Epics of India

Day after day, Draupadi found herself confined to the women's quarters of king Virata's palace, performing  the ritual tasks of a s airandhri .  She longed to roam the magnificent halls and sneak out into the gardens, to breathe in the rich scent of the earth and drink the sunlight. The marble walls began to feel as if they were closing in on her, and she became a prisoner among the gold fixtures and jeweled ornaments.  Each day resembled the next. Every morning Draupadi rose before the sun to help the women of the palace dress and prepare for the day ahead. She wound her hands through hundreds of royal ringlets and sculpted the clay of their faces, creating the statuesque beauties that were beholden throughout the kingdom. She applied pigments that made their features come alive, and it could indeed be said that all the rosy cheeks glimpsed at court were the work of the artist Draupadi.  One of the women always lingered slightly longer in Draupadi's care. Her name

Story Idea: Dhritarashtra As The Pharaoh  -Dhritarashtra is constantly changing his mind -Even when he makes a decision, he is usually quick to go back on it      -Ex: Sending Virata away, immediately regretting it, and begging him to come back -He reminds me of the Pharaoh of Egypt in the Passover story -In this retelling, plagues would come upon the Kauravas during their preparations for war in a divine attempt to dissuade them Quote on Page 134 "Even if there is one little baby left in the other camp, it will remain a small smouldering ember of hate, which could kindle later configuration." -This is a powerful statement on the dynamics of hostility and revenge -Illustrates the idea that humans have a difficult time letting go of past wrongdoing; we hold grudges that ultimately lead to more wrongdoing and perpetuate conflicts -Growing up with an enemy breeds a dangerous kind of individual, who is predisposed to hate Duryodhana's Offer -Duryodhana invites K

The Land Tells All The lands where the Kauravas and the Pandavas reside are described very differently as the two sides prepare for battle; while the countryside of the Pandavas is described as rich, lush, and vibrant, bad omens begin mark the land of the Kauravas as wicked, indicating the imminent destruction of their race at the hands of the mighty Pandavas. Pandavas -"The air will throb at all times with the chanting of Vedic hymns" -"The clouds will gather and precipitate rain at the proper time" -"The fruits of the orchards will be juicy" -"The corn ripening in the fields will be full and nourishing" -"Cows will yield milk that is sweet" -"People will be cheerful and contented" Kauravas -"Out of a clear sky came rumbling thunder and streaks of lightning" -"Fleecy clouds poured down rain" -"Seven large rivers reversed their direction and flowed westward" -"The horizons became

Four Goals of Human Life  -Dharma (ethics) -Artha (wealth) -Kama (pleasure) -Moksha (liberation) *As declared by Hindu texts Sexual Classifications -References to sexual activity in Hindu texts can be divided in the categories of as dharma sex, artha sex, kama sex, and moksha sex Dharma Sex -The purpose is procreation -Performed when a woman is ovulating to maximize chances of conceiving -A man cannot refuse a woman who approaches during the ovulatory period -No love, desire, or attachment; seen as a duty Dharma Sex in Action -Diti the rishi is approached by his wife during evening prayers -He cannot refuse her, but warns that the children resulting from this union will be asuras -The asuras Hiranayaksha and Hiranakashipu are born Kama Sex -The purpose is pleasure -The senses are indulged and the mind excited in order to achieve orgasm -Homosexuality falls under this classification because it does not have a procreative purpose -Kama is the God of desire; has o

"Your SATs scores are not high enough to redefine intelligence" The Twice Exceptional Student -"Exemplary strengths and extraordinary challenges" -"Challenges can be strengths in the right context" Four C's -Capacity -Competence  -Commitment -Creativity Creativity and Autism -Autistic students thought of as incapable of meaningful interaction -In reality, they crave connection -Improv exercises allow bonding and exploratory social interaction  -Reframe social awkwardness as social creativity  Reframing Human Intelligence -You should not have to score above a certain threshold to make the world a better place -We should help children explore interests and passions no matter what standardized tests say about their ability to succeed -Personal goals and passions should be taken into account as well as ability level  -Motivation to achieve increases ability to achieve -Slowness does not equal stupidity! -W

