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! :-)

Reading Notes; Babbitt's More Jataka Tales, Part B

How the Monkey Saved His Troop
This story showed true dedication and loyalty; when I read it I thought of Harry Potter and the loyalty that everyone shows Dumbledore. The protagonists are always comforted when Dumbledore says something uplifting and doesn't panic. He also always seems to know how to save them so in my head it kind of related!

The Hawks and Their Friends
This reminded me of the Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer story. There were four sets of animals helping each other and were always there for each other. If I were to rewrite this story, I might combine it with the Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer tale and have both groups be enemies, maybe?

The Stolen Plow
I really liked this story because it reminded me of Akbar Birbal short stories/fables. The way the trader figured out that the other trader had sold his plow and announced it in the court was amusing and reminded me of other short stories I've read. 

The Lion in Bad Company
Wow, this story was really interesting to me. The theme of it was very relatable to today's world and how good people sometimes get caught up in bad habits or in a group of friends with bad influences. If I were to rewrite this story, I would change the setting to OU or just the United States in general.

Prince Wicked and the Grateful Animals
I like how this story was all about being respectful, patient, and humble. It immediately made me think of Kendrick Lamar's song "Humble" and maybe I can rewrite the story as what inspired Kendrick Lamar to write the song.

Source: The loyal relationship between the elephant and the dog in one of Babbitt's stories.

Bibliography: Ellen C. Babbitt's More Jataka Tales, Part B.

Reading Notes; Babbitt's More Jataka Tales, Part A

The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls
This story depicted a monkey who was too prideful for her own good. When the other monkeys were pitying her for not having glass beads, she immediately revealed herself and the pearls she stole in order to look superior. If she hadn't said anything, she may have never been caught! This reminds me of the other Jataka tale with the turtle who talked too much for his own good, so I could possibly do another rewrite with this same theme.

The Three Fishes
I liked that the fishes' name were based off of their personalities; it made the plot of the story flow well and predictable. If I were to rewrite it, I might change up the names to Funny, Very Funny, and Funnyless. Or something like that, just to make it interesting but connected to the original story!

The Woodpecker, Turtle, and Deer
I really liked this story because of the unity between characters. All three looked out for each other and I thought it was a really neat story! 

The Golden Goose
This theme of greediness pops up in a lot of ways, so I could rewrite this story in a different way. I could put it back on OU's campus and write about a student receiving free things, or maybe even scholarships, every year and eventually getting greedy and asking for more. Once the person in charge hears their plea, they get annoyed and do not want to give any more things to someone who has to ask for it. 

Source: The greedy mother taking all of the golden goose's feathers.

Bibliography: Ellen C. Babbitt's More Jataka Tales, Part A.

Reading Notes; Babbitt's Jataka Tales, Part B

The Princes and the Water-Sprite was an interesting tale because it sounded so much like the Ramayana, when Rama is exiled! The reason he was exiled was due to Kaikeyi wanting King Dasharathra to make her son, Bharata, king (instead of Rama). In this story, the queen asked the King to let Sun Prince be the king, instead of the Prince of Stars (who was the oldest). Both Sun Prince and Bharata realized what was happening later, and both offered to go with the other sons to live in exile. In the Ramayana, however, Rama convinced Bharata to stay. In this story, the Sun Prince convinced the brothers to let him go with them into exile. I thought this was super interesting since both the Ramayana and this tale told a similar story, although with different styles and characters. 

If I do a rewrite of one of these stories, I might do Why the Owl is Not King of the Birds, and give different reasons as to why the owl and the crow are enemies. 

I also could do the Princes and the Water-Sprite and retell it in yet another way! There are so many stories with exiles, so I could either write another one or do one where nobody is exiled.

I could also write a story about the Crab and the Crane, except make the crane the victim and the crabs/fishes the predators.

Reading Notes; Babbitt's Jataka Tales, Part A

I really love stories like these! They're short, simple, and always have a great underlying theme incorporated into it. The moral of the story is always something relatable. 

