Reading Notes: Eastern Stories and Legends

Part A through C. I love these little stories. They are all so profound, even though they are almost child-like in the manner that they are presented. A lot of these stories are based on the lives of the Buddha. My favorite story from this list is the story "The parrot that fed his parents." When I was reading it, I was confused as to what was going on exactly until I got to the best line I've read in a while. It goes like this, "I carry food to my ancient parents who can no longer seek that food for themselves: thus I pay my daily debt. I carry food to my callow chicks whose wings are yet ungrown. When I am old they will care for me—this my loan to them. And for other birds, weak and helpless of wing, who need the aid of the strong, for them I lay up a store; to these I give in charity." This line is so great because this is so true.

Cover.

Source: Archive.

Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie Shedlock.

Reading Notes: Pattanaik. Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art

• A cow is the most sacred animal in the Hindu faith. You must never kill a cow or eat beef.
• With just one cow, a household can be sustained. 
• A good question: why did the earth exist? for all animals, or was it just for humans? 
• For all animals, of course, humans just happened to take over. 
• it'd be interesting to have a story which told about the time when humanity realizes that its not as important as it thinks it is
• Gomada(?) = the earth cow (the earth in the form of a cow)
• Vishnu saved the Earth by becoming the Earth's protector. 
• Human society is an unnatural phenomenon = true. 
• Lakshmi = container of fortune. She always comes to Vishnu. He never comes to her. (meaning a stable society has good fortune)
• Vishnu maintains dharma by descending on earth as an avatar.
• he actually has a bunch of avatars, which is quite interesting

Gomatha.

Source: The Story of Gomatha.

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part C

• He entered the hermitage of the holy Arata Kalama, but chose not to teach his doctrine 
• because "who knows it will not find deliverance"
• His mother, in the heavens, actually came back to visit him once she thought he was dead
• I think it'd be interesting to write a story from his mother's point of view
• he had 5 disciples join him originally, but they eventually left him because they thought he lost his practice 
• here, Mara is "the evil one"
• a golden bowl signaled his ascension into Buddha-hood and he sat beneath the tree of knowledge
• Mara tries to fight the Buddha, who honestly is just sitting underneath a bodhi tree trying to be peaceful
• Siddhartha becomes the Buddha after the "fighting event" and realizes that "by leading a life of holiness, desire is stifled, and we cease to endure birth and suffering."

Mara.

Source: Smite.

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part B

• for a long time, prince Siddhartha lived a life of luxury, not knowing suffering
• he even had a son named Rahula
• one day, the prince decided to venture our of his home 
• his father ordered for all the beggars and the sick to be removed from the streets so that Siddhartha wouldn't have to witness all of it 
• the Gods interfered by showing the prince a sick man, an old man, and a dead man
• Siddhartha was greatly bothered by what he had seen
• he then chose to become a monk
• my favorite quote: when someone is trying to escape from a burning house, we should not hinder him. the day comes, inevitably, when we must leave this world, but what merits is there in a forced separation? A voluntary separation is far better. 
• he left his home for good
• all of his family and friends were so sad they they died--including his horse :(
  
  Lord Buddha leaving the palace and his family behind. 
  Source: Yadavhistory.

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Reading Notes: The Life of Buddha Part A

• Suddhodana was the king of the city 
• He actually had many wives, but his favorite was Maya 
• she was an amazing woman: virtuous, truthful, attentive, and beautiful 
• Maya requested to retreat to the forest
• Maya became pregnant with "he who seeks supreme knowledge" 
• she was chosen due to her noble character
• She gave birth to the Buddha
• okay at this point, I'm a little unsure of how this happened
• the text went like, "suddenly, she stood very still. she smiled, and the maidens who were near her received a lovely child into their arms."
• like what? did the baby just drop like a missile? 
• I'm interested in writing a story where Siddhartha visits a parallel universe and finds how his life would have been if he were to have not witness all of the suffering of the world and left his home to find enlightenment
• I'm rather confused at the scene where they're talking about the sixty four varieties of script
• what realization did Visvamitra come upon to where he realized he couldn't teach Siddhartha?
• It seems I didn't understand in the beginning. It was not Vismvamitra who read out the names of the scripts, it was Siddhartha himself. 
• In the end, he wins Gopa's hand in marriage through all of his mental and physical prowess

Maya dreams of the elephant.

