Improvements

1. I kind of like the idea of the planning weeks because it is nice to actually get a good plan for the course and for other courses.  For me, however, I started off well with my plan but then eventually began relying on the Canvas due dates again.  That might just have been my own poor planning and inability to properly time manage, but I'm not sure having more planning weeks will actually help that many people.  Then again maybe if I had had more time to plan, I might have been able to work out a better plan that I could have stuck to.  I did like the review weeks though because they were good breaks and allowed me to look back and see how far I had come so I'm loath to tell you to do away with them though!  Maybe Week 9 could be a Review Week and Week 2 is a Planning Week?
2. I really liked the story planning option!  Sometimes I don't have time to write the story or am having a hard time thinking of an idea.  The planning option was really helpful for that and let me consider my story ideas more.  I would suggest maybe having additional resources for the story planning page like linking to the Wikipedia or other helpful websites so people can get more ideas and research.  I also like the idea of having the planning option for the Storybook too because that would have been helpful for when I'm not sure of a good idea or where to go with my story.  However, having the deadline forced me to write when I otherwise could have said oh I'll just think of an idea later, so maybe not having the story planning post for storybooks would still be better.  Or maybe there could be a limit on how many times you can use the story planning post?  Not really sure about a good solution there.
3. I also don't think I'd be particularly good at reading stories out loud, but that sounds really cool!  It would be nice to have another way to reach the stories especially since most epics were meant to be spoken to an audience.
4. Yes that would be so helpful!  I know I have been having a lot of trouble with comma splices throughout the course (and in general), so especially one about that would be so great!  I typically don't like having to sit through videos to learn concepts but there really isn't a good way to teach how to find comma splices (at least that I found) that really helped me understand where I was going wrong.
5. Thematic weeks would be pretty cool!  Would people still be allowed to pick readings though?  Because I really liked being able to pick my own readings and do whatever type of story I wanted, but I wouldn't mind having a little bit of restriction as long as I still got to pick the actual story.

Storytelling: An Exclusive Interview with the Vahanas

“Hello, everybody and welcome to the show!  As your host tonight, I’ll be conducting a few interviews with the deities’ vahanas!  I’m sure you’ve often wondered what it would be like to be the vehicle of a god!  Now we have the mounts themselves here to answer questions!”

“First up we have Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vahana!  Nandi, how are you today?”

The elaborately painted white bull snorted and tossed his head.  “Same old, same old.  I’ve been guarding Shiva’s palace for the past three thousand years, give or take a few hundred.  Stuff gets old.  I used to think it was so exciting working for Shiva, you know?  But now I’m bored.”

“Bored?  Really?  I thought demons attacked all the time!  I mean I know Ravana did . . .”

“Ha!  Demons don’t scare me, especially not Ravana!  He practically ran after I cursed him, but anyway Ravana’s old news.  Haven’t had anything nearly that heart-pounding in a thousand years.”  The bull shook his head sadly.

“Wow, I had no idea.  Have you considered maybe leaving Shiva’s service to find something a little more suited to you?”

“No!  Absolutely not!”  Nandi beat his hooves on the ground.  “I could never leave Lord Shiva!  He saved me when I had nothing and has been nothing but helpful.  Maybe it is getting monotonous now but I would never leave him.”

“Such devotion!  How did that come about?”

“I used to be a human, actually.  When I was only a young boy, two sages visited my father.  They told him that I would not have a long life.  My father was extremely alarmed but didn’t know what to do.  He broke down and told me what they had said.  I told him not to worry and that Lord Shiva would protect me.  So, I prayed to Lord Shiva every day, and finally he rewarded my devotion with a boon.  I asked that I be allowed to pray for one more year for him.  When that year ended, I asked for the same boon, and again and again.  Finally, Lord Shiva recognized my devotion and made me an immortal bull that was sworn to protect his home forever.  And that is why I will never leave him, no matter what happens.”

The host wiped away a tear surreptitiously.  “That was beautiful, thank you, Nandi.  It was great hearing from you.”  The bull inclined his head and walked off the stage.

“Next we have Airavata, the last winged elephant and the mount of Indra!  Airavata, how did you come into Indra’s service?”

The winged elephant gracefully folded his wings behind his back and gestured with his trunk.  “My story is very similar to Nandi’s, in that Indra too showed me great mercy.  I was grievously injured after a battle with a rakshasa, and Indra found me and saved me.  In return, I will serve him for the rest of my life.”

“I am sure he does not regret his decision.  Now, there have many been many rumors surrounding your birth or creation.  So, let’s clear this up for the viewers.  What is your actual origin story?”

The elephant chuckled.  “It may be less interesting than you hoped.  I was not born from the churning of the Ocean of Milk as some believe.  Nor is my mother Iravati as the Ramayana claims.  In fact, I emerged along with 7 other brothers and sisters from an egg at the dawn of time.  Brahma himself watched over our hatching and birth.”

“Forgive me if I’m too forward, but what happened to your brothers and sisters?  You are the last winged elephant left, are you not?”

Airavata sighed.  “Yes, it’s true.  Unfortunately, one of my siblings offended a sage.  Enraged, the sage proclaimed that he and his kind would never fly again.  He only spared me because I was the king of elephants and Indra’s mount.”

“I’m so sorry for what happened, and thank you for telling us about it.  It was great hearing from you today, Airavata.”

“Thank you for having me,” the elephant rumbled as he left the stage.

“Finally, our last guest!  Mushika, mount of Ganesh, welcome!”

“It’s great to be here,” the giant mouse squeaked.

“Now, Mushika, I’m sure you know what my first question will be.  Just how did you become the mount of Ganesh?”

The mouse laughed.  “Well, my story is a bit different from the others.  You see, I was actually a rakshasa originally.  I wasn’t a good, devoted person at all.  In fact, I got into a lot of trouble.  Well, one day Ganesh was fed up with my nonsense.  He decided to put a stop to my bad behavior and captured me with a golden lasso.”

“Wow, what a story!  So, what made you decide to continue following Ganesh?  Would you go back to being a rakshasa?”

“Hell no,” Mushika said.  “I love being Ganesh’s vahana.  Sure I have a bit less freedom than I did before, but I have so many more privileges.  I can go anywhere with Ganesh, and he depends on me a lot too.  It’s not one-sided like a lot of people think.  I give him power to control useless thoughts.  Plus, all of the gods have to bow down before me too.  It’s pretty great.  I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“Thank you for that incredible insight on what it’s like to be a vahana!  It was wonderful having you on the show tonight, Mushika.”

“It was a pleasure being here.”  The mouse scampered off the stage.

