Reading Notes: Mahabharata Online, Part C

I continued with the reading of the third part of the online domain edition. I have continued to enjoy these stories and the creativeness they have to offer. I again took notes over the one or two stories that I liked the best.

• I found the Pandavan exile to be much more saddening that Rama's exile
• I think Rama maintained a sense of appreciation and hope
• However, the Pandavan's came across as angry and bitter for what had happened
• This is understandable
• The loss of their kingdom and fortune is devastating
• I think it would be cool to explore the stories not mentioned in the online edition
• I could write about their travels and stories with the different sages in the forest
• The promise of the return of their kingdom in due time is somewhat redeeming
• It ensures that not all hope and drive was lost
• The arrival of Krishna brings about a new fold in the story
• His dialogue is lengthy and contains a lot of detail
• He explains that his next actions to restore the kingdom are not easy
• Draupadi does not have the patience to see her kingdom restored
• She has anger and sadness in her voice as she longs for material possessions once more
• Yudhishthira offers great advice and explains to her that she must forgive
• Anger is never the answer
• Draupadi begins the question the gods and how they could allow such travesty to occur

I think the internal conflict that the exiled group is experiencing is really important. I could write about a section of this and explore this conflict. Yudhishthira is very patient and does not jump aboard the train of sadness and hate.

(A photo of a book. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: Public Domain Edition Mahabharata, from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Source: PDE

Week 6 Story: Rama Bends The Bow

Update: You can find the final edition of this story here!


Long ago, during the time of Rama and his many adventures, King Janaka set forth a challenge to any man that would accept. The challenge set forth by the king was of vast importance for many people. King Janaka was known to have a daughter, Sita, that was far more beautiful than any man could possibly imagine. She was known far and wide for her wondrous looks that would leave any man with a desire to be with her. At the time, Prince Rama was unaware of Sita's existence. It just so happened that he would cross her path as he was visiting the allied kingdom of King Janaka.

Rama had recently been on an expedition to ride the surrounding areas of evil demons that had been terrorizing the lands. His brother, Lakshmana, was accompanying Rama on their recent journey to the allied kingdom. As Rama and his brother were walking about the royal garden of the allied kingdom, Rama was able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful princess Sita. An instant connection was born when the two locked eyes.

The crazy thing about Sita and Rama is that they were both connected by the heavens. Rama and Sita were avatars of two gods that were heavenly lovers. It was not a coincidence that they would find each other in such a moment.

The next day, Rama went straight to the King and his monarch to take on the challenge of stringing Shiva's bow. Many men from far and wide had attempted this challenge without the slightest bit of success. However, none of these men were Rama. Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, had strength and power that no ordinary man could ever possess. He took the bow in his hand and strung it with ease. The ground began to tremble and a loud bang rang across the city. Everyone looked on in disbelief at what Rama had so effortlessly done.

With Rama's incredible feat of strength, he was permitted to wed Sita. Their many adventures together were just coming to fruition.

(A photo of Rama stringing and breaking the bow. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: The story I told was a retelling of Rama's incredible feat of winning over his wife Sita. I kept the details mostly the same to the source. I just added my own personal voice to the story. The outcome is the same in the source story. Rama is able to win the hand of Sita in marriage and the rest is history.

Bibliography: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. Source: archives.

Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Part B

So I continued with the second part of the reading today. There are a lot of different stories and loads of information. I decided to take notes over the one that I liked the best.

• Vidura is one of my favorite characters from all of the stories
• He is not considered to be eligible for the royal positions
• However, he is still a prince and cares greatly for his family
• I appreciate his loyalty and dedication to his family
• He could be bitter about having a mother that was not a royal
• However, he warns his family of the imminent danger that they were in
• I think the escape from the palace is really cool
• It was an interesting plan to have a miner dig a passage out of the palace
• I was expecting something to possibly go wrong, but it did not
• It was not until the evil captain was burned
• The lac palace went down in flames with the guard house
• I thought the celebration of King Dhritarashtra was premature
• I was really excited to see the big reveal when he finds out that they did not actually die
• It was unfortunate to see the woman and her family died
• However, it is a vital bit of information that sets up for later on in the story

So, I think the House of Fire would be a really awesome story to retell. I think I will alter a few things in my retelling though. I would like to add in more chaos and conflict. There is a really cool opportunity with this story to expand it and make it more detailed. I would possibly like to explore the events that unfold afterwards. 

