Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part H

So, I finished today with my last reading post of the semester. I decided to go over the next section. I was really pleased with the overall reading of this version of the Ramayana. This has been one of my favorite class readings of all time. It was definitely my favorite for this class and this semester. I hope to finish reading these stories at some point in time.

• The details of the battle are awesome
• I love how it gives an insight into the battle plans that are being made
• The dialogue of Arjuna is actually the coolest part
• He spots out different enemies on the battlefield and provides a description of them
• I like how Karna was introduced as the one who always wants to fight
• The amount of detail for each enemies descriptions are the coolest part
• It talks about how Karna is blazing like fire
• It also gives details on their appearance like his rope for binding elephants
• Arjuna blacked out the sky with his arrows
• He sent thousands in a volley to bring about confusion
• Arjuna fights with such anger and passion
• He becomes enraged and chases down enemies in his way
• Arjuna kills Karna's brother and engages him in battle
• He is actually injured by Karna's rage
• Karna actually retreats as he loses his edge in the battle
• He becomes too injured to continue and flees
• There is constant fighting throughout the story
• More and more people are killed and injured
• Duryodhana and Arjuna's encounter end the story
  Arjuna is too powerful in battle and injures him
• He is struck with an arrow and attempts to flee from the battle
• Arjuna constantly mocks him while he is trying to escape

(A statue made in the image of Arjuna. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

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Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part G

I went ahead and did another reading section. This time I did this as a bonus reading. I took notes over the story that I liked.

• The appearance of the sun god was really cool
• I like how this takes place in a dream state
• The conversation that takes place is of note
• He warns of the coming events and engages in a respectful dialogue
• The importance of the earrings and armor cannot be overstated
• These were the lifeblood that would keep him alive on the battlefield
• The focus on fame is important
• This is viewed as more important than life
• However, Surya emphasizes how this is a foolish way of thinking
• I would like to emphasize how important this exchange is
• I think the dialogue in these stories are truly incredible
• They highlight and foreshadow so many different events
• I would like to be able to apply this to my own wrting
• It is very powerful and engages the reader
• It also adds depth to the characters and the story
• It helps develop the characters very well
• It also highlights the true nature of each character

(A photo of a library. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part F

I continued with the free reading this week. I am nearing the end of this version of the Ramayana. I took notes over the story I liked.

• The Pandavas eagerly awaited for Arjuna to return
• He comes in from the sky in glorious fashion
• He floats down on a chariot manned by thousands of horses
• He tells his comrades of his travels
• He talks of his new weapons and how he is now master of them
• I also liked how he talks of his training and what he had to endure
• I think the inclusion of his narration is really cool
• It adds another level to the story
• It is cool to see a recount of the events through Arjuna's persepective
• The details of the attack are awesome
• He describes his counter attack and how he fired volleys of arrows in return
• This is in reference to his battle with demons as he cut off their arms
• I also noticed the reaction of his comrades
• They think so highly of Arjuna 
• He has accomplished incredible feats on the field of battle
• He now rivals their most respected mentor
• The ending of the story added an interesting twist
• The weapons could not be summoned for mere entertainment
• They must only be used in battle
• The consequence is the destruction of the three worlds

(A photo of Rama and Sita. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part E

I continued on with the reading of the modernized Ramayana this week. This has been one of the best reads that I have had in a long while. As always, I took notes over the story that I liked the most.

• The story of Arjuna leaving for the Himalayas is really cool
• Yudhi told him of the mantras that were needed for him to leave
• It is interesting to see Arjuna begin his quest to wield the weapons of the gods
• It was saddening to see the departure of the brothers
• The description used in this section is second to none
• The amount of detail that goes into describing the mood and what the characters are experiencing is amazing
• I have long wanted to capture this sort of writing style
• I was impressed with the descriptions of Arjuna and the armor he was wearing
• I found the practice of fasting to be interesting
• The progressive levels of fasting seemed to connect his mind, body and spirit even more
• He ate fruit every few weeks
• As a result his body began to glow and he was pure and connected with himself
• The battle scene that takes place between Arjuna and Siva is intense
• No matter what Arjuna did he could not harm the hunter
• He was confused by this and he unleashed every attack imaginable
• Nothing was working and did not phase the hunter
• The ending is cool as Siva reveals his true self to Arjuna
• His weapons are given to Arjuna to carry out his will

(An inside look at the Stockholm Public Library. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part D

So, today I went ahead and read part D as extra credit since I missed the reading assignment the other day. I took notes over what I liked from the stories.

• Rama and his humbleness are on full display here
• He does not use his status as a way to make him better than others
• He truly treats others with respect and as if they are equals with him
• This can be seen when he is talking to rsis
• He wants to make sure that he and his companions are acting in a way that is respectable to all
• The demon Khara is introduced here
• I really liked the descriptions given to the demons
• You can really get a sense for how vile and evil they are
• I found it interesting the antics the demons would engage in
• They pretty much did everything to provoke the humans
• It is amazing to see the way random people greet Rama
• They hold the upmost respect for him
• All they want to do it serve him and do what they can to help the kingdom
• Rama changes completely when he encounters demons
• When Sita was captured he became enraged and desired nothing more than to slay the demon
• The whole encounter here is awesome
• Rama frees the demon from his cursed state 
• I would like to write about this for a future story

(A photo inside a really cool library. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part C

For this week, I continued with the reading of the Ramayana. I have really enjoyed these stories, and I wanted to continue with more reading for this week. I think Rama is by far the coolest hero I have read about in this class. I took notes over what I liked.