“Thanks for tuning in folks!  Next week, I’ll be back with the consorts of the gods!  Ever wanted to hear Sarasvati or Lakshmi’s perspective?  Now you’ll get the chance, next Wednesday 8:00 central!”

Nandi and Lord Shiva.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  At the end of Divine Beings, they had a little section about all of the vahanas of the different gods, and I was so intrigued!  It was so cool to hear about how the gods rode around on them and how they could even give them more powers like Mushika said!  The little backstories that the mounts themselves say are all taken from the graphic novel.  The rumors about Airavata's birth are from the different retellings of his creation.  The part about Mushika liking the gods bowing to him is from his time as a rakshasa where he offended a sage, who cursed him to be a giant mouse.  The sage later relented and told him that the gods would eventually bow down to him, which they did as he was the mount of Ganesh.  Airavata's sibling's story is also from a myth!  One of the winged elephants tried to perch on a tree but broke the branch and fell on a sage who cursed him to lose his wings.  Airavata was only spared because he was the king of the elephants (I put in that he was also the mount of Indra but at that time he wasn't yet).  All the rest is directly from the graphic novel!

Bibliography:  Divine Beings.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Divine Beings Part B

• I wonder why the asuras weren't allowed to get to heaven by building the altar?  It shows their dedication at least although I guess it's cheating a little bit.
• Why were the rest turned into spiders while only the top got to be dogs and guard the gates of Yama?  Why them?  Also why spiders?
• That sage seems like a jerk.  It's not the elephant's fault that it fell on you!
• Airavata is cool though.  He is so loyal!  I'm glad he got his wish at the end and didn't have to suffer.  Shiva seems like a nice god, always helping out his loyal followers.
• Apparently there are two versions of the Gandaberunda and Sharabha story?  One has Gandaberunda as the one who loses sight of his purpose and begins rampaging, while the other story has Sharabha as the attacker.  I think it's really interesting that there can be two versions of the same story with the protagonists switched!  I really wonder how that came to be.
• Also it seems a little weird that Vishnu's avatar could just randomly change into a two-headed bird, but I guess it was because he was a god?
• I liked the descriptions at the end of some important deities' vehicles!  I liked the illustrations showing the gods on their vahanas as well.
• Speaking of the illustrations, they were all fantastic and I always love looking at the depictions of the beasts.

Airavata.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Divine Beings.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Divine Beings Part A

• Oh my gosh, the beginning of this was brutal!  It starts off with the story of Jatayu, the great bird-man that helped Rama find Sita by attacking Ravana while he tries to steal Sita and then staying alive until Rama reaches him to tell him who kidnapped Sita.  His backstory is so sad though!  He and his brother were flying around one day until they happened too close to the path of the sun god, who was being driven by their father (not really sure how a humanoid god has two bird-men as children, but I digress).  Their father knew that if he swerved to avoid his sons, the world would be thrown out of order, so he had to stay the course.  Sampati, Jatayu's older brother, saw what was going to happen, and to protect his younger brother, he flew in front of Jatayu and took the brunt of the force.  He fell to earth and his wings burned up, and he was never able to fly again.  Jatayu searched for his brother, but they never saw each other again.  I almost cried this story was so sad!  I just hope that when they died they met each other again.  And the father too, how he must have felt!  So sad :(
• Apparently, Jatayu also met Rama's father?  He helped the king confront a god who was giving the kingdom a famine for some unexplained reason.  Maybe he was bored?  Who knows, but anyway, that was when Jatayu pledged himself to help Rama's family for as long as he lived and why he was obliged to protect Sita later on.
• The next being, Nandi, started off human, but his devotion to Shiva led the god to turn him into a divine bull.
• Nandi guarded Shiva's home and was intensely loyal.  Once when Shiva was drinking poison to save the world (the other gods were churning the waters of the sea for amrita), Nandi drank the poison that fell from Shiva's lips and because he was so devoted to Shiva, he was also granted immunity from the poison.
• I found it interesting that Nandi's father wished for a child from Shiva and then basically devoted the child to Shiva.  Later, the boy is visited by sages who say he doesn't have long to live but then because he continually prayed to Shiva he became immortal.  I wonder what happens to the father though.  He's never mentioned again, but I bet he'd be pretty proud of his son.
• Nandi is also marginally involved in the Ramayana!  Ravana tries to go see Shiva but is turned away by Nandi.  He insults Nandi and calls him a monkey.  Enraged, Nandi curses Ravana to be defeated by an army of monkeys, which comes true when Hanuman and his army takes Lanka.  I think it's so cool that so many things relate back to the epics we read!

Jatayu fighting Ravana.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Divine Beings.  Reading Guide.

Extra Credit Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part F

• I like the way she did the one scene when Draupadi has to try and be accepted into Virat's court with only the wife talking and just us imagining what she's saying.
• Keechnak is such a creep and the way his sister just justifies it and says oh just let it happen is infuriating.  I'm glad Bhima killed him although maybe that was a bit too far.
• The big battle is finally happening!  I was really wondering how they were going to show all of the battle since Draupadi can't really be in all the places at once to show us what's happening, so I like how she did it with her also having the sight like Sanjay.
• I feel so bad for Uttara!  This war is going to be awful for her, and also for so many other people too!  So many people will die and for what?  I am glad that Draupadi does feel some remorse but too little too late.
• Hearing Arjuna talk about how honorable the war will be made me sad.  It's like how boys think war is such a great and honorable thing until they're actually in one and then they realize that it's messy and complicated and bloody.  They've all been in wars before so I wonder why they don't already know this.
• Poor Karna too!  Having Draupadi see his conversation with Kunti and kind of grasp what happened was a nice touch, so she can finally understand some more of his motivations.
• I like the way she glossed over the Bhagavad Gita part with Krishna because it's been told so many times and I appreciate that she didn't feel the need to excessively narrate all of it.

Kuruksheta War.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Extra Credit Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part E

• I can't put this book down so I thought I'd go ahead and finish it for extra credit since I have some more time this week.
• What happened with Draupadi because of Yudhishthira was so painful!  Much worse hearing her thoughts because basically only Krishna came to her aid and her supposedly powerful husbands could do nothing.  I can kind of understand why she became so bitter and hateful after this.
• Ugh Karna and Draupadi make me so angry.  Why can't Draupadi just be nice!  I can understand because Kunti was right there and she kind of suspected but still just say the normal things and she can't really say anything.  And then at the dice game I can see why she didn't want to beg for his mercy but she didn't have to look at him like she hated him!  I don't know I just feel like it's becoming increasingly harder for the author to justify Draupadi's behavior towards Karna in terms of her love for him.
• Although Karna is not entirely blameless either!  He could have been nicer to her face instead of just whispering about how she's "noble and beautiful."
• The slow transformation of Draupadi from happy, headstrong young girl to bitter, vengeful woman was very well done!  It goes so slowly and naturally that I didn't even really notice that she was changing.  It was only at the end that it becomes very obvious with how she can't take pleasure in anything and only lives for revenge.
• Poor Bhima :(.  He loves Draupadi but she'll never love him.  Even in the original I think they always made it seem like she preferred Arjuna.
• They didn't really include that time that Arjuna accidentally walked in on Draupadi and Yudhishthira and banished himself for 7 years.  I feel like that might have affected their relationship some so I wonder why she didn't include it.