Dhritarashtra -The blind king -A strange man; extremely changeable in terms of temperament and alliances        -Watches the Pandavas lose everything as Yudhistira gambles with Sakuni, and then in one                    command grants it all back to them        -Refuses to intervene regarding the 13 year exile of the Pandava brothers, but becomes extremely         anxious regarding their fate and fervently hopes they are not suffering         -Dismisses Vidura from his position in the kingdom in a flurry of emotion; sends a messenger to           beg him to return the next day -Loves both his sons and nephews, but is unable to bring himself to reconcile the two -Recognizes his son Duryodhana as evil, but cannot bring himself to displease him  The Brave Draupadi Even as the Pandava brothers stand by and watch fate deal them a cruel blow in the form of a game of dice, Draupadi is very vocal about her distress and attempts to rally the brothers agai

Who's Who? The Mahabharata is filled to the brim with characters. As brothers and sons accumulated I struggled to keep track of who everyone was - it certainly didn't help that Dhritarashtra alone had more than a hundred sons!  The Pandavas Pandu --- Kunthi Sons: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna  Pandu --- Madri Sons: Nakula, Sahadeva Kunthi Sons: Karna The Kauravas Dhritarashtra --- Gandhari  Sons: Duryodhana, Dussala, Dushasan, 98 others Pleasure and Pain -Pandu kills a deer engaging with its mate while out on a hunt -The deer is actually a celestial being  -He places a curse on Pandu saying that he will die if he attempts to unite with any of his wives -Pandu is forced to become celibate -Pandu's wives income mantras to unite with the Gods and bear sons, thus carrying on the legacy of the family -Pandu is walking in the woods with Madri one day, and unable to resist her, seizes her and dies in the act of lovemaking -Madri jumps

In the home of a lovely family, a small but distinct plop! disturbed the waters of a bowl that sat on the living room table. A small creature had appeared inside of it; as it opened its eyes, it sent up a great stream of disgruntled bubbling and muttered, "Uh oh." Lord Vishnu, the great preserver and protector of the universe, found himself trapped inside a goldfish bowl.  Moments before, Lord Vishnu had been gazing down from the heavens and caught sight of the evil asura Hayagriva stealing the wisdom of the Vedas. The sacred words were casually slipping out of the corner of Brahma's mouth (along with a thin line of drool) as he reclined for his midday nap. "How careless that Brahma is sometimes," thought Vishnu. "Create one universe and suddenly you think you can do whatever you please." Lord Vishnu, who was actually paying attention to what was happening in the universe, realized that the end of the current world was imminent, an

After diving into the story of Vishnu's incarnation as Rama, I was curious about the other forms that Vishnu has taken on earth and what the stories were behind each of these incarnations. This comic provided a sort of "cliff notes" version of each one, introducing the major plot points and the most important characters and their interactions. Favorite Incarnation In his incarnation as Varaha, Vishnu takes on the form of a boar. He dives into the ocean and begins digging Bhoomdevi, the Earth Mother, out of the ocean bed where she is trapped. Despite a menacing foe that appears to slay the boar as he is performing his task, the boar succeeds in bringing Bhoomdevi to the surface. She may then provide the land where the first man and woman will begin the human race. I found it very amusing that the boar was able to vanquish the mighty asura with nothing more than a "[playful] hit" behind the ears. Biblical References There were elements of several of these ta

This film was the ultimate cinematic experience: it was vibrant, colorful, and captivating. I loved how Paley incorporated different styles of animation to highlight different dimensions of the story. The Ramayana is a wild tale, and this essence was beautifully captured by the highly engaging animated characters, who sing and dance their way through the story.  I particularly enjoyed the interludes that were narrated by the Gods, whose cynicism and sarcasm were hilarious and relatable. The hand drawn animation was stunning; the proportion of the figures were skewed in such a way as to make them appear otherworldly.  The choice to include a parallel storyline involving an ordinary human couple was interesting. It served as a sort of modern equivalent to this ancient tale, perhaps providing viewers a more personal experience with a version that contained aspects they could compare their own lives to.  Overall, I was blown away by this film and the magical world it drew me into. T