Many of these were about creatures outsmarting the other animal in the story, but they each had their own twist and plot. I really liked The Ox Who Won the Forfeit because it showed how a person can act like two different people when around two different groups. The owner of the Ox had always been nice, but as soon as he had to show him off, he was very rude to the Ox to show he was powerful to the other bystanders. I feel like this happens a lot with people nowadays; they want to look good in front of others so they leave some of their moral and principles behind for a little bit and act completely different from what they are usually like. If someone wants to impress someone else, he/she oftentimes changes. I, for one, do not like when people do this because I believe everyone should be themselves 24/7. Obviously we all have a sense of how to act in an interview setting and with our friends, but our overall personality should not change. Our morals and principles should not change. So I think I'll rewrite my story based off of this Jakata tale. It's one of my favorites and I think the underlying theme is very perceptive and relatable.  

Source: The owner and the ox, after the owner has realized he should always respect his ox.

Bibliography: Ellen C. Babbitt's Jataka Tales.

Week 9 Story; The One With the Ugly Ducklings

Gandhari and Dritarashtra bumped into each other as they were trying to drink water from a beautiful, pure lake nearby. Both ducks were blind, so they were not aware of the other one attempting to drink from the same lake at the same spot. Though they couldn't see, they immediately fell in love with the other's touch. They could feel each other's soft and luscious feathers and yearned for the other's embrace. Each day after their first encounter, Gandhari laid an egg. this occurred for 100 days, and finally the couple felt like they had their own little family they could be happy with. All of the other ducks nearby, who inhabited the same area around the lake, were very happy for the couple and even helped protect the eggs and sat on them when it was cold and when predators lurked nearby. 

Finally, the first egg hatched. Dhritarashtra had gone to get food for the couple, but Gandhari had immediately heard the first crack. SHe felt each egg until she came across the one that was less smooth than the others. as she grazed her feathers over the egg, she could sense movement inside. She was so ecstatic! Her first child was about to be born, and it was going to be perfect! All the other ducks gathered around quickly and waited for the big moment. Finally, a baby chick was born. Gandhari immediately cuddled her child and was so happy that the other ducks couldn't bear to tell her the truth. What they saw was the ugliest and scariest looking duck they had ever seen. However, they knew Gandhari and Dhritarashtra couldn't see, so they saw no harm in keeping this information from them, rather than ruining their perception of their first-born. When Dhritarashtra came back, he had the same reaction as Gandhari and could not believe it! He could sense the baby's little fuzzy body, but obviously couldn't actually see it, so he was oblivious to the true nature of his child as well. One by one, all the eggs hatched and each time, the other families around the lake exchanged a look with each other, signifying that they were in fact terrified of what the baby ducks were going to be like. Finally, they decided to tell the happy couple what they saw. As they imagined, the couple was not happy to hear their comments and believed the others to simply be jealous of their babies.

A few weeks had passed since all the eggs had hatched, and their first-born cried out his first cry. When Gandhari and Dhritarashtra heard it, they were in shock. Though they couldn't see the demon side of their children, they heard its cry and immediately realized that the others were right. No duck ever sounded like that; instead of the usual ca-caw, their offspring emitted a demonic shriek that chilled them to their core. A demon's cry. The happy couple was soon devastated. 

The couple was extremely terrified and decided to pray to the Goddess Ganga and help them cleanse their babies, hoping that bathing in the Ganges River would get rid of the darkness in their souls. After praying for 100 days and 100 nights, Ganga appeared before the couple. They explained their situation and after one look at the children, Ganga readily agreed to help. She placed each of the baby ducks in their own pot and took all 100 pots to the river with her. She spent days performing various rituals and after what seemed like forever to Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, Ganga finally returned with 100 smiling, beautiful, demon-less ducks who cried out in soft voices. The cleansing had worked! The couple was extremely grateful, and the other duck families around the area were relieved to know their home would not be soon invaded by demons.

Source: Gandhari surrounded by her one-hundred sons.

Bibliography: Epified Mahabharata, One-Hundred Sons. 

