The One With Krishna as Rapunzel

***Check out the revised version of this story on my portfolio here!*** 

Long ago, on a rainy night, a demon named Putana slipped into the kingdom of Mathura and found herself in a room with a sleeping baby Krishna. At one point, he turned and yawned in his sleep and she saw the inside of his mouth. In it, was the entire universe, the stars and planets lined up, the past, present, and the future, and the existence of mankind. She knew he had special powers, so she took the baby in her hands and ran off with him unnoticed. Putana quickly learned of Krishna's magical powers to heal anyone when he played the flute. He could heal any wound and any pain someone suffered if he desired. He also unknowingly kept the beauty alive in demons, which is why Putana needed him. She took great care of him, for she needed his powers to keep her alive and well. When Krishna asked to leave his room, she always told him the outside world was dangerous and not for someone like him, who people could take advantage of. One day, as he was playing his flute, a young gopi by the name of Radha heard him. She began singing and dancing to the tune of his music until she reached the source of the tunes. When she looked up and saw Krishna through a little window from his tower, she was saddened. What was such a beautiful, talented musician doing locked up in a room? About the same time Radha looked up, Krishna stopped playing the flute and looked down. He was mesmerized. Down below, staring right at him, was the most beautiful and pure-hearted looking woman. Without even yelling so much of a warning to Putana, Krishna climbed down the side of the tower to greet Radha. The two spent the whole day together, and when Krishna finally went back to the room Putana kept him in, he was able to slide in without her even noticing he was gone. This became a normal thing for Radha and Krishna; they would meet up in the garden below Krishna's room and go to the forest, where Krishna would play the flute and Radha would sing and dance around him. They soon formed a special bond of love that everyone dreamed of having one day. 

Source: Krishna and Radha in the forest, as Krishna plays the flute.

When Radha mentioned to Krishna that there were other villages and kingdoms nearby, Krishna was awestruck. He didn't know anything about the world that awaited him outside of Putana's home because he was never allowed to go anywhere. He had always dreamt of living in a palace with his real parents, but according to Putana, they had abandoned him as a child.  One day, he asked Radha to take him to one of these nearby kingdoms. She told him that she would take him wherever he pleased, but in order to go to the kingdom, they would have to cross a river and the journey there and back would take longer than one afternoon. They wouldn't be able to go without Putana noticing Krishna was gone. So, one evening, Krishna pretended to break his flute. This immediately grabbed Putana's attention and she set out to fetch him another one right away. The nearest place she could go to obtain such a flute was Mathura, which was a three days' journey away. Little did Krishna know, that was his birthplace and that is where Radha was taking him the next day as well. The flute he played and pretended to break was his mother's, who had left it near him when he slept. When Putana took Krishna, she took the flute with him. She knew that her true self would be revealed if Krishna stopped playing the flute, so she set out to Mathura immediately in hopes of finding another one. As soon as she left, Krishna climbed down his window and ran to Radha in the forest. They also set out to Mathura, although neither of them knew the truth behind Krishna's birth and what Putana was up to. 

Upon arriving in his hometown, Krishna was filled with a feeling of unrecognizable joy. He didn't know why, but he felt like he had been there before. Radha could sense the excitement in Krishna as they walked around the city and observed the people hustling about. The two quickly found a quiet spot in a garden near the palace, and Krishna began playing his flute. The other women around him swooned as he played, forgetting their work. When the sound of his music reached the ears of Queen Devaki and King Vasudeva, they thought they were in a trance. They had played the flute and danced around to those same exact tunes long ago, but had stopped when Krishna was taken from them. They hadn't heard those notes since. When they heard their son playing, they rushed down and found a handsome, magical-looking boy with a beautiful, radiant girl right beside him. Devaki and Vasudeva felt as if they were staring at themselves from the past. The old couple ran to their son and embraced him immediately. Krishna was surprised, but at the same time he felt at home for the first time ever. Devaki and Vasudeva began telling him the truth about his birth, his kidnapping, and their life ever since he was taken. They told him he was an avatar of Lord Vishnu and his destiny was robbed from him when he was a baby. Krishna was immensely saddened by this, and vowed to make Putana pay.

