Brad's Indian Epics Blog

Location of Gandhāra the place of Duryodhana's Palace, Wikicommons Shakuni the Sinful Shakuni is a well known dice player, as he was able to beat Yudhishthira for everything he owned and more. Shakuni appears to be just as mad when he bets thirteen years in exile, twelve years of poverty, and one year and disguise. Most would consider that even the potential risk of serving twenty six years away from a normal life in exile, poverty, and disguise would raise enough red flags for any sane person to stop. Shakuni was different as he had lived a very interesting life. Shakuni was the uncle of Duryodhana the eldest son of the blind king. Duryodhana despite being a possible heir for the throne he was disqualified upon the return of the Pandavas. Rightfully the return of the Pandavas angered Duryodhana and his relative Shakuni. This is where the game of dice begins to percolate. As is know the game is held at the palace of Duryodhana and Shakuni wins it all. Shakuni is able ...

Mahabharata, Wikicommons Mahabharata: The infighting creates a lot of tension The exile was the result of a technicality, but he does end up marrying a naga princess and he also marries the sister of Kirshna Subhadra. This is interesting because he was exiled for criticizing Draupadi for marrying multiple men and then he goes and marries multiple women which is a bit hypocritical A new king is crowned and Krishna joins as a guest Krishna being a guest is strange but it eventually makes sense Agni the fire god brings a bow made of fire as reward for helping burn the forest There are instances of maya  The maya causes Draupadi to laugh at Duryodhana A game of dice is played and it is a big deal There are visions that act as bad omens but are ignored The game ends with Yudhishthira loses everything he owns Yudhisthira then stakes his sister Draupadi He tells all the men to undress and his sister is dragged against her will He orders Draupadi to undress but she pray...

Alandur draupadi amman, Wikicommons Mahabarata: The birth from the flying car and the falling semen that was eaten by a fish to give birth was interesting  Ganga incarnation kills the babies and this is odd The babies are sacrificed because the cows were stolen The king is unable to protest, but the eighth baby he does This eighth baby is returned as a grown up The second wedding he renounces children and then has two The sons grow up and one becomes king but dies The next rules the other brother The swayamvara has three brides stolen, this is interesting The abnormally white baby is treated different  Rest of the babies are normal and loved Satyavati's fish smell was transforme into perfume The acts of Gandhari of covering her eyes to match her husband's blindness Pandu's punishment of killing a deer having sex is that he will die having sex Pandu dies while having sex with Madri and Madri commits suicide, Kunti must raise 5 kids There is a secret pa...

Creation of Maya Sita, Adhyatma Ramayana folio, Wikicommons Sita has been away from Rama for almost six months since she was kidnapped by the Demon King Ravana. For this entire duration Sita had not heard a word from Rama. Sita believed with all her heart that Rama would eventually come and save her from the abomination that was Ravana.  Day in and day out Sita would spend most of the day praying that Rama would come and save her. She would pray to Shiva, Vishnu, and even minor gods. Sita was desperate to have her prayers answered. Sita began to day dream that even if Rama did not come to save her that atleast someone strong and capable would come to conquer Lanka so she could get off this dreaded island.  Weeks started to pass freely and there was still no sign of her hero Rama or anyone for that matter. Doubt started to grow from within Sita.  "Could Rama just toss me aside for someone more fair?" she thought.  These dark thoughts started to flood her mind...

Ravana, the Ten Headed Demon South India, 18th century AD., Wikicommons The Divine Archer: The story begins by immediately jumping into the action of the birth of the four children The word choice is great, it is very descriptive, for instance the silverware and jewels are noted  The sun is also used as imagery to how beautiful the scene is as it plays a role that almost casts a divine image over the town Rama's beginnings are also slightly different as he is not whisked away at an early age and he kind of has a childhood where he plays Rama is also a very fast learner, which was not really noted in the Ramayana but it does fall in line with his character Again the imagery is very detailed in describing not only features but emotions I also enjoyed how the story was coherent as it was continuous story and not just a few strung together The story is still broken into chapters but to reiterate the breaks are more reasonable as the next chapter picks up in logical place...

Rama with Sita and Lamshaka, Wikicommons Sita Sings the Blues: The art style for this movie is very interesting A lot of details are omitted or generalized There seems to be 3-4 stories going on at the same time Blues Sita Normal guy Commentary More traditional non-blues Sita There is also a comedic element in both the commentary and art It is an interesting medium

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Hanuman Origin Lord hanuman singing bhajans, Wikicommons The origins of Hanuman are a confusing tale that not that many people know or understand. Rightfully so Hanuman is a very interesting being that is thought to be  an incarnation of Shiva or even the son of Anjana and Kesari, or even Vayu the wind god. Some even say that Hanuman was born from Anjana with Shiva being the father through the winds of Vayu. If one thing is clear about the origins of Hanuman is that it is shrouded with mystery. I present another origin story of Hanuman.  Hanuman is almost synonmyous with strength, heroism, and loyalty. All of these traits are highly desirable and often are sought after. Hanuman is also referred to as the monkey god, and has presiding power over the monkeys. The true story of Hanuman is much different than previously assumed. Hanuman was originally born to a lowly peasant, Anjali, unknowingly through Vishnu. Vishnu sent Anjali Hanuman, half man half ape, to her as a ...

