Portfolio Guide

Welcome to my portfolio! Here I will compile a few Storytelling tales that I have recreated. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Story 1: The story of Ahalya told by Indra.
Story 2: The bedtime story: Monkey Kong
Story 3: Sita Captured by Ravana
Story 4: Dhritarashtra Gets Revenge
Story 5: Milk to Salt

Storytelling for Week 11: Milk to Salt

Before the ocean was made of salt, it provided the earth with the creamiest, most refreshing potion known as milk. This potion was worthy of drinking, and so, people would come from all over the land to see and taste this magnificent beverage. It smelled sweet, and looked like a soft blanket of snow like you would see at the top of the mountains where no one has ever walked before. The people had never tasted anything like it! The desire for more made them come back day after day. 

One day, Narayana, an incarnated version of Vishnu, came to the milk sea and shouted to the gods, "Churn the ocean! Unearth the nectar of immorality for me!"

And so, the gods began. They placed the mountain Mandara in the middle. Mandara is the snow mountain, and it is far taller then the sea's depths. Therefore, the milk and snow on the part of the mountain that was visible blended together seamlessly. It was hard to tell the two landscapes apart from one another. However, no one nearby saw this spectacle as the sound of the commotion had pierced their ears, and everyone was hunched over with their fingers in their ears for protection. 

Then abruptly, the great serpent, Sesha, wrapped himself around the mountain and stretched the length of the mountain so that he could be used to churn the ocean. At this moment, Sesha looked like an octopus stretched out to be used in a grand tug-a-war match, good versus evil! Holding onto Sesha's tail were the Asuras which are the unusual-looking, immoral gods. Grabbing onto Sesha's neck were the devas who are the mortal gods including Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. Each side took turns pulling back and forth causing the mountain to spin in opposite directions, and of course, messing up the perfect snow on the mountain and throwing boulders into the, now, bubbling milk.

(Image Source: Churning the Milk Sea)

At this, glorious creatures began emerging from the frothing ocean. First, the crescent Moon appeared. Then, to list some of the most notable creatures, Indra's white elephant, Airavata, Surabhi, the white cow who grants wishes, and finally Dhanwantari, the physician robed in white carrying a cup full of amrita, which was the essence of life. 

Narayana screeched with excitement, "At last! I will live forever! This treasure is mine." He had now begun doing his happy dance like a little school girl. Narayana, or Vishnu, was so excited! He proclaimed again, "Thank you, gods. Thank you!"

In the meantime, with all the commotion in the sea from the churning, the sea shot poison up into the air turning the milk into salt water. Milk is a drink that sustains life, and salt water is a drink that destroys it. This was devastating to the people watching.

While the gods were busy elsewhere, the poison shot up into the sky and was going to land all over the worlds. This would instantaneously kill anything that came in contact with it. Miraculously, out of nowhere, Shiva, The Lord of the Mountains and Songs, came flying in to gather all the poison into his mouth in order to swallow it. With this, Shiva saved the worlds. He was a hero!

Unfortunately, the poison was lodged in his airways and his face turned blue. He grabbed the crescent moon that had just emerged from the milk sea and placed it in his hair. With this, Narayana became a woman named Mohini. The cresent moon became a hair jewel for her, and Mohini seduced and confused the asuras who were trying to steal the cup full of amrita. Thankfully though, Mohini succeeded at bringing the devas the armita before the asuras could took it for themselves.       

Author's note: I wrote this tale because I like the significance of the churning of the ocean in Hindu mythology. Also, while writing, I felt like I was able to better understand the events that were happening which helped me to realize why this tale would hold that kind of importance. The beauty of the white milky sea was important in this tale because it is sacrificed in order to bring Vishnu amrita, the essence of life. It is interesting to me that the "dark" gods are pulling against the "mortal" gods like tug-a-war in order to bring Vishnu what he wants. This is very symbolic about the meaning of asking for amrita. When the milk sea began to bring out the glorious creatures, I only named the white creatures that appeared to emphasize the significance of the color white in the story such as, the milk, the elephant, the cow, and the robe. White symbolizes purity so I thought it held a lot of meaning in this tale as the sea was once pure, but now it has been used as a sacrifice and turned into salt water. However, salt is still white. How ironic! I chose this picture because it helps to vividly visualize the event of churning the ocean along with the creatures that surfaced from the ocean during the scene as well. 