He returned to the tower that Putana kept him in just before she arrived with a new flute. However, when she gave it to him, Krishna looked at her sternly. He would not play. Putana persisted and kept ordering him to play his music. When he would not, she finally asked why. Krishna revealed that he knew the truth about himself. As he was speaking, Putana began to see the true form of Vishnu thrive inside of Krishna's eyes. She sank back and apologized for what she had done, and her fear of seeing Krishna in his rightful form transformed her into her true form as well. The demon inside of her took over and she attacked. Krishna, with one swift motion, jumped as she lashed out, and was able to separate her head from her body. She fell to the ground, and Krishna was finally free. He picked up his flute, left the tower, and ran to Radha. The two went back to Krishna's home in Mathura and Krishna revealed that he had taken revenge on the demon that deprived him of his childhood with his parents. Devaki and Vasudeva were thrilled to be reunited with their son and agreed to marry Krishna and Radha right away. The family finally lived happily ever after in a kingdom full of peace, love, and happiness.

Source: Radha and Krishna's marriage upon his arrival in Mathura.

Bibliography: Epified Krishna videos.

Author's Note: I based this story off of Disney's Tangled; you can read the whole plot summary here. When I was watching the Epified videos about Krishna, I realized a lot of details about his birth and growing up with another set of parents were similar to other stories I have read/watched. I thought of Tangled and decided to make it a story in which Krishna is forcibly taken at birth, but he still finds his way to Radha and his actual parents. In Tangled, Gothel takes Rapunzel due to the magical powers in her hair. I made Krishna the person being held captive in a tower by a demon Putana who needed his flute-playing powers to keep her alive and healthy. In the original Krishna stories, Putana takes baby Krishna in hopes of destroying him for King Kansa, but Krishna kills her without even meaning to. Everyone slowly realizes that Krishna is something special, as he is stronger and mightier than everyone around him. In the actual story, Krishna's father Vasudeva gives baby Krishna to Yashoda and Nandu in Gokul because he knows Krishna is in danger if he stays in Mathura (which is under Kansa's rule). Krishna grows up different from the other kids, and Yashoda realizes that he is a divine being when she looks into his mouth and sees the universe. Him and Radha fall in love and eventually, he is told his true destiny to destroy King Kansa, who is keeping his parents in jail and sets out to Mathura to do just that. In the original stories, Krishna and Radha are never married because it is not in their destiny, but I wanted to get them married in my story because their love is one of the most epic bonds in the Hindu culture. There are a lot of little plot stories combined into one thing, so let me know if I need to clarify this author's note some more! Hope you all enjoyed :)

Reading Notes; Epified Krishna, Part B

Krishna Humbles Brahma 
I think it's really interesting how time after time again, Krishna seems to humble the most divine beings and surprise everyone at how strong, valiant, and clever he is. I love all these stories about how he has defeated all these demons, as well as the one with Brahma's plan backfiring. I feel like I could write about any of those and put it in a different perspective. Maybe even in Krishna's!

Akrur
I was watching these videos with my mom and she said that in another thing she watched/heard, Akrur actually dies before Kamsa does. So, maybe I'll write a story in which exactly that happens. I might research more about Akrur, his story, and his death to write a better and more interesting story if I choose to write about him.

Mathura
I liked how Vishnu showed his true form to Akrur while he was taking Krishna and Balram to Mathura. I also like how the Epified showed the death of Kamsa and the release of Krishna's true parents and grandfather. I might write about that reunion in a different way; maybe I'll write about Krishna being kidnapped at birth and finally being reunited with his real parents. This theme is common in many stories I have read and watched. For example, in Hercules, Hades orders two of his companions to kill Zeus's son. They end up leaving him in a basket, and a random couple picks him up and raises him. Throughout the movie, Hercules seems to be different from the other kids, although no one knows his true identity. Finally, he finds out who he really is and ends up saving the world, as every Disney hero does. This plot story was similar to Krishna's story in many ways. Also, in the movie Tangled, Rapunzel is stolen by a witch and kept in a tower for her entire life. Her parents are actually royalty and she has no idea. Flynn Rider comes along and rescues her and they find out the truth together. I could replace these characters with those from the Krishna stories!

Source: Vasudeva carrying baby Krishna across the river to Gokul.

Bibliography: Epified Krishna videos, Part B. 

Reading Notes; Epified Krishna, Part A

I love, love, love the Epified videos so much! The way they draw things out and portray all stories in a few minutes is really interesting to me!

Switched at Birth
I think this may be the name of my next story! ^ If I decide to write about this; since Krishna and Yashoda's real child are switched, I wonder if I can write a story about how they find each other after so long and if that's how Krishna finds out his true fate. I might also write a story in which Yashoda's daughter and Krishna grow up together, instead of being switched. I feel like it'd be interesting to see a daughter and a son grow up together instead of two sons.

