Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part D

Bhima and Dushasana
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
I didn't know Bhima was being literal when he swore he would drink the blood of Dushasana back when he made an embarrassment of Draupadi, but apparently he was. After torturing him and cutting off his head, Bhima literally drinks Dushasana's blood and declares it sweet. Again with these literal interpretations, have these guys never heard of hyperbole?

(Bhima drinking the blood of Dushasana; Image Source)

Parikshit

By: Sunity Devee

Uttara, widow of Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu, is disconsolate at the loss of her husband. She begs Krishna to just let her die so she can be reunited with her love, but he consoles her and reminds her that he is in heaven and happy, where she will join him in later years. Several months later, she bears Abhimanyu's son (who was dead in the womb, but Krishna resurrected), and was ready to throw herself on the funeral pyre. However, Krishna saved the day again, convincing her that a son needed his mother to raise him. Parikshit is trained up as the heir to the throne, for he is the only Pandava descendant. 

Horse Sacrifice

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Apparently a bloody war with your family is not enough to prove your sovereignty, so Yudhishthira conducted an ashwamedha (the horse sacrifice). The horse wanders for a year and Yudhishthira's army, led by Arjuna, defeats all who challenge it. When the time came to sacrifice the horse, Vyasa was there, as was Krishna. An elaborate ceremony ensues, in which Yudhisthira is named the sovereign ruler of his kingdom. 

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Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part C

The Himalayas
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
Arjuna has been gone in the Himalayas first, and then in Indra's celestial city once Shiva gave him the celestial weapons. Indra trains his son and they wage war against some of Indra's enemies. Meanwhile, the four other Pandavas and Draupadi are moving about in the forest. They are learning many things, including dice skills (Yudhishthira definitely needed that). Arjuna returns to his brothers and Indra promises Yudhishthira that he we regain his power.

(The Himalayas; Image Source)

Bhima and Hanuman
By: John Mandeville Macfie
Hanuman's back! Apparently he stays on Earth as long as the Ramayana is told. He and Bhima are half brothers, as they are both the sons of the wind god, Vayu. Bhima stumbles upon Hanuman laying on a path and he is unable to move him (even though he regularly uses elephants as weapons?) so he's quite amused and knows this isn't an ordinary monkey. Hanuman tells who he is and he talks about Rama. They also have a good talk about the the different stages of the Earth, as well as the castes.

(Bhima trying to lift Hanuman. Illustration from

the Vana Parva; Image Source

Riddles at the Lake
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
The youngest four Pandava brothers go to drink from a pond, all of them ignoring the Voice warning them to answer his questions before drinking. They all dropped dead upon drinking the water. Finally, Yudhishthira comes forward and pays attention the the Voice. He answers riddle after riddle (although I don't know if I would personally call these riddles, more like regular questions), and finally the Voice reveals himself to be Yudhishthira's father, Dharma (god of wisdom and justice). He brings the other Pandavas back to life and grants them all the ability to be unrecognizable by anyone for a full year.

(Yudhishthira talking with the Voice before it is revealed

to be Dharma; Image Source)

Krishna's Mission
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
Krishna goes to try and talk some sense into Duryodhana and his court. Unfortunately, Duryodhana's heart is hardened and he seeks to harm Krishna to weaken the Pandavas and their army. Krishna captures his thoughts and reveals himself in his form as Vishnu, surrounded by other gods and celestials. Everyone present is terrified, except for the stubborn Duryodhana. Krishna reprimands him and departs. This reminded me of the angels in Supernatural - showing their true form when necessary.

(Krishna unveiling his celestial state while speaking

with Duryodhana; Image Source)

Tech Tip: Typing Test

For this tech tip, I thought it would be interesting to take two typing tests, one on Key Hero and one on TypingTest. I've always deemed myself a fairly quick typer, so I wanted to see how I stacked up to the average! When I was a kid learning to type, my dad installed a bunch of typing games on my computer where you blasted aliens/popped balloons/etc. to try and help me get the hang of it.

Key Hero: I scored at a speed of 103.97 words per minute, with 96.94% accuracy.

TypingTest: I got a speed of 100 words per minute with 96% accuracy!

Not bad! This of course is just reading and retyping what I'm seeing, obviously I can't type this quickly if I'm having to come up with things on my own! These tests were very similar, both involving typing stories presented to you and making sure that you're following the same capitalization, punctuation, etc.