Source: Alchetron.

Title: The Life of Buddha
Author: Andre Ferdinand Herold
Translator: Paul C. Blum
Year: 1922

Reading Notes: The Jataka Tales of India, Part B

Bibliography:
Title: Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt

The Golden Goose

• The moral of the story was that people shouldn't be greedy and cherish what they receive, rather than asking (or in this case, demanding) for more.
• I like that the feathers were gold in this story instead of the eggs since I believe that the goose that laid the golden eggs was ultimately killed in order to obtain more eggs.

The Stupid Monkeys

• This story definitely teaches you that you shouldn't give someone a task without teaching him/her how to do it beforehand! 

The Cunning Wolf

• Finally a story where the wolf wasn't the antagonist!

The Woodpecker and the Lion

• This story shows that when you don't know how to appreciate people, you will end up losing them.
• The lion in this story did not even say a word of thanks to the woodpecker and even said he was gracious enough to not eat him when the woodpecker helped him get the bone out of his throat. 
• Ungrateful lion!

How the Monkey Saved His Troop

• Wow, the King wanted to eat the monkeys as well as the mangoes.
• The monkey chief was so kind to let all the other monkeys climb on his back.
• I admire that the King was able to see the monkey's actions and decided to take care of him for the rest of his life.

The Hawks and Their Friends

• It's true that you should make friends because once you're in trouble, you have no one else to help pull you back up on your feet
• True friends are friends that will help you when you need them the most and sometimes, they're the hardest to find

The Foolhardy Wolf

• I think the lesson this story teaches is that one shouldn't overstep their boundaries
• This is kind of different than what I believe in. In a way, this is teaching someone to have a fixed mindset. To not try to become better than what they are. 
• The wolf was killed for trying to catch bigger prey after he grew big and strong. 

The Stolen Plow

• This story was a good one!
• I was confused at first as to why the village trader took the man's son and said the bird had carried him off, but then it made sense because the town trader had also told an outrageous lie as to why the plow was gone
• The village trader just wanted his plow back. 

The Lion in Bad Company

• Here, the wolf is the bad guy once again!
• I guess this story is telling us appearances can be deceiving. 
• The wolf tried to play the good guy and called the lion "Great Lion" to get on his good side but then played him and caused left him for dead.

Beauty and Brownie

• I think the lesson here is that you should listen to advice or instructions that are given to you.
• Because Brownie did not listen to his father's instructions, he nearly lost his entire herd.

The Elephant and the Dog

• This story was very cute! 
• I think the moral of this story is that you can make friends with anyone! Even an elephant and a dog were able to become such good friends that separation would cause them depression! 

Image from "The Elephant and the Dog" story.

Source: UN-Textbook.

Reading Notes: The Jataka Tales of India, Part A

Bibliography:
Title: Jataka Tales
Author: Ellen C. Babbitt

The Monkey and the Crocodile

• The monkey in this story is very cunning when he said he left his heart behind. 
• Why did the writer have to call the crocodile "stupid" though? He was just a little Crocodile.
• If his mother wanted to eat something, she should have gotten it herself rather than making her son do it since he doesn't seem to know much about catching monkeys!
• I didn't know that crocodiles closed their eyes when they open their mouth.
• I like that the little Crocodile was very persistent. He really wanted that monkey heart for his mommy Crocodile.

How the Turtle Saved His Own Life

• The king put fish into a lake where his sons would play around in? That doesn't sound safe for the fish at all if the lake was small!
• The poor turtle didn't do anything at all but the king wanted to have it killed. Wow.
• The king and his people were actually really foolish because they found the turtle in the water in the first place. If they put it in water.. it would just be like putting it back where it was living comfortably...

The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking

• This story was kind of twisted. 
• I suppose the lesson here is to not talk too much or it else you'll gets in lots of trouble?
• Turtles are usually very smart in most stories, but in this one, the turtle was not smart at all!

