Epics of India

“How about, The Bad-to-the Bone Babes?” Thataka scoffed and glanced over her shoulder. “Darling, have you looked in a mirror recently?” Soorpanaka rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She, Thataka, and Putana were busy painting the walls of the rented office where the three of them would soon be opening their new business. They had yet to decide on a name, however, and continued to brainstorm as they smeared a rusty red color along the walls. The idea began on a lazy Saturday afternoon when the three friends had gone tanning on the rim of Mount Valcron, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The sun’s rays were too weak to have any effect on their thick skin, but a splash of lava here and there achieved the sun-kissed equivalent of their strange hues. They had been discussing the unfair treatment of demonesses and reflecting on their own personal experiences. “It was one failed mission! And my brother Ravana refused send another female demon on a mission for nearly...

Gods Playing Tricks I found it amusing that the Gods, almost like children, enjoy putting one another to the test and playing tricks on one another. Brahma could have directly confronted Krishna or presented him with a challenge, but instead chose a more subtle and mischievous way to test him. -Brahma steals a group of cows and cow herders -He plays this trick in order to test Krishna's divinity -Krishna then also plays a trick -He creates exact copies of the cows and cow herders through his love -The villagers never suspect that anything has changed -Brahma is forced to acknowledge Krishna's divinity "Kindness is the Ultimate Strength" -Krishna declares her will ride the bull Hastin -Rather than being cruel and attempting to "tame" the beast, he uses kindness to gain the bull's trust -Krishna feeds Hastin sweet foods and plays the flute -Hastin becomes docile -Krishna rides Hastin into the village -The villagers are amazed -Krishna has s...

I really enjoyed the Epified video series on the Mahabharata, and so for this week's reading assignment I have chosen to watch the Epified video series that tells the story of Krishna. Durga -When Durga made her fiery appearance, I was immediately struck by the power and prestige of her character -Although there are many intriguing female characters in the Indian Epics, they are most often portrayed as wives, mothers, or sisters; very few women appear as individual entities as Durga does -A strong female character among a pantheon of women described as weak, helpless, and at the mercy of the male characters Demoness -I love words with traditional male connotations that have the "ess" added to them in order to feminize the subject -Here again the demoness proves the strength of female characters in the epics -Strong villains are not only male Story Idea: Wicked Women/Dangerous Dames/Beastly Belles of the Epics -Putana, Soorpanaka, and Thataka get...

A wretched sound echoed from Ghandhari's bathing quarters as she sat hunched over a basin, green slime emerging from her throat in sickening waves. Each morning she was wrenched awake by a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, and was held captive by the nausea for hours at a time. Her pregnancy had been extremely difficult, and the illness it caused showed no signs of letting up. The physical sickness had made her weak and stripped her body of its vitality. Her curves were replaced by bony protrusions, and her dewy complexion became dull and lifeless. Welts and bruises of rich burgundy and indigo hues covered her skin, and the slightest touch felt like fire.  These symptoms paled in comparison to the nightmares that haunted Ghandhari. She writhed in bed for hours as horrifying scenes flashed before her eyes, her sleep disturbed by demons and visions of  death.  Ghandhari had watched the wives of Pandu navigate pregnancy with grace. Kunti was mother to ...

Pandu -Mistook a hermit couple for deer and shot arrows at them -Dying in the throws of passion, the man placed a curse on Pandu -Pandu would die in the embrace of his wives; he was therefore forced to become celibate Kunti -Was blessed with a mantra to invoke the Gods and bear their children -Yama's son: Yudhistira      -Blessed with virtue and patience -Vayu: Bhima     -As strong and as fast as the wind -Indra: Arjuna     -"Archer's eyes" Kunti is an essential character and a prime example of a strong woman in the Mahabharata. She bears three of the legendary Pandavas, and is the only parental figure left to raise them after Pandu and Madri perish. Madri -Does not wish to remain childless, and utilizes Kunti's mantra to invoke the Ashwinis -Had two sons: Nakula and Sahadeva Ghandari -Has a difficult initial pregnancy -Is haunted by nightmares of hellish creatures -Gives birth to a lump of "putrid flesh" -Lump of flesh cast awa...

This video series was an exciting visual re-telling of the Mahabharata! I loved that the images were drawn in real time as the story was being told, which made it a much more dynamic viewing experience. Introduction -Provides an excellent description of the overarching themes in the Mahabharata and makes it an easier text to approach -Breaks down the characters and dichotomies involved        -Kings and queens        -Heroes and villains -Alludes to the climactic finale: "A great all consuming war that swallowed the subcontinent" -I appreciate that there is an acknowledgement of the many storytellers who have penned their versions Narration -Hearing the story told with an accent from the region was a very different experience from how I read it in my head -I felt more integrated within the setting of the story through the voice of the narrator and its connection with the culture Karma -I love the idea that everything that happens i...

I am very satisfied with my progress in this class. Although there is a decent amount of work each week, I have fallen into a pretty steady routine in terms of how I address the different assignments. My timing has been somewhat sporadic, however, and although I have been consistent about  how  I complete the assignments, I have not been consistent about  when  I complete them. This has worked for me up until now, but I believe I could benefit from trying out a more concrete schedule.  I managed to do a decent amount of extra credit in the first few weeks before the semester started to really take off, and I feel more secure knowing that if I have to miss an assignment I have the extra credit to fall back on. It is nice to be in a class where the grade directly reflects the amount of work and effort you put in, and that there is always an option to dig deeper. I am proud of the stories I have written, and that I have pushed myself to explo...

I have taken several online classes at OU, and I have consistently found it difficult to connect with the other students and feel that I am participating and interacting with a group of humans. The commenting aspect of this class has been a great way to meet people and share ideas, which I really appreciate. I have enjoyed reading other people's introductions and gaining perspective on who my classmates are; it has also been interesting to observe how our different backgrounds may influence our writing.  The comments I have received have generally been very helpful; I have started to see patterns in how I write and what I need to work on thanks to the insight of other students. Some of the questions they have posed have caused me to consider new ways of approaching my writing and exploring ideas I might otherwise have overlooked.  I consider editing to be one of my stronger abilities, and I hope that other students have found my feedback helpful. I try to pose questio...

This course has been magical for me, because it is the first opportunity I have had since my junior year of high school to write creatively for a class. Growing up, writing was always one of my favorite pastimes, and I filled many notebooks with the musings of my young mind: I wrote stories, poems, and everything in between. Words were my escape, but they also helped to ground me. Since starting college, I have had very little time to write creatively on my own, and I am so happy to be able to reconnect with my love of creative writing through this class. Each week I have explored different styles of storytelling (from those filled with poetic imagery to those are based purely on ironic humor), and I am very happy with how many of the stories have turned out.  In order to make the most of the reading for this class, I would like to explore more of the extra credit options. It has been wonderful gaining a solid foundation of the Indian Epics through the Ramayana and the Mahabhara...