Week 6 Story: The Hermit's Curse

On a sunny day long ago, five nymphs lounged on the rocks of the river, combing their hair and laughing amongst themselves. They were strikingly beautiful, which was no secret to them. Each of the spirits knew of her beauty and used it to bend the wills of men and gods alike to their liking. The nymphs often found themselves in competition with one another, seeing who could lure a man to them the quickest using their beauty and skills of seduction. Each day was the same, passing the time enjoying the power they wielded due to their beauty.

On this particular day, a holy man was walking along the riverbank while reflecting on his decisions to abandon his life to chase after the will of the gods. He had given up much when he came to the forest, leaving his wife and children, a powerful position in the palace, and a house made of gold. However, all of this was worth it when he looked out at the creation of the gods and meditated on their blessing over his life. He wanted only to worship them and knew he needed nothing else from life.

From their rocks, the nymphs noticed the holy man wandering aimlessly and decided that he was the next target. They decided to first take a one-on-one approach and the most beautiful nymph of all, Harponi, walked gracefully towards the man while throwing her hair over her shoulders and casting a shy smile at him.

(Harponi ready to lure in the holy man; Image Source)

"O traveler, what brings you to this part of the river? I have been awaiting a man such as you to come and whisk me away from this lonely life, can't you grant my wish?" Harponi said all this with a glint in her eyes, confident that she would win the man's affection and cause him to stumble in his worship in choosing her over the gods.

Harponi was shocked when the man answered "I know what you are, nymph, begone from my presence! I have abandoned all to pursue the gods and a lowly nymph will not cause me to stumble!"

Harponi slunk back to her friends, downtrodden at her rejection. They decided to dance and lure the man to them later that night, when the stars twinkled in the reflection of the river. As the sun sank low below the horizon, they unfolded their plan, dancing to the river reed's harmonies while waiting for the lonely man to give way to his seductions.

Soon after, the man did indeed stumble out of his hut and walk towards the nymphs, who all began filling his ears with sweet whispers. He laughed at the nymph's attempts and proclaimed "You will never sway me from my purpose! Because you have provoked me with your wicked ways and tortured men with your beauteous glances, you will spend the coming years as man-eating crocodiles. Until a great Pandava prince defeats you, you will crawl as a beast."

The five nymphs instantly fell to the ground and became ghastly crocodiles, eating any man that dared enter their grounds as revenge for the wicked curse placed upon them.

(Harponi after being cursed, patrolling the waters 

for any sign of man; Image Source)

Bibliography:

Arjuna and the Apsaras, from The Indian Heroes by C.A. Kincaid

Author's Note:

The original story takes place during Arjuna's exile. When he slays a crocodile and brings it to land, it transforms into a beautiful water nymph and tells the story of when she and her friends were cursed by a holy man. The nymphs were trying to make the man break his vows when he grows angry and turns them into crocodiles as punishment, declaring that they will only return to their true form when Arjuna drags them onto land. I thought it would be interesting to go back to the day this curse took place, looking at how the nymphs tried to seduce the man and how he reacted. 

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part B

The House of Fire
By: C. A. Kincaid
Prince Vidura (Vyasa's son by the maid, and brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra) realizes the evil intentions Duryodhana has for the Pandavas and their mother, so he warns the Pandavas. Vidura sends a miner to dig a hole from the fire-ready palace to the forest outside so that they are not burned alive by Duryodhana's ghastly plan. A woman and her five sons had been begging at the palace, so when their burned remains were found, it was assumed that Kunti and her sons were dead which, of course, pleased King Dhritarashtra and Prince Duryodhana.

Bhima and Hidimbi
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
Bhima slays a rakshasa in the forest by breaking his back over his knee. Basically, don't mess with Bhima because he's a cutthroat dude. After this, Bhima ends up taking the rakshasa's sister as his wife. They are happy together and she eventually bears a son, Ghatotkacha. He is born full grown (as are all rakshasas), and when Bhima returns to his mother and brothers, the rakshasa and her son go into the forest, promising to come help the Pandavas whenever called upon.

The Story of Nalayani
By: V Venkatachellam Iyer
When her father is concerned about Draupadi having five husbands, she explains that it was ordained by Shiva in her past life. In her past life, she was a woman named Nalayani, whose husband decided to devote himself to meditation and abandon her. She was not thrilled with this decision, and her husband the rishi said that in her next life she would marry five famous men to satisfy her needs. This is echoed by Shiva when she asks five times over for a husband. When Shiva says that she will indeed have five husbands, she's taken aback and compares it to prostitution, but Shiva defends his decision. When Nalayani realizes that she's got exactly what she wants, she takes it a step further and asks Shiva to grant her virginity back after each husband. This all seems quite surprising with the way most of the women are written in the epics, but it is definitely an extreme not explored yet!

