already taken him out.

It is interesting in the middle of battle Rama hears Sita, and it gives him enhanced strength to fight on.

Rama and Ravana exchanged thousands of arrows when finally Ravana charged at Rama with mace. It took out his chariot.

Monetheless the fight went on and as sunrise came, Rama had killed Ravana by sending an arrow right through his heart.

It is unbelievable that Rama beat Ravana without his chariot.

(Image Source: Rama in battle by Monro W. D.)

  

Famous Last Words for Week 6

I had a lot of fun writing about Hanuman turning into a cat in order to prowl around Lanka. I thought it was awesome that Hanuman could change into different animals too! As if he wasn't a cool enough character already. Also, I love cats! Because life without animals would be dull and pointless

I really hope it snows tomorrow so we can have a snow day! It isn't supposed to get here until 11 ish which is perfect because I don't have class until 12 ish! Some of my friends already have real people jobs and they have to work regardless of the weather. So no more snow days for them. I can definitely take my time to get to that point.

There was one writing I really enjoyed reading this week. It was about King Anjura. I am not fond of Ravana. So it was nice to be reminded that there was one character in The Ramayana that put Ravana in his place. I hate character or people for that matter with a big ego. I had actually forgotten about this character so it was fun to remember this tale and read a different person's perspective.

I guess midterm season has hit. I have exams in all four of my classes with test within about a week. It is going to be intense. Luckily I got 1 out of the way and I have 3 more to go at this point. Oh well, I will survive it again.

Tonight a few friends and I are having burgers and going to watch a movie. It is going to be fun and a good end to a rough week. It always seems like the middle of the semester is so stressful for me and then some how lessens up.  Good luck this week everybody! 

(Can't wait to be back: Me playing golf taken by my dad)

Storytelling for Week 6: A Day as a Cat

As Hanuman stood near the wall protecting Lanka, he knew he couldn't simply climb over it and enter Lanka as a monkey. The demons of Lanka would see him and immediately take the intruder to their king, Ravana. He needed to create a scheme to be able to look around in order to find Sita before he was noticed. 

So, he pondered his options for a moment. He first considered a mouse, but he assumed if someone saw him, they may try to kill the rodent. Things could end very badly. Then he considered a bird. Yet again though, he recognized the flaws in becoming this creature as well. As a bird, he would have to view the city from the sky. He wouldn't be able to spy as well as he needed to at such a distance away from the demons of Lanka. When finally it hit Hanuman, he will transform himself into an innocent cat and enter at night. No one would suspect a thing as cats are known for snooping around at night. His plan was perfect!

As night drew near, Hanuman had to practice transforming into a cat because he was using a new power he was unfamiliar with. However, on the first try he was successful. Hanuman was surprised by how strong his powers were. He knew he possessed some powerful talents, but tried not to become overwhelmed by this thought. All he wanted to do was use them to serve Rama. 

Once a cat, Hanuman felt uncomfortable as he had never transformed into a different animal before. He walked awkwardly on all fours and practiced his meow. Then finally the sunlight vanished and it was night. Hanuman looked around for the guards of Lanka by the wall. When the coast was clear, he jumped over, and began searching for Sita. Anyone that saw him didn't think a thing of the nomadic cat.

While wandering the streets of Lanka, he noticed how peculiar everything looked as a cat. He was enticed to play with balls of yarn and strings he saw in some of the demons' homes. This distraction felt bizarre as these were never items of entertainment as a monkey. Nonetheless, he worked hard to stay focused on the task of discovering Sita for Rama. However, Hanuman felt overwhelmed as the city was the largest land he had ever came across. But still, he stayed fixated on his goal and assumed this was due to the small stature he had taken as a cat. He crept into all the houses and began to lose hope, when finally he discovered a grand palace positioned at the furthermost point of the city. He knew the palace had to belonged to Ravana. 

As he had looked everywhere, Hanuman went into the palace in desperation of seeing Sita. However, all he saw was a room full of beautiful women that were under Ravana's trance. They were sprawled out on the floor surrounding Ravana. in disappointment, Hanuman knew Sita wouldn't be in Ravana's room as she was loyal to Rama. However, as he was a cat and not feeling as himself, he felt mesmerized by every girl's beauty and spent time being infatuated with every one of them. Finally, Hanuman caught a glimpse of Sita outside the window in the garden. This helped him to snap out of his daze of the other beautiful women. Remembering his mission, he rushed to the garden to speak to Sita.