Draupadi and the Pandavas in exile.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part D

• The story for how the Pandavas built their palace was a bit more fleshed out in this version.  It includes a magical architect Maya that Arjuna saves when they burn down the forest.  In gratitude, he helps them design and build the Palace of Illusions.  I had no idea that they had somebody else help them build it!  How was he able to do all of the illusions that were in there?
• So I think Draupadi was around 15 or so when she was first married to the Pandavas and it says that she spends a decade in the Palace of Illusions before Duryodhana visits.  That means she's still only 25!  And she already has 5 sons!
• I'm a little surprised that she doesn't seem to care much about her sons.  I mean I suppose in the Mahabharata she's not really mentioned in connection with her sons, but still I would have thought she would love them more.
• I don't like her kind of jealous and vengeful attitude towards the other wives.  I guess it's understandable to want them to all love her, but I wish she would work with them more rather than thinking she needs to control all of her husbands.  And her "fights" with Kunti too!  I wish they would get along better.
• It's so funny hearing them talk about Krishna like oh he's just a normal guy, minor king, haha.  Narad says that Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu and none of them can believe it!  I suppose it would be like hearing one of my friends was actually a god, but I just think it's hilarious that none of them really notice that he's divine.
• I like how Draupadi's love for Karna makes some of the decisions and things she does make a bit more sense especially with some of the things like going to see Duryodhana for the game.
• Speaking of which, I can kind of understand why Draupadi froze up when Duryodhana fell into the lake but still!  I would think that kind of response would be automatic after practicing at being courteous all the time.

Indraprastha.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part C

• Finally we're getting more into the exciting part of the Mahabharata!  I can't wait to see how Draupadi will deal with married life and also the bet.
• She still constantly thinks about what might have been with Karna and that's probably not good for her marriage.
• I really like how they did the slow reveal of Arjuna being her husband.  If you're familiar with the story, you know what's going to happen but if you're not, you could still pretty much figure out who the mystery brahmin was.
• The cute touching moment between Arjuna and Draupadi where he helps her out is great.  I wish they had just been able to be happy together maybe that would have worked out better.  Then again, even without that Arjuna seems pretty selfish and unthinking just making her walk like that.
• I don't know if this is the author's actual attitude but I really hate how she always has Draupadi thinking that she needs to do things a woman's way otherwise she won't be able to accomplish anything which seems like a strange way to think.  Maybe Draupadi wouldn't have made Arjuna like her more if she'd have said hey I need to rest, but he would have learned that she demands respect and doesn't just submit meekly.
• I wish Kunti had liked Draupadi more.  I think that would have been nice if they had learned to work together but I suppose it seems very "realistic" to have the hated mother-in-law figure.
• Yudhishthira always seemed overly perfect to me too so I'm glad even Draupadi comments on how perfect and calm and unshakable he is.  Too eerie in my opinion.
• The representation of Bheeshma is pretty great.  He definitely seems like the cunning grandfather type because he knows how to sway people but does love his grandsons a lot.
• I'm definitely getting the Game of Thrones vibe from this telling of the Mahabharata!  Draupadi is going to have to get better at scheming and hiding her feelings.

Iron Throne.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Storytelling: Resistance is Futile

You stand at a fork in the road.  The trees whisper, “Which shall it be?”

Karna lifts the bow easily, smugly, and turns to the crowd.

“You are not worthy to compete!” the king bleats.

“I have as much a right as anyone here,” Karna declares, nocking an arrow lazily.  “Have I not passed the first test?”

The king dares not say a word, but beside her, her brother reaches for his sword.

You choose the left path with its convenient gravel walkway and shady trees.

She steps forward, startling the crowd into silence.  As she lifts her veil, she tosses her hair back, and no man can resist following the movement.

“And, pray tell,” she smiles, “what the name of your father is?  If you may become my future husband, I should know such important details of your lineage, don’t you think?”

The assembly begins to snicker, as Karna’s face burns like the sun.  He throws the bow on the ground.

“Mark my words, princess,” he sneers.  “You will regret this moment for the rest of your life.”

She laughs.  After all what does she have to fear from the son of a charioteer?

She thinks she knows what he meant when they shame her in front of the court and try to humiliate her as she did him.

It’s only later, years later, when she knows what he truly meant, when her brother is dead, when her father is dead, when millions have died.

All for the sake of her pride.

You choose the right path.  It’s a little muddy, but there’s a nice view of the lake.

She squeezes her brother’s hand as she steps forward.

“What is the harm in letting him compete?” she says.  “The bow has clearly shown that he is worthy enough.  Let him try for the target as any one of you here would.”

Karna’s eyes are grateful, the arrogant façade stripped away.  His smile is only for her.

And when he hits the target, her smile is the only one he sees.

But even love does not exist alone, and there are others who feel insulted, alliances that must be changed, and advisors that must be consulted.

Her father and her brother are forced to change sides because of her.

But others do not, and even without her, the wheel turns.

The bet is still made, but she is not at stake this time.

Grudges are still held, and there is less sorrow for her at the beginning but more at the end.

For she still loses it all:  her husband, her brother, and her father.

And this time she is not on the winning side.

You choose to go back.  Why choose now when you can choose later?

There’s ashes in her mouth when she speaks, and she knows she’ll remember this moment for the rest of her life.

“I am flattered that you would choose to vie for my hand, Karna,” she says, her solemn eyes looking only at him.

“But my father does not want me to go so far away.  He wants his dearest daughter nearby, and I could not refuse him.  As it is my swayamvar, I am allowed to choose who I marry.  These challenges merely screen people and find worthy husbands, but it is my own right to choose among them.  Therefore, I will not be able to choose you, Karna, although I am dearly gladdened by your choosing to compete.”

Karna opens and closes his mouth.  There is nothing he can say to this without being ungracious, and so he nods and puts down the bow.

She thinks the crisis has been averted and congratulates herself for her kind words.

She marries others, but the bet is still made.

There is no less humiliation in store for her, and she burns to punish them, and her vengeance undoes them.

She finds herself alone again, at the end of her life.