Wife of the Five Pandavas
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
So Arjuna wins Draupadi as his bride, but when they tell their mother they have gotten a gift, she declares that they share it as brothers. The brothers are horrified and reveal to their mother that they are speaking of Draupadi, and she is shocked that she said such a thing, but says now that they must follow what she said. Rather than just brushing off what their mother said, they decide now that a decision must be made. They end up speaking to Vyasa, who says that she should be the wife of all five, for the gods had already declared it. Weddings occur for five days and the Pandavas are showered in gifts. This still is just rather shocking for me - first, a woman having five husbands is practically unheard of, and second that her five husbands are brothers... this is something else.

(Draupadi and her Pandava husbands; Image Source)

Arjuna and Ulupi
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
Here we go again with these people following their word exactly, with no room for interpretation. We saw it in the Ramayana and now we're seeing it time and time again in the Mahabharata. The brothers all agreed that they should never enter when one of them is with their wife, and if they do, that they should face a 12 year exile. Arjuna is forced to enter the room where Yudhishthira is with Draupadi to get weapons and go stop robbers who stole a brahmin's cattle. Afterwards, he declares that he must exile himself. Yudhishthira says this is unnecessary, as he was just getting weapons to better the kingdom, but of course Arjuna insists that he just can't live with himself if he doesn't follow his word, so he goes into exile. During this time, he encounters the daughter of the king of serpents and they fall in love. She gives him the power of invisibility in the water and they have a child, Iravat.

Arjuna and Subhadra
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
I know these were set a long time ago, but man "men applaud the kshatriyas who win brides by abducting them" is some backwards stuff. Krishna's sister, Subhadra, has the intentions of choosing Duryodhana to be her husband, but Krishna has other ideas and tells Arjuna to abduct her for his own. Not long after, Arjuna's exile is finished and he returns to his home with Subhadra. Draupadi is quite jealous when he comes to her, saying "why come hither? Where is the sister of Krishna?" This seems like a bit of a low blow for someone who is the wife of five brothers. The women make peace and sons are borne to each of the Pandavas by Draupadi, and another son to Arjuna by Subhadra.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part A

This week, we are starting the Mahabharata, which was composed by Vyasa and written down by Ganesha. I did a bit of research before starting to get a grip on the setting since that really helped me a lot for the Ramayana and ended up stumbling upon an old class blog of Laura's which explained the timing. The Ramayana took place in a Hindu time period called the "Treta Yuga," which is compared to a cow standing on three legs and wobbling a little, with the world being about 75% righteous. The Mahabharata takes place at the end of the next period, the "Dwapara Yuga" which is compared to a cow on two legs, very unstable! By the end of the story, we're entering the "Kali Yuga," a cow standing on one leg, with the world fully corrupt and unstable.

I'm going to start off with the basics so I can reference them throughout the reading for reminders!

Vyasa and Ganesha
By: John Mandeville Macfie

• Vyasa - author of the Mahabharata and the Vedas, the oldest Hindu scriptures. 
• Couldn't write and he was desperate for a scribe to write his texts - said nobody was worthy of writing them down
• Brahma appears and tells him to go to Ganesha for a scribe
• Ganesha - The remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, the god of intellect and wisdom, and the god of beginnings. He is also the patron of letters and learning. 
• Son of Shiva (destroyer of evil, supreme being in some practices, part of the trinity with Brahma and Vishnu) and Parvati (goddess of fertility, love devotion, divine strength, and power)

King Shantanu and Ganga

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Ganga (goddess of the Ganges river) makes a deal with Indra's eight attendants (Vasus) saying that she would become human to help return them back to their celestial state if they vowed to each give 1/8 of their power to her future son. Not long after striking this deal, Ganga appeared to King Shantanu who was walking beside the Ganges and he was stricken with her beauty and asked her to marry him then and there. She agreed under the condition that he never speak harshly to her or prevent her from doing her own will. She had seven babies and cast each one into the Ganges to the horror of her husband, but he could not stop her due to the terms of their marriage. Finally at the eighth baby, the king had had it and berated his wife, breaking their marriage. She revealed who she was to the awestruck king and vanished with the baby. Not long after, she returned with their son who had now been given the power of the Vasus and left him with the King, who named the boy Devavrata. 