(Image Source: Hanuman and Sita)

Author's note: I decided to write about Hanuman's experience as a cat in Lanka because I love animal character, and I love cats. I tried show a difference in Hanuman's character as a cat compared to a monkey. As a monkey, Hanuman is very dedicated to Rama. He is devoted to his mission. However, as a cat, I thought he could become a little distracted as cats are such playful animals. Also, I wanted to create a moment of pondering for Hanuman to show the readers how he decided on becoming a cat instead of any other animal. It displays his reasoning for his decision. I choose this picture because at the end of the story Hanuman goes to speak with Sita, and also because I couldn't find a good picture of Hanuman as a monkey that I was able to use. This story was pretty straight forward. Hanuman was on a mission to search through Lanka to find Sita, and he accomplished this by transforming into a cat. As we know, Hanuman is a very powerful character in The Ramayana, and I tried to tell the readers that transforming into other animals was an unfamiliar power that Hanuman possesses. What an amazing creature! He can grow to be a giant size, he can jump further than any other animal, he has eternal life, and now he can transform himself into different animals.

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Reading Diary B: Lakshmana kills Indrajit

Thunder-Tooth and Lightening-Tongue

• Thunder- Tooth creates an illusion of Rama's bow
• Lightening- Tongue creates an illusion of Rama's head
• Ravana takes the illusions to Sita to show her that Rama is dead in an attempt to get her to give into him (get in his bed)
• However, Sita knows Rama well and the illusions were not an accurate enough depiction of Rama to fool her
• Oblivious to what is going on, Prahasta the General, barges in and announces Rama's arrival to Lanka on the bridge Nala had created
• Trijata (girl), a demon that grows compassionate of Sita, begins spying on Ravana and informing Sita about what is going on with the war between Rama and Ravana

Kumbhakarna

• Ravana wakes up Kumbhakarna, Ravana's brother who sleeps 6 months for every one day he is awake, in order to get him to kill Rama for him
• Kumbhakarna urges Ravana to simply give Sita back
• Ravana still disagrees
• Kumbhakarna goes to fight Rama but Rama slices every limb one by one with his powerful arrows
• Kumbhakarna doesn't give up easily however
• Rama, finally, cuts his head off with an arrow

Indrajit's first attack

• Indrajit comes to attack Rama with his invisible tiger- drawn chariot
• Indrajit is launching thousands of arrows and succeeds in killing Lakshmana and Rama
• However, Indrajit only injured Jambavan,Vibhishana, and Hanuman, the monkey with eternal life
• Vibhishana finds Hanuman and Jambavan  just greatly injured and Jambavan asks desperately if Hanuman was still alive. This irritated Vibhishana
• However, Jambavan tells Hanuman to go to the medicine and bring back the plants which will bring Rama back to life

The Medicine Hill

• Hanuman goes to the medicine and is overwhelmed by all the medical herbs' glow
• Hanuman brings the whole mountain to the battlefield
• Because he jumped with the hill, the herbs heated up and all the allies including Rama were restored
• Rama feels terrible for the events and wishes Sugriva would take everyone home
• But all the monkeys and bears remain

Lakshmana kills Indrajit

• As Rama is still alive, Ravana asks Indrajit to kill him again
• Indrajit tells his dad that Dharma is on Rama's side but agrees to help Ravana again
• As Indrajit's invisible chariot was destroyed in his first battle, Indrajit uses illusions to kill a fake Sita in front of Hanuman
• Vibhishana pleads that it is only another one of his illusions
• Vibhishana uses his powers to reveal Indrajit in his invisble mediation place
• Lakshmana attacks Indrajit and gets into a one on one battle with him
• Lakshmana kills Indrajit!
• Ravana is devastated and question why he should live on without his son
• Ravana decides to go to war, he has nothing left to lose
• Kumbhakarna, his younger brother, Indrajit, his son, are dead and he has sent Vibhishana, his older brother, away and accused him of treason

 

(Image Source: Lakshmana and Indrajit by Fazl)

Reading Diary A: Hanuman as a cat

Rakshasi Sinhika

• In the sea lived a whale and as Hanuman was flying to Lanka he swallowed him
• Sinhika grabbed him by his shadow
• Hanuman warned him not to eat him but he did anyways
• Hanuman punctured his heart with his claws and escaped through his ear
• I think that this could offer an interesting story for my story retelling assignment because I could elaborate what happened inside the whale with Hanuman.
• Also, I could elaborate how intrigued Sinhika was

Hanuman as a cat

• In order to enter Lanka, Hanuman decides to transform into a cat as a cat can innocently wander anywhere he wishes
• But when Hanuman is about to jump Lanka's wall, a creature tells him not to do it
• The creature is Lanka and he kicks Hanuman and knocks him over
• Hanuman punches him and makes it into the city
• I think this would be an interesting story to retell because I love cats and animal characters
• I could really elaborate on the struggle between Lanka and Hanuman, cat fight!