The Ox Who Won the Forfeit

• I feel like the message of this story is to treat others with kindness and that being mean or demanding will not get you anywhere.
• When the man beat the ox, it was flabbergasted and didn't even move an inch, making him lose all his money.
• Once he apologized and spoke to it in a kind way, it drew one hundred carts for him and earned him lots of money.

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

• This story felt like there wasn't a moral, but I thought it was kind of funny
• The poor little rabbit freaked out whenever a coconut fell on it and thought the world was breaking up. 
• Then every other creature it came across believed it and started running around too! 
• Luckily the lion was there.
• Maybe the moral of the story was that in some dire situations, we all need someone who is level-headed to help us out? haha

The Banyan Deer

• I felt that this was a great story about sacrificing yourself for another.
• In some cases, most people are not as merciful as the king, but luckily the king decided to stop hurting the deer after seeing the King's sacrifice.

The Princes and the Water-Sprite

• This was a good story!
• I like that there was a mysterious element to the story with the riddle given by the water-sprite to each of the princes.
• I felt like because the elder prince was able to answer the question right, he should be given the authority to rule after the king dies. 
• I wonder why the queen wanted the sun prince to become the king? 

The Ox Who Envied the Pig

• I'm not sure how this story teaches the value of hard work.. is it because the pig did not do much work, which is why the farmer chose to make a feast out of the pig instead of the oxen?

"The Ox Who Envied the Prince"

Source: UN-Textbook.

The Crab and the Crane

• The Crane was very deceitful in this story!
• I like that justice was served at the end with the crab killing the crane.
• This is another lesson that tells us what goes around will ultimately come back around aka karma will always get you back!

The Three Fishes

• I think those names are very deserving for each fish! 
• I noticed that in the intro for this story, there are versions of this story where not all of the fishes got away. Is it perhaps the "thoughtless" fish who got caught in the other ones? 

The Tricky Wolf and the Rats

• Why is it that lycanthropes are the characters who are always thought to be "wicked?"
• I think wolves are very honorable animals!
• This story seems like a spin-off of the little red riding hood story.
• The moral of the story here is not to be wicked and greedy.

Extra Reading Post: Ganesha's Secret

Ganesha's Secret

• How can anyone with weird heads be gods? 
• Why is there more than one god. 
• The Hindu notion of divine is unique, it is not restricted to a single idea or deity. 
• Each deity is a jigsaw puzzle, that comes together to make an overall God. 
• The world is subjective, for each person there is a different "world"
• I think this is rather profound. If I could write a story about this, that would be really cool. 
• Each world is different, but what matters more? The answer is everyone's world matters. 
• stories, symbols and rituals communicate a myth 
• Many things in life cannot be explained by logic
• Different cultures have different answers as to what happens after death 
• maybe I can write about a story of different perspectives about death 
• Ganesha's head 
• implies power because the elephant is not prey to many 
• the idea of Ganesha is reinforced by the story of his birth
• Parvati married shiva
• while bathing, Parvati molded a doll and created a child that was born without the help of a man
• He was beheaded 
• Shiva gave the child the head of an elephant that was part of the land of immortality 
• Ganesha represents the union of two opposites: Shiva and Parvati

Screenshot by me. 

Bibliography: 

"7 Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art - Chapter 1 Ganesha's Secret" by Epified. 

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part B

• Dhritrashtra marries Gandhari and blindfolds herself for life to share her husband's condition
• Kunti was adopted by the king and he loved her as his own daughter 
• Kunti was unafraid of the sage and spoke her mind around him, which delighted him because people were usually afraid of him 
• He gave her a mantra that allowed her to summon a God, and she summoned the Sun god 
• He embraced her and when he left, she found a child in her arms
• The child, she knew, was destined for greatness
• However, she had to abandon him because she was unmarried 