Devavrata's Vow

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Devavrata takes a vow that he will never inherit his father's crown so that King Shantanu can marry Satyavati (who happens to be the mother of Vyasa already at this point in the story, but she became a virgin again?), who will only marry if her sons are destined to become king. He is very noble in making this choice, as he has every right to the throne as the first born, but he wants his father to be able to marry this woman that he loves. Devavrata's name is changed to Bhishma ("terrible") because of the terrible vow he made. 

Dhritarashtra and Pandu

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Both of Queen Satyavati's sons are dead with no sons to take the throne and Bhishma is held by his vow, so the queen summons her first son, Vyasa. He agrees to become king and then fathers two sons by his half-brother's widows. The first, Dhritarashtra, son of Ambika, who was born blind because his mother closed his eyes when approached by the ghastly Vyasa. The second, Pandu, son of Ambalika, whose name means "the pale one" because his mother turned pale when with Vyasa. Ambika sent her maid to Vyasa to bear him a son without issues, and they had Vidura together. Vidura was Dharma's (the god of justice) incarnation. When it was time for a new king, Pandu was chosen.

Kunti and Her Son

By: Donald A. Mackenzie 

King Pandu had great success and married two wives: Kunti (chief queen) and Madri (his true love). Kunti had a celestial past, with a nymph mother, a brahmin father, and a brother who fathered Krishna. When she was a young girl, she became the mother of Surya's (the sun god) son. She was ashamed and put her son, Karna, in a wax covered basket and put him on the river (Moses??). 

The Sons of Pandu

By: Donald A. Mackenzie

Pandu can't sleep with his wives because of his curse, but Kunti still has her charm. She uses her charm to summon gods to her and have their sons. First she has Yudhishthira, son of Dharma (god of justice), then Bhima, son of Vayu (the wind god), and lastly Arjuna, son of Indra (king of the gods). She shares her charm with Madri who has Nakula and Sahadeva, fathered by the Ashwin twins (sons of Surya, the sun god). Pandu ends up dying after embracing Madri and she follows him into his funeral pyre, leaving Kunti to raise the sons, who together were known as the Pandava brothers. 

(The Pandavas; Image Source)

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part B

Today I'm finishing up Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. I've really been enjoying this adaptation so far!

0:55 - Even after Sita proves herself and shows that she is pure, Rama still gives into the whispers of his subjects and banishes Sita. She's just found out she is pregnant and is filled with joy, but he casts her out because he can't cast aside the wonderings of a laundryman.

0:57 - Sita singing the blues about Rama casting her out when she's pregnant. Rama's walking all over her and she's heartbroken. I think it's clear that he always doubted Sita even after the gods backed her up and he just couldn't get past her having been in Ravana's dwelling, even though it was literally forced upon her. This is where we really start to see the comparison between Nina and Sita, having left everything for their love and then just being cast to the side.

(The narrators discussing Rama's wariness toward Sita even after

the funeral pyre; Image Source)

1:01 - Valmiki meets Sita, who tells him all about Rama and what they've been through. Valmiki writes this all down to create The Ramayana. 

1:02 - Sita singing the blues while laying around crying - she is so upset over having been cast out by her love. She's been through a lot of crap, exiled with her husband, then kidnapped, then exiled by her husband while very pregnant. She doesn't even know what to do with herself and she literally turns blue while lamenting her woes.

1:04 - Lava and Kusha are born and Sita gets color back in her life again - they are her reason to be happy now.

1:05 - Valmiki teaches the twins to sing about how perfect Rama is. Sita is a much more forgiving woman than me, because I certainly wouldn't want my sons to be singing praises of their deadbeat dad who exiled me.

1:11 - Rama hears his sons singing about him and of course wants them to come rule alongside him, asking Sita to come too as an after note, once she proves her purity again of course. As if standing in a funeral pyre or praising Rama every day despite being exiled didn't prove her devotion.

1:12 - Sita shocks everyone by asking Mother Earth to take her back into her womb if she is pure. She, of course, is pure, and is taken away, surprising everyone. This was an interesting twist because you'd think that Sita would be so ready to go back with Rama since she adores him, but I think she's just so tired of it all. She knows this way that her name will be cleared and her sons have a place to go, but she gets to leave it all behind.