  Hanuman causing mischief

• Before Hanuman leaves Lanka after visting Sita, he decides to leave Sita a sign of good faith by wrecking havoc in Lanka.
• Hanuman grows to be giant and pounces through town destroying everything
• Even destroys the statue of the goddess Lanka
• Hanuman kills the royal bodyguard
• Also, Jambumali, son of the demon General Prahasta, dies due to trying to kill Hanuman which winds up falling on himself
• This could be a great story retelling by putting my own details of the events that Hanuman did in Lanka.
• I enjoyed this because Sita had begun to doubt Rama's arrival when Hanuman arrives to cheer her up. She is going to be saved.

  (Image Source: Hanuman slaying demons)

Famous Last Words for Week 5

Another week! Well I guess I enjoy this Portfolio thing. It seems like a lot of work, and I am by no means trying to be a professional writer. However, I am positive all of this will improve my writing skills for the long run. This past week had some fantastic weather, and now it is cold again. So naturally I am mad again! Friday I went to this pub crawl with my friends that funded the Norman Music Festival and was able to wear a skirt and not be cold. That is so very annoying! I HATE COLDDDDD!

In other news, in my women and genders class, we watched a documentary called MissRepersentation. I highly recommend any one reading this check it out! It was about how women are portrayed in the media, and how damaging it can be to young girls to feel the need to maintain their standards in order to fit into society. The documentary was truly fascinating and I couldn't possibly tell you all about here, but it was awesome. Check it out!

In this class, I actually really enjoyed writing my storytelling this week. I created a bed time story out of the tale about Hanuman's birth. I love that little monkey. I wrote so much I almost had to reduce some of the words due to the limit. If you get a chance check it out and let me know what you think!

(My Valentine! photo by me)

Lastly, to be so cliche, I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day! Even if you don't have a significant other, I'm sure you have people around you that love and adore you. Those are the people that count! I know I ate too much candy and felt very loved! As always, the weekend is over and it's back to the gym for me! 

Good luck this week yal! One day at a time! 

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Storytelling for Week 5: Monkey Kong

Once upon a time in a far away land, Brahma, the creator of life, came down from the heavens to enjoy the magnificent Mount Meru. Mount Meru was covered with gold and diamonds. Everything sparkled. Brahma, overwhelmed by the scenery, shed a tear of joy, and where it landed grew Earth's first monkey, Riksharaja. Brahma stayed on Mount Meru so that Riksharaja wouldn't be left all alone. The baby monkey danced and played on the mountain while eating all kinds of delicious fruit until one day while drinking from a lake, he became bored of the same old thing every day. He began to wonder how much fun the fish below the water were having, since they were swimming around so carefree. 

Suddenly, Riksharaja cannon-balled into the water, making an enormous splash. Riksharaja was enjoying the refreshing water that was swooshing by his fur, tingling his skin for the first time, when he realized his appearance was now that of a girl. So the monkey rushed out of the water and scurried to Brahma to figure out what was the matter with him. Brahma told him that being the only monkey on earth he could act as both a girl or a boy. Surprised, Riksharaja hurried back to the lake and jumped into the water again in an attempt to turn back into a boy, but once out of the water the monkey saw its reflection. She was the most beautiful creature on Mount Meru, and she began to accept her new image.

Meanwhile, Indra, the storm god, and Surya, the sun, caught a glimpse of the breathtaking creature standing at the edge of the lake. It was love at first sight for both gods. First Indra came to embrace Riksharaja, and then Surya came to her second. Within that same day, Vali and Sugriva were born. Vali was Indra's son and Sugriva was Surya's son. Proud of her accomplishments, Riksharaja rushed to Brahma to show off her babies. But before she could make it to Brahma, Riksharaja  got swept off her feet by a whirl of wind. It spun her around so fast she thought she was going to be sick, but all she could think about was the safety of her babies. At last, the wind placed her back on Earth, but now she was in her original form. The sudden gush of wind had turned her back into a boy. Riksharaja, stunned by the day's events, quickly grabbed his babies and continued to run to Brahma, but now it was for safety. 

Riksharaja reached Brahma in such a commotion it took him a while to recognize the gifts Riksharaja had brought to him. Once he saw the babies, he celebrated the monkey's accomplishments and comforted him, as he knew what events had taken place in Riksharaja's day. As a reward, Brahma gave Vali, Riksharaja's son with Indra, the land of Kishkindhya and populated the kingdom with more monkeys so he wouldn't be all alone. Riksharaja had accomplished his purpose on Earth and Brahma allowed to go with him to the heavens to rest. From afar, Riksharaja watched his boys. He began to notice that Vali was spoiled, and he asked the Wind God, Vayu, to have a child that could be a loyal friend to Sugriva. Vayu agreed and went to Kishkindhya to find a mate. Vayu stumbled upon the most beautiful monkey of all, Anjana. While Anjana was alone in the meadows, Vayu made a baby with Anjana.