• Pandu accidentally shot an arrow at a hermit couple 
• the hermit died but before he died, he cursed Pandu 
• He cursed him so that when Pandu becomes intimate with a woman, he would die 
• Pandu decided to take up sannyas 
• Kunti decided to tell Pandu about the fact that she can call a God and have his child 
• Since Pandu would no longer be able to have children 

• She calls on Yama, the god of truth and death 
• he gave her a son that was the embodiment of virtue and patience 
• named Yudhishthir 
• she then called on Vayu, the wind God 
• he gave her a son that was strong as fast as the wind 
• named Bheem
• she then called on Indra, the king of Devas
• he gave her a son that was to be the greatest warrior in the world
• named Arjun
• Ghandari then gives birth to 100 sons (which would be interesting to write about)
• Duryodhan became jealous of bheem and tried to kill him 

Screenshot of Ghandari and her children.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata Part A

Mahabharata: 

• I learned that the Mahabharata is pronounced exactly as it is spelled through these videos haha 
• The Mahabharata is an account of how karma happens 
• The king fell in love with the river goddess
• the Ganga said yes
• she wanted him to never question her decision and he agreed
• queen ganga drowned their first child--he asked no questions 
• she continued to kill their next 6 children 
• the children had been killed to free the celestial spirits 
• The king found himself back on the banks after she left him 
• he found his son and wife again 
• the king lost his heart to a fisherman's daughter and asked her to marry him 
• she refused 
• his son went to sooth the pain in his father's heart
• he went to beg the fisherman
• he swore an oath: he would never marry nor father any children 
• he became known as "he of the terrible oath"
• the king eventually found himself guilty 
• he granted his son a boon--death would never touch him unless he requested so 
• I'd like to write about his journey with death (something like HP when the man with the invisible cloak escaped death always)

Screenshot by me of Devavrat's Oath.

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part B

• In the introduction, I appreciate that Narayan avoided the gory scene with the woman and the charred remains in the house. 
• This story is such a huge family feud that it's kind of entertaining to read but at the same time, kind of weird 
• Marriage is such a joke in this story though. It's almost to the point where everyone just has to be married for the sake of being married--no love.
• I think it would be interesting to write a story about Duryodhana's embarrassment 

Embarrassed Duryodhana. 

Source: Wikipedia.

Bibliography: R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part A

• It's always a good choice to read Narayan's version of these tales! Just like the Ramayana, it seems like this story has different versions written by so many different authors. 
• Judging from the list of characters, it seems that there are so many. I wish there weren't as many characters because it makes it harder to get the whole plot because you have a ton of people you have to look up while reading. 
• I'm kind of put off by the situation with Draupadi... however, it's a little more understandable since it was back back in the day... but I figured it would make more sense if it was a harem instead of the other way around. 
• Maybe I could write a story about her and put a "Bachelorette" spin on it haha 
• this is actually a really good idea
• I've always loved how dramatic the intros of the Bachelor/Bachelorette are
• This will be fun to write if I can make it comedic and dramatic enough

Draupadi with her husbands in the background.

Source: BeingIndian.com

Bibliography: R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part B

Notes: 

• I found that it was rather interesting that they had an intermission in this! It made it kind of funny because something like this doesn't even need an intermission.
• In addition to that, the "actors" were just walking around chilling with each other.
• Going through this little movie, I didn't know that the little story in the background between Nina and Dave was based on the creator's own love story. 
• I guess that's why she made the ending so sad for Sita and Rama 
• For a man who claimed to love Sita so much, why did Rama want her to be banished 
• The animation of where Sita sleeps in the bed with Rama and it was snowing, it really shows that he was giving her the "cold shoulder"
• the animation really shows the jealous part of humanity really well whenever Rama was thinking that Sita had slept with Ravana and got pregnant so much so that he was making up his own reality 
• I guess Sita had been the one who had recounted the tale of Rama that made the Ramayana? 
• OMG THE TWIN'S PRAISE OF RAMA SONG IS SO CATCHY
• the argument between the narrators about Sita's unconditional love was hilarious too 
• because in reality, I feel like men and women see from different perspectives, which is shown really well here
• The ending where she was swallowed my Mother Earth was honestly kind of depressing
• made me lose faith in love
• maybe I should write a sad love story now

Picture of Rama crying because he lost Sita. 