“How could I have stopped this?” she cries to the gods, and they reply, “You couldn’t have.”

Arjuna at Draupadi's swayamvar.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  After reading the first third of The Palace of Illusions, I was very intrigued by Draupadi and wanted to write from her point of view.  I just got to the swayamvar and it presents an interpretation where Draupadi was actually interested in Karna and only insulted him because she was afraid he would kill her brother.  So, I began wondering what would have happened if Draupadi had married Karna rather than the Pandavas.  I came to the conclusion that not much would change as the Kauravas and Pandavas would still hate each other and they were only waiting for a spark to set them ablaze.  This made me think of the short story "The Roads of Destiny" by O. Henry where a young poet decides to leave home and comes across three paths.  Although he encounters very different things with the different paths he chooses, the end result is always the same for him.  I wanted to incorporate that idea of seemingly being able to choose and yet still ending up with the same result in Draupadi's story.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part B

• :( I was waiting for the author's interpretation of Draupadi's swayamvar where she insults Karna and becomes married to Arjun but I did not expect this twist!  It seemed like it was setting up for her to be in love with Arjun but instead she fell in love with Karna!  She only said those words because Karna was going to kill her brother and she did not know what else to do.  Now I'm sad because it would have been so much better if she had married Karna!  Or maybe not, I suppose the rest of the Mahabharata would still have happened but maybe it would have been better?  Now I'm curious what would have changed, haha.
• She had a chapter earlier with Vyasa who cautioned her to hold back her question among other prophetic things before her wedding, and now we know why!  If only she'd been able to calm him without having to resort to insulting him.  Now the later part where he tries to humiliate her is even worse.  Not looking forward to that part.
• Draupadi does not really seem to like the idea of marriage so I'm really wondering how she's going to deal with having 5 husbands.  Especially because the story seems to be setting up a lot of tension between her and Arjun (foreshadowing his infidelity and not having her be overly attracted to him).
• There's also some set up with tension with Kunti as well and now I'm worried :(.  So much set up in this section!  Excited to have more action next.

Karna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: The Palace of Illusions Part A

• So a little background:  I was originally going to read a graphic novel about the Ramayana from Sita's point of view as I hadn't read anything about the Ramayana in a while, but when I went to the library I couldn't find the book!  So I looked at the book right after that one which happened to be The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, about the Mahabharata from Draupadi's point of view.  This was the best coincidence of my life as far as I'm concerned right now.  I never really thought about Draupadi that much except to be angry at her for treating Karna so poorly, but this retelling made me more sympathetic.
• In the versions of the Mahabharata that I read, Draupadi and her brother, Dhristadyumna, did not play large roles (except for the aforementioned incident by Draupadi).  This book starts much before Draupadi's famous swayamvari with the Pandavas, so we get to hear a lot more about her childhood.
• It talks a lot about her father, Drupad, and his rivalry with Drona.  I especially liked the chapter "Milk" where the two children come up with stories about why Drupad and Drona hate each other so much, cobbled together from eavesdroppings and vague hints from their nurse.  It was very entertaining to hear how they interpreted certain events to reflect better on their father.
• Dhristadyumna especially doesn't appear in the Mahabharata much even though it seemed like his destiny was much more important than Draupadi's at first.  He was prophesied to help his father kill Drona, and now I'm desperately trying to remember who does kill Drona and what happens to Dhristadyumna (or Dhri as Draupadi calls him).  I'm already so attached!
• I liked when the author mentioned what their names mean:  Draupadi means 'Daughter of Drupad' and Dhristadyumna means 'Destroyer of Enemies'.  Both are pretty appropriate names, haha.
• Krishna also appears a bit in this story.  He comes in and speaks to Draupadi a lot and always tells her the truth about what is going on around her.  He also gave her some much needed confidence about her dark skin color, something I didn't think about when reading the Mahabharata.  Apparently, both Krishna and Draupadi had very dark skin at a time when dark skin was looked down on, but both ended up being thought of as great beauties.  I liked how she showed Draupadi's transformation from timid girl to confident, beautiful woman.
• I am so excited to finish reading this book!  I did not think I would like it nearly as much as I do.

Draupadi and Dhristadyumna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  Reading Guide.

Storytelling: Dharma

“It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

Ekalavya looked at him curiously and smiled.  Arjuna smiled back cautiously.  He wasn’t sure what to make of this forest boy with the uncanny talent for archery.  He could sense Drona’s displeasure, however, and knew to stay back.

“I want you to cut your thumb off,” Drona said dismissively.

Arjuna stared in shock as Ekalavya merely smiled and obeyed immediately.

“Thank you, sage,” the boy murmured as his blood dripped on the ground.  Arjuna couldn’t stop watching the casual fall of the blood droplets from the stump on his hand.

He thought he would be sick, but he couldn’t do that in front of Drona, so he made himself numb.  As they walked by Ekalavya to go home, Arjuna could not stop himself from glancing back at the boy that they had taken everything from.

“Don’t worry,” Ekalavya whispered, startling Arjuna.  “I reached too high.  I’m not meant to be a warrior, but you are.  Do what I cannot.”

And Arjuna could do nothing but nod.

“No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them.”

“Please Arjuna, see reason!” Yudhishthira begged.  “There is no need for you to go into exile!  You had a justifiable reason to interrupt us!  I won’t force you to go!”

“No, Yudhishthira,” Arjuna sighed.  “I knew what I was doing when I came upon you and Draupadi.  I knew what it meant, but I had no choice.  And there is still no choice now.”

“But there is!  None of us will force you into exile!  Draupadi understands the circumstances!  Everyone understands the circumstances!”

Arjuna looked him in the eyes.  “And what does that say about me if I will forget my oaths because others understand why I could?  Oaths are oaths, Yudhishthira, you know this best.  They are my duty, no matter how I or you feel.  I knew the consequences, and I will pay the price.”

“But—“

Sighing, Arjuna placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.  “I know there is no reason for me to go.  But that is why I must go.”

“Then go,” Yudhishthira whispered, and Arjuna forced himself to walk out without looking back.

“Performing the duty prescribed by (one’s own) nature, one incurreth no sin.”

Arjuna had wondered from a young age what made a good person.  It seemed everyone had a different answer:  Yudhishthira always told the truth and adhered strictly to all rules and promises; Bhima was courageous and never shied from a fight to protect the innocent; and Drona obeyed his duties every day.

But what would they do now?

No, he knew better than to ask.  He knew what they would do, what they would say.

He surveyed the battlefield bleakly, watching as cousin after cousin of his poured through the frontlines.  He could remember playing at war with Duryodhana, laughing as they teamed up against Bhima, and chasing each other through the gardens.  Duryodhana wasn’t playing at battles now, though, and Arjuna knew that he would have to kill many of the same people he had pretended to kill as a child.

