Epics of India - Vinay Kalvacherla

Draupadi's Strength Draupadi watched, dejected and disappointed. Yudhistira had gambled away everything  - all the Pandavas' wealth, their land, their horses, and even themselves. How stupid could he be? Could he not tell that Duryodhana's dice were magically altered so that he would win every time? All these Pandavas were supposed to be sons of the gods, yet they seemed to lack the brain of humans.  On top of that, he would not stop betting. He had lost everything at this point, but he was again preparing the dice. What would he gamble this time?  "I refuse to stop until I win. This time, I gamble our wife, Draupadi," exclaimed Yudhistira.  Emotions flooded Draupadi. An amalgamation of sadness, anger, and disgust. How could this man who loved her so much be crass enough to gamble her ? Nay, how dare  he gamble her, a woman whose origins were from a holy swayamvara ?  Of course, Yudhistira lost. That fool.  "Aha, this comely dame...

The Pandavas manage to escape the plot of Duryodhana thanks to Prince Vidura, who is the half-brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra  He tells it in "riddle" format to Yudhistira  They dig a passage out into the forest and manage to escape the burning  Pandavas living out in the wilderness with Kunti again  Bhima defeats Hidimba, marries the rakshasa's sister Had a son named Ghatotkacha Pandavas live in disguise as a Brahmin family in village of Ekachakra Bhima kills Bakasura  The Pandavas and Kunti went to see the birth of Draupadi from a sacrificial fire; they all want to marry her  She also has a brother who is supposed to destroy Drona's people Arjuna wins Draupadi (who prevents Karna from marrying her by saying he was of lower origins)  Because Kunti says everything should be shared among the brothers, she is married to all five brothers  The Pandavas built Indraprastha  Arjuna broke the contract between the five b...

The scribe of the Mahabhartha is supposedly Ganesha - although the author is Vyasa  Sage Vyasa is the son of Satyavati - a fishy-smelling girl who was seduced by the sage Parashara...then she gave birth to Vyasa King Shantanu (descendent of King Hastin and King Kuru) wed Goddess Ganga (who threw 8 of her sons into the Ganges) and gave birth to Devavrata (Bhishma)  Shantanu is then attracted to Satyavati (who becomes a virgin again by power of Parashara...) but cannot marry her because her father wants her son to become King Bhishma steps in and says he will give up the throne so that her sons can become heirs... Ambika closed her eyes as Vyasa begot her kids - so Dhirtarashtra was born blind Ambalika turned pale - so Pandu was born pale  Pandu became King because Dhritarashtra was blind and the other son was of humble origins  He was a mighty king; his wives were Kunti and Madhuri Kunti is technically the aunt of Krishna (her brother Vasudeva was Krishn...

Sita's Injustice The trek from the hermitage to the well was about half a mile - which wasn't very far in actuality, but in the sweltering heat of the sun, even a single step seemed like a marathon. Sita pulled the hem of her headscarf over her eyes to block the harsh rays of the sun. "Although," she said to herself, "this is but a drop in the ocean of despair that I've endured in my life." Sita knew that she would never hurt even an ant. She was the gentlest, kindest soul one could know - and, to her, so was Rama. The handsome, valiant king of Ayodhya who won her over by lifting Shiva's holy bow. The one with whom she was prepared to spend fourteen years in exile for a cause unrelated to herself. And, the one who saved her from the clutches of Ravana.  But, in the back of her head, Sita had unanswered questions. People had always exalted Rama for his ability to not only pick up and string Shiva's bow, but to break it by brandishing it...

Interestingly, begins with a comparison of a cheating laundry man's wife and Sita - implying a comparison of Rama with the laundry man  Rama, while he does not beat his wife, does banish her  Sita blames it on her karma - interesting, considering that she is also considered an incarnation of the Goddess Her twins, Lava and Kusha, learn the songs of Rama from sage Valmiki - the same Rama that did injustice to their mother, although they don't know that  On the side story, Nina's boyfriend breaks up with her, and Nina is very sad and begs him to have her back  In a way, parallel to Sita's story; she is playing the subjugated one here When Rama hears Lava and Kusha singing his praise one day, he realizes they are his sons; he invites Sita back to Ayodhya, contingent that she does another trial by fire  Sita takes this as too much, and decides to prove her purity another way: by calling upon Mother Earth to take her back into her womb And thus, Sita f...