(Image Source: Hanuman Statue)

Within that same day Hanuman was born. The heavens sang of joy because they knew what kind of steadfast monkey had been born on that day. Unfortunately, Anjana was already married, so she rushed back to her husband in shame, leaving baby Hanuman all alone. Several days went by, and Hanuman grew very lonely. He had to teach himself how to walk so he could survive. 

Once Vayu saw his baby had been abandoned, he tried to visit, but Indra knew the destiny of Hanuman was to be the loyal friend to Sugriva which would somehow result in the death of Vali, his son. Therefore, Indra made it impossible for Vayu to ever be able to come near Hanuman again. As a result of this betrayal, Hanuman became very angry. He made a promise to himself to be the most loyal monkey to ever walk the Earth. Seeing that Hanuman was struggling with the abandonment of his dad, Vayu, Brahma came to his aid as Hanuman had been a faithful creature to the gods. Instead of turning his anger into evil, he used it for good by promising to be a faithful friend to all who deserved it. Brahma granted him everlasting life, and the gods came from all over to teach him powers that would sustain him during his life. 

Hanuman's favorite power was the ability to grow into a massive monkey that could take one step across the ocean. He lived in the forest for four years, scavenging for his own food and befriending a kingdom of bears. One day, Hanuman decided to cross a lake where he found Kishkindhya. He noticed that the creatures of the land were of the same species as himself, so he entered the city in hopes to find companionship among his own. Unfortunately, while Hanuman was roaming the forest, Indra came to Vali in order to warn him of Hanuman's arrival. He told him that by being friends with this creature it would eventually result in his death. Furthermore, once Hanuman came into the kingdom, everyone immediately shunned him due to the orders from Vali, their king. 

However, there was one lonely monkey, Sugriva, that took Hanuman into his home as his long lost friend. Hanuman asked Sugriva, "Aren't you scared of what Vali might do to you if he finds out about my presence?" Sugriva answered, "Don't worry! I will handle my brother." Then Hanuman vowed to be Sugriva's truest friend as long as he should live due to the sanctuary he had just granted him. And so, they both never felt lonesome again, and the pair became inseparable ever afterwards. 

Author's Note: I wrote this as a bedtime story for a baby monkey. I wanted to give it the details that would make it fun to read for a little monkey, so that he will stay interested in it even though it is long. Also, the child might fall asleep before it was over. When I was younger, I loved to have a story to continue the next night. It forced my parents to read to me twice! Also, I added some magical events, such as the spinning wind transforming Riksharaja from a girl back into a boy, so it would have the feel of a fairy tale even though the basis of the story is the real history of Hanuman. This will allow the monkey parent to teach their baby monkey a little bit about its history while being entertained. However, once Hanuman was born, I wanted to continue his story to show what a great character had been created for Surgriva.  As we have read, Hanuman is very loyal, and I wanted to provide a story that explained what made this monkey so loyal to Sugriva and Rama. I displayed this by adding the details about how Hanuman used his anger for good. I choose the image above because it gives an image of Hanuman to place with the story about his birth that is being told. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a picture of baby Hanuman. I think this will be a great story to put into my portfolio because I enjoy reading it and I hope you do too!

Bibliography: Buck, William. Hanuman. Ramayana: King Rama's Way. (1976): 184-189

Week 5 Reading Diary B: Hanuman

The Abduction of Sita

• Sita naively welcomes Ravana disguised as an old man
• Ravana can barely contain himself and reveals himself shortly
• Sita played right into his trap --> Mirachi drawing Rama away and dying while pretending to be Rama in danger
• Ravana takes Sita against her will --> in his own arms in this version
• Sita sees Hanuman and Surgiva in this version and leaves them clue to give to Rama when he comes looking
• She drops a jewlery trail
• She tells the forest by her home to tell Rama what happened to her but when Rama asks they are too scared to give up Ravana

Sita in Lanka

• Indra comes to consolidate Sita
• Tells Sita that Ravana can't force himself on women that are not wanting or his head will explode -> cursed by Nalakubara
• Sita is the first women since Rambha to not give into Ravana's charm

Savari

• An old wife of a dead sage lives until she can see Rama and tell him what to do and where Sita is
• Savari is the director of Rama to Hanuman --> Hanuman is to serve Rama as his Lord (fiercely loyal)

Hanuman

• Abandoned as a baby and hungry, he reached for the sun thinking it was a mango 
• He later thought Rahu was a mango and was trying to take bites out of it making him angry
•  Hanuman also thought Indra was a mango and tried to take a bite out of him when he slammed him to the ground injurying him
• The wind god quit blowing to take care of his abandoned son --> Indra gave Hanuman eternal life
• The expedition:
• Rama gives Hanuman a symbol of his search to give to Sita when he finds her --> ring Sita's dad gave her after they married
• Swayampraha is the caretaker of an illusion world where the expedition to the south (Lanka) gets delayed
• Angada refuses to return a failure and prepares to die while Hanuman and Jambavan, bear king, ponder new plans