In his heart, he despaired and mourned every one of his cousins and family members on the other side.

Closing his eyes, he said a final farewell and loosed a volley of arrows.

Arjuna and Krishna.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  This is the story from the story planning post last week!  Thanks to Ankitha's suggestions, I was able to come up with a decent idea and explored what Arjuna thinks of dharma.  I chose to add some different sections of his life, notably his meeting with Ekalavya, his exile after seeing Yudhishthira and Draupadi, and the battle with the Kauravas where the Bhagavad Gita takes place.  I tried to examine how he would feel about each of the different aspects of dharma and used quotes from the Bhagavad Gita to emphasize what Krishna would say about each of the incidents.

Bibliography:  Goodreads Quotes.  Web Source.

50 Most Inspiring Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita.  Web Source.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part D

• I wonder how Draupadi feels about this whole thing.  She doesn't even get to really decide who she marries; this contest will.
• Well she does get a bit of choice, I suppose, haha.  Poor Karna again!  I honestly can't blame him for being so close to the Kauravas especially when everyone else treats him like this.  And just because of his class too!  She didn't even let him try!  No wonder he resents and wants to humiliate her later.
• I wonder how she feels about this too!  Now she has 5 possibly unwanted husbands.  She doesn't seem too troubled by this later but who knows.  I'm kind of sad they didn't talk about Narayan's version of why she has 5 husbands in the videos.  In his version he says that she is the reincarnation of a devoted wife to an ugly sage, who near the end of his life rewarded her by taking on the form of 5 men.  When he died, she wished to have 5 husbands again, and now this is her fate.  I like that version better!
• I wish they had just been able to avoid the war by living in peace in Indraprastha.  I can understand Duryodhana being jealous of their city, but still, leave them be!
• Poor Arjuna!  I understand why their arrangement was necessary but it still seems like such an honest mistake and justifiable in terms of the circumstances.  But I guess that's what makes him so "good" since he followed the oath anyway.
• I wonder what happens while Arjuna is in exile.  It seems like not much.
• Now I'm wondering how old everyone is.  They never really mention ages but it seems like they can just have 7 year exiles without significant changes or getting older.  They even have the 14 year exile later and they still seem in the prime of their life!

Indraprastha.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Mahabharata.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part C

• Poor Karna :( I feel so bad for him because he can never claim his birthright.  He doesn't want to betray his "parents" but he could have so much more.
• I'm glad that Duryodhana recognizes Karna's potential!  He's more "progressive" than the Pandavas in that sense.  I wonder if this attitude is frowned upon actually because of the idea that Karna should have stuck to his assumed class.
• I feel so bad for Drona too!  You'd think that one of the best archers in the world would have found some employment, but I can't believe that his friend wouldn't help him!  Or that he would be so condescending to him.
• What an elaborate scheme to kill the Pandavas.  I get that they don't want people to know that they killed them but sheesh they could have just hired some assassins or something.
• They glossed over this in these videos too!  In the original version, they invite some lower class people in and leave them to die so that people will think that they are dead.  It's just awful that they would do that, so I'm glad in other versions they remove that.
• Narayan's version didn't really emphasize Bhima all that much.  It's cool to hear some of what he did while Arjuna and the others were doing stuff.  It seemed like Arjuna was the "hero" of the Pandavas in Narayan's retelling, but this version makes it seem like Bhima's no slouch either.
• Draupadi's birth seems so strange.  She's almost an afterthought in the birth of her brother, but then it ends up being her brother that isn't mentioned much later.  Although maybe that's just the selective focus and not being able to include everything in the story.

Birth of Draupadi.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Mahabharata.  Reading Guide.

Story Planning: Dharma

• Reading the Bhagavad Gita made me very intrigued about Hindu value systems and what they regard as a "good person"
• I really want to write a story somehow examining this?  I'm having a very hard time trying to put this into a story context though.  I feel like I'm thinking of it more as an essay describing my thoughts rather than a story, but I'm not sure how to make it more into a story.
• Some possibilities I was thinking of was examining Arjuna's actions through this and seeing how and when he violates or follows the principles of dharma, but that also seems kind of boring.  I want something a little more creative.
• Another idea I had was moving these principles into a more modern environment and examining people's actions through there, but this is also rather difficult because I'm not sure whose actions I should examine.  Arjuna's again but just modern?  Not sure how that would work.
• Really I just want to write a story about what a good person according to these principles is but I don't know how to do that.
• I want to maybe talk something about the caste system as well because Krishna says that somebody who does his duty poorly is better than someone who does an exceptional job that isn't his duty.  Kind of plays into Ekalavya and why he's beaten back down rather than praised, but I don't really want to write another story about Ekalavya.
• I could move that principle into a modern context and maybe talk about somebody who wants to do something else but his parents want him to keep up the family business?  So this conflict between what he wants and what he should do?
• Basically I have lots of half formed ideas but no concrete thing I want to write about :( if anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear it.

Arjuna and Krishna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Bhagavad Gita:  The Song Celestial translated by Edwin Arnold.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Arnold's Bhagavad Gita Part B

• Thanks to Dr. Gibbs pointing it out I found Arnold's version of J. Robert Oppenheimer's famous quote!  It is much more different in this version, but I like how poetic it is.  Would have been much harder for him to quote though.
• This half of the Bhagavad Gita intrigued me a lot more than the first half.  I liked how it delved deeper into the differences between a good person and a bad person and the different types of qualities.
• I was especially interested in the difference between sattva, rajas, and tamas.  I think it's rather interesting that Hinduism regards doing things for pleasure and passion to be worse than doing things without attachment or emotion.  In Christian and Western culture, people typically prefer doing things with passion and for their happiness.  Tamas seems to be more similar to the Christian idea of a "bad person."
• I also think it's interesting that Hindus regard people trying to get material wealth to be one of the worst kinds of people while most Americans and Westerners wholeheartedly believe in this path; it's even the American Dream.
• The justification for the caste system was very interesting.  Krishna says that it's better to do the job that you were assigned poorly than to do something that you shouldn't do well.  That is very against most Western ideals, and my own opinions too, but it's a very interesting viewpoint either way.
• I kind of just flipped through most of the pictures when I was reading, but at the end I discovered that they had an appendix that went through each of the pictures in detail and described the symbolism in each one.  It was so helpful!  I had no idea of all of the nuances present in the positioning of the people or the borders and it helped me understand the Bhagavad Gita a lot more.

First frontispiece in the book.  It is Dhritarashtra asking Sanjaya to tell him what happens in the battle.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Bhagavad Gita:  The Song Celestial translated by Edwin Arnold.  Reading Guide.

