Week 10 Storytelling: Krishna's Wrath

Edit: The revised version can be found here

The legend of the demon lord Bana was known far and wide. He was a monstrous being with cruel intentions. Bana thrived off of terrorizing others and making the lives of humans unbearable. The humans from the surrounding areas had been driven off to the point where only the demon race was thriving under Bana's rule. He enjoyed many awful things. One of his favorite things was to fight in battle with those that considered themselves worthy opponents. Bana had grown to the point where he was overflowing with confidence. He had a very strong sense of entitlement and arrogance. He did not think there was one person that could even rival him in a battle. So, he did something that many would not. He begged the god Shiva to send a worthy opponent his way. 

Shiva was very reluctant to do this because Bana had no idea what was about to come his way. He granted Bana's wish, but he gave him fair warning of what was about to come. Bana ignored this warning and went about his life. He was eagerly waiting for the challenger to approach his kingdom.

The young hero Krishna would be the one to challenge the demon Bana. Krishna's sole purpose on earth was to ride the world of demons. He had been prolific at this even at a very young age. Krishna did not care for the legend of the demon Bana. Krishna knew what he was capable of and did not falter when he heard of Bana's strength. The demon had 1,000 arms that he used to wield weapons of terror. This did not phase Krishna. He was the hero of the people. He had the life-blood of Lord Vishnu running through his veins. When the time came to battle Bana, Krishna was ready. He took his discus in his hand and slashed each arm from the body of Bana. The demon could do nothing as Krishna dismantled him limb by limb. The young hero Krishna then proceeded to free the slaves of the kingdom and restore peace to those living in the realm.

(A photo of a statue of Krishna at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: The story that I told was a direct retelling from its source. Krishna was created from the body of Lord Vishnu. He contained the might and power of Lord Vishnu. Krishna's purpose on earth was to rid the world of the demon lord Kansa and his allies. Krishna comes across many demons during his travels and he easily defeats them. Krishna was even able to do this when he was just a toddler. This exemplifies his extraordinary strength and abilities. This specific story details Krishna and his battle with the demon lord Bana who had 1,000 arms. Bana was a very confident and boastful demon. He prayed to the god Shiva for a worthy challenger. Bana would get this wish and Krishna would come to face him. In the end, Krishna easily defeats Bana. The demon begs for forgiveness and he is spared from his foolish judgement and actions.

Bibliography: Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories, by C. A. Kincaid. Source: Blogger.

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.

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

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

Week 2 Story: The Deceptive Pelican

There once was a pelican that lived in the deep marshes of the swampy forestland. He had been separated from his flock for the past ten years. He was a loner. This pelican had a reputation for being a real jerk among the local fish population. The pelican constantly preyed upon the small fish that were scattered throughout the different bodies of water in the marsh. He was also a very deceptive and cunning predator. The pelican was always thinking of ways to trick his prey. The pursuit of food was a game to the pelican.

One year, the marshland had become very dry and arid. The water in the marshland was starting to dry up as the temperature rapidly increased. This prolonged period of heat had gone on for quite some time, and it made life difficult for the many different fish living in the marshland. The pelican saw this is an opportunity to feed on the fish that were in desperate need of water. He approached a population of fish that were living in an almost evaporated body of water. Since the pelican was so cleaver, he decided to offer to take the fish to another body of water that was abundant and cool. The fish did not believe the pelican and questioned why their predator was offering them help. So as a signal of good will, the pelican took one of the old and sick fish to the new body of water. He dropped the old fish into the water and let him enjoy the cool sensation. The pelican then scooped up the old fish into his beak and brought him back to the rest of his people.

The old fish excitedly raved and rambled on about how awesome the water was on the other side. The fish were so desperate for water, so they were not very resistant to trusting the pelican now. Every fish began to line up in excitement as they waited for their turn to hop into the pelican's beak. The pelican began to transport five fish at a time in his beak. The pelican would fly over the new body of water and tease the fish. He would then swallow them all in one gulp. The pelican did this over and over until there were no more fish left.

(A picture of a pelican similar to the one in the story. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note: I kept my story fairly similar to the source story. The source story details the actions of a crane as he tricks his prey into trusting him. The crane convinces the fish that he would transport them to another body of water that was much cooler and better suited for them. As the fish were desperate to escape their current state, they begin to trust the crane. This would turn out to be fatal as the crane transported each fish individually in his mouth. Instead of taking the fish to the water, the crane would eat them. He completely devastated the population of fish. The crane tried to do this trick on a crab that was nearby. However, the crab was more intelligent than the fish. The crab convinced the crane to transport him to the cool body of water. The crab ended up severing the head of the crane as the crane tried to eat the crab as well. I left this detail out in my story.


Bibliography: The Cunning Crane and the Crab by W.H.D. Rouse. Source: Google Sites