(A picture of a book on a beach. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie. Source: PDE

Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Part A

The start of the new reading began today. I really enjoyed some of these stories. I think the reading style is easy to follow and entertaining. I took some notes over the stories that I liked the best.

• Each character is introduced with an elaborate backstory
• I usually do not write much about character's before their introduction
• I might try this kind of writing style
• I liked the first few sections that gave the read a lot of information
• I found that it can be a bit too much at times
• There are lots of names to learn quickly and apply to the reading
• I think I could maintain my own writing style while also adapting to these stories
• I would like to possibly write a whole story as an "intro"
• The idea of taking women in battle was one that I had not seen 
• I was expecting a more heroic adventure or tale
• Taking the women as victors for a battle was a bit different
• The stories are definitely more on the erotic side as no details are held back
• I found this to be a contrast from the Ramayana
• I think I could retell Pandu's life and some of his brief adventures
• It was a but unfortunate the way he passed
• He had been cursed and would end up dying in the arm's of one of his wives
• I think there could be some cool stories to tell from this
• I could also just create my own stories
• What if he did not sell his possessions and go live in the forest?
• Would he have survived the curse?
• I would like to explore this idea a bit more

I found that some of the stories contain lots of small bits of information. I noticed everything builds upon itself as new characters are constantly introduced along with new kingdoms.

(A reading squirrel. Source: Pixaby)

Bibliography: The Mahabharata, A Summary by John Mandeville Macfie. Source: PDE

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part B

So, I finished up part B of the reading today. I have really been enjoying this version of the Ramayana. I think reading all of the stories a second time has allowed me to appreciate and better understand what is taking place. I took notes on my favorite sections/scenes.

• The relationship between Rama and Sugriva is one of my favorites in the epic
• I really like how they become the best of allies and vow to help each other reclaim their kingdoms
• I think the fighting scene between Rama, Sugriva, and Vali is the highlight
• There is a lot of potential for a cool story to be told there
• I was initially surprised at Rama's decision to ambush Vali
• However, I think he was just trying to stay loyal to a new friend
• I know there is a lot of argument over Rama's action
• I would like to possibly give my interpretation on what his intentions were
• I also think the quest to find Sita would be fun to explore
• I would not cover Rama as much if this were the case
• I might explore how Rama feels during all of this
• However, I think Hanuman deserves his own story here
• Hanuman played a vital role that I do not think is emphasized enough
• I am also curious to explore Sita's exile
• I found her exile to be a bit unfair and extreme
• It would be cool to write about that or possibly make up a new storyline

Again, I really enjoyed reading this version of the Ramayana. I found it really fun to go back through these stories one more time. 

(Someone reading a book. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: The Divine Archer, by F. J. Gould. Source: archives

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part A

I really enjoyed reading F. J. Gould's version of the Ramayana. I found it to be much easier to follow as the English and writing style was a bit more modern. I did not have to constantly read something over to understand what was going on in the story. I jotted down some points about things that I liked from the first few sections of this reading. 

• The description of Rama and his birth was very detailed 
• It included the descriptions of his heaven like markings and the intuition of his mother
• The foresight of his mother to see him turn into a divine being was a nice addition
• The people and the city adorned and loved Rama
• Rama and his brother's accounts with slaying the demons was awesome
• The dialogue between the hermit and the king was easy to understand
• I found that in the past I would get lost in the dialogue
• This clarity is something that I definitely want to mimic
• The scene where Rama sees Sita is great descriptively
• It displays the internal dialogue of Rama as he takes his first glance at his future wife
• I think it does a great job foreshadowing of what is about to come
• The challenge of winning over Sita was written very well and stays true to the source
• I liked reading about Rama breaking the axe and stringing Vishnu's bow
• I think this is a story that I would like to recreate
• I could do a really cool retelling similar to that of King Arthur
• The succession is an emotional turn of events
• Rama's father was eager to make Rama the successor the the throne
• The conflict that Rama faces is tough to read
• It is unfortunate that Kaikeyi has such a strong impact on Rama's future
• I wrote about this last week, but I still think there are more thing I could add to the story