Author's Note:
I don't really know how I thought of this, but when I was reading the Epified Mahabharata videos, I was thinking about how 100 children is a lot and that their birth wasn't very normal. It explained how Gandhari had been pregnant forever and how she had many nightmares and bad experiences during the term, and when she finally gave birth, it was a huge lump of flesh. Finally, Sage Vyasa took the lump and divided it into 100 pieces and placed each one in a pot. After a while, the babies were finally born. However, their eyes were super dark and demonic looking. While the other people saw it, Gandhari and Dhritarashtra clearly didn't. I decided to keep that part the same, and at the end I decided to make it a happy story. I also made the characters ducks because 100 hatching eggs sounded fun to write about, instead of 100 lumps of flesh growing in pots. Since I wanted a happy ending, I had them realize their kids' demonic side and pray to Ganga and have her clean their babies' souls.  Hope you liked it :)

Reading Notes; Epified Mahabharata, Part B

Part B of the Epified Mahabharata videos actually had a few things in which R. K. Narayan's version did not have, so I thought that was super interesting! They were just small things in which the Epified went into more depth about. 

#1) Gandhari's demonic children
In the Epifieds, it showed how Gandhari gave birth to a large lump of flesh, after which Sage Vyasa separated the lump into 100 little lumps and allowed them to grow, each in a different pot. It turns out the children came out looking demonic / scary, but since Gandhari and Dhritarashtra were both blind, they didn't notice. They were just happy to have children. In R. K. Narayan's story, it just mentioned that the couple had 100 sons. They never went into depth about how they were born. If I were to rewrite this part of the story, I would make all the characters some sort of bird. The 100 sons could be eggs that suddenly hatch, instead of lumps growing in pots. I kind of thought of an "ugly duckling" sort of story, because everyone noticed that Duryodhana and all his brothers were quite abnormal. 

#2) Ekalavya's story
I don't think this story is in R. K. Narayan's version, but I really like it! I can't believe Ekalavya handcrafted an image of Drona and used that to practice in front of. That shows true dedication to me and I believe he should have been praised for it. Instead, Drona asked him to cut off his right thumb, knowing that would take away from Ekalavya's true potential. I thought it was kind of sad and in a way, it was Drona spoiling Arjuna. He only did this to Ekalavya because he was outsmarted and I don't think that's fair, so maybe I'll make a story in which it IS fair and Ekalavya DOES get to reach his true potential and get praised for it.

Source: Ekalavya praising his handcrafted image of Drona.

Bibliography: Epified Mahabharata, Part B.

Reading Notes; Epified Mahabharata, Part A

I really like this version of the Mahabharata. I love the drawings that Epified does and the narrative does a great job of explaining the stories as well as what they mean.

Part A discusses everything from the beginning of the Mahabharata until Dhritashtra and Gandhari's marriage, as well as Pandu's marriage with Kunti and Madri. Everything in the story so far is lined up with what I read in R. K. Narayan's Mahabharata. I really like how the narrator stated that everything in the story happened as a result of something before and after the situation (like of like a huge cause-and-effect cycle or karma cycle sort of thing). I could see those things clearly with the gifts, boons, and curses placed on various characters throughout the Mahabharata.

If I were to write a story about this part, I would focus on one aspect of the cause-and-effect or karma cycle. For example, I would maybe discuss the story of the eight sons that Ganga drowned and what they did in their past life that caused them to have the fate they did. 

Source: A drawing from the Epified Mahabharata videos: Shantanu meeting Ganga.

Biblography: Epified Mahabharata, Part A.

Week 8 Progress

Looking Back
I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made in this class so far! Not just with the grades aspect, but with the writing as well. I think I have improved my writing skills and have gotten better at giving feedback to others. I usually do all my assignments according to what takes the most time and what is the highest priority. For example, if I have an exam coming up, I will try to do all of the work for the class during the weekend before my test (so I can focus on my test during the week). Also, I'm not super proud of this, but when I don't want to do work/study for other classes, I'll end up doing a lot of this class's work. Basically, I procrastinate on other homework with homework from this class, because I actually love the assignments in this course. I don't really think of it as homework; I end up getting absorbed in the story I'm reading, the story I'm writing, or everyone else's stories I read. I think my favorite assignments in the class are writing the stories, because I feel so accomplished by the end of it. I do the extra credit assignments once in a while, whenever I think my blog needs updating.