Image Source: Hanuman's heart by Palagiri

Reading Diary A: Ravana prepares for Rama

Bhrata Returns

• Bharata returns to Ayodhya to find his father, Dasharhata, is dead due to not being able to bare the separation of him and Rama
• The town is a dark and gloomy place (extremely unpleasant)
• Bharata is vengeful towards his mother, Kaikeyi, since she demanded this, but the priest convinces him to forgive her.
• Dasharhata is cremated so the town can quit mourning
• But! Bharata doesn't take the crown --> he takes the whole town into the forest in search of Rama 
• King Guha, forest king, blesses their journey in the forest
• Sage Bhradwaja blesses Kaikeyi for what she has done and convinces Bharata that what she did was "fate"
• Bharata embraces his mother --> Kaikeyi feeling of guilt for "killing" the king is relieved
• After a glorious day in Bhradwaja's hermitage created by the architecture god --> they head to Rama at Chikrakuta

The Sandals

• Rama is stunned but pleased to see Bharata in the woods
• Bharata breaks the bad news to Rama about Dasharhata's death
• Rama convinces Bharata to take the thrown until he returns so that he can uphold his father's honor even in his absence
• Bharata sets up the thrown just outside of Ayodhya and places Rama's sandals on top to symbolize the temporary reign
• Bharata promises to walk into fire and die if Rama is one day late back from his 14 year exile
• Rama visits Atri where he learns of the story about a lake, Mandakarni was able to breath and make the lake grow larger and when Vishnu (Rama as a god) realized he was going to drown earth he granted him everlasting life under the lake with his 5 beautiful wives
• When they celebrated you could hear the sound of it from above the lake
• Anasuya befriends Sita and gives her jewelry to give her beauty and strength to make it through this exile in the forest

Dandaka Forest

• In the 14th summer Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita enter the Dandaka Forest
• Agastya lowered the mountain so people could get into the forest for a god that never returned
• He also stopped 2 demons, Vatapi and Ilwala 
• Vatapi was human form and spoke the language. He would trick people into coming to have a feast at his modest cottage on the Vindhya hill (Agastya's)
• The meal would actually be a ram which was Ilwala. Once Ilwala was eaten Vatapi would say "Come out" and Ilwala would bust out of the men's stomachs and the 2 demons would eat and drink their bodies and blood (killed thousands)
• Agasya gave a better bow he had found that he thought had fallen out of the heaven's for him in exchange for his old one
• Dandaka is Ravana's domain and Khara, his brother, runs the army
• Once entering the Dandaka forest Rama decides to assist the tiny Valakhilya with destroying the rakshasas because Indra scorned them for their size already
• The trick Kadru used to make Vinata a slave was by places her thousands of children in the horses tail making it appear to not be pure white --> it was though
• Vinata become Kadru's slave but Gadru, the bird king, ransomed her by stealing Indra's amrita right out of his palace by disguising himself several times
• Indra was impressed by his abilities hence giving him the title king of birds
• Once Guadru got his mother free he helped distract Kadru so Indra could get his amrita, immorality, by telling them to bath before tasting it
• Tumburu wanted Rama to violently kill him so he could be released
• Tumburu was the music god so once he was killed he was released from his demon body and began playing instruments
• Tumburu returned to heaven with his girl
• Shurpanka sees Rama and desires him
• Rama says he is happily married and Shurpanka becomes angry and tries to attack Sita
• Lakshmana intervenes and chops off her nose and ears
• Shurpanka runs to Khara and Khara rallies the army to attack these mortals for what they have done
• Rama destroys the large army and Khara alone
• Shurpanka in fear arrives to tell Ravana of what Rama has done
• AND Ravana prepares to deceive Rama as he cannot simply allow this man to live happily in his kingdom especially after what he has done to Shurpanka, his sister
• He goes to visit Maricha whom Rama has already bowed in the heart in his youth

  

Image Source: Garuda by Tropenmuseum

Famous Last Words for Week 4

Well one more week done and one more step closer to finishing school! Wow, that may have freaked me out a little too much! So last week we started the storybook project and I already think I decided to do the wrong topic. I am always so indecisive. It's gonna be the death of me. I enjoyed writing more detailed author's notes this week because I felt like it reminded me of what I actually like in these novels, the women characters.

