Reading Notes: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Part C: Ardhanari's Secret and Shiva's Secret Part 1.

(Vishnu and Lakshmi)

In Hinduism, God is represented in many forms. He is best embodied in three couples: Brahma and Saraswati, Vishnu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Shakti.
Brahma: The Creator
Vishnu: The Sustainor
Shiva: The Destroyer
Lakshmi: Wealth
Saraswati: Knowledge
Shakti: Power

Since the river is always changing, one cannot step into it twice.

Shiva is known as the destroyer. He destroys desire, death, and the three worlds.  The three worlds are: our private world, our public world, and the rest. This interprets out to be that Shiva destroys our desire for life, our fear of death, and the need for the world around us. Ash is the symbol of destruction and permanence because it is created by burning things but it itself cannot be burned.

Pattanaik, Devdutt. Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art. Link to videos online.

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Part A: Ganesha.

(Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya)

The wife of the God, Shiva, is Parvati.  Their children are Ganesha and Kartikeya. In Hinduism, Shiva is one of many Gods. The Gods in Hinduism aren't always male either. Many of which are female. such as Shiva's wife, Parvati. Unlike many other religions, Hinduism is not based off of one idea, but rather many ideas that join together to make up who they know to be God.  Myth is an idea that comes from my world and not the world. Shiva embodies the emotions ranging from: fear to love, and domination to affection. The four heads of Brahma represent the four expressions of Veda, the four goals of life, which are:

Dharma- righteous conduct

Artha- economic activity

Kama- pleasurable pursuits

Moksha- spiritual practices

Turmeric is a golden herb associated with antiseptic properties. It's bright yellow color is associated with gold.  The wives of Vishnu are Shri and Bhu. They are the Goddesses of wealth and earth. Kama is the Hindu cupid who is associated with the parrot and lotus.


Bibliography

Pattanaik, Devdutt. Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art. Link to videos online.

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Part B: Narayan.

(Narayan)

The world exists when Narayan is awake and ceases to exist when he is asleep. He sleeps on an ocean of still milk. It is a representation of possibility because Narayan is asleep, the world is nothing. However, when he is awake, there are many things that can become of the milk. The world isn't actually gone when Narayan sleeps. It's just that no one is aware of anything so we say that is ceases to exist. When Narayan finally opens his eyes, the world ceases to be as pure as it once was. the consciousness, which the video compares to a "uncreased piece of paper", is now creased. This "creased consciousness" is known as Brahma. when Narayan is awake, he is known as Vishnu.

Lakshmi- Goddess of wealth.
Tumburu- celestial musician.
Pralaya- the end of the world

Unlike in many of the Greek and Biblical worldviews, death is considered the end. In Hinduism, however, death is seen as a "comma", meaning that there is something that comes after it i.e. it is not a full stop.

Bibliography

Pattanaik, Devdutt. Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art. Link to videos online.

Reading Note: Seven Secrets of Vishnu, Part A: Mohini.

(Vishnu)

Mohini is the female form of Vishnu. Reality that you can experience through your senses is called material reality and it is represented by females. On the other hand, there is a type of reality that you cannot experience through your senses. This is called spiritual reality and it is represented by males. These two realities are interdependent of each other. Without one, you cannot have the other. This dependent nature of the two realities is expressed as a human couple in Hindu mythology.  This mythology focuses a lot on the couple: the man and the woman. There are many physiological differences between a man and a woman that led to them be associated with the reality that they are now. Men create life outside of their body while women create life inside of theirs. Vishnu's sacred mark is known as the vertical namam. It includes both realities.

Material Reality: Red because it is the color of blood which sustains life
Spiritual Reality: White because it is the color of bones which keeps us upright.

Spiritual growth is one's ability to have material things while being able to overcome while still being able to enjoy them without greed. A goddess called is created because Brahma yearns for comfort. Maya constantly changes herself. That is why she is often seen as a delusion.

Culture: the world imagined and contructed by man with maya is known as Brahmanda.

Bibliography

Pattanaik, Devdutt. Seