Hannah's Indian Epics Blog

Image Credit. ORRA Diamond Necklace. Source: ORRA .      There were once two jewelry stores in the town of Seri. One owner was very humble, kind, and gave fair prices to all his customers. All of his customers returned and bought more jewelry from him because he had become their friend. The other jeweler was a spiteful, wicked man who always tried to get the top price he could for each of his jewels and never tried to form relationships with his customers.     A woman whose name was Maureen entered the spiteful jeweler's store hoping to get an appraisal on her favorite necklace. Maureen was a woman of few possessions. Her necklace was one of her prized possessions. However, it was Maureen's oldest granddaughter's 18th birthday and she wanted to make sure that the day was incredibly special for her granddaughter. The spiteful jeweler took one look at Maureen's diamond necklace and could tell that the woman did not know the worth of it. He quickly told her, "O

Image Credit. Are You an Owl or are You a Crow? Source: Steemit .       So I was more intrigued by the titles of the reading b but I now for the second reading of the week I am going back to part a of the Babbitt Jataka Tales. The merchant of Seri was a good read in this group of stories. I like how the grandmother, even though they were poor and that the bowl had special meaning to them, agreed to trade the bowl so that her granddaughter could get something. The greedy merchant was a fool to throw the bowl on the ground and then walk away. I was glad that it was the happy merchant that got to profit from the gold bowl. I also like how the story ended. It was yet another happy ending in the Jataka Tales. I think that these stories are so short that they will be easy to recreate and add in some detail that I think the original stories lack.    The story called "Why the Owl Is Not the King of the Birds" was interesting to me as well. It was so short I think retelling it

Image Credit. White Elephant. Source: 999thepoint .       For this week's reading, I decided to read some of the Jataka Tales instead of more Krishna. I really liked the Jataka Tales when we read them at the beginning of the semester and all of the stories in part b I really enjoyed. The first story that caught my eye was the story of "The Princes and the Water-Sprite". This story was very engaging and while there was not much detail it was still a well-rounded story. The brother's attitudes caught me off guard. Even though the mother preferred the youngest son the older brothers were not angry with him for being the favorite and for being the reason that they were banished. It is also interesting how common banishments are in Indian mythology. The water-sprite is a tricky character who is able to change shape. This ability makes all of his encounters different. I like that the oldest brother chose the younger brother to save but also got to save the middle brot

Image Credit. Pegasus. Source: GoogleImages .         One day Krishna was sitting in his lovely palace admiring the countryside when he was visited by the God Indra. Indra was seeking help in order to recapture his home: the palace Pragjyotisha. Indra's home had been taken over by the demon Muru who was very fearsome and clever. Muru had placed large walls 10 feet thick surrounding the perimeter of the city. There was also a large moat filled with alligators and venomous snakes. Muru made sure to conjure up an army that could match his ferociousness. There were over 50,000 foot soldiers, 10,000 archers, and a calvary of 5,000 horses and men. Krishna knew the terrible odds he would be facing but agreed to help Indra get his home back.      Krishna immediately called for his pegasus, Myriad, and explained to him that they were headed to recapture the city of Pragjyotisha. Myriad was a loyal pegasus and flew as fast as he could to the city he knew was filled with nothing but t

Image Credit. Krishna. Source: Pinterest .  Part B starts with Krishna as a man who has obviously grown in power. I think that it is interesting that Indra came down to ask Krishna for help. This just shows to me that Krishna is powerful and wise and that he can be trusted to help when called upon. I like that the author of Krishna's story included this tale of Indra coming to him to ask for help. It is a clever way to show Krishna's power aside from all the heroic battle tales and mythical powers he possesses.      When Krishna fights the demon Muru is probably one of my favorite parts of his tale. This demon reminds me of the Hydra from Greek mythology. I love Greek mythology so this story was right up my alley. It is interesting to me that Muru is gifted in fortification. I like that even though he is gifted in this area he is no match for Krishna. I think this is just another way that the author shows Krishna's power without directly saying it.       I feel like