Bibliography:  

• Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata          

Storytelling for Week 10: Dhritarashtra Gets Revenge

Once the war was over, the Pandavas decided to return to the city of Hastinapura to inform king Dhritarashtra and his queen of their loss. Yudhistira was the one strong enough to tell Dhritarashtra of the dreadful news. Unlike their cousins, the Pandavas were upset about having to kill their own family members in order to receive justice. Yudhistira tried to tell his uncle of the events of the war as sympathetically as he could. Finally, he concluded with the news about the story of the death of Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra's eldest son. However, he didn't mention the part where Bhima stomped on his body while he was lying on the ground about to die. Unfortunately, Dhritarashtra didn't need to be told about the events because Sanjaya narrated the war as it happened so Dhritarashtra already knew what Bhima had done to Duryodhana. Furthermore, he wanted revenge on Bhima for what he had done to his son! 

Once Yudhistira was done speaking, Dhritarashtra spoke. "I see! And where is Bhima now? I should apologize to him on my son's behalf."

Yudhistira immediately muttered without suspicion, "Well, he is righ...."

Krishna figured out Dhritarashtra's deceitful plan and interrupted Yudhistira. He then presented a statue that he had quickly created that exactly resembled Bhima. 

Dhritarashtra, being that he is blind, embraced the Bhima figure without hesitation and exclaimed, "Alas, I shall kill Bhima once and for all! You fools!" 

With this, Dhritarashtra squeezed Bhima with all his might and left the figure crumbled into millions of tiny pieces on the floor. Moreover, Duryodhana's mother, Gandhari, and Dhritarashtra rejoiced in the thought of revenge for their son's death!

The other Pandava brothers were unaware of the illusion Krishna had presented. They began to weep for all they had experienced had finally been too much for them to bear! The Pandavas grieving only furthered Dhritarashtra's and Ghandri's sweet revenge celebration.   

However, as Bhima watched the spectacle at a distance in the shadows, he was shocked by the actions of his uncle. He couldn't believe his uncle wanted him dead. It broke Bhima's heart as Dhritarashtra celebrated what he had thought was the end of Bhima. With this feeling festering inside him, Bhima abruptly emerged to Dhritarashtra wiping his revenge smirk off his face.

Bhima shouted, "How dare you praise my death, uncle! You traitor."

Bhima attempted to attack Dhritarashtra, but his brothers stopped him. As Bhima was so strong, it took several brothers to actually prevent Bhima from hurting Dhritarashtra. 

While attempting to stop Bhima, Arjuna whispered in Bhima's ear, "Don't waste your time on him. We have already won, brother!"

Bhima grinned and told Dhritarashtra, "Your actions have betrayed us, and therefore, your karma has caught up to you. You failed, and now.... now your kingdom is ours! You have failed once and for all!"

Finally, the Pandavas cheered! They shared hugs and smiles. Dhritarashtra had betrayed them and he deserved to be stripped of his crown. Once Dhritarashtra had failed at his last attempt at killing a Pandava, there was a ceremony for Yudhistra's coronation. Hastinapura's people were actually relieved to have the Pandavas as their new rulers as they were more just.  At last, the Pandavas ruled the kingdom for many years to come without any problems from Dhritarashtra.

(Image Source: Bhima and Duryodhana)

Author's Note: I wrote this story because when Bhima finally defeats Duryodhana it is my favorite part in the book. However, it is ironic how Dhritarashtra wants revenge on him when the entire audience is happy that the evil cousin is finally dead. Furthermore, Krishna plays such an important role in the war between the cousins. However, when choosing between Krishna or one million troops, Duryodhana thought that Yudhistira was silly for choosing him over the numbers. This tale illustrates yet again another moment that Krishna was an asset to the success of the Pandavas. Krishna uses his wise judgment on Dhritarashtra and protects Bhima one more time! Throughout the book the Pandavas are always stunned at the way their cousins and uncles treat them. I used this to display how I thought Bhima would respond to seeing his uncle think he crushed him to death. Furthermore, Bhima is utterly shocked. However, the Pandavas have better characters than their cousins, so they finally rejoice in their victory instead of killing Dhritarashtra as well. I chose this picture because I think this is the main reason why Dhritarashtra wants to crush Bhima, and he doesn't try it with the rest of the Pandavas.  

Bibliography: 

• Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

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

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. 