A goddess (seemingly Lakshmi) emerges from the waters and plays a blues record from a record player made out of a peacock  Symbolic, since the symbol of Krishna is a peacock  Has a very interesting, modern take on the Ramayana Details King Dasharatha's wifes (Kausalya, Sumitra, Kaikeyi) and sons (Rama, Lakshma, Bharatha, and Shatraghuna)  Kaikeyi asks Dasharatha to banish Rama for 14 years to exile; Dasharatha has to agree, because he gave her a boon earlier when she cared for him when he was injured Refers to Kaikeyi as "evil and scheming," although in other versions she is under the influence of an evil maid  Emphasizes Sita's statement that she "cannot live without" Rama Conflicting reports about Ravana - one lady says he is evil, although it says elsewhere that he was actually a learned, scholarly man whose main fault was capturing Sita He worships Shiva and gets a boon for his piety Interestingly, such a learned man has an "ugly...

Story 1: Varaha and Bhumi  This story involves the role of Bhumi in relation to the boar avatar of Vishnu, Varaha. In this story, a demon named Hiranyakashapa threatens Goddess Bhumi, and Varaha saves her by hiding her in the great Cosmic Ocean, subsequently killing Hiranyakashapa. I could possibly tell it from the point of view of Bhumi. Story 2: Sathyabhama Sathyabhama is a wife of Krishna and is believed by some to have been a manifestation of Goddess Bhumi. In her story, she kills a demon named Narakasura, who, interestingly, is actually her own child (he is child of Bhumi who attains great powers from Brahma through severe penance). It would be interesting to take a mother's perspective in this story. Story 3: Shiva and Ganga This is a rather interesting story that is not directly related to Bhumi, but is relevant. As seen in many depictions, Shiva is shown with a stream of water coming out of his hair - this is the river Ganga. The legend is that the reason it comes o...

The Plight of Bhumi Sometimes, it just becomes too much. I know you all know me. You have to know me; you wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me. I've been around for nearly 4.5 billion years, and have sustained every single life form to ever exist on this planet. From that ancient dinosaur whose bones are deep underneath your yard to the bacteria that caused your illness the other day, I've sustained all life. I'm behind the plants and animals you eat, the water that quenches your thirst, and the zephyr that cools your skin - be grateful that I'm here. Usually, I keep to myself in the background. I know (at least, hope) that you all know you rely on me for sustenance, and I just let you be. That is, until I saw the terrible woes of my daughter, Sita. As the queen of Ayodhya and the wife of Rama, she's enjoyed a fair share of honor in her life. She's an incredibly pious and respectable woman, dedicated to her family and extremely gentle and ca...

Rama needs to cross the bridge to Lanka; he asks for assistance to cross, God of Ocean recommends he ask Nala for help Other versions say people just wrote the name "Rama" on stones, allowing them to float and make a bridge across the ocean  Ravana tries to make Sita lament and pretends to bring in head of Rama - it's just an illusion  Ravana awakens his gigantic brother Kumbakarna to fight  Hanuman roots up an entire mountain to bring back healing herbs for the army  In other versions, he brings it back specifically to tend to Lakshmana's wounds  Would be very interesting to write a story from the point of view of Hanuman on this matter Lakshmana slays Indrajit  Rama kills Ravana, and Vibhishana becomes king of Lanka  In other versions, Ravana comes to realize that Rama is an avatar of Vishnu and that Hanuman is an avatar of Shiva and repents as he passes away  Sita is tested by fire for "purity;" passes the test, and both leave...

Sugriva - is a monkey-man just like Hanuman  Him and his brother Vali have an issue... Vali was out fighting a demon in a cave; he killed it, but mistaking the demon's blood for Vali's, Sugriva blocked the cave Vali thought this was betrayal; has a feud  Vali and Sugriva fight, and Rama shoots the arrow that kills Vali (self question: is this just?) Hanuman goes and visits Lanka  There, he finds Sita in a garden; apparently Ravana is not mistreating her  He gives her an ornament that Rama gives through Hanuman  Sets Ravana's palace on fire (fulfilling a prophecy) Ravana's advisers want him to go to war against Rama - they are bloodthirsty  Ravana's brother Vibhishana defects to the side of Rama and wants to help Rama fight Ravana  Interesting would be what would happen if Vibhishana did NOT defect... A picture depicting Vibhishana having defected to the side of Rama and prostrating at Rama's feet Source.  Bibliogr...

