Epics of India

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 d...