Image Credit. Krishna. Source: GoogleImages .      The origin story of Krishna is very intricate and there is lots going on. I like how they switched the babies so that he would be the one who was beside Devaki. I really liked how when King Kansa picked him up he was not able to kill Krishna and he evaded him. King Kansa's plan to try and kill all the children in his country is quite harsh and unnecessary. King Kansa seems like the typical villain in the story. I really think that the ending of Putana's story is also unnecessary. Why should she attain salvation for suckling Krishna even though she did it meaning to kill him? She had done so much evil in her life time and killed so many innocent babies I do not think that she should have gotten to live.       Krishna has true power and I am interested to see how his story will end. He is quite the troublesome infant but I am happy that he had the parents that he did. They are very patient and kind to him. You can also tel

Image Credit. 5 Nagas and Their Role in Hindu Mythology. Source: Google Images . One day a man was swimming along in a river when a group of snakes attacked him. They did not bite him but wrapped around him and pulled him into very deep waters to drown him. The King of the snakes saw what they were doing and commanded them to let the poor human go. The little snakes obey his command and released the man. When Bheem woke up he looked around in awe of what he saw. He was in an underwater castle and was surrounded by snakes and he could breathe under the water. His memory came rushing back to him and he sprang to his feet. He knew that these snakes were a threat and did not plan to be caught by surprise again. "Calm down Bheem. I am Vasuki, King of the Snakes, and they have been commanded not to harm you." "Vasuki? King Vasuki I mean. Thank you so much for sparing my life!" The king threw a feast in honor of Bheem. He had a wonderful time at the feast and

Image Credit. Bheem. Source: Wikipedia .       So for this week's reading, I have continued watching the online video version of the Mahabharata. one of the stories that stuck out was the one where Bheem was in the water and was attacked by the snakes. I really liked the imagery that this video gave me. The snake fight with Bheem was really cool to see illustrated. I like that Bheem was able to fight them off and show his strength to the snakes. Then when the fight is over I thought it was so cool that he ended up being in the very deep water. This was a part of the story that I really liked and was interested in. It really gave the story a new and interesting setting. I really liked the change of pace in the story and thought it flowed well.    Bheem's walk through the palace and finding Vasuki. I like how they clearly explained his backstory and how Bheem and Vasuki were connected. I think it is really cool that one minute the snakes are attacking Bheem and the next th

Image Credit. Goddess Ganga. Source: Pinterest .       This week we are exploring the Mahabharata in a different light. I chose to watch the Epified online film version of the Mahabharata. I really enjoyed listening and watching to part of this film. The graphics that the author creates to narrate his stories are very fun. I really like watching the illustrations take shape. They give a new dimension to the story that makes it more fun for me to listen to and watch. I think that the narrator is very talented because his characters are drawn so well. Another thing I loved about the Epified version was being able to tell if I was pronouncing all the names in the Mahabharata correctly.    Again the parts of this story that stuck out for me were the story of Shantanu and his wife Ganga goddess of the river Ganga. This story is one of the most interesting to me that is in the Mahabharata. I really like the Epified take on this tale. It really encapsulated all of the information that

Image Credit. Continuous Improvement and Innovation. Source: Giveffect .       Looking back at past assignments and my blog overall I am very pleased with the progress I have made so far. In the beginning of the semester I had blogged very little and had not written creatively in like five or six years. I was a little rusty in the beginning but I think I have gotten in the swing of things finally. I am happy with how the blog looks and is laid out. I am also pleased with the writing and content in the blog posts and storybook.      The class assignment that I enjoy most are the storytelling posts and the storybook posts. I do not enjoy the notes assignments much because it is simply reflection of what I have read. This class gives me a creative outlet and I really enjoy coming up with my own, original stories. I have not used many of the extra credit options but have missed a few assignments so I will be using the extra credit to catch up eventually.       I do not have a very co