• It still amazes me how understanding Rama is of the situation
• He shows great wisdom and grace as he tells the people of his kingdom to not worry
• He also maintains strong support for his brother in his place
• It is hard to understand why he is so kind
• He was banished from his kingdom for no reason
• The mind of his step mother/aunt was posioned
• It seems he knew of this the whole time
• He does not falter even when his father is grief stricken
• Laksman is a brother that everyone wishes they had
• He is so loyal and caring for his brother Rama
• He ventures into exile with him
• He constantly stays awake to ensure his safety
• The people also did not falter and could not be convinced to leave Rama
• The people so no meaning to their life as their dear Rama had left them
• They did not understand why he had to live out his exile in the forest
• Many people suggested death as they saw no purpose without Rama
• That just shows how much the people adored him as their leader
• The author manages to capture the emotions of the moment very well
• The people and Laksman are angered by the situation
• I really appreciate how well the emotions of the story are portrayed
• This is something that I wish to do in my writing

(A library containing shelves of books. Source: Pixabay)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part B

So, I continued with the second half of the reading today. I looked for different storytelling styles and things I could learn from. I did not really take many notes about the stories themselves because I have read them multiple times.

• Again, I noticed the amount of detail placed within each story
• The mood of the scene is always described very well to the reader
• You can feel when the situations are tense and dire for the hero Rama
• I really liked the foreshadowing that occurs throughout the chapters
• The second half of the reading prepared you for terrible events that will occur in the future
• I especially noted the dialogue to be very pronounced and intricate 
• This was evident with Kaikeyi and her servant
• They go back and forth for a greater part of the chapter
• I would somehow like to emulate this writing style
• I have found it difficult to recreate dialogue successfully
• I have also found it difficult to make it as intricate as the story does
• The way that Kaikeyi is swayed by her servant is very powerful
• You can feel the conflict within her mind as she hears what her servant has to say
• It is a slow poisoning that eventually drives her to betray Rama 
• This was sad to see because she had so much love for Rama
• The exile of Rama was also tense
• I found this event to be as heavy as it was in the original
• Everyone adored Rama and wanted to see him be crowned as the next ruler
• I think I will possibly write about this event for my storytelling

(Another photo of a library. Source: Pexels)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Ramayana (Krishna Dharma), Part A

Since this week is free reading, I decided to revisit my favorite stories. The Ramayana contained my favorites, so I am reading a modern retelling this week. I look forward to creating more cool stories from the Ramayana as I take more notes. Since I have read the Ramayana before, I will focus my notes more on the writing style and things that I want to write about.

• My initial impression of this retelling was how easy it was to read
• The modern language makes it so much more relatable and easier to follow
• I also noticed the amount of detail that went into describing the mood of the scene
• Descriptive details were used constantly to paint a picture of how individual characters were feeling
• I also noticed the amount of meaningful dialogue that was used
• It really helped create a more realistic situation
• This is something that I definitely want to emulate with my writing
• I really enjoyed reading over the creation of Rama
• It was awesome to see the dialogue of Vishnu as he insists that he must be born as a human to defeat the demon Ravana. 
• This is something that I do not remember from the previous versions
• I would like to create a more dialogue/detailed story in the future
• This kind of writing style was present throughout this retelling
• The events that take place are mostly the same
• However, the writing style is what stuck out to me

(A photo of books in a library. Source: Pixabay)

Bibliography: Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom by Krishna Dharma. Source: Vedabase.

Reading Notes: Krishna- Sister Nivedita, Part B

I went ahead and finished the second part of the reading today. I looked for differences between the two versions of Krishna's adventures. I took notes over what I noticed and liked the most.

• The second portion of the reading contains different stories 
• I recognized a lot of what the stories were about from previous reading
• It talks of the Pandavas and other adventures
• It goes into depth about Duryodhana
• Krishna and the Pandava heroes and Krishna team together
• They end up being victorious in the struggle
• The battle for the kingdom was hard fought
• There was not an heir to rule the kingdom
• The throne was now under their control
• However, their homes were no longer occupied
• I think these events were definitely worth reading about
• I found it interesting that the two versions contained different stories
• I thought they would mirror each other in summary
• The first part of the reading remained fairly similair
• It was a bit different as I expected to see the same stories
• I did find that this version contains more detail and visual description
• It does a better job describing the emotions of the characters
• Overall, I have some good options for storytelling this week

(A photo of a stack of old books. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: Cradle Tales of Hinduism, Krishna, by Sister Nivedita. Source: Blogspot.

Reading Notes: Krishna- Sister Nivedita, Part A

I decided to do more reading over Krishna and his adventures this week. I am taking notes over the second reading option for Krishna told by Sister Nivedita. I wanted to see if there were any major differences between the two versions. I also really liked the reading from last week, and I wanted to revisit these stories. I took notes over the Origin and Childhood.

(A picture of books in a library. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

• The origin of Krishna starts the same way
• He was the eight child born that was told of in the prophecy
• I noticed there was not as much background information provided in the reading
• This version of the stories are much more detailed
• There were a lot more visual details and emotions presented through this version of the writing
• This version seems to be less of a summary as small details are added to the events
• The small jackal guided Vasudeva out of the jail
• The events that unfold between Kansa and the baby girl are the same
• She slips from his grasp and ascends into the air as a goddess
• She proceeds to mock him for his wickedness
• She tells of Krishna's birth and how he will bring about Kansa's eventual downfall
• The evil demon Putana was sent to kill all babies by Kansa
• She is presented as a vampire in the version and is not mentioned as a demon
• Kansa proceeds to send more demons to kill the baby Krishna
• This produces no results as baby Krishna easily defeats and kills the demons that come his way
• Krishna was also a mischievous child that constantly gave his mother headaches
• His curiosity was truly insurmountable
• His family moves away as he turns seven and he us united with his brother and companion Bolarama

Bibliography: Cradle Tales of Hinduism, Krishna, by Sister Nivedita. Source: Blogspot.