Krishna's Mouth
I love this story and might write about how Yashoda figured out Krishna was something special. I could switch it around and have something else happen instead of him eating mud, such as hearing him sing or seeing him defeat a demon, etc. 

Radha's Love
The story of Radha-Krishna is epic. Their love is special in many ways, so I could write a story about this as well. Maybe I'll write a story in which they can actually get married, or maybe I'll write it on OU's campus and see how they find each other in this life as well. I could also give another reason as to why they can't get married, or have another person get jealous of their love and try to ruin it. I'm not sure yet, but I think writing about their story could go in many different directions!

Source: Yashoda looking into Krishna's mouth and seeing the entire universe.

Bibliography: Epified Krishna Videos, Part A.

Week 12 Story; The One Where Rama Fights Back

***Check out the updated version of this story at my portfolio here!***

It had been 12 years since Rama ran away to the forest, where he met his amusing yet helpful monkey companions, Hanuman and Sugriva. Throughout the years, he had bonded with the two monkeys like no other creature had. The trio went on many adventures, finding more people to ally with and build an army with, including all of the monkeys that followed Sugriva. Rama oftentimes missed his family, especially his late father Dasharatha and his wife Sita. However, he knew he left his kingdom for a reason, and that when he came back he would be stronger than ever and be able to defeat Ravana at last. Sometimes when Rama was restless, he thought about running back to his home,  but realized that if he wasn't patient and didn't look at all sides of the situation before tackling it, he would lose. He wanted to go back to Ayodhya only when he knew he could defeat Ravana. Until then, he would brood about waiting for the right moment. He didn't know when it would come, but he knew he would recognize it when the time came.

One day, as the three split up to hunt for food, Hanuman and Sugriva saw the most beautiful woman they had ever seen in their lives. They were behind a few evergreen bushes and were immediately mesmerized and could not find the will to move. They stared at her from afar, just waiting to see who she was or what she was in the forest for. After some time, they came to their senses and grew suspicious. The monkeys did not believe a single person was made to be that beautiful, so they assumed she was a demon, covering up her true self with a beautiful mirage. The two came up with a plan to trap her and take her to Rama to see what they should do. So, when her back was to them, Hanuman and Sugriva rushed at her, trapped her in their tails, and carried her to Rama. Rama heard the woman's cries from far away, and immediately recognized their sound - they belonged to Sita. Sita, his wife, his first and only love, his other half, his partner throughout life. Sita, the woman he loved since the moment he met her. How could he forget her voice? He began running towards the sound, and as soon as he saw Hanuman, Sugriva, and a tied up Sita, he noticed tears in his eyes. Once the monkeys realized this woman was of great importance to Rama and not a random demon, they immediately untied her and apologized for their behavior. 

"SITA!" Rama exclaimed, at the same time Sita yelled "RAMA!"

The two rushed into each other's arms.

"Wh-what are you- How're you- Why are y- What are yo-" Rama stuttered.

"Rama, oh, Rama... My dear... How could you leave? How could you stray here, without telling anybody, without telling ME?"

"Oh, my beloved. I am truly sorry for what I have done. At the time I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking at all. I just ran. By the time I realized that I was actually running away and didn't want to be home, it was too late to turn around and warn people. I just panicked and left. I am sorry."

"Well don't apologize now, come back! Please! Rama, we need you. I need you. I tried looking for you day after day but Ravana had us locked away. I've been able to get away a few times but I never knew where to look for you. I finally had the chance to run here, and here you are! Please Rama, come back. The kingdom is in shambles, it is completely unrecognizable and Ravana will not stop conquering other kingdoms."

After hearing Sita's version of the kingdom, Rama officially introduced Sita to Hanuman, Sugriva, and their whole army that they had been planning on using against Ravana one day. Rama realized it was time. The moment he saw Sita, a fire lit up in his heart and eyes and suddenly had the urge to fight for his kingdom. He knew it was the right time.

As they gathered up the army and all their weapons, Rama hugged his wife Sita once more. She gave him strength, and he was happy to have her by his side as he fought for his rightful kingdom back. 