1:17 - At the beginning of the film, we saw Lakshmi (Sita) rubbing Vishnu's (Rama's) feet, but here at the end it's reversed, with Lakshmi enjoying the foot rub.

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part A

This week, I'm watching Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. I was excited to jump into this film this week since I am focusing on Sita for my Storybook project, so it should be interesting to hear some of the tales I've read the past two weeks from her perspective.

0:11-0:14 - Sita sings the blues, describing her and Rama's love together in the forest and Rama kills rakshasas by the thousands. Lakshmana is nowhere to be seen, so Rama and Sita are happily enjoying their days together.

0:15 - The narrators discuss that Ravana isn't necessarily bad other than taking Sita. However, I don't really understand this because in the readings, Rama and his brothers were literally born as Vishnu's avatars because Ravana was enslaving and oppressing other gods since he can't be hurt by gods or demons, and Vishnu split himself in order to defeat Ravana as a mortal. It was interesting to hear that Ravana was so devoted to Shiva that he plays instruments for him with his intestines, we definitely didn't see anything about that in the Ramayana. 

0:17 - When Ravana isn't listening to Surphanakha about Rama, she decides to describe Sita as being the most beautiful woman around in an attempt to get Ravana to go after her. This is all quite manipulative, with Surphanakha knowing that Ravana will be unable to resist going after Sita, even though Surphanakha just cares about hurting Rama.

0:19 - Sita loves Rama so much, she's just standing around singing about her love for him. She's like a Disney princess enamored by the prince, she's even got butterflies following her around and dancing to the beat.

0:23 - I didn't realize that Hanuman is an incarnation of Shiva! It makes sense that one of the other gods came to earth as a "mortal" to help Vishnu with Ravana, but I hadn't realized this! Hanuman's sole purpose is to help Rama on his quest to find Sita and defeat Ravana.

0:27 - Okay Sita is freaking awesome. She tells Ravana off, explaining how Rama is going to wreck him as soon as he gets to Lanka, then proceeds to let Ravana know that she could kill him at any time she wanted, but she's holding back because Rama hadn't ordered her to. Ravana had no idea what he was getting himself into.

(Sita telling Ravana of his soon to be death by Rama; Image Source)

0:40 - Sita's singing the blues about how Rama's being so mean to her. She's confused about why Rama is so cold when she waited for him and honored him.

0:43 - Sita forgives Rama so easily, saying "I live only for you."

Comment Wall

Hi friends!

Here's my storybook: Letters from Sita

Please let me know what you liked and, more importantly, what you think I should change. Thank you!

Sita in exile; Image Source

Week 4 Story: Sita's Heartache

Sita sat amidst the Ashoka trees, her only companions over the last several months. She passed the hours praying to the gods that she would soon be reunited with her love. As day by day crept by, she grew more worried that Rama would never come, that some horrible fate had befallen him in her absence. She often found herself awaking from nightmares drenched in sweat with images of Rama's lifeless body burned into her eyes. The rakshasas mocked her relentlessly, taunting her loyalty to Rama and her every present fear that he was not coming for her.

One night after a particularly ruthless attempt to get Sita to come to bed with him, Ravana stalked off back to his chambers, muttering curses under his breath.

(Ravana trying to woo Sita; Image Source)

The rakshasis mocked Sita, using a high-pitched voice and singsonging "Oh Ravana, most wealthy and powerful Lord, why would I ever give myself to you when my homeless and coward husband is coming for me?" Sita simply bowed her head and tuned out the mocking, praying that Rama would rescue her soon.

One night, a strange man with the shape of a monkey came to Sita and reassured her that Rama was still alive and he was coming for her. Sita finally felt hope that her love had not forgotten her and that he would display his might against all of Lanka to find her and hold her again. Word came later that night that the man had been captured and set ablaze, but he set the whole city on fire in an act of revenge. Sita couldn't help but smile to herself as she thought of Ravana looking out at his burning city and knowing that Rama was coming to save his beloved.

The next time she saw the monkey, he came bearing great tidings, Ravana was dead and Rama sought her presence! She quickly bathed and braided her hair, ready to greet her husband and embrace him for the first time in months.

With every step Sita took closer to Rama, her excitement grew and her heart pounded in her chest until she was certain that the entire region would think a drum was banging through the wilderness. At long last, she saw Rama's glorious face and it felt like she was lifted off the ground as her heart sore at the sight of her love. It took all she had in her to not go running into his arms, but she knew that she must preserve his honor and so she maintained her bashful demeanor, waiting for him to call out to her.