I love nice weather so I cannot wait to get these assignments done so I can go play with my dog at the park! When I was at church this morning, it gave me a really good message that I want to share. My pastor was talking about Jonas and the fish. He was reminding us to pray often and early, and once you prayed let that worry go and let God talk to the problem for you. This really spoke to me because recently I have been feeling a disconnect between an important person in my life and I have been fretting it. I feel like I can just release that worry to him and let him deal with it. He'll steer me right.

In my women and genders study class, we discussed this week about skin lighteners. I felt like this related to this class because the documentary we watched said that this was a popular trend of the Indian culture. I couldn't believe this. One thing that made it hard to believe is that being a white girl, I am always trying to get tan. In the summer, I look like a Mexican! It hit me hard because it felt like we are all trying to change our appearances into something we are not. Personally, I love the skin color of different races. I don't understand why everyone wants to be white. However, it stems from a system that benefits the white man. As if he is the only one that has all the power. I believe we all need to love our own skin, and embrace it. It is apart of who we are and the origin from where we come from. We need to join to together and embrace the differences of every person.

Image Source: Psalm 73:26

Storytelling for Week 4: The Beauty and the God

Brahma created thousands of ordinary creatures called man. Once he saw how helpless they were alone, Brahma created enough women that every one of these men could have a woman of their own. However, when Brahma was creating the last woman, he grew very fond of her and took his time with every detail of her body. As her creator, he wanted the gift of naming her. Brahma thought long and hard on what her name would be when he finally decided on Ahalya, meaning "one with an impeccable beauty." It was only fitting that her beauty went along with this beautiful name. Alas, Brahma was ready to bless the world with his masterpiece, but Indra was lurking near and creating a master plan to dishonor her beauty. Furthermore, Brahma wanted her to live as a normal person with the man he created her for, Gautama, and among her own kind. Hence, to avoid Indra, he strategically placed her near Gautama and a great distance from Indra. Therefore, Indra didn't get the opportunity to meet her before Gautama and Ahalya were already married.

Meanwhile, Gautama was patiently waiting on Brahma to create his very own woman, as everyone else in his world had already found their mate. Gautama waited for his one and only while diligently praying to Brahma to bless him when he found timely. He knew that his faith would bring him what he needed in Brahma's time.

Finally, Gautama laid eyes on Ahalya. It was love at first sight for him. However, Ahalya just went along with the arrangement because no one else was available. As time went on, she grew to love Gautama. However, Ahalya was always stared at and complimented by everyone she came across. This created a great deal of curiosity for Ahalya about different experiences.  Gautama saw the doubt in Ahalya's eyes, and moved the couple to the countryside so that no one would tempt her any longer.

Finally Indra arrived in town, but the townspeople told him about Ahalya's marriage to Gautama. Also they mentioned that the two had already gone to live in the countryside in hopes of secluding Ahalya from other people in the world. Indra panicked and whispered to himself, "I am too late." Ahalya, his infatuation, was already married and living happily ever after in peace. Unfortunately, Indra still lusted for Ahalya. And so, Indra was determined not to give up until he saw the marriage for himself. So he searched high and low for the beautiful Ahalya. As time went on Indra, the king of storms, grew frustrated. His emotions created a rainy period that wouldn't cease until he found Ahalya. Alas, he stumbled upon their modest cottage in the mountains. He saw the couple cooped up in the cabin waiting on the storm to pass. Forgetting about Gautama, Indra became mesmerized by Ahalya's beauty. He then decided she would be his, even if it was just for a moment. After all, Indra was the god of storms, and he knew just what to do to get rid of Gautama long enough for him to be alone with Ahalya. 

The next day, Indra made the weather clear up. Gautama went to the river to meditate and bathe just as Indra had hoped. That's when Indra took advantage of his chance to meet Ahalya. He rushed to the front door as soon as Gautama was out of sight. But suddenly, right when Indra was about to knock on the door, he remembered they had no neighbors. Ahalya would simply be scared of a stranger's visit. Indra quickly decided to disguise himself as Gautama in order to meet her. Upon entering the cottage, Ahalya's presence was too overwhelming for Indra, and he decided to take what he had wanted from her quickly before Gautama returned.

Afterwards, Indra had an epiphany and felt guilty for deceiving such a beautiful woman. He rushed out of the cabin in a daze and quickly got rid of the disguise. Though, as Indra was leaving, Gautama was returning from the river and caught a glimpse of Indra. Gautama knew what had happened and cursed Indra by castrating him for taking what didn't belong to him.