Screenshot by me. Source: Sita Sings the Blues.

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part A

I really have to say, starting out, the artwork is marvelous. I like that the peacock became the record player. Oh.. that was the intro. Looks like the scene opens onto a modern couple with a very displeased cat.

I think the idea that the storytellers are similar the Muses from Hercules is very good. I like that, however, the information they present is confusing. Such as when they had to clarify how many wives the king had or what place Ravana ruled over. I also thought it was inaccurate that they portrayed Soorpanaka, but didn’t tell her whole story—that she was obsessed with Rama, which was why she tried to make Ravana take Sita. The part where she described Sita to Ravana was also hilarious. I also like how the narrators described Ravana as “not such a bad guy” and that all he did was steal Sita.

Another thing I liked was how the “modern” story mirrored the Ramayana in that the boyfriend was leaving the girl to go to India, like how Rama left Sita in search of the golden deer.

The storytelling does point out an inconsistency in the Ramayana in how Sita was supposed to be wearing simple clothes, so where did she get all the jewelry to throw down?

Something interesting I learned was that Hanuman was the reincarnation of Shiva, who was meant to help Rama/Vishnu.

This was such a funny and great rendition of the Ramayana so far! 

A closeup of Ravana's face. 

Screenshot by me. Source: Youtube.

Sita in "Blues" form 

Screenshot by me. Source: Youtube. 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part B

Since I didn't get to finish part B of the Ramayana last week, I will do that today. 

When Lakshmana heard that Rama had been sent to exile, he was very mad. He swore to destroy anyone who gets in Rama's way or tries to take his crown. Rama chastises him for letting his anger get the best of him. A really good quote here, "sometimes a river runs dry, and then it cannot be said to be the fault of the river--it's dry because the heavens are dry" thus it is fate. Lakshmana in this scene shows that he really cherishes Rama and followed him into exile. Sita did the same. 

The sage Vasishtha told Rama is it all Kaiyeki's fault but Rama, being the good person, didn't want to hear anyone talk ill about his "mother." Dasaratha died after hearing that Rama and Sita had to walk to the forest. With Dasaratha dead, the country had no ruler for a long time. 

A letter was sent to Bharatha to return to the capital, but he was not made aware of his father's death or Rama's exile. Bharatha learned of what happened from his mother and grew to hate her for her actions. He went to find Rama to give him back his throne. LOL I thought it was funny that Bharatha took Rama's sandals and placed it on the throne and ruled as regent instead. I wonder what the significance of a pair of sandals was. 

It was kind of embarrassing to see Soorpanaka throw herself at Rama. At one point, Lakshmana chopped off her ears, nose, and breasts. Why breasts.. so gory. Then she ran to her brother for revenge, even though just a few moments before, she said she didn't support her brother and his evil tendencies. 

Image of Soorpanaka (left), Rama (middle), and Sita (right). 

Source: Link. 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part D

Hanuman searched for Sita in Lanka and mistook her for Ravana's wife, Mandodari. When he mistook her, he lamented how Rama was going through hardships to find Sita and it looked as if Sita was living in luxury instead. It seems that Mandodari was beautiful as well, but lacked Sita's grace. I think it would also be interesting to write a story in Mandodari's point of view where she was angry at Ravana for falling for Sita.

Sita was strong and did not accept Ravana's advances even though it seems he both threatened and sweet-talked her. Ravana even went far enough to make the other rakshasas torment poor little Sita. After Hanuman was captured, Ravana's brother Vibishana saved him instead. Hanuman kind of reminds of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. I just looked it up and it seems that Sun Wukong might have been the Chinese incarnate of Hanuman! What a cool little parallel!

When Ravana was in counsel, his commander in chief reiterated what his uncle told him: that abducting another man's wife was not the work of a hero. It seems that although they are demons, they know what is right and what is wrong sometimes. Vibishana once again warns Ravana about a curse put upon him to die by the hands of monkey. He was also cursed by Vedavathi, who he tried to molest. Vedavathi swore she would be reborn again to kill him and end his reign. A quick search in Wikipedia also indicates that Sita is the reincarnation of Vedvathi. Ravana ended up pushing away Vibishana. Vibishana sought asylum with Rama instead.