Welcome to my Storybook! Gods and Mischief in the Story of Creation Yama and Yami, Lord of Death and Lady of Life. Source: Wikimedia Commons

~~~   "Hey, if you haven't quite mastered physics, blame a God!"   ~~~ I have always loved learning about myths and diving into the stories of different cultures. These videos provided a wonderful overview of the origin of myths, the various ways that we can define myths, the theories behind mythology that have been formulated over time, and the elements of the hero's journey that appear throughout mythic tales. Various Definitions of "Myth" -"Stories that people have used in a variety of ways over time" -"A story that is false and not to be taken seriously" (But they have! By many generations! Where does that leave us?) Note: Myths have also been referred to by some thinkers as a type of primitive science The Two Most Important Elements - Significance: what these stories mean to the people who hear them and pass them along to future generations -Staying power: the way in which these stories are able to endure over time The

Small But Mighty Characters: -Garuda: Mighty eagle who helps vanquish the attacks of the serpent soldiers -Matali: Driver of the chariot Rama fights Ravana in -Trijata: One of Ravana's women, reassures Sita that Rama only appears dead, and is actually in a faint Hanuman's Powers Hanuman is able to cross the sea with a single step after tapping into the Godly powers that he possesses. The Ramayana describes how his father has cursed him so that his powers remain hidden until he finds the inner strength to uncover them in times of need. What other amazing powers does Hanuman possess? It would fun to write a story about him discovering all that he is capable of, and testing out his newfound abilities. Perhaps he could discover them in the form of quests, each one forcing him to unveil a new aspect of his identity so that he may complete the task at hand. Powerful Women  "Lakshmana... discovered an army of women approaching him with determination." -Strong women

Some of the Important Characters -Sugreeva: King of Kiskinda, restored to the throne by Rama -Vali: Brother to Sugreeva, defeated by Rama -Tara: Sugreeva's wife, stolen by Vali but ultimately restored to him -Angada: Sugreeva's son -Hanuman: Monkey God, bestowed with the task of serving Rama -Ravana: Demon lord, kidnaps Sita, engages in a war against Rama -Vibishana: Asura who defects to help Rama in the fight against Ravana and his armies Story Idea: The Villains Fight Back There is a common theme among all the battles in the Ramayana: Rama ultimately defeats the enemy he is facing, restores justices, and prevails as the hero. Despite the fact that the evildoers he faces have committed wrongdoing in the world, they all have unique backgrounds and are exciting characters in the story. I believe their stories deserve to be told! And a fun way to do this would be to have all of them team up to take on Rama, with an epic battle ensuing. Perhaps in the end they will all l

Giving Creative Feedback – A Guide for Those Who Aren’t Creative ~ Read here This article reminded me of a feedback process that I learned about in choreography class last spring. It was known as the Critical Response Process, and it delineated four clear steps that should be taken when we approach giving feedback. One of these steps is asking something called "neutral questions," which are questions framed in a non-judgemental way that are supposed to stimulate the creator of a work to think about the choices they have made and how these choices reflect their vision. A similar idea is presented in this article, and the concept is framed as "probing questions," which help to communicate how the designer of a piece thinks that it will accomplish their intended objectives. Asking questions allows the creator to think critically about aspects of their work that they may not have considered, and this allows them to become an active part of the feedback process. Rather

Story #1: Absolving the Original Sin Yama and Yami represent the Lord of Death and the Lady of Life; in some myths, they are also said to be the first humans. There is a tributary of the sacred Ganges River known as the Yamuna, which is worshipped as the Goddess Yami. It is said that drinking and bathing in these waters removes sin. The fact that Yama and Yami are referred to as the first humans prompted me to think about Adam and Eve, and the Judeo-Christian story regarding the creation of the first man and woman. I think it would be interesting to write a story that combines these two religious traditions. What if Adam and Eve encountered the twins after their tragic fate with the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and Yami offers them the chance to absolve their sin by drinking her waters? There is a catch, however. In order to go to the River Yamuna, they must leave the Garden of Eden forever and promise to start news lives along the bank of the Ganges, building the foundations o