(Image Source: Kali, Indra, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva)

Author's note: I chose to write the story of Ahalya from Indra's perspective because I wanted to display how deceiving the gods seem to me. This creates my question: How is a woman to remain pure if a god could deceive her by using disguises? While reading this story in The Ramayana, I didn't feel like Ahalya was totally convinced that Indra was Gautama. However, in fear of possibly denying her husband, she allowed it to happen anyways. I felt as though this made her seem curious because she saw through the disguise but still allowed it to occur so I portrayed her in this way in my story. Indra is a fascinating character. It seems difficult to be a woman of good virtue when in these times a woman had to fear being tricked by a god even though he was disguised as her very own husband. How are women ever to be sure they are allowing the right man to touch their bodies? This would create a great deal of fear for me if I had to worry about catching others in disguises that are trying to fool me. I choose this image because it displays several gods that I feel a mortal has to be careful around. A person may never know when they are being deceived. This is an interesting topic to use in my portfolio because it displays Indra's dynamic personality. 

Bibliography:  

• Buck, William, "Taste this Water", Ramayana: King Rama's Way, (1976): 51-52.
• "Ahalya", Wikipedia. web. 

       

Week 4 Reading Diary B: Betrayal

The Two Wishes

• Rama to be King
• Kaikeyi is at first excited by this but later Manthara scares her of the idea claiming Kaikeyi will become a slave to Kauslaya
• Kaikeyi uses her two promises from long ago against the King
• Rama exiled to the forest for 14 years and Bhrata king of Ayodhya
• Rama is obedient and makes sure his father stay true to his word even though Dasharhata doesn't want to go through with it
• Sumantra tries to convince Dasharhata to relent his command but Dasharhata cannot and Rama won't let him
• Sumantra charioteers Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana out of the city
• The Kosala's follow Rama out of town trying to stop him

Lord of the Wild Trees

• Guha rejects Shiva's statue by kicking it everyday
• Upon Guha's death, Shiva rescues him from Yama --> Shiva considers Guha a "loyal follower" even though his intentions were to dishonor him
• Dasharhata almost teaches Kaikeyi the animal language which would explode his heart --> cause his death
• Kaikeyi has been conniving undercover for a while now
• Dasharhata deters this attempt for now
• Sumantra returns to Ayodhya leaving Rama and others alone where they find shelter in Chikrahuta --> deceived, this place is not peaceful
• Upon Sumantra's arrival with the news of Rama going further into the forest, Dasharhata remembers why this is happening: Karma
• Dasharhata had killed a young boy of blind parents by accident in earlier years and the parents told him he would get what he gave them in return by he gave them the peace of death as well
• Dasharata dies in his sleep that night 

(Rama leaving for exile Wikimedia)

  

Week 4 Reading Diary A: The history of Ravana

Born as a Man:

• Valmiki is telling the story (poet)
• Buck's tale begins by Rama exiled Sita because of gossip and then reverts backwards to tell the story of Ravana vs. Rama.
• Sita is sad and pregnant with Rama's twins when Valmiki is called upon to teach Rama's sons, Kusha and Lava, about their dad.
• Valmiki begins the story by telling them that Dasaratha had lived 6,000 years and was never blessed with any children, so he performed a sacrifice to get their dad and uncles.
• Meanwhile, the God's have created a monster, Ravana and go to Vishnu for help.
• Vishnu is reincarnated as Rama--> Dasaratha's first son
• Vishwamitra arrives at Ayodha when their dad was 16 asking for Rama's help with the rakshasas --> Ravana's race
• Vishwamitra describes the creation of the rakshasas and later the creation of Ravana  

The Thorn in the World's side:

• Ravana and his 2 brothers and sister are born
• Ravana obtains his powers by "torchering" the gods but forgets to protect himself from mortals
• Ravana obtains Lanka for rakshasas
• Ravana kills a messenger sent by his dad, Vaishravana
• Ravana forces Manibhadra and Indra to surrender
• Indra cursed Ravana 
• Ravana is captured by Shiva but later released because of his beautiful singing
•  Haihaya people did not surrender and their king almost beat him
• Ravana's grandfather rescued him, Pulastya
• Ravana took all of the gods who had surrendered to Lanka as servants (Yama: God of Death, Vasuki and Varuna, Surya: sun, Chandra: moon, Indra)
• Ravana's son actually captured Indra while Indrani and Chitratha: beautiful singer, were saved
• Vishwamitra asks for Rama to come train in the forest for his destined fight against Ravana (Lakshamana accompanies them as well)
• Subahu is conquers during this journey but Maricha is only bowed in the heart and lives

Taste This Water

• While Rama is traveling in the forest he restores Ahlaya to her former beauty
• Ahlaya was given all the beauties in the beginning and married Guatama
• Indra wanted her for himself so he disguised himself as Guatama and made love to her. However, Ahlaya wasn't fooled by the disguise and still allowed it to happen
• While Indra was leaving Guatama saw him --> he punished Ahlaya by passing out all of her beauty to other women and leaving her invisible
• Rama was the only one that could release her from this curse
• Once he did Guatama came back for her 
• In Mithila, Rama breaks Shiva's bow in half winning him Sita as his wife
• Sita and Rama are soulmates (reincarnated Gods that were married)
• In doing this, Rama also won his three brothers King Janaka's other daughters as their wives as well
• King Janaka sent for King Dasarhata and they had an extravagant event
• Rama, Sita, and the other couples returned home to Ayodha where Rama grows close to King Dasarhata -> learning King traits