Meanwhile, at Ayodhya, Ravana had just noticed that Sita was gone, She was supposed to be surrounded by rakshasas at all times, but somehow she had gotten ridden of them again! "Idiotic demons," Ravana muttered. Just as the words left his mouth, he heard a commotion. He looked over the horizon and saw hundreds of warriors on chariots and animals charging at the kingdom, wielding their weapons as they came. Ravana immediately recognized Rama and called for his army to get ready and fight back, but Rama's army was too huge and too fast for his enemy. His army charged through the various rakshasas fighting back, and as his people were fighting Ravana's army, Rama decided to head straight for Ravana. The two circled each other for some time, before Rama finally made the first move to cut off one of Ravana's heads. The head immediately grew back. However, Rama knew that Ravana's heads grew back slower as he got more tired. So, Rama rode around the entire kingdom and through the massive palace, up the stairs through the windows, across the huge dining tables, etc., until Ravana grew a little weary. Then, one by one, he cut off all of his heads until one of his arrows pierced Ravana straight through his heart. As soon as he defeated Ravana, all the rakshasas slowly disappeared and left the kingdom altogether. Rama had forgotten what it was like to fight in a battle like this, as he had been living in the forest for the past 12 years. 

Soon, Rama, Sita, and the rest of the warriors with Hanuman and Sugriva had released all the captives of Ayodhya that Ravana had locked away. Everyone rejoiced when they saw Rama, as they knew Ravana must have been defeated. Finally, the people of Ayodhya were happy again. Finally, Rama was back as king.

Source: The Lion King scene where Nala finds Simba, but scares Timon and Pumbaa in the process, since no one knows each other yet.

Author's Note: I got a lot of good critiques on Part 1 of this Lion King themed story, The One Where Rama Runs Away. So I thought I would continue the story to the end. I decided to have Sita find Rama in the forest, just like Nala finds Simba in the Lion King. I even kept the little confusion Timon and Pumbaa have with Nala at first by having Hanuman and Sugriva think Sita was a demon. Although Nala in the Lion King is simply hunting for food and runs into Simba, I had Sita come looking specifically for Rama in my story. Also, just like Simba goes back to his home, fights Scar, and takes his rightful place in the kingdom, I had Rama go back with his army, defeat Ravana, and take on the position of king. I paralleled it with the actual Lion King, just changed the character names and switched around certain details. I also tried incorporating some of the Jataka Tales in the first paragraph. The End of the World story is about a rabbit that hears a coconut fall from a tree and thinks the world is ending so he immediately starts running, and as he is running, he tells all the other animals the same thing, so they all follow him. Eventually, they get to the lion and he figures out what the sound actually was, and teaches them a lesson to not be so quick to lose judgement. I had Rama kind of take on the role of that lion when I mentioned he was impatient, but that he had to keep the mindset of looking at all sides of the situation and assessing it before jumping to conclusions. Hope you all liked the rest of the story :)

Reading Notes; Inayat's Twenty Jataka Tales, Part B

The Goblin Town
I read this story the last time we read the Jatakas, but this one was a different version and included a different plot story near the end of it. I realized I could rewrite this in any way I wanted, with different endings, different characters, or with switching the roles of the males and females in the story.

The Quarrelsome Quails
I like the theme in this story, which in my opinion, revolved around a sense of karma. The quails quarrel all the time, but in the end it doesn't hurt anyone else except themselves and their friendship with each other. There are a lot of stories I could write about this; possibly about two friends constantly quarreling and what that could do to them, as well as the people around them. Oftentimes, people don't realize that what they're doing affects others as much, when in reality it actually does. 

The Forest Fire
I like the idea that a small creature was able to stand up to such a huge phenomenon. If I were to rewrite part of this story, I would change the characters to make the little goose a minority group and have the forest fire be an oppressing group and having the minority stand up to the oppressors. 

The End of The World
I had also read a different version of this earlier in the class, but I still really like the theme of it. It's important to observe all sides of a story before making any hasty decisions/assuming things about other things/people.

Source: "The little one was not afraid; he gazed steadily at the flames" (pg. 119).

Bibliography: Noor Inayat's Twenty Jataka Tales.

Reading Notes; Inayat's Twenty Jataka Tales, Part A

The Guilty Dogs
I like this story a lot because it shows how we are quick to judge others, especially those that are different from us. The King in this story didn't even think to question the royal dogs for the crime they committed, but rather blindly ordered all the other dogs to be killed. He didn't think about the full story, nor would he have if the head chief hadn't brought it up. 