Looking Forward
I think I like the way I'm doing things right now, so I think I'll keep things the same! I kind of want to try more of the extra credit options because I think doing more of those would be really helpful in updating and improving my blog, as well as making it more appealing to others who may come across this website.

Source: One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite series. I think it's important that we realize our choices let people into our true selves, rather than what we can or can't do. It's extremely motivational for me because it reminds me that my grades don't define who I am. My ability to perform certain tasks doesn't define my character. What I choose to do / how I choose to improve myself, however, is what truly defines me.

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

Feedback In
I love the comments I get! Each one is very positive but constructive at the same time. I love reading the comments because sometimes I get suggestions that are very specific as to what could be changed to make my stories and website layout better, which is great to read because there is always room for improvement :) It is also helpful to get that extra set of eyes to tell me if any part of my story is confusing, because if it is to one person, chances are other people will be confused about the same thing. This allows me to look at my post again and clarify some things.

Feedback Out
I also love reading other people's stories and seeing their layouts! I definitely do take inspiration from other stories and other layouts, because everyone has a different perspective on the readings. It's nice to see the different writing styles and if I can think of enough to write with a particular style of writing or a particular theme, I'd like to do it. Sometimes reading others' stories helps me see how to approach writing in a different style or what kinds of story endings leave the best impact. 

Blog Comments
I do enjoy reading introductions and getting comments on my own just because I didn't realize how many things I have in common with others, even though we are all from different places and have different majors. I feel like it's hard getting to know people solely over blog posts and comments just because I don't know what anyone looks like really and sometimes I forget what posts I have already  commented on. However, I can say that this class's introduction blog posts are way more interactive than any other class I've taken so far. Online classes usually require you to introduce yourself on the class discussion page, but honestly not a lot of people actually read those. In this class, it is part of our assignments to read everyone's introductions, so I actually like it a lot :) 

Looking Forward
I plan on changing a few things around in my blog as well as my portfolio due to some of the comments I have received. They have been good comments and I'm glad I got these suggestions because I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and design layout. When I give feedback, I usually tend to comment on the story material itself, but I think I should also give suggeestions on the person's blog layout as well, so they can make it as appealing as possible for others, not just people in our class!

Source: I chose this picture because I think it's really important to not let criticism, no matter what kind, lower your confidence or self-esteem at all. Feedback is supposed to be helpful, and even if you get suggestions that you don't particularly agree with, it's important to keep an open mind and realize that you cannot please everybody at the same time. If you are happy with the project, that's all that matters!

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Looking Back
I like the reading assignments because they give me a due date to complete the reading on/before! I also like brainstorming while writing stuff down because it helps me not forget about the ideas I may have along the way. I liked both epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Each one had a different central theme and central issue. Each also explained many myths and mindsets that the Hindu culture encompasses. I probably liked these a lot just because I already knew part of the stories since I grew up in a Hindu family. I am happy with my class project so far! I was worried my stories wouldn't be too good at first and that they would sound dumb, but after getting positive constructive feedback from everyone I feel much better about it. I think the feedback part of this class is extremely important because it allows us to gain perspectives from others. When I write anything, if I stare at it for too long, it all seems to mesh together and it seems good to go. However, when someone else reads it for the first time, they have another perspective that I may not have, and that helps me so much when I read it again for the second time. My biggest accomplishment is probably understanding my own religion and culture better :)

Source: One of my favorite pictures that I have used in my posts so far because it is so powerful. (Click here to view the story I used it in).

Looking Forward
I want to try new writing styles every time, but it's hard to do when I've never been much of a writer. So I would like to try to become a better writer by the end of this class. I realize that being a good writer isn't just about having good grammar or using large words in your stories. It's more like incorporating different themes and being able to write in different styles and still have an impact on the reader.

Week 7 Story; The Last Two

Fifty-eight people. Three months. One winner. 

