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. H...

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 invi...

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 desi...

"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 ...

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 -Madr...