As Sita gazed into Rama's eyes, she noticed a sudden shift into a hard and determined stare rather than the love he had just been looking at her with.

At last, Rama spoke. "Sita, I have slayed the Ravana, Lord of the demons, and spent many months trekking the wilderness and fighting beasts to find you. It is finally complete and I have fulfilled my duty."

His stone cold voice made Sita shiver as she worried what would come next.

"I have accomplished what I must and I will now return to my kingdom to rule. A king is an honorable man and my subjects will be looking to me, so it is with this that I declare that I cannot take you back. No man could resist you, and I cannot have a wife who has dwelled with another man that is not her father."

A tear came to Sita's eye and she whispered, "My Lord, I have lived among the Ashoka-"

"Silence." Rama looked away from Sita's eyes and said, "you may choose where you live, but it can not be with me any longer." With this, Rama turned away and entered conversation with the monkey king.

Sita felt like she had been hit with a boulder as her eyes swelled with tears. Lakshmana met her gaze and sorrow overtook his face as Sita turned and walked slowly away.

Bibliography: 
Sita and Rama from Myths of the Hindus and the Buddhists by Sister Nivedita.

Author's Note:
The first part of my story follows very closely to the original, Sita waiting for Rama to rescue her while preserving her innocence all the while. I added the mocking by the rakshasas to try and show some of the torment she probably endured while rejecting Ravana time and time again. In the original story, Rama slays Ravana and sends for Sita. He lectures her on why he will not take her back, but then she ends up arguing that she did maintain her purity and she enters a funeral pyre to prove her innocence, upon which Rama takes her back. However, he does not take her back for long, as he is quick to exile her again when people start talking about her, rather than defending his wife. I didn't see any reason for Sita to go through this embarrassment twice, so I adapted my story to have her only be exiled once by her husband. While reading the original, I could only think of how unfair this was to Sita and how crushed she must've been, so I decided to write my story in a way where we can see her emotion a little deeper. 

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Section D

Today's the day I finish the Ramayana! To be fully transparent, I didn't really expect to enjoy it this much because I thought it would be difficult to understand and relate to. These past couple of weeks have proven to be a pleasant surprise as I've really enjoyed the story and been able to understand the characters and their motivations. Here's to being pleasantly surprised for the remainder of the semester!

Lakshmana and Indrajit
By: Romesh Dutt
This chapter is where we really see the power of having Vibhishan on Rama's side. He was able to tell Rama of the deception that Ravana and Indrajit were using to try and distress him, then he is able to give Rama and Lakshmana advice on how to proceed. I really enjoyed the dialogue here between uncle and nephew, Vibhishan and Indrajit. I thought it was interesting how Indrajit tried to condemn Vibhihshan as a betrayer, but Vibhishan quickly put him in his place and proclaimed the sins of all of Lanka, separating himself from his kin. Of course this chapter ends with the death of Indrajit by Lakshmana's hand, which seems a long time coming.

(Lakshmana taking his final aim at Indrajit; Image Source)

Indra's Chariot
By: Romesh Dutt
Considering the gods were the ones who were calling for Ravana's defeat so adamantly that Vishnu was born as Dasharatha's four sons, I've been wondering if they were ever going to show up to aid Rama and Lakshmana in this deadly battle. This chapter finally gives some relief to that question, as Indra sends aid to Rama in the war. We finally see a glimmer of hope here in this battle that Rama seemed to have been losing, as he now has new celestial weapons and a mighty chariot to go forth and slay Ravana with.

(Mayhem in Lanka as the battle rages; Image Source)

Sita and Rama
By: Sister Nivedita
I'm honestly so disgusted with Rama. In my research for my project, I knew that Rama was going to reject Sita because she had been in the dwelling of another man, but it made this blow no less knowing it was going to happen. I suppose it is a sign of the times, but it is just so awful that this noble and just man, a god personified, would punish his loving wife for being kidnapped. She refused Ravana's attempts and stayed in the trees isolated, waiting for Rama to rescue her, yet he still casts her out because he's concerned with dishonor. I would have just hoped that he would care more about the woman who followed him into exile and lived in misery for years than he would care about the thoughts of the few who would dishonor him for taking Sita in. Whereas the death of Vali is seen as one of the most controversial points in Rama's character, I feel like his treatment of Sita here takes the cake.