It was time for the 42nd annual Dhamakas, and this time it was being held in Hastinapura, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Two people from each state in India were randomly selected to compete in the Dhamakas, where they would have to live in a forest in exile for a year, fend for themselves, and do whatever needs to be done to stay alive. If a person who was selected was unfit to compete, or if someone else wanted to take their place, it was possible for someone else to volunteer to take their spot in this dangerous game.

One by one, names were picked from each state to compete in the Dhamakas. Finally, it was time for Dhritashtra, the ruler of Uttar Pradesh, to randomly select two people to compete in his kingdom's defense. He had a concoction of turmeric powder in his hand that he threw on the ground after chanting a certain mantra. The powder would reveal the name of the selected person on the ground, forming each letter in a yellow color. Dhritarashtra knew that one of his sons or nephews would be picked, as he had one hundred sons (the Kauravas) and five nephews (the Pandavas), so the chances of one of them getting selected was high. As he recited the mantra and threw the first fist of turmeric powder to the ground, everyone anxiously stared at the yellow mist forming. It revealed a name: Karna. He was the secret and illegitimate son of Surya and Kunthi. What everyone knew about him, however, was that he was an excellent warrior and would be able to defend himself and fight off others well. He also was considered one of the Kauravas, since nobody knew he was actually Kunthi's son. Now, it was time for the second name reveal. Dhritarashtra again recited the mantra and threw another fist of yellow to the ground. It seemed like it took years for the name to be revealed, but soon there it was: Yudhisthira.

It was the oldest Pandava brother. 

Dhritarashtra's own nephew. 

The king's favorite. 

The future king.  

Dhritarashtra had complete faith that his nephew was a great warrior, but he had never competed in a game such as this. He didn't want to give up the throne to his oldest son, Duryodhana, for fear that the power would ruin him. Meanwhile, Duryodhana and the rest of his brothers were pleasantly surprised, as they hoped one of their own would be king one day and having Yudhisthira out of the picture would mean just that. Yudhisthira calmly stood up and began walking to Dhristarashtra, but then someone else stood up. It was Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers, and probably the best warrior India had ever seen. He could wield swords and shoot arrows better than anyone. Suddenly, he said "I volunteer as tribute. Let Yudhisthira stay here and guard our kingdom to his fullest. I will go and compete."

A sudden range of emotions and shouts immediately erupted. Most of the kingdom applauded Arjuna's bravery and loyalty to his brother. The Kauravas, on the other hand, showed their disappointment by charging at Arjuna. The rest of the Pandavas stood up and formed a circle around Arjuna while pulling out their weapons as if to guard their brother from any harm. 

"SILENCE." Dhritarashtra spoke. "If Arjuna wants to take the place of Yudhisthira and he is clearly fit to take his spot in the Dhamakas, he can. I have the utmost confidence in Arjuna and his ability to defeat anyone that comes in his path. Arjuna and Karna will both represent our kingdom.

Each participant had one month to prepare for the Dhamakas, and then it was time. The second that the fifty-eight warriors stepped foot inside of the forest, they were on their own. Some of the representatives from each state stayed together, while some split up immediately upon arriving in the forest. Karna and Arjuna separated immediately. They were incredibly similar in how they hunted food, made abodes with twigs and tree branches, and killed anyone that was about to shoot them. 

There were fifty-eight stars in the sky when the Dhamakas began, each representing one of the participants. One month later, there were thirty-two stars. Ten months later, there were only two. The last two.

One day, Karna looked up and saw those two stars. Could it be that Arjuna was the other? Or could it be that someone had defeated the mighty warrior of Hastinapura?

Deeper into the forest, Arjuna stood, also staring at the sky. Was he about to fight Karna again? They had been competing in a rivalry their whole lives, so why did this time feel so different? 

