Reading Diary B: Twenty Jataka Tales

For Part B of this week's reading, I read the short story "The Swan Kingdom" out of Twenty Jataka Tales.  This story told of a swan community that lived in a beautiful lake in the Himalayas, led by a noble king and his loyal companion.  There is another king that wishes to draw this swan colony in so that he can talk to their king and he lures them in by building a beautiful lake that is even better than the one the swans live in.  He then sends out an invitation to all birds saying they can come live there and eventually word gets to the swan kingdom and they want to leave their lake and move to the new one.  The king's loyal companion warns him that the move might not be a good idea because they don't know what lies ahead, but they move anyways.  The swan king then gets caught in a trap and his companion stays with him while all the other swans flee.  The king that caught them is astonished by the loyalty and lets them go, parting on good terms.  It's a weird coincidence that earlier this week I chose to do a reading about a king that gets hurt and all of his subjects leave, and then this time I read a story about a king that gets caught and has one loyal subject remain with him, both ending with the person holding them captive feeling great admiration for their captive over this and letting them go.  The moral of this story was companionship and loyalty.

Reading Diary A: Twenty Jataka Tales

This week's first reading was over the story "The Tortoise and the Geese" from Twenty Jataka Tales.  In this short story, there is a tortoise who is asked by his two geese friends if he would come to the cave up in the mountains that they live in to stay with them.  He agrees to go and they carry him off into the air by placing a stick in his mouth and grabbing on to either side of the stick before flying off towards the mountains.  When they pass over a small town, children begin to laugh at the tortoise and this makes him angry; so angry that he cannot hold his tongue and begins to yell at them.  In doing so, he lets go of the stick and falls to the ground, landing in the king's court.  The king, who is described as a man with a very kind heart but far too wordy in the presence of others, then comes running out to see what all the commotion is about.  When he asks one of his advisers what happened, he explains that the tortoise could not resist from talking and came crashing to the ground because of it. The king has an epiphany and realizes this as a lesson for him to stop doing all of the talking when around others and from then on speaks only when necessary and says only words of wisdom.

Tortoise being carried off by the geese

Original Online Book Source

Reference: Twenty Jataka Tales, retold by Noor Inayat

Reading Diary B: Public Domain Twenty Jataka tales

For this week I began reading Twenty Jataka tales, retold by Noor Inayat.  This book is a collection of twenty short stories that tie in to Indian folklore as well as the epics themselves.  For this week, I began by reading the first short story in the book, titled "The Monkey Bridge".  It is about a monkey chief in the Himalayas who lives his followers so much that he makes a bridge out of his body in order to allow them to flee from the humans and save their lives.  In doing so, one careless monkey breaks his back and leaves him alone to die.  The human king is so moved by the chief's love for his followers that he comes over to check on him and comfort him in his final hours.  The monkey chief tells him to not be sad and that his death was for a good cause because it freed his followers and allowed them to once again live a happy life.  The monkey tells the king to listen to his words and rule his people only through love and treat them as your own children.  This was a very moving story for me and I absolutely loved reading it.  I enjoyed the imagery of the opening paragraph, depicting the beautiful tree near the river's edge up high in the valleys of the Himalayas where the monkeys lived. Talking about this tree and its amazing fruit definitely gave me a Garden of Eden sort of feeling to it and it was relaxing to read.  I enjoyed reading from this book so much that I want to read from it again for next week.  The fun thing about it is that its a collection of short stories so I can collect a bunch of different material to use as inspiration for my storytelling all from the same source.

Source: Twenty Jataka Tales, Retold by Noor Inayat

The Monkey Bridge

Reading Plan

For the next six weeks I would like to read lots of different Indian stories rather than reading different versions of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.  This way, I can learn much more about the Indian culture and get ideas for my stories from lots of different sources.  I would like to start with reading Giant Crab by Rouse for week 9 because it sounds interesting.  For week 10, I would like to read Twenty Jataka Tales because it sounds interesting and I think I could get a lot of good inspiration from reading this. I will read The Life of Buddha for Week 11, and then follow that with reading Indian Fables and Folklore by Devi for Week 12.  For Week 13, I will learn more about Krishna by reading Cox's Tales of Ancient India: Krishna and the Gods.  Finally, for Week 14 I will read Legends of India - Arjuna, by Hopkins.

Stack of Books to Read

Reflections: Looking Forward

I have been happy with my performance and progress in this class so far, but there is always room for improvement. As of right now I am still on track with points to get the grade I want, especially if I do about 11 points worth of extra credit assignments before the semester ends.  Looking forward in the second half of the semester, I would like to see myself doing more extra credit assignments and getting my weekly assignments done quicker.  This will allow me to get ahead in the class and not have to worry about getting assignments done on time. Furthermore, as far as my reading and writing skills go, I could definitely use some improvement there.  I feel like my writing skills, especially when it comes to storytelling, are under-developed and need improvement.  For the remainder of the semester I would like to see noticeable improvement in the depth and delivery of my stories that go in to my portfolio project.  I'm sure this is just something that will come with time and I feel like I can already notice small improvements in my storytelling so far, but I hope to be even better by the end of creating my portfolio.