The Tortoise and the Geese
I have read this story before, about how the tortoise opened his mouth when he shouldn't have and that eventually led to his demise. However, this version of the story added onto the end by incorporating the story in a castle and having the King learn his lesson from the turtle's mistake. I love this story because it taught a lesson, and had another person learn from the previous character's mistake.

The Fairy and the Hare
I like this story because it showed true character. For me, a true sense of character or integrity means doing the right thing when no one is looking. All the animals did the right thing without knowing they were being watched by the fairy Sakka. If I rewrite this story I might just change the context and setting, but have that same underlying theme of judging one's true character.

The Golden Feathers
Wow, I read this story as well, but this version was so different in that the goose had a familial connection to the family! That made it even worse to realize that the mother took all of the feathers, since it was technically her own husband she was robbing (even though she didn't realize it). 

The Master's Test
This is another story in which the theme of "do the right thing, even when no one is watching" comes into play. Like the pupil said, "My self is always watching." Our conscious is always present, whether we want it to be or not, whether we realize it or not. If I were to rewrite this story or the one about the Fairy and the Hare, I would keep the theme present and maybe just change the mentor/mentee characters. 

Source: "There is no place wherein no one is watching" (pg. 81). 

Bibliography: Noor Inayat's Twenty Jataka Tales.

Week 11 Story; The One Where Dumbledore Saves His Troop

A horcrux was located on the other side of a lake. Dumbledore, Parvati, and Padma all traveled across the lake in order to retrieve the horcrux and destroy it before Lord Voldemort could gain his full power. The trio knew that there were creatures that resided at the bottom of the lake, and as soon as they tried reaching for the horcrux, they would attack them. However, they were on a mission and they were going to see it through.

As they neared the land and found the spot where the horcrux was, they slowly circled the object. It was a golden necklace, at the bottom of a little fountain. They could sense the dark magic inside of it. Dumbledore, after much speculation, announced that they would have to drink all of the water in the fountain in order to take the horcrux out. Parvati volunteered to drink the water, but Dumbledore knew he had to do it. He had lived his life and he could handle not surviving this obstacle. Parvati and Padma, however, had so much more to do with their lives; they would be the ones that could find the other horcruxes and eventually kill Lord Voldemort. 

Before he began drinking the water, he mentioned that he might not be in the right state of mind after he takes the first sip, and that he might have hallucinations and never want to take another sip again, but that Parvati and Padma have to make him drink all of the water so that they can get the horcrux and leave the area. 

Just as Dumbledore said, he began stuttering and rambling on about dark thoughts as soon as he swallowed the first gulp of water. Parvati consoled him as Padma kept refilling the shell of water for Dumbledore to drink. With every sip, he got more and more distressed. Pretty soon, he was crying and begging for mercy. Though it pained them, the twins knew Dumbledore meant what he said earlier so they kept delivering water until the last drop was swallowed. Padma quickly grabbed the necklace and the twins jumped into the boat to get back to Hogwarts. However, Parvati's foot accidentally touched the water of the lake, which immediately prompted the creatures in the lake to  grab them as they were trying to row away. Dumbledore, who had still been sobbing until this point, suddenly told the twins to jump on his back. They did so, trusting their headmaster completely, and just as the boat was about to tip over, a phoenix flew above their heads. Dumbledore raised his hands over his head and clapped them on the phoenix's feathers, which transported the trio to Dumbledore's office within seconds and saved them from the evil they were surrounded by.

Source: The scene from Harry Potter where Dumbledore apparates with his phoenix. (Sorry about the weird quality and the long video - if I can figure out how to crop this I will update it)

Bibliograpy: Ellen C. Babbitt's How the Monkey Saved His Troop.

Author's Note: The Patil twins are back! So, I kinda based this off of one of the Jataka Tales, called How the Monkey Saved His Troop. The tale discussed how the King wanted to shoot the monkeys and gain all the mangoes for himself, but the Chief Monkey found a way to escape the King's men and save his entire troop. I used Dumbledore as the Chief Monkey because he is a highly respected character in the Harry Potter series. I changed a lot of the plot story in order to fit in the Harry Potter theme, but I kept the same theme as the previous story I wrote a few weeks ago (with Parvati and Padma as the main characters, instead of Harry). I think the ending was kind of abrupt, but I'm not sure how to fix that just yet; also, many Jataka Tales end abruptly so it kind of fits if you look at it in that regard. I hope you all liked the story! :-)