Reading Notes: Arnold's Bhagavad Gita Part A

• I love how the book is presented!  I checked out the copy from the Bizzell library and it is gorgeous!  It comes in a cute red box and it has very pretty illustrations in it!  It also has Sanskrit next to the English, which is cool to look at even though I don't understand a word.
• The style of this is so different from Narayan's version.  Obviously, Narayan's was a narrative so he didn't really have a lot of room for the preaching (for lack of a better term) that is in Arnold's version, but besides that the poetry of this version is so nice.  It's a really good translation!  I don't know what it sounded like in the original Sanskrit, but if it's anything like the translation, it must have been beautiful.
• This style of back-and-forth conversation helping to demonstrate the principles of the religion really reminds me of the Bible.  Some of the Bible verses are similar to this with the apostles questioning Jesus, so it's really interesting to see how the same idea holds in Hinduism.
• I was really intrigued by Krishna's argument that life is life and cannot be destroyed.  It is kind of an interesting view, but it makes some sense, I guess, since even with the death of one person, there is still life in general.
• I keep waiting for the infamous line quoted by J. Robert Oppenheimer about "I am become death, destroyer of worlds" but it looks like I'll be waiting a little longer!  Either that or it's not in this translation.

Arjuna questioning Krishna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Bhagavad Gita:  The Song Celestial translated by Edwin Arnold.  Reading Guide.

Storytelling: One Last Day

“This is the best day of my life,” Radha sighed, smiling happily.  There were flowers draped all over her hair and body, and in her red and gold dress, she looked as radiant as the sun.

He smiled tightly.  If only you knew what I did.

Closing his eyes, he saw what would happen, followed the same thread he had so many times, and watched her as she grew old.

He watched as she waited and pined and remained loyal to only him.

Watched as she sat and prayed.

And wished for him to come back.

But he never did.

And that’s how she died, waiting and waiting for a love that would never return.

He hated watching her future.

“Krishna?” she asked, shyly, tapping his shoulder, jolting his attention back to the present.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he murmured.  “I’m glad you’re happy, that’s all.”  It was true; he’d worked so hard to make this day perfect for her.  He’d arranged for the weather to be breezy and warm, begged the flowers to bloom early, coaxed the cows into behaving on the field, and persuaded all of the gopis to come down to the meadow.

Now, in this gorgeous day, she threw her head back and laughed, full of joy and sparkle and hope, and Krishna fixed the memory in his heart.  He never wanted to forget this day.

“Play the flute!” she said.  “I want to dance!”

And dance she did, as he wove golden melodies and every note glittered and twirled with her.  Nobody could take their eyes off her, least of all Krishna.  He savored every spin and every step.

The future danced with her in Krishna’s eyes, and he saw the armies clashing, the spears twirling with her arms, the shields glinting like her bangles, the screams mixed with his flute.

He saw the destruction of the warriors in the soft grass and fragrant flowers and saw the blood splashed on the mountainside.

He saw a rain of arrows perfectly placed, a figure wheeling a chariot, the flash of a silver sword, and the savage blow of a mace.

He saw kings and princes humbling themselves before him, begging for his help.

He saw his future queens laughing and talking before him, each gazing at him adoringly.

He saw the sage before him, admonishing him, reminding him of his duty.

“You are the savior of Dharma!  You know this is your destiny!”

Yes, he wanted to yell, yes, but I hadn’t met her yet.

He saw himself leaving the next day, shifting the universe and going down the right path.

But he also saw the other path, the one where he stayed, where he refused his destiny, and he saw their short but happy lives, saw a beautiful son and a wonderful daughter.

He saw all this and more, the entire universe, all pasts, presents, and futures, in his eyes, but most of all he saw her lonely figure waiting for him through eternity.

Because he could never pick the other path.

“Dance with me?” she asked, holding her hand out to him.  Her flushed face looked like heaven and he knew that he would come back to this moment every day for the rest of his life.

Tomorrow I will be gone, he thought, and he held her hand for the last time.

Radha and Krishna.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  Radha and Krishna's love story is so sad to me because they love each other so much, but they can never be together.  They lived in the same village together as children, but Krishna was actually divine and related to a princess while Radha was merely the daughter of a villager.  It was impossible for their destinies to be together.  Radha's devotion touched me especially because she is willing to do so much for Krishna, but he can't be with her because his destiny is with the Pandavas.  I wanted to express how hard of a choice it was for him to give her up, and how what he knows of his destiny moves him and influences his decisions.

Bibliography:  Epified Krishna.  Web Source.

Reading Notes: Epified Krishna Part B

• Why do all these gods feel the need to test Krishna's divinity?  They already know he's Vishnu reincarnated.
• Poor Radha :(.  She was so devoted to Krishna!  They were one soul!  Why couldn't they be together???
• I hope Krishna can come back to his village someday but I think it looks like he's just going to forget about them forever.
• I really like how they keep the representations of Krishna so consistent with the little peacock? feather everytime.  It really helps build a picture of who he is.
• Poor elephant :( he probably didn't want to have to kill people.
• Why did no one kill Kamsa before if everyone hated him so much?  I guess he was a good warrior but still if enough people fight him then it won't matter.
• Haha, I love Krishna's logic.  Well we keep getting attacked here so why don't we just move somewhere else?
• Why can't he kill him now?  This is such a strange fate paradox.  He will be killed by Bhima later because Krishna spares him now, but if Krishna hadn't spared him now, but he did so oh god this is too much.

Krishna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Krishna.  Web Source.

Reading Note: Epified Krishna Part A

• I love the music and drawing style for these even better than the Mahabharata ones actually.  I really like the way the music matches the mood and seems more integrated with the story than the other ones.  I also like the way each picture is framed and is more a snapshot of one particular story.
• I hadn't really thought much about Krishna in the Mahabharata but I really like learning more about his past!  I had no idea he went through so much in the beginning of his life
• The part when Maya turns out to be Durka (sp?) was so great!  Especially when she chastised him for thinking that women were weak.  You go girl!
• The way he killed the first demoness was so strange, haha.  Also the way she decided to kill him was a little strange too.  She couldn't just have dashed his head against a rock?
• How does Kunce (sp?) have access to all these weird monsters?  What did he have to do to get control of all of them?
• I hope Krishna's birth parents are eventually freed!  It's so sad that all of their children except for him died and that they have to be locked up for so long.
• Seeing the universe in your son must have been terrifying.  I'm glad she was able to make it out of that without becoming insane.
• So glad that his friends didn't die permanently because of the snake!  This is why kids shouldn't play in the forest, haha.
• I wonder why he wanted them to worship that hill specifically?  I mean it was a nice demonstration of his power later but why?
• Radha sounds like a great person.  Krishna better treat her nice.
• I can't believe all of this happened already and he still hasn't met the Pandavas!  He led an exciting life.