Be a Mirror I thought that the ideas brought up in this article were really relevant to giving feedback to writing. In particular, my favorite of the suggestions in this article is the advice to be specific. I know that sometimes, when I give feedback, I tend to either be vague about some aspects, or I don't refer to specific aspects to be improved upon. I know that whenever I receive feedback, I like it when people are specific because it gives me a starting point for improvement. I think that reading this article has helped me identify that I need to improve that aspect of my feedback-giving. 14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out of Control I'm not going to lie - reading this article actually scared me. Almost all of these traits listed in this article describe me, as a person. I am a die-hard perfectionist, and exhibit all the characteristic procrastination and aversion to criticism that it mentions. Reading this, however, has helped me become more self-aware of the...

The Ordained Horse Grass tastes good. Luscious, green, dripping with dew; these images are enough to make any horse's dream. If only I could eat in peace, without those Brahmins monitoring me in the distance. They don't even eat grass, anyway! They've been following me for about a year, now. It was relatively agonizing when I first saw them. The feeling of being watched would initially never desert me; I bet you humans know exactly what I speak of. You probably wouldn't like it if you were constantly followed around with, say, a camera, would you? What was more disturbing than the fact that they were watching me at all was the fact that I didn't know why they were there. They let me roam as I pleased, let me chew on my scrumptious grass as I pleased - only under their supervision, however. Why did they need to be there at all? Eventually, I got used to it. I just let them be now, although I cannot say that I enjoy their presence. I go back to munching on my...

Bharatha implores Rama to return back to Ayodhya; he cannot bear the thought of leaving Rama for 14 years Rama fights Viradha (aka Tumburu), allowing the demon to return to celestial form and attain Moksha Shurpanaka (Ravana's sister) tries to seduce Rama; Lakshmana knows of the plot and cuts off her nose (and more) as punishment Sita asks Rama to hunt the Golden Deer (a demon in disguise) for her; the "deer" lures Rama away as Ravana proceeds to kidnap Sita Sita crosses the line that Lakshmana draws for her as he goes to try and find Rama (who apparently seems to be yelling out in pain, which is just a demon's voice in disguise)  The great eagle/vulture Jatayu tries to rescue Sita, but Ravana slays him by cutting his wings Possible storyline: write about Jatayu's attainment of moksha for his deed Rama finds Jatayu in his last moments as he scours the forest frantically looking for the kidnapped Sita On the way to Lanka to find Ravana, Rama encounter...

King Dasharatha, from the Solar Race, rules his empire in the capital city of Ayodhya (which is believed to be in present-day Uttar Pradesh) Has three queens: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, none of which are able to bear sons Dasharatha performed the Ashvamedha - a horse sacrifice  Potential plot: write story from the perspective of the sacrificed horse Ravana: awarded a boon from Brahma, became demonic  Vishnu said that he would take care of Ravana by dividing himself into four parts; discrepancy is that most people Rama to be considered the sole avatar of Vishnu Text does say that Rama is the most beautiful  Rama slays Tataki: is initially reluctant because she is a woman  Ahalya - to be saved by Rama  Interesting poetic rendition in the PDE version - some errors, as the "thousand eyes" given to Indra were a result of his depravedness  Rama meets Sita - breaks the holy bow that is bestowed by Shiva, and ends up marrying her Kaikeyi i...

Topic 1: Goddess Annapurna Because I already have a relatively strong background in Hindu mythology, I thought it would be interesting to look into topics that are relatively more obscure - this would both allow me to learn new things and would make for very interesting topics! One of these is on the goddess of food and nourishment, Annapurna Devi. The inspiration from this came from the Annapurna Stotram - a prayer/hymn written in worship of Goddess Annapurna by Adi Shankaracharya. I really enjoy listening to this particular rendition of the stotram , and when I saw the English translation, thought it would be a very interesting topic to see how Annapurna Devi aligns with the rest of Goddess tradition - especially considering how she is described in this particular stotram . Topic 2: The Purusha This is yet another interesting topic that I thought would be very fun to learn about after taking Dr. Moodie's Introduction to Hinduism class last semester. The Purusha Suktam is a ...