Topic Brainstorm for Indian Epics Project

Topic Brainstorm

Krishna with Cows, herdsmen, and Gopis, Wikicommons

Swayamvara:
The concept of Swayamvara was one that I was not familiar with and did not know it existed. It is very intriguing because it allows for the woman to choose the man that she sees best fit for her. My understanding of ancient royalties was typical European practice of marriage for alliance and/or power. Swayamvara altogether is something completely different and much more romantic in my opinion because it is a willed by both parties. I can already think of a few stories I could tell about the trails and tribulations the potential suitors would have to go through to be deemed fit. It also appears that honor and class played a heavy role in the decision as there was instances of self-disqualification which adds another layer to the story.

Krishna:
Much like Rama, Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu. In fact Rama is the incarnation right before Krishna! Krishna was also born into a distressful situation as his father's brother, a tyrant, plotted to kill him as he was informed that Krishna may eventually kill him! When the plot was carried out to kill Krishna as a baby they found an exchanged baby that appears as the Hindu goddess Durga, who warns the king that his death has come in the kingdom. Krishna does eventually grow up and overthrow and kill his Uncle. Krishna also very strong, as a kid he lifted a hill to protect a village from flooding. Krishna lives out a wild life full of fighting and danger, but is ultimately slain by a hunter that mistakes him for a deer in his sleep. Krishna being fair forgives the hunter and dies, which really outlines his grace and compassion. Krishna would be a fun character to write for.

Rama:
One of the reasons for choosing Rama for a potential project is my interest in the Ramayana, the Hindu epic where is a important character. What strikes me the most about Rama is most stories including him deal with reincarnation and and moral right doing for the most part. There is some versions where Rama subjects his wife to a test that ultimately leads to her death, but Rama is regretful and takes his own life to be with his wife again. I feel the strong character that Rama projects would make for a very interesting and ultimately fun project to create.

Maya:
The first story that I wrote alluded to some sort of Maya, but I did this almost unknowingly. I was aware in other cultures and stories of similar beings and scenarios where there was some sort off deception but I was not familiar with Maya. It also appears that Maya has multiple definitions from old and new texts. It is interesting to note that these differing definitions almost contradict each other in meaning, however they do share meaning in spirituality. I think that potentially doing a project about illusions or an alter reality would be very interesting and would provide many opportunities for twists and turns for a very satisfying story!