       

Storytelling for Week 3: Captured

When he arrived at Lanka, Ravana introduced Sita as his new mistress. However, Sita scoffed at the sound of this comment, which made Ravana's wife and other mistresses wonder about the truth behind this abrupt announcement. Ravana decided Sita's arrival deserved a celebration of her. So the citizens decorated the town with fancy colors and lighting. Also, the rakshasis danced around her and praised her beauty because Ravana ordered them to. Once the citizens had a chance to individually greet Sita, those who could afford it showered her with extravagant jewels for their new queen. Not amused by the events, Sita refused them all, drawing attention to the fact that Ravana had actually kidnapped her and she was there unwillingly. Because of Sita's actions, Ravana was forced to tell those close to him how he had actually obtained her. Ravana was annoyed by her behavior, and due to Sita's unappreciative acts, he sent her away to Ashoka Vana, imprisoning her in hopes of convincing her to reject Rama and accept Ravana as her husband. Ashoka Vana is a pleasure garden; it was supposed to be a joyful place, but Sita's experience in this place was often accompanied by Ravana trying to force her to be his wife.

Meanwhile back in Lanka, rumors among the common asuras flew around town like wildfire. Some believed in their king's purity, preaching, "Ravana wouldn't steal a woman without her will. She must be shy." However, others questioned his intentions, asking, "Would Ravana really steal another man's woman? Why else would she be so standoffish to her new kingdom?" They couldn't imagine any other reason why a woman of such beauty would be so ungrateful. Queens wouldn't deny the gifts from her people, especially at the introduction celebration. Unfortunately, the citizens had to make assumptions about Sita as Ravana never exposed his truths except to a selective few, whom he knew wouldn't turn on him.

As time went on, day after day, Sita grew lonely and increasingly exasperated at her situation. She wondered and wished for the day that Rama would arrive for her rescue. Suddenly, Ravana entered shouting, "Well, you miserable woman, have you decided who your true prince charming is?" 

She responded without hesitation, "My beloved Rama is searching for me, and when he arrives you will be sorry." 

This angered Ravana and he responded in rage, "You foolish woman, it will be you who are sorry!" Then Ravana stormed out. Every day after this encounter, Ravana came to visit Sita, making threats towards her and Rama. His threats promised Sita that he was going to destroy Rama. When Ravana wasn't near, Sita pleaded with the rakshasis who were guarding her. The rakshasis, unfortunately, remained loyal to Ravana despite feeling sorry for Sita when they looked at her.

Meanwhile, Mandodari, Ravana's first wife, tried to figure out Sita's past and her intentions for the future. However, Ravana kept a good secret! Just when Mandodari was losing hope, Hanuman arrived in Lanka seeking the site of Sita and to inform Ravana that Rama was coming for him. Once Mandodari heard the news, she decided to make a visit to where Sita was residing. In the middle of the night, Mandodari sneaks to Ashoka Vana unnoticed. She startles Sita and tells her about  Hanuman's arrival in Lanka. 

Mandodari says to Sita, "My husband Ravana told me that he found you injured and saved you. I do not understand why you are acting so ungrateful. Do you know who Hanuman is?" 

To the surprise of Mandodari, Sita already knew of Hanuman's presence as he has already visited her, and Sita responds, "I was not saved by Ravana. He kidnapped me! Hanuman is here to tell Ravana that my husband, Rama, is on his way to rescue me." 

Mandodari, in tears, leaves Sita after hearing the truth about Ravana. She also fears the safety of her city.

Furthermore, while Mandodari was away, Hanuman was making his exit known in Lanka by burning the capitol to ashes.

(Image Source: Hanuman giving Sita Rama's ring by Soham Banerjee

Author's note: I chose this story because I am hoping I could put it into my Portfolio to give an event about the great character, Sita. Ravana kidnapped Sita, and she is shown as a damsel in distress. I want to highlight what Sita could be doing while waiting on Rama that could be of some assistance when he arrives to rescue her. I, also, imagined Mandodori, Ravana's wife, as being curious about the threat of  her position as Ravana's favorite wife by Sita's arrival in Lanka. This is why I wrote about Mandodari coming to Sita to figure out her intentions. However, Mandodori thought she was waiting on Ravana to decide if Sita was going to be his new wife. Furthermore, little to Mandodori's knowledge, Sita wanted nothing to do with Ravana, and was desperate to return to her husband, Rama. The pure avatar of a goddess never posed a threat to Mandodori or the asuras. She just wanted Rama. Ravana was the one that was holding her against her own will. However, he was telling Mandodari a lie to make her position feel threatened. I chose this image because at the end of the story Hanuman had already visited Sita, and during this visit Hanuman gave Sita a gift of good faith from Rama, his golden ring. The token of love is what gave Sita the courage to tell Mandodari what was really happening with Ravana.

Bibliography: 

• Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.