Improvement for the Future

Reflections: Looking Back

This has been an enjoyable, relaxing class so far and I really love reading about different mythical characters in Indian history because before this class I had basically zero knowledge on the subject. I love reading about different cultures and seeing how they are similar and different to my own so learning about all of these different characters and the journeys and struggles they go through has been fun.  My favorite reading so far has been the Ramayana. I'm honestly not really sure why its my favorite but I just loved reading about Rama and his quests he went on.  The most useful thing I have got out of this class so far however, is all of the writing practice.  As an engineering student, I spend virtually all of my time writing out calculations and solving math and physics problems.  I haven't even been in a dedicated writing class since the first semester of my freshman year so I feel as if my writing skills suffered from that. This class gives me a chance to take a break from all of the rigorous math and science and just relax and write about my thoughts on the class readings. This allows me to continue keeping up with my writing technique and writing these stories every week allows me to develop my own style.  I also have benefited from the interactions with other students, as their feedback has proved very useful in improving my stories and letting me know what works and what doesn't work.

Reading the Ramayana

Wikimedia

Storytelling for Week 7: The Awakening of the Dead

Today is a very special day in the tiny little town of Druryville, Connecticut.  This is an odd little town that seems like nothing special at first glance, but its residents hold a very special secret.  Druryville was founded in the times of the witch hunts, and held as a special haven for witches escaping persecution.

As a way of saying thanks to the nice inhabitants of this little town who were gracious enough to take them in, the witches placed a special enchantment on the town that allows one very special night per year.  Every year on October 20th in Druryville, the dead arise from their graves to go join their loved ones at the showing of the moon's first light. Grandparents, old friends, former rivals, all gathered together in harmony for a single night of joy and reunion.

Everyone went about their daily business during the daylight hours; children were at school, adults at work, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to any onlooker.  But as the late afternoon came, everyone walked to the small creek that flowed near the edge of town.  This little creek is where the dead arose from every October 20th, acting as a portal to connect them to the living. As evening drew closer, adults began setting up tables on which they placed foods fit for the finest of feasts.  Large roasted pigs and turkeys and freshly caught fish and lobster adorned every table, along with fruits and desserts and lots of champagne.

All the while children played and set off fireworks anxiously waiting for night to come.  This night was very cloudy so the moon's light did not show for a long while but finally after many hours of patiently waiting, the clouds broke and the moon's bright light touched ground on the little town of Druryville.  Suddenly, old souls began to rise out of the water and rushed towards their loved ones.  Even Parashurama, one of the most ancient souls that used to live on the outskirts of town in its early days showed up.  It was a joyous occasion and everyone feasted and reminisced about old times.  Those who had passed shared with their loved ones the wonders of Heaven and talked at length about the peace they had attained since passing.  Many gathered around Parashurama to listen to the wise advice he had to offer on how to lead a proper life, and all were delighted to hear what he had to say.

Widows rejoined their fallen husbands and longed to be able to go back to Heaven with them.  "It is not your time yet, my love" they would always say in response to their loving wives.  And so the night went on and families were reunited once again, but like all good things, this night had to come to an end.  And with that, another magical October 20th had passed in Druryville and the deceased once again returned to the creek to be transported back to Heaven.

Ascending to Heaven

Author's Note: I loosely based this story off of the part of the Mahabharata where the dead rise from the Ganges and go to meet with their loved ones in the forest.  This sounded like a really awesome idea to me, just thinking about the possibility of being able to be reunited with deceased loved ones for one night and getting to converse for a while and to be reassured that they are okay and at peace.  I was really inspired by that thought and since the version of the Mahabharata that I read this week didn't really go in to any detail at all about this part of the story, I decided I would extrapolate on it.  I also thought this would be a really fun story to do right now since it's October and we are close to Halloween and the Day of the Dead.  This story didn't really fit the typical profile of my other portfolio stories, which also include the theme of involving Parashurama, so to make it fit, I added in Parashurama as one of the dead that came back to visit.  In this story he is described as one of the earliest inhabitants of Druryville and considered as a wise hermit.  Also, the image I chose is kind of unusual and doesn't fit perfectly with my modern version of the story but I loved the way it looked and it includes the transcendence between Heaven and Earth over the Ganges, so in a way it was a great picture to use for the story.  This image is actually the descent of the Ganges from Heaven down to Earth and the man in the middle is Shiva, who is there to soften her landing with his head.

Bibliography: The Indian Heroes, by C.A. Kincaid (1921)

Reading Diary B: The Indian Heroes

I love reading about the five brothers taking on roles as different professions while in disguise at the court of King Virata.  This version of the story does not delve in to the details of their lives while living these alternate lives unfortunately.  It seems like every major Indian epic always ends with an epic battle.  As in the Ramayana, there is a final battle between the protagonists and the antagonists to settle things for good.  Again, many details are left out of this version of the text but it is still entertaining to read.  This version is more of a quick, light reading that introduces the reader to all of the characters and events that happen in the Mahabharata that allows the reader to then go on and delve in to more detail about specific topics that they find interesting.  Also like in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata ends with everyone dying of old age or for other reasons.  I like that at the end, it is shown that Yudhishthira is so loyal that when told he must leave his dog behind in order to enter Heaven, he refuses.  I also like that at the end even Duryodhana makes his way in to Heaven and is relieved of his jealousy so everyone lives in peace and happiness.  Overall, this was a good read and I'm glad I got the opportunity to enjoy it!