(Rama and Sita likely discussing her exile; Image Source)

Valmiki's Hermitage
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
Even after Sita proves her innocence in the fire, the gods vehemently defend her to Rama, and Rama and Sita could have had their happily ever after, Rama still gives in to the whispering of men and ends up exiling Sita. As I mentioned in the last paragraph, I'm so disappointed by this action, because it shows that Rama cares more about his own pride and reputation more than his wife who sacrificed everything for him. Thank goodness Valmiki was there for Sita and took her into his hermitage so that she did not have to wander the forests as she had for the past 14 years. When Rama goes to perform the Ashwamedha 16 years later, his sons (that he knows nothing about) are the ones to capture the horse and defeat many of Rama's men, including Lakshmana.

(Valmiki teaching Lava and Kusha, Sita's sons, to sing 

the songs of Rama; Image Source)

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Section C

Vali's Death
By: Romesh Dutt
I see why this chapter is so controversial, as this whole story line made me a bit sad. I know it explained why Sugriva and Vali had fought, but honestly I don't see why Rama and Lakshmana encouraged Sugriva to go take on Vali again and continue the hatred between brothers. Then we reach this chapter, in which Sugriva and Vali are fighting to the death until Rama steps in and murders Vali. It just seems like the other times that Rama has killed, it has been justified, but in this story line, there was no reason for the brothers to ever fight again, and Rama seems to kill Vali in cold blood. I just feel like this was unnecessary and takes away from some of the godlike characteristics that have been bestowed upon Rama throughout the entire epic. However, we must also remember that Rama is still a human avatar of a god, so he is bound to make mistakes, but it just let me down a little more than expected.

Hanuman in Lanka
By: Sister Nivedita
Hanuman has leaped across the whole ocean to arrive in Lanka, a golden and treasure filled city. The city is described as a woman, which I thought provided excellent imagery in imagining the kingdom. Hanuman traveled from house to house looking for Sita, and he even goes to Ravana's bedroom to see Ravana sleeping on his bejeweled bed, but Sita is not there. After further searching and still not finding Sita, Hanuman resolves that she is dead.

Sita and Ravana
By: Sister Nivedita
Ravana visits Sita and tries to seduce her using every trick in the book, offering power, wealth, pleasantries, etc. but Sita refuses his every effort. Despite her horrible predicament, Sita is still fully committed to Rama and refuses to betray him, even in the face of torture and death.

(Ravana trying to persuade Sita; Image Source)

Vibhishana
By: Donald A. Mackenzie
This is an interesting turn of events, with Vibhishana, Ravana's own brother, joining Rama's forces. Rama mentioned that the rakshasas have magic, so I wonder if Vibhishana will be able to contribute in that way. Nonetheless, he will be a powerful ally in that he knows the ins and outs of Lanka, as well as knowing his brother quite well.

Feedback Strategies

The first article I read was "How to Give Students Specific Feedback that Actually Helps Them Learn." As a student, this article was very relatable, in that feedback must be structured in a certain way to be helpful. It's always great to get an A on a paper, but it's even better when the grader takes the time to say what parts really worked for them and why, as well as which parts could be stronger. The same goes with a lower grade on an assignment. If the grader doesn't tell me why I was graded this way, there is no way to improve. I agree with this article in that feedback should be transparent, actionable, specific, and ongoing. Feedback that tells me how to improve and grow is much more helpful than that which just says that I met the assignment guidelines.

Next, I looked at "What Kind of Messages Help Kids Grow?" I don't fully agree that giving generic praise is going to be super detrimental to a child's growth, but I do agree that certain kinds of praises are better than others. I've noticed that with my little sister, she gets more out of if I point out exactly what I like that she did rather than just saying "good job."

(Feedback should help grow your brain, rather than limiting 

it to "talent;" Image Source)

Topic Research: Sita

In thinking about topics for my semester project this week, I think I'm leaning more towards focusing on Sita. I really like the idea I came up with of Sita writing to her sons via a journal or letters retelling the adventures of her life, from the exciting to the heartbreaking. I think it'd be cool to have these be from her perspective because I could really dive into her emotions and what she learned from different periods in her life, as well as have her passing on advice to her sons. Considering Sita stayed with Valmiki during her time of exile, he would likely have encouraged her to write her story down, as he is the inventor of poetry.

One of the stories I could tell through this project would be of when Rama and Sita first meet. Sita prays that evening that the goddess grants her wish of being with Rama, which then ends up being the case when Rama wins her hand. This would be a good account for Sita's sons so that they know how their parents fell in love despite never having seen them be together. 