Indra riding an elephant, Wikicommons Ramayana Reading Notes: Sacrifices are made to the gods, and flesh is offered. This is much like the scenes that are from before when there is celebration except for the tone is much more somber and serious. The monkeys begin to siege the Rakshasa by crossing a bridge to the island of Lanka that was created through prayer. Rama is prepares for war, but Hanuman has already joined in the fighting along with other heroes that are monkeys and are seriously wounded. Rama being true to his character is saddened and suggests that it is OK if the monkeys return home. This creates a lull the fighting as both sides start to regroup. The forces rally and Rama leads another attack but they come across a disfigured female beast that causes some conflict between the group, as they do not want to kill her, because she is a female.This is an idea that is upheld throughout the story, despite some of the female characters being purely evil or symbolic of ...

Child Hanuman reaches for the Sun thinking it is a fruit, Wikicommons Ramayana Reading Notes: Rama and Lakshmana are in the river country when they encounter Hanuman disguised as a beggar, but since Rama is able to see through the disguise they greet each other and become acquainted after some questioning. I think that this is a nice point in the story since it exemplifies the good that is Rama and how he is able to see through the maya that is the disguise. Surgiva the monkey chief was the one that originally sent Hanuman. It is also ironic to note that Surgiva is in the same situation as Rama, his wife was torn from him and he was exiled too. Surgiva shares his tale of how he trapped his brother in a hole with a mountain, because he believed that his brother died after not returning for one year and seeing blood come from the hole. Surgiva's brother did eventually return and he was rightfully mad so he kicked him out and now he governs over the monkeys. The imagery u...

Typing Test Tech Tip I tried the typing test tech tip. I always seemed to fumble with typing and using the website was kind of fun and I could possibly use it in the future to get better at typing!

Rama, Sita, and Lakshamana, Wikicommons I started on Sita , because of the reading for this week and wanted to learn more. This lead to Bhumi  the earth Hindu goddess representing mother earth. This got me interesting in the incarnations and lead to me to avatar . This lead to the linked ideas of the gods and the ones around them and how they acted like teachers which took me to guru .

Feedback Strategies Praise in Bubble, Wikicommons Mirror : The first article I read was about being a mirror for feedback/feed-forward. It highlighted why it was important to pass back our thoughts and opinions without negative judgement. Being a mirror is integral for feedback as it really shows who you are mirroring for information that can lead to "transformative change." Praise and Feedback:  This post was more along the lines of parenting but it is still very applicable to this class and giving feedback in general. It outlines how praise and feedback have almost the same function but have very different results. It states that praise is not necessarily bad (when often times it is good) but that feedback can be more constructive by because its is more involved with the person.

Swayamvara The Swayamvara of Panchala's princess, Draupadi, Wikicommons Swayamvara is repeated quite often throughout many Indian stories and epics, as it serves as a process of find the most suitable man for the bride. Some instances are as follows:  Sita - She has a large swayamvara ceremony held for her in the Ramayana where Rama proves himself worthy by being the only one able to lift and string Shiva's bow. Kunti - Much like Sita a large gathering is held to find her a suitor. Kunti is different as she is the adopted daughter of King Kuntibhoja.  Draupadi - Daughter of King Draupada. The event held for her is a contest of hitting the eye of a fish with a bow and arrow, but the fish is rotation on a rod and the archers must hit it by using the reflection off the water. The task is very hard to say the least. This story also takes place in the same epic as Kunit's swayamvara, The Mahabharata. ...

Agni in Lanka Agni, god of fire, shown riding a ram, Wikicommons The story of Agni, one of the most loved and busy Hindu gods, got captured is a lengthy and emotional. It all starts back when before Agni was even Agni. He used to be known as Inga, a child like any other. Inga was out in the street designated for playing by the village. They were playing a variation of what is now know as soccer. Inga was not the best player as he had quite the temper. He often had to sit out from getting too heated in the competition between the other players. Inga did however posses the traits of a good leader, he was composed, strong, and brave. But as soon as he got angry he would act rashly.  Months and years go by and Inga has developed to become quite the man. He had learned to control his temper and rose to become an acting adviser to the king that reign his village and all surrounding ones. Inga acted as a true proxy of his village and everything he did was in their self interest...

Rama and Lakshmana seated on Kabandha's arms, about to sever them, WikiCommons Ramayana Reading Notes: The death of Dasharatha brings a lot of hate to the kingdom and ultimately leads to anger towards Kaikeyi, she is thrown on the ground but is spared as she is a woman Dasharatha is given a proper pyre funeral, everyone weeped Life is extinguished when we die, and the food used in the funeral is selfish by priest that want to feast as they do not serve the dead Rama disagrees with the above statement, and the heart of the man is judged Gold sandals are given to Rama by his brother, but he does not keep them. The sandals are then guarded by his brother on the ground and they are treated as royal authority. They are shaded with an umbrella on the outskirts of town. If Rama does not return the brother will throw himself in a pyre Stars circle the Lord of Night, Sita is given precious gems by the Lord Rama, Prince of Righteous Fame Rakshasa, Viradha by name, has a boon t...

Kaikeyi said that according to the two boons granted by Dasharatha, Rama should go to the forest for 14 years and Bharata must become the king. WikiCommons Ramayana Reading Notes : The first thing that strikes me is the visuals that the Ramayana is able to supply the reader with. The second thing of major notice was the rituals, such as the horse that returned and was thus then sacrificed and fed to the fire for the gods.  Ramayana is powerful and protected from gods and demons. Vishnu protects all men and apes They celebrated with streamers and flowers All of Rama's children bear the mark of Vishnu, and were very beautiful Rama slays Thataka with a bow while she is invisible by sounds alone all while being rained on by rocks Rama is able to draw his weapons through thought, and uses them to protect sages King Sagara's wife destined to be mother of 60,000 men of high spirits, who all die Sagara dies after a reign of 30,000 years, and his son reigns for ...