Yudhishthira and Draupadi in Heaven

Wikipedia

Reference: The Indian Heroes, by C.A. Kincaid (1921)

Reading Diary A: The Indian Heroes

I found several pros and cons to reading this version of the Mahabharata so far.  Reading this version makes getting to know all of the characters much easier as it says all of the names of the characters within close proximity to one another and introduces their roles relatively quickly at the beginning of the story.  However, while reading this version of the Mahabharata, I find that some details of the story being told are a bit more confusing to follow due to the brevity of the story.  For example, it says at one point in the story "King Dhritarashtra grants Draupadi a boon" but it does not say why she is given the boon at all.  This is also a very significant part of the story too because the boon she is given permits the freedom of everyone and everything taken by Duryodhana after Yudhishthira loses the game of dice against Shakuni.  The lack of explaining details like this leaves me to think that this is not a very good version of the story to read for someone trying to interpret the Mahabharata for their first time.  I do still like this version of the text though, as I have already read the more detailed version of the story and knew what was going on to fill in the gaps left while reading this time.

Arjuna and Krishna

Wikimedia

Reference: The Indian Heroes, by C.A. Kincaid (1921)

Storytelling Week 6: The Humble Farmer

There once was a farmer named Paul who lived with his family on a small plot of land.  He did not have very much in land and gold, but that didn't stop him from feeling like the wealthiest man on Earth.  For this farmer loved his family so much that no material possessions had any meaning to him and he only farmed enough food for what he and his family needed to survive.

Paul's sweet wife, Anne, took care of their modest house and tended to their son and his wife while Paul worked in the fields all day, as there was much work to do when it comes to running a farm, no matter how small.  The farmer and his wife and their son and daughter in-law worked diligently every day as to make sure the crops were growing well and they took such good care of their little farm that there was usually more than enough food to go around.  On more than one occasion did they help others in need who did not plan the seasons as well and take good care of their land.  Paul and his family would give food to the needy and shelter to the homeless passing by whenever in need, regardless of how much or how little they had each year.

Everyone knew of Paul's family and the good deeds he had performed with an open heart, but no one ever seemed to return the favor for him when bad luck would destroy his crops or the rainy seasons would flood his house.  Regardless, this did not bother Paul and his family was always cheery and positive in the bad times because they were always so happy just to be together.

This last rainy season had completely wiped out everything the farmer's family owned.  Every crop they had worked so hard to plant this year had been ripped from the ground and washed away, with only a few grains and seeds remaining where the healthy crops had once laid.  "No matter, the gods will provide and we will live happily as always" Paul said to his wife as he bent down to pick up a few seeds from the ground and placed them in the basket his wife was holding.  Nothing ever phased Paul, he had great faith in the gods and the beliefs of the Dharma.

But days turned in to weeks, and weeks turned in to months with very little to no food at all and after some time, the farmer and his happy little family began to whither and grow weak, nevertheless maintaining their happiness the whole while. A point came when their last days were near and their bodies looked like frail sheets of paper covering nothing but bone.  "We have just enough grain for us each to get a small handful" Paul said to his son and daughter in-law as he handed them their shares of grain from Anne's basket and they graciously took what they were given and sat at the table.

As suddenly as they all sat down with their food, a knock came at the door with a stranger standing there begging for food and a place to stay as the rains had damaged his farms too.  "We too have been hurt by the floods" Paul said while barely able to stand from his hunger, "but I would be more than honored to give you my food to help you with your struggle".  And with that, the polite stranger took the meager handful and stuffed it into his mouth.

"I could not bare to watch you starve while the rest of us eat" Anne said to her loving husband and gave the stranger her food too, with the son and his wife following her lead.  "I thank you all for your kindness" the stranger humbly spoke to the family with a soft voice. "Your acts of kindness have truly moved me and I think you are more deserving of a better life, so I shall reveal my true nature to you" and with that, the stranger turned in to the god Dharma and brought Paul and his happy little family up to heaven with him, where they never worried about starving and were able to be together for all eternity.

Symbol of Dharma

Wikimedia

Author's note: I took the idea for this story from the tale told in the Mongoose short story of the Mahabharata where the mongoose tells of a tale about a farmer and his family that were so starving they were near death when a stranger in need came by and they gave him all of their food anyways.  This story really moved me because I love hearing about the goodness humans can be capable of and this act of unselfishness moved me enough to write a story about them.  In this story, the family's back story is explained in more depth and the reason for the famine is explained as well.  I like the idea of this family being so loving and caring that they were well-known for their acts and I wanted it to be known that they performed these acts of kindness even for those who never returned the favor.

Bibliography: The Story of the Great War, by Annie Besant (1899)