Image Credit. Classic Indian Epics. Source: Weebly .        I have received some very helpful, detailed, and encouraging feedback from my classmates so far. I really appreciate the feedback, especially for my storybook. I feel as though the storybook is a very important part of the semester and I want it to be something that I am very proud of. The feedback I am getting from classmates is helping me make sure that I am changing or altering things that I missed when I reviewed my storybook personally. I do think that by incorporating the classmates feedback my blog, storybook, and overall writing is improving.      I hope that other students think that I am leaving good feedback. Firstly, I try to comment on the things that I see them doing really well. Then, point out some things I have noticed that could be better with a few tweaks. Finally, I try and give them some alternatives or what ifs to implement if they think it would work well. I try and follow some of the feedback tip

Image Credit. Sita Returns to the Earth. Source:  Blogspot .       So far I have really enjoyed keeping up a blog and creating my Storybook website. I have played around with the theme, colors, fonts, and styles of my blog in the previous weeks. The overall look of my blog is one that I am very happy with. Each week the reading assignments are my least favorite but I understand that we have to have something to base our stories off of. The storytelling assignments are my favorite. I have never had a class that allowed me to be so creative and explore creative writing like this class. One of the biggest accomplishments I have achieved so far is improving my writing. I really think that I have learned a few tricks that have helped my writing improve as the semester has progressed.       One thing I am unhappy with is Uloopi's story in my storybook. I was really pressed for time when writing it and was not very creative. It was more a retelling with a few twists than it was m

Image Credit. Draupadi. Source: Wikipedia .       Once upon a time, a terrible fate fell over Draupadi and the Pandavas. They lost their five sons and Draupadi lost her brother. They were all killed by the evil Ashwatthaman who wore the famed jewel on his forehead. The jewel was bright blue and shone like a star regardless of whether it was day or night. He was very powerful for the jewel gave him powers that mortals did not have. The power of the blue jewel gave him the power to overcome the five sons and brother of Draupadi.      Draupadi knew of Ashwatthaman's special powers but she needed to avenge her brother and her five children. She looked at her husband Yudhishthira and begged him to go and kill Ashwatthaman. She was brokenhearted and all of the Pandavas felt her grief. However, Yudhishthira refused saying that even if he was killed it would change nothing. Draupadi was heartbroken and retired to her rooms very early that night. She lay awake crying and thinking of

Image Credit. Yudhishthira Enters Heaven. Source: VyasaOnline .      The story of Ashwatthaman was a great read for the last part of the Mahabharata. The jewel on his forehead is very mysterious and intriguing. I hate that Draupadi had to lose her five sons and her brother. What a terrible set of tragedies that have befallen her. I want her to get justice but agree with Yudhishthira that even if they killed Ashwatthaman it would not bring her sons or brother back to life. There must be something done to avenge the loss she has gone through. I agree that taking the famed jewel on his head would be a type of revenge but it would not hurt him as much as the loss of six loved ones would I think personally. I think that this would be a good story to retell because it is so interesting. The jewel is mythical and supposedly magical which would make creating a story about it fairly easy.      The story of the Afterlife captured my attention immediately. I find it interesting that it is

Image Credit. Pandavas. Source: Wikipedia .       The first story that caught my eye was the story of the riddles at the lake. I find it really surprising that four of the Pandavas, Bhima, Nakula, Arjuna, and Sahadeva, fell prey to drinking the water even though they were warned. The setting is very interesting and tempting here. I wonder if the yaksha knows that his lake will be tempting for those that pass by and uses that to lure in victims. The riddles are all very confusing and I thought that they were quite long. I wonder how long and complicated the riddles in the longer version are. I like that Yudhishthira is very patient and answers each one diligently. I also really like how he uses his wishes to help himself and the other Pandavas.      The second story that stuck out to me was the one where the Pandavas and Draupadi spent some of their exile in the palace of the Rajah. It was very interesting how they each took on such a diverse role. They filled roles such as Yudh