Finally, the day came. Arjuna was taking rest and had just begun drinking water from the lake, when Karna stumbled onto the scene. Immediately, the brothers pulled out their weapons and fought. They fought for two weeks straight. No resting, no giving up, constantly fighting. Karna was possibly the only person capable of fighting Arjuna for that long, possibly because both were the sons of Kunthi and a God. Karna stepped in an area of mud right after missing a sharp blow from Arjuna. The mud closed around his legs and wouldn't let him escape. In this instance, Arjuna pulled out the brahmastra, one of the most powerful weapons in the history of India. Just as he was about to use it, he faltered. He forgot the mantra in order to use the brahmastra!*1 This one mistake led to his demise. Karna weakened his stance for only a second, but Arjuna was able to get through. He quickly shot three arrows at once into Karna's chest, killing him almost immediately.

Arjuna finally defeated Karna. The Dhamakas were over. He could finally go home to his family, his kingdom. 

...Little did he know that Karna was his family. His own brother.

Source: This is what I imagine Arjuna to have looked like when he said he would take Yudhisthira's place in the Dhamakas. (I got the picture from the linked website, but I added the text myself)

*1 - The reason for this was mentioned in my version about the Mahabharata. Apparently Karna told Parshurama that he was a brahmin, so that he would train him in warfare. When he found out the truth, Parshurama cursed him and told him he would forget the words to the brahmastra when he needed it the most. As for the part where Karna got stuck in the mud, he was earlier cursed by a brahmin as well for accidentally killing his cow while he was practicing his shooting skills.

Bibliography: R. K. Narayan's Mahabharata.

Author's Note:

I thought of the Hunger Games theme when I was writing my reading notes for the Mahabharata. When I was reading the part where the Pandavas are exiled for 13 years and had to stay alive and hidden for the last year, I thought it would be cool to make it a competition. So many people die in the big battle at the end, which is not unlike the Hunger Games. I decided to have two people from each state of India, just like in the actual Hunger Games there are two people from every district that compete. I decided to revolve the story around Karna and Arjuna because I feel like they are extremely important and play an essential role in the Mahabharata. We see a lot of hatred between Duryodhana and Yudhisthira, but we never go into depth about the other brothers as much. I decided to keep their backgrounds the same, to where they didn't know they were brothers, as well as the part where Karna's chariot (in this story, his legs) got stuck and he forgot how to use the brahmastra. I kept that in there to show that Karna was just as good a warrior as Arjuna; the only thing that ended the battle was Karna's mistake long ago.

Week 6 Story; The One Where Duryodhana Takes Control

***Check out the new and revised version of this story at my portfolio here!***

Source: A mantra and song from the Indian TV show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. It is centered around Lord Shiva, who does not appear in this story, but I love the music. I also think it sounds suspenseful, so I thought it would be good to listen to while reading the story!

I'm strong, I'm valiant, I'm an excellent warrior, and I have studied my father's rule over Hastinapura for years. I'm fit to be king. I am Duryodhana, after all. But who does old Dhritarashtra pick to ascend to the throne? The useless, dumbfounded, and clumsy Yudhishthira, who is also unfortunately my cousin.

Ugh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself and my family. I am Duryodhana, the eldest of the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra. I am also the strongest and most intelligent of my brothers, but that's besides the point. My family goes by "the Kauravas." Now, my father's brother, Pandu, has a wife named Kunthi. She had five sons, all from different gods. Those five, called the Pandavas, are the worst, and you're about to see why. But first, some background information about my archenemies. 

Yudhishthira is the oldest of the five, and everyone in the entire kingdom adores him like he's their son. Why, you ask? I DON'T KNOW. If you find out, let me know, because I've been trying to decipher that my whole life. Anyway, the next son is Bhima. He is the strongest of the five, and that's cool and everything, but like... how smart is he really? He can shake the ground so hard the weather changes, but that's one trait! Why everyone thinks he's the most amazing warrior, I will never know. Kunthi's third son is Arjuna. When he was born, he was normal. Suddenly, he got really good at throwing weapons around. But even then, our master Drona trained all of us, so we should have all been at the same level of weapon-throwing. But no. Of course Arjuna was Drona's favorite. Our master ended up gifting Arjuna with the brahmastra, a weapon capable of defeating any opponent if used with the right mantra. I could not believe it. Just because he's a Pandava? Ugh. The last two Pandavas are twins: Sahadeva and Nakula. Those two just follow the other three around and do whatever they say. Typical younger siblings doing typical childish things. 