(A photo of a statue of Rama, taken by adityamadhav83. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Overall, I really enjoyed this week's reading option. I think it helped immensely that this was my second time reading about Rama and his adventures. I found this week's reading to be much easier to follow. I am glad that I was able to revisit these stories. I feel like I am able to fully appreciate them this time around.

Bibliography: The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. Source: archives.

Comment Wall

Here is the link to my portfolio! I look forward to reading everyone's feedback.

(The image used here is a photo from the Ramayana. It was released by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and can be found here.)

Week 4 Story: Rama's Conflict

Edit: You can find the revised story at my portfolio here.

The tide of the war appeared to be changing. My fellow men and comrades were fighting back the onslaught of Ravana and his army of demons. We had found new hope. Garuda had restored our physical bodies to pristine condition. Our mental strength became fortified with every passing minute. We knew we were going to win the battle and end this demon's reign of terror. I glanced to my right and saw Sugriva rallying his army of monkey warriors. I turned to my comrades and did the same. Everyone answered to the rallying cry and we charged back into the darkness. 

The demons came from every direction. They were mischievous and dreadful on the battlefield. Ravana and his demons resorted to cheap tricks and magic while fighting. They could not be trusted to engage in traditional combat. Sugriva and his monkey army fought valiantly. They began to overwhelm some of the rakshasas. I continued to plow my way through the demons towards the palace. I had an endless desire to defeat Ravana and end this conflict for good. All seemed to be going well.. Until everyone on the battlefield heard the thunderous noise emitting from the palace.

The ground began to shake violently. I stumbled backwards as I had lost my footing. The monkey warriors began to cower. I saw fear in their faces. They began to walk backwards as they became more afraid of what was waiting on the other side. A monstrous roar deafened our ears, and my worst fear had come true. The demon Kumbhakarna came soaring through the air. He crushed the earth as he landed and immediately began reigning terror. With one swing of his arm he sent hundreds of monkey warriors flying through the air. Kumbhakarna began to devour them by the handful to try and satisfy his insatiable hunger. The hope had diminished from everyone's eyes. We were suffering heavy casualties all across the battlefield. Kumbhakarna had managed to capture my dear friend and leader Sugriva. I knew I had to act soon. I knew that I had to be the one to slay this monstrous demon. I nocked my arrow and jumped into the fray...

(A photo of Rama fighting Ravana. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: My story comes from a section of the Ramayana. The scene takes place during the fighting between Rama's forces and Ravana's forces. Rama and his forces seemed to have turned the tide of the battle as they were recently healed by Garuda. The forces of the monkey king and Rama battled fiercely against Ravana and his demons. There was a lot of back and forth action and Rama appeared to be taking a stand. However, Ravana summoned his brother Kumbhakarna. His brother was a giant and ferocious demon. His brother would sleep for six months and awake for only one day. During his one day awake, he would consume a monstrous meal and go back to sleep. Kumbhakarna begins to dominate the battlefield as he kills thousands of monkeys and even captures Sugriva. Rama engages in battle with the demon and emerges victorious. My story focuses on Rama's internal conflict during the struggle from a first person perspective. I wanted to continue to buildup to the battle scene. I want to extend this story to include the battle or make an entire story solely dedicated to the battle itself.

Bibliography: Ramayana Online from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Source: Blogspot

Reading Notes: Ramayana Online, Part D

I finished up the reading for the Ramayana today. This was definitely an interesting and unique experience for me. I do not think I have read an epic in quite some time. It was really cool to read about the adventures of someone as powerful as Rama. I took notes over the most favorite sections of mine in part D.

