- 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.
The concept of dharma is so broad, and often times it's confusing even for devout Hindus. The duty principle is a good motivator, but at the same time I don't know that I can agree that doing your duty half-heartedly is better than excelling at something else. Or that it discounts what else you're good at, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI think that you picked a few good stories, but if I could make a suggestion, why not explore Yudhishthira's life? He's such an interesting character because he is called Dharmaraj, or king of Dharma, and is hailed as a paragon of virtue; yet, he's the same person who gambles away his kingdom, his brothers, and his wife, in a moment of extreme vice. Still, he is the only one of the Pandavas to go to /heaven/ first.
Another suggestion is that you could explore dharma from the point of view of a character instead of highlight just their life in the context of dharma. For example, what does Arjuna think about the nature of dharma after he hears the Gita from Krishna?
Ooh thanks for the suggestions! I really like the second idea! I think I'm going to use it :)
DeleteAfter reading your story for Week 11 (which was such a cool concept and you pulled it off really well!), I wanted to come and check out your writing planning post to see some of your thoughts behind this. I think you could continue this again next week if you wanted to continue with the Bhagvad Gita, for sure! I like the idea of creating a modern setting with new characters, and you'd have a lot more freedom for creation that way too. I hope you continue it again, as I really enjoyed your story from Week 11!
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