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...