• I read the battle scenes and instantly knew this is what I wanted to write about
• The scenes capture so much emotion and violence
• I love the fact that Rama and the monkey's are teaming up together
• The demon forces of Ravana are very strong
• It looked grim for a while for Rama and his comrades
• The demons did not fight fairly on the battlefield
• They resorted to magic and tricks to injure and kill Rama and his men
• I did not expect the tides to turn for Rama and his men so easily
• Lakshmana appeared to be dead and hope did not seem evident
• I did not expect the help of Garuda
• I think it would be really cool to detail what Garuda did as he healed the Rama and his men
• Kumbhakarna was a terrifying and ferocious demon
• Just as the tides seemed to be turning in favor of Rama, more bad things happened
• I think the battle between Rama and Kumbhakarna went largely untold
• I have so many cool things I could include in this fighting scene
• Kumbhakarna killed thousands of monkeys and took their king
• It would be awesome to detail these events and put some emotion into the story

These last few sections were some of my favorite in the entire epic. The battle scenes described here were truly awesome and entertaining. There is so much I could do with these battle scenes. The monkey king and his people were some of my favorite from the entire epic. Reading about Rama and the monkey kingdom fighting together was truly incredible.

(A photo of Rama battling titans. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Ramayana Online from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Source: Blogspot

Reading Notes: Ramayana Online, Part C

I continued with my reading for this week. I am now on the third part of the Ramayana. I decided to again take notes over the sections that I really enjoyed. I think that I will be able to retell the best story from these sections.

• I really liked the character of Sugriva
• I was curious to see if he was in any way related to the Monkey Sing, Sun Wu
• I really like the idea of being able to write about the Monkey King and his people
• I think the new team of Rama and Sugriva opens a lot of doors for new adventures
• I might create some crazy new heroic story revolving around their travels
• The tale of Sugriva was a sad one. It was hard to see brother turn on brother like that
• Vali was eager to challenge Rama and his brother Sugriva
• I knew that Rama could not be defeated by Vali
• I found the format of this section to be a bit difficult to follow
• I would like to change it to more of a traditional storytelling format
• The decision of Rama to help Sugriva did not surprise me
• However, it was a bit random for Rama to wait in ambush
• I did not expect Rama to ambush his allies foe
• I can see how it is considered controversial to some
• I think Rama was moved by Sugriva's will to fight and wanted to help his new friend
• It was difficult for the whole kingdom to lose its king
• It was hard for Sugriva to come to terms with his brother's death
• I would like to explore Rama's feelings after the battle
• There are a lot of cool options for me to write about this week concerning these events

I think there are a lot of directions to take the storytelling this week. I will continue to think of ideas and different ways to retell these events. I am open to changing the battle scene. 

(A photo of Rama and Lakshmana meeting with Sugriva. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Ramayana Online from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Source: Blogspot

Feedback Strategies: Indian Epics

The two articles that I read really highlighted some of the same beliefs that I have about feedback. The two articles were How to Craft Constructive Feedback and Be a Mirror. I have always tried to be positive when I give others feedback. I have always tried to keep a positive mental attitude and not be negative in my feedback. It can be hard at times to constantly stay positive. I think that there is a nice balance when giving feedback. You should not be afraid to give suggestions, but you also do not want to make the receiver feel like their work is not good. I really liked what one of the articles suggested. It said to focus on what the reader is doing. It is sometimes easy to nitpick someone's work and look at what they do not have. Instead, we should focus on what they do have and give positive feedback based on that. Another great point that the first article made was to "suggest" what the creator might do. I find this one particularly useful especially when I am receiving feedback. 

My advice when giving feedback is to just be confident in offering suggestions while also being mindful of the person you are giving feedback to. You should put yourself in their shoes and think about what would be useful to you. I would like to try being more honest with the people I am giving feedback to. Overall, once you find a method that works for you just roll with it. 