(Ahlaya bowing to Rama after he frees her from her invisible curse

photographed by Govardhan Wikimedia)

Brainstorm Storytelling Styles: Animal Stories

Topic: I will do the animal story about Jatayu and Sampati from The Ramayana. I think animals have a lot to teach humans about how to love unconditionally. I will, also, do the story about Hanuman's loyalty to Rama. Hanuman is a monkey species that behave very similarly to mortals. Hanuman has a lesson to teach us about keeping his word to his father and being a courageous warrior in honor of Rama. Lastly, I will learn more about Rama and the squirrel. I will have to research this more as I have not heard of this tale yet. However, what I have learned so far is that the little squirrel was doing all he could to help Rama cross the water to Lanka. Sometimes the multitude of the gift isn't important. It's the small things that matter, and the small things (pebbles) are the foundation of the big thing (bridge).

Bibliography: 

Lord Rama and the Squirrel, from Indian Stories for Children, by Anuradha Shankar, (2010)

Hanuman, from Indian Stories for Children, by Anuradha Shankar, (2010)

The history of Hanuman, from Wikipedia

The life of Hanuman, from Sanatan Society

The history of Sampati and Jatayu, from Wikipedia

Sampati, from Birds of Ramayana, by Bharat Bhushan

Possible Styles:

New Character: By introducing a new character, I can tie all four of these animals together with the common ground being Rama. I could even tell the story as the first person to make the animal characters have a more personal aspect. I could portray the characters of the animals individually highlighting each of their best qualities. I think this would be a really cool way to display how animals have a lot of things to teach humans about how forgiving and unconditionally loving each other. I could also show their true intentions of helping Rama and their struggles in doing so.

Personal Journeys: I could display each animal characters personal journey to finding Rama. This could show the struggles that may be unheard in common retellings of The Ramayana. Each character plays a special role in Rama's journey, and I could display their journey. For example, Sampati could be searching for Rama just missing him every once in a while. Also, Hanuman could display some hesitation to worship Rama in his desperate condition as it may place a hardship on him as well.

Time Travel: I could be placed in a time travel machine and go back to the day of all Rama's encounters with these animals, and assist them in their journey. I could even combine this idea with the new character idea to help Rama fight Ravana. I could be a mixture of Sampati and something else. Being from the future could help because I know more background information, and I even know the outcome. This idea leaves a lot of room for the imagination to get into the real characters and intentions of the animals.

Death bed story: The main story could be of Jatayu on his death bed after attempting to prevent Ravana from stealing Sita. All these animal characters could visit him, and make individual promises to him on how to assist Rama in retrieving Sita and returning to reign. Jatayu on his bed begins to see the future events for Rama in the forest and knows he is going to be in need of more assistance. This could also show the connection Rama has with the animal character. While this is occurring Sampati catches wind of the events, and is able to come to Jatayu's side and save him while also obtaining his restored wings in the presence of Rama. 

(Hanuman growing giant to step across the water to Lanka by Sanatan Society)

Week 3: Famous Last Words

This week has been a little draining. I hate when you get sick but still have all of these deadlines and still have to do stuff. I can' wait until I have a job with sick time so I can just sleep.

While finishing The Ramayana, I couldn't help but say, "Yay Rama!" I figured that Rama was going to conquer Ravana and get Sita, but I was anticipating the finale. I really enjoyed writing my story about Sita's point of view about her captured experience. It gave people an understanding of Sita waiting and praying Rama was coming. The Ramayana just told the story from Rama's experienced. I really enjoyed reading people's stories about Jatayu and Sampathi! They were my favorite animal characters in this book. Eagles are already thought of as so graceful, and these characters are a great demonstration of this quality. Animals have a strange way of showing people how to behave and treat each other.

In other news, my other classes are going along pretty well. I hate the weather changes though. I have two quizzes this week so that sucks. However, things could always be worse. I always just try to get through one week at a time. Just keeping my head down and getting through it. Time is starting to move too fast and graduation is getting closer and closer. I am trying to get all of this online work done so I can watch the Superbowl tonight in peace. I love watching football so it's going to be fun, but this day can be kind of sad in my world because that means I have to wait 6 months to be able to watch it again. Let the long off season arrive, and the boredom start. At least basketball can keep my mind of it. :) This probably makes me sound sports obsessed, but I guess I kind of am! Until next season. Hopefully our coaching staff is bringing their A game this spring.

(OU Stadium photographed by me)