War broke out. Ravana tried to scare Sita by showing her the "dead" bodies of Rama and Lakshmana but one of Ravana's women helped her and told her it was a faint. Ravana ended up fighting Rama and was defeated. Once he was defeated, Rama's arrows turned him from an evil person into a pure person.

On a side note... I thought it was extremely weird that Sita had to prove her integrity to Rama... If he really loved her, he would have believed her.

"Sita's Test by Fire"

Image posted by Laura Gibbs. Source: Indian Epics Reading Guide.

Bibliography: Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana. New Delhi: Vision, 1987. Print.

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part C

This week, I decided to try reading Narayan's version of the Ramayana since the public domain version was difficult to follow while trying to also write notes about it.

While traveling through the forest, Rama encounters Soorpanaka who falls in love with him. She proposes to him (which is interesting because I would imagine culturally the men would propose marriage first) and he rejects her. She blames Sita's beauty for him rejecting her, which is rather childish. She runs away to her brother Ravana, the demon king.

Ravana is rather interested in Sita because of her renowned beauty. He also has enslaved reigning gods to be his servants. Soorpanaka was obviously so obsessed with Rama that I think a story about her obsession as a visit to the doctor's office would be hilarious. I find it also weird that Ravana fell in love with Soorpanaka's description of Sita rather than the actual Sita. Seems like they are a pair of ridiculous siblings. There's a curse that was placed on Ravana where if he touched any woman without her consent, he would die instantly. It'd be cool to write about the history of how that curse came to be.

"Ravana fights Jatayu"

Source: Indian Epics Reading Guides

Jatayu was the bird who tried to rescue Sita but ended up being killed by Ravana. It seems from Narayan's version, Ravana tried to spare the bird, but ended up killing him anyway. So maybe Ravana wasn't such a terrible person, he was just misunderstood. It would be interesting to write about that too!  Sita was smart enough to leave jewelry breadcrumbs for Rama when she was abducted. The timeline of the story was weird and I am unsure of how long Sita was abducted before Rama was finding all these animals/people to help him save her. Although Vali agrees that Rama didn't act wrongly by shooting a hidden arrow at Vali during the fight. I think he definitely cheated.

Bibliography:
"The Ramayana" by R. K. Narayan.
Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana. New Delhi: Vision, 1987. Print.

Reading Notes: Ramayana Online: Public Domain Edition Part A

There are 2 kings: Dasharatha and Janaka. 

Dasharatha ruled over Koshala and was father of Rama, who was actually Vishnu, and three other sons.

Janaka ruled over Mithila and was father of Sita who was the wife of Rama and the avatar of Vishnu's wife.

The capital of Koshala was Ayodhya

The horse sacrifice ritual was used to solidify the king’s position and was also used to "ask" for sons to carry on the kind's legacy.

After the sacrifice, the king was said to have 4 sons. One of which is Rama, who is the reincarnation of Vishnu

Rama got weapons that talked to him, which is cool

The Ganges river alludes to Ganga, whose water was said to wash the body of impurities after death

I could write an interesting love story between Rama and Sita that spans various lifetimes, similar to Suzanne Weyn's Reincarnation.

The "game" that Rama had to win to win Sita was interesting and could be a possible storyline.

I'm kind of curious as to why Sita was the avatar of Vishnu's wife. I thought only Vishnu descended.

I could also write about the situation where the king chose rama and the possible results of that decision.

A first person narrative could be written from Manthara's point of view regarding her hate for Rama.

The loss of his son was Dasharatha's karma which poses an interesting topic for a story. I could write about what he did that caused him to have to suffer this consequence.

Bibliography:

Author: Public Domain

Title: Ramayana Online: Public Domain Edition

Link: Ramayana

Rama break's Shiva's bow to win Sita.

Illustration by Evelyn Paul. Source: Indian Epics Images.