Vasudeva escaping with Krishna.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Krishna.  Web Source.

Week 8 Growth Mindset

If this post feels a bit gloomy to you, it may be because I just got a pretty bad grade in one of my classes.  I'm working on bringing it up and talking to the TA and teacher more, but it is still rather disheartening.  I'd hoped that this semester would be slightly easier than my last one, but I am feeling even more stressed and frustrated than last year.  I may have overreached myself, but I don't want to back down from any of my commitments either.  So, even before this post, I've been worrying a lot about where I'm at in terms of time management and classes and how I can handle everything I signed up for.

Thinking through all of the continuums, I am worried that I am faltering in a few of them, especially the ones about time management and attitude.  I want to choose what's hard and challenge myself and try new things and work on improving myself, but it's just so difficult.  That's pretty much a horrible and defeatist thing to say, but I'm so tired and exhausted all the time that I don't really want to.  More and more I just want to slide into the easier path and put off my homework and do fun and relaxing things.  I know that's going to make things worse on myself in the future, but I just want to do something that will make me less stressed out.

I'm not going to give up though.  Things will get better, and starting this week I'm trying to implement more effective time management strategies and get things done earlier.  I'm trying to segregate myself from my friends when doing intensive homework and making sure to get enough sleep so I don't fall asleep in class.  This class is definitely helping me with time management strategies because I can always plan for this class so I'm trying to implement plans for all of my other classes too.  I hope by the end of the semester I can look back and be proud of myself for accomplishing everything and improving myself.

I'm trying at least.  Web Source.

Week 8 Reflections

I used to want to be a writer when I grew up.  Then I switched to wanting to be an editor because I would get to read books all day.  Somewhere along the way, I realized that those passions might be better off as hobbies, and today I'm majoring in biomedical engineering and probably going into a career that will have nothing to do with Indian epics.
This class has really helped me learn to write and read better, and I'm remembering how much fun it was to create characters and read stories and write for myself.  Every week I'm so excited to be reading something new and writing something new.  I love discovering new parts of Indian culture through the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and all of the different versions of the stories are so amazing to me.  I love reading myths and ancient folktales, so all of these new stories are so fascinating.  I especially love reading the graphic novels or watching the Epified shorts so I can better visualize the characters.  All of the reading methods I've chosen helped emphasize different parts of the epics, in my opinion.  Reading the Ramayana through the Public Domain definitely demonstrated how people can rewrite the same story so many different ways, whether through prose or verse.  The graphic novels showed different visualizations of the classic characters.  Narayan's version of the Mahabharata, while heavily condensed, still did a very good job of helping me understand the major story arcs and important characters, while the Epified videos helped fill in some gaps and again helped with character visualization.
Writing stories every week also helped me so much with my writing ability.  I haven't written anything in a very long time, but with this class pushing me to churn out stories every week, I've gotten so much more practice.  I'm working on a lot of my issues with using passive voice rather than active voice, but I hope I'm improving a lot!  I am also very excited to work on my Storybook because I really love the idea I picked and can't wait to develop it!
I also think that I have been improving a lot with giving feedback to people.  I used to be a little afraid of criticizing completely, but I feel more comfortable giving honest critiques to people now.  I also feel more comfortable receiving feedback and using it to help my stories.
This class has really helped me develop my more creative side and I'm really happy with how everything has been going so far!

Reflection.  Web Source.

Story: Shoot for the Moon

“This is magnificent,” a voice breathed, and I instantly snapped towards it.

I would recognize that voice anywhere.

“How did they do that?” another voice said.  I didn’t know this one, but it sounded like a young boy’s.

I peered through the tree branches and saw them, the sage and his pupil, marveling at my work of art.

Hours and hours of practice had paid off finally, and the dog whined piteously as they stood around it for its mouth was completely shot full of arrows.

None of them hurt the dog in any way, but he had lost his ability to bark or close his mouth at all.

Taking a deep breath, I emerged from the bushes and stood before them proudly.

“Are you the one who produced this miracle?” the man asked.  His student stared in awe, and I swelled with pride.

“Yes, I am,” I said.  “Do you not remember me, teacher?”

The man started and squinted at me.  “I would remember a pupil as talented as this.  Tell me the meaning of what you said.”

“Come,” I said, gesturing towards my hut.  I showed them the statue I had carved of the famed sage, Drona.

“You rejected me before when I asked to be your pupil.  Now look how far I have come.  Your statue has been here the whole time, watching me and guiding me to be the best archer in the world.”

I felt my heart beat like a drum in my chest.  This was the moment I had been waiting for, all these long years alone in the forest, practicing day and night.

“Will you take me as your pupil now?  I would do anything to be your student!”

To my surprise, he burst out laughing.  “You?  Be my pupil?  I could not possibly teach you.  I only teach Kshatriyas, ones who are worthy of being taught the martial arts.  I do not know what fluke caused this miracle to be created by you, but it is no indication of your worth.

You must prove yourself to me through a greater sacrifice.  I demand that you cut off the thumb of your right hand.  If you can do this for me, I will teach you everything I know.”

I felt all my breath rush out of my lungs.  If I cut off my right thumb, his teachings would be useless to me.  Without the thumb on my right hand, I could not steady my bow.  My aim would be ruined.

“B-But that will . . .” the boy beside Drona stammered.

Drona nodded grimly.  “Sacrifices must always be hard.  Or they are not true sacrifices.”

White hot anger ran through my veins.  He knew exactly what he was doing to me, to my talent, to my potential.  This was not a sacrifice.  It was my death.

“No,” I whispered.  And then again, louder, “No, I will not do it.  I will not cut off my thumb to please your cruel whim.”

He smirked derisively.  “I thought you said you would do anything to be my student.  See what your promises are worth.”

“I will not do something so blatantly meant to destroy me.  If I cut off my thumb, I would be useless as your student.  No, I did not need your help to create this, and I will not need it now.”

Without another word, I turned around and stalked away before they could see the tears that dripped down my face.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Every arrow I shot hit its target.  I had set up a practice dummy made of an old log with branches lashed to it and I shot arrows at it furiously.

Within minutes, it had fallen to pieces from the onslaught and I stood there panting, wanting something more to kill.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps through the trees and I spun around and nocked an arrow.

“Who goes there?” I snarled.  “Answer, or I will shoot!”

“Please, I only came to see you,” a voice called, and the boy from earlier emerged from the bushes.

I didn’t lower my bow.  “Who are you?  Why do you want to see me?”