All five of them made my life growing up a living hell. They thought they were funny, pulling all those pranks. Even my own father thought they were funny and sided with his nephews rather than HIS OWN SON. I should have guessed they would be his favorite. I remember when they came to live in our palace and the moment he saw the five of them and what all they could accomplish together. He immediately fell in love with the new family. However, I soon realized that as long as Dhritarashtra could see, he wouldn't ever side with me. He would always appreciate the Pandavas more than the rest of us. So, I made a plan with my uncle Sakuni and some of my other brothers: we were going to make sure my father could never see again. Now, there are many ways we could have gone about this. We could have shot an arrow into both of his eyes, but that would be hard without Dhritarashtra seeing us as we were doing it. We could have stabbed him in the eye when he sleeps, but again, that would be hard when he is in bed with our mother Gandhari and she would be able to see us stabbing our own father. Plus, that would put our father in a lot of pain and I'm not sure we would be able to handle putting him through that. I may have a heart of ice, but I do have one. Anyway, we finally came to the conclusion that the only way we could make our father blind was to steal the brahmastra from Arjuna. The weapon has great powers, and will perform any command if the mantra is spoken correctly. Only one problem with that - none of us knew the mantra to make the weapon do what we wanted. So here's what we did:

We stalked Arjuna for weeks to try to find out what the mantra was, because we did know that in order to keep the brahmastra "alive" and intact, the owner has to say the incantation once a week. So, we hid behind bushes around his bedroom, pretended to bring him food or water at random times at night, put our ears to the wall separating his room with an adjacent room, everything. We. Tried. Everything. He would not ever practice the mantra! At one point, we thought maybe he had forgotten he even had it and hadn't practiced the mantra in years and allowed the weapon to die slowly. But then, one night, I saw a dark figure leaving Arjuna's room and heading towards the forest. I had my suspicions, so my brothers and I followed. We walked for about an hour until the figure finally stopped in the middle of the forest and pulled out something from his bag. It was the brahmastra! So this is where Arjuna practiced his mantra all the time, and we never even noticed him leaving the castle at night... Gotta admit, it was a clever hiding spot. But anyway, right after Arjuna recited the mantra, one of my brothers made a sound of a dying deer. We knew Arjuna was soft when it came to animals and hoped he would go tend to it. Our plan worked! Arjuna kept following the sound of the animal, not knowing my brothers were leading him far away from his brahmastra. When he realized it, we had already taken the weapon and were halfway back to the palace with the mantra replaying in our minds.

I creeped into our father's bedroom, where he was peacefully sleeping with our mother. I held the brahmastra in my hand and slowly and softly sang the mantra. I then imagined a blind King Dhritarashtra in my head, and then I saw a bright flash hitting my father's eyes. He didn't feel it. 

...He also didn't see it. Ha. 

Don't ever mess with the Kauravas.

Source: The brahmastra, which is seen as one of the most powerful weapons.

Bibliography: R. K. Narayan's Mahabharata.

Author's Note:

So, this is a new style I tried out where it's all in first person. I picked Duryodhana to tell the story because I wanted to give his actions a reason. Most of the story is facts from the Mahabharata, such as the information about the Pandava brothers. One thing I changed was not mentioning Karna at all (this story could go on forever if I added every character). For this reason, in my story the Brahmastra was given to Arjuna instead of Karna. I thought it be best to portray the hatred between the two sides of the family by having Duryodhana steal a valuable possession from his cousin and turn it around as a revenge scenario to his own father. In the original Mahabharata, Dhritarashtra was born blind and Gandhari covered her eyes just to match her husband; nobody specifically set out to blind them. I chose to make Duryodhana blind his own father because I wanted to make the story interesting and have him act on his hatred, rather than complain about it to his father like he does throughout the Mahabharata. I hope you all liked it, and I would love any suggestions since this is my first time doing a story like this :)