Another story I would like for Sita to tell is her capture by Ravana. She was so strong in resisting Ravana because of her love for Rama. This has messages of bravery and loyalty that would be worthwhile to pass on to her sons. 

A third story that Sita could tell would be the heartbreak of being banished by her husband Rama, who she had waited for and been faithful to. I watched a bit of "Sita Sings the Blues" dedicated to this part of Sita's story, and I think this film would be worthwhile to watch in its entirety. For this specific story, I can't imagine the feeling of desperation Sita felt while being exiled by her love because he can't trust her. Sita is such a strong woman and this story really shows her strength even amidst her hopelessness. Even after this hurt, Sita still allows Valmiki to teach her sons to sing the songs of Rama, rather than being bitter toward him.

(Valmiki teaching Lava and Kusha of Rama; Image Source)

Week 3 Story: Ravana, New York's Top Boss

Ravana sat in the back booth of a smoke-filled restaurant in New York City, closing his eyes as he puffed his cigar. Beefy men in dark suits were scattered around the booth and throughout the restaurant, restricting access to their boss, as he only had time for the most important of people.

A bloody and disheveled woman tore through the restaurant and just as one of the guards grabbed her, Ravana spoke with an angry force "Stop!" The guard immediately dropped his hands and the woman, Ravana's sister Shurpanakha, approached the booth.

Ravana grimaced at his sister's dirty appearance and spoke. "You disturb my peace sister, what has come over you? Who dares attack the sister of the mighty Ravana? Tell me now!"

Shurpanakha laughed ruthlessly. "Ravana you sit around in your mansion all day and count your money, when was the last time you looked to see how we were doing on the street? We're falling apart out there Ravana! Our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered on the streets and our family is mocked by all of New England, yet you puff on your cigar as our enemies roam free. Our brothers are dead! They were defending my honor and they were ruthlessly killed along with 14,000 of our best men, yet you ask "who dares?" Not the feds, the cops, or even one of the other mobs, it was the homeless Rama who wanders the streets like he owns them with his fearless brother and beautiful wife."

"Ah Rama, he will rue the day I learned his name. You say he has destroyed our men, but he has never seen the likes of Ravana and he will tremble at my voice. I will seek his one true weakness and I will use it to break him, his weapons and prowess are no match for me. "

"Brother!" Shurpanakha exclaimed, "I already know his weakness - it is his wife Sita. She is the reason that he scorned me and Rama released his fury on our men when Sita was endangered. She is the way to truly damage him."

Ravana slowly put his cigar out on the ash tray at his table, and then a wide grin came over his face and he let out a slow and vicious laugh. The restaurant silenced as the dreadful noise filled the space, with people averting their eyes before Ravana caught their stares. The restaurant quickly emptied, for his laugh captured his murderous determination and none of them wanted to be the first target.

(Christopher Walken, who I imagined playing Ravana in this

mobster adaptation; Image Source)

Author's Note:

This story is based off of "Shurpanakha and Ravana," the first part of The Ramayana where we meet Ravana and prepare for the story to shift. Before this story, Shurpanakha, Ravana's rakshasa sister, approached Rama in the form of a beautiful woman, trying to seduce him. Rama turned her down quickly and joked that she go and see Lakshmana to find a fitting husband. Lakshmana poked fun at her, which made her grow outraged, and when she tried to attack Sita, Lakshmana cut off her ears and nose. She then ran to her brothers who gathered an army of 14,000 rakshasas to go and attack Rama, but Rama subsequently killed the entire army to protect Sita. Then we reach the present story, in which Shurpanakha goes to her brother Ravana, king of the demons, and tells him her woes. Shurpanakha says that Ravana must take Sita as his own to torture Rama, rather than letting him off with death. 

I pictured this story from the beginning happening with Ravana being a mob boss who is pretty oblivious to what is going on in his domain while he enjoys his own pleasures. However, once his sister has been offended and someone dared to kill off so many of his men, I pictured Ravana ready to take matters into his own hands. I think that I related Ravana to a mob boss for the fear they inflict on the people around them, the power they wield, and the lengths they will go to to defend themselves and their family. I pictured Christopher Walken as Ravana and this all unfolding in 1930's New York. 

Bibliography:

"Shurpanakha and Ravana" from The Iliad of the East: The Ramayana by Frederika Richardson Macdonald.