He stood awkwardly, but I noticed the only part of his body at ease was the arm holding his bow.

“I don’t think it’s fair what Drona did to you.  I know you wanted to train with him, but I was wondering if you would train with me instead.”

“And who are you that I should want to train with you?” I said contemptuously, but inside I was already wondering what it would be like to practice against someone other than myself.

“I am Prince Arjuna of Hastinapura, son of Indra,” he proclaimed proudly.  “I thought I was the best archer in the world, but you have shown me my arrogance.  Please, teach me!”

I breathed and relaxed, finally lowering my bow.

“You would really want to train with me?  I’m not a Kshatriya, you know.  I would barely be worthy to clean your feet.”

“I don’t care!  I will never be the best if I don’t practice with those better than I am.  I want to know how you did that.”

“You want to know how I did the trick with the dog?  It will take you months of practice at least, if not years.  I’ll work you harder than Drona ever did,” I warned, hoping against hope.

His eyes gleamed with ambition, and I knew I needn’t have worried.

“Show me.”

Arjuna.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  I was really saddened by the story in the Epified Mahabharata about Drona's cruel treatment of Ekalavya so I wanted to rewrite the story into what I thought should have happened.  In the original, Ekalavya does cut his own thumb off and is prevented from becoming the legend he should have been.  Obviously, I did not do that in my version, and I also made Arjuna more sympathetic toward Ekalavya's plight.

Bibliography:  Epified Mahabharata.  Ekalavya's Story.  Web Source.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part B

• One of the episodes randomly had a different voice person, and it was a little interesting haha.  I had gotten so used to the male one, that the female one gave me a bit of a shock.
• Yesterday it seemed like they cut out a lot of detail from the Mahabharata, but this time it seemed like there were a lot more stories that I hadn't read in the Narayan version.
• The differing version of why Kunti had an illegitimate son was interesting.  Less blame was placed on her because the sage didn't tell her exactly what the mantra would do.  In the Narayan version, she was told though and she just wanted to know whether it would work.
• I was very disturbed at the retelling of Gandhari's sons.  The putrid lump of flesh being divided into the vats of oil was very weird, not to mention the fact that her sons apparently looked demonic and were the type that only blind parents could love.  It definitely seems like they have a bit of a bias towards the Pandavas, which I don't appreciate.
• The story of Ekalavya was very sad too.  He worked so hard and he couldn't enjoy any of his hard work because he wasn't a kshatriya.  This story really demonstrated a lot of the caste system prejudice that was present back then.  It seemed that Narayan glossed over a lot of that in his retelling.
• Personally if I were Arjuna after meeting Ekalavya, I would be inspired to work even harder rather than just being angry that somebody else had beaten him that shouldn't have.

Ekalavya cutting off his thumb and presenting it to Drona.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Mahabharata.  Web Source.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part A

• I love this drawing and animating style!  It's so cute and I like how it looks like they're drawing it in real time!  I also really like the look and appearance of each of the characters.  They all show so much emotion!
• Going through the story again this way with all of the little retellings of the story each time really helped me get the character names down!  It's also helped me a lot with remembering family trees.  I had a lot of problems remembering all of the different relationships but it really helps when the story is condensed so much.
• I did kind of miss all of the extra detail though.  I watched it with my friends and I found myself pausing after every video to give them more in depth explanations of what had happened!
• I really enjoyed going back through the Mahabharata this way!  I'm definitely going to be watching all of these in the near future, maybe even this week if I have time!

Epified Mahabharata.  Web Source.

Bibliography:  Epified Mahabharata.  Web Source.

Story: A Beautiful Death

“You could be rich, you know,” she said.

“Gold, gems, castles, anything your heart desires and more, everything you never even knew you could have.”

“I don’t want money,” he murmured.

“No?  Then what do you want?  Tell me and I will make it yours.”

When he didn’t respond, she forged on.  “Do you want a pretty wife who could make you lord of vast lands?  Or do you want to be lord in your own right?  You could rule over half the kingdom.”

She looked at him askance.

“You could even be king.”

He smiled.  “I won’t give you what you want.”

She frowned, her beautiful face suddenly turned petulant and cruel.  He knew she didn’t have much experience with people telling her no.

“If you’re done, I’ll be going now,” he told her gently.

“Wait.”  She stood and faced him fully for the first time, her eyes boring into his.

“You’re doomed; you know that right?  There’s no way you can win.”

He nodded.

“So why are you still fighting?  Switch sides!  Win!  Live!  Don’t die for no reason!” she cried, for the first time bleeding some emotion into her voice.

He paused.  “Because he’s everything to me.”

“So, it’s to be war then,” the king said, taking one look at his face as he strode into the throne room.

He remembered her offer and how earnestly she had pleaded and the way she had stroked his hand and asked.

“You could be king,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he said, dragging himself from the memories.  “There will be no peace.”  Not on any acceptable terms, anyway.

The king looked at him for a long time.

“We’ll need to move some troops over to the mountain passes.  She’ll have to attack from air there; she has no other option.”

“Well, don’t forget, we have to consider that she has her mercenaries too.  They’ll be able to flank and go through the side…”

Words washed over him, but he didn’t see the map or battle plans, only her face.

There was red everywhere, staining the side of his armor, coating the end of his sword, lapping at the edges of the trees, and whirling through the air.

There was no time to rest.  He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a full breath.

There was only slicing metal and hoarse screams and biting pain.

He spun and hacked and butchered until there were corpses piled high, but still they came and then the others broke.

Turning, he yelled at them to come back to hold the line, but nobody paid any attention.

Suddenly his foot caught in the mud, and he fell heavily and felt the sun on his back.

He tried to scramble backwards, but there was no use and no time.

Instinctively, he raised an arm against the flames, and the last thing he saw was the gleaming scales and pointed teeth of her dragon and her lovely, regretful face.

Only smoke and ashes remained of the ragtag army.  They stung her throat, but she refused to turn back.

“No survivors?” she asked although she knew the answer.

“None,” he answered viciously.  “A good death for all of them, my queen.”

Yes, she thought, remembering his calm face.  A good death.

Dragon breathing fire.  Web Source.

Author's Note:  This is Game of Thrones meets Mahabharata basically.  Dr. Gibbs pointed out the similarities between Karna and Jon Snow so I had to write a story about it.  I obviously took some liberties with what happened in Game of Thrones, namely about what happens with Robb and Jon and Daenerys but I tried to keep it within the realms of possibility.  Since Karna was tempted and wooed by the other side, I added references to that between Daenerys and Jon and also included the trapped and vulnerable nature of Karna's death in Jon's fate.

Bibliography:  R.K. Narayan.  Mahabharata.  Reading Guide.