(A photo of a man trying to provide feedback. Source: Flickr)

Topic Research: Indian Epics

I decided to research more about different heroic figures. I am not completely decided on using this as my project topic, but I feel like it is a great start. I can also use these sources to possible tie into one of the other project topics that I have.

The first stories that I researched cover the hero Krishna. They comics are found here. These stories would be used to detail the travels of Krishna and his accomplishments. The stories about him killing demons would be a real attention grabber for my project.

The second set of stories involve the King Vali. I would like to read about his adventures due to his flawed arrogance. I could present the story in a way that teaches a lesson. I'm still pondering this idea. His wiki page is here. The comic is in the library.

The third set of stories involves the King Harishchandra. I think these stories would tie in well with the idea of teaching a lesson. I read his wikipedia page (here). I though that he would be a great character to fit into the storybook if I do indeed go down the route of highlighting good/bad characteristics. I will look at purchasing it from amazon using the link on this page.

I am still spitballing different ideas for my storytelling style. I might choose the traditional path of just recreating different heroes and detailing their travels. I might also choose to highlight the good and bad characteristics/deeds of certain heroes.

(A photo of a super hero graphic. Source: Pixaby)

Week 3 Story: The Exiled Son

I had finally returned to the kingdom that I had been missing for so long. I was eager to see my father as it had been quite some time since I was able to embrace him. I missed the people of the kingdom. There were many people that I had longed to see since my long journey began. I missed my mother, Kaushalya, and my brothers. I was anticipating a warm welcome from the people of the kingdom and my family. I had heard a rumor that I was going to be crowned as the Yuvarajah (crown prince) upon my return to the kingdom. I was excited to see if this rumor would come to fruition. I had long awaited this moment, and I was hoping that my father would finally recognize me as the crown prince to take his place once he is gone. This was something that I had dreamed of for years, and I did not want to be met with a disappointment.

As I returned to the palace I noticed the vast amount of decorations that adorned the walls, ceilings, and halls. There was a joy amongst the people, and I could tell that their was excitement on everyone's face. I strutted into the throne room and immediately saw my father sitting on his throne. I was very eager to greet him. I continued to march forward. However, as a I got closer I noticed that something was wrong. My father looked sick. His face was sagging and he looked pale. He did not have his normal glowing face. He looked like he had been poisoned by something or someone. I saw that one of his queens was hanging on his shoulder. She was whispering in his ear and starting at me. I looked intently upon Kaikeyi as I did not trust her in the slightest. I began to move towards my father to embrace him, but she swiftly put that to a stop. She did not let me father stand, and she did not let me get any closer.

I was confused by her actions, so naturally I questioned what she was doing. Kaikeyi began to explain the boons that my father owed her. She told me of my fourteen-year exile. I noticed the smirk on her face as she delivered the message. My father looked down in agony, as he could not come to terms with the events that were transpiring. I began to tremble with anger as Kaikeyi kept speaking. My father was being poisoned in the mind. I knew that I should not act out of anger. It was not the right time or place. However, I felt an uncontrollable urge consume me. I tried to fight it but it began to take over my body. In my frustration I let out a yell and lunged towards Kaikeyi...

(A photo of King Dasharatha as he is asked to banish Rama. Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: My story is based on a retelling of two of the sections in the Ramayana Online. The sections follow the events that take place as Rama returns to his father and Kaikeyi. Rama is unaware of the events that have transpired recently. Kaikeyi has requested the banishment of Rama for the next fourteen years. King Dasharatha was forced to grant the boons that Kaikeyi requested. Rama accepts the terms of his banishment without hesitation out of the love he has for his father. I decided to take these events and create a story that had a unique ending. In the Ramayana, Rama leaves the palace to fulfill his banishment. I thought that it would be interesting to change Rama's mindset and have him take out his frustrations on Kaikeyi. I set up the story to where Rama was returning from a long journey. I also told it from a first person perspective to better capture Rama's mindset. I ended the story with a cliff hanger so that I could possibly continue the story for another week.

Bibliography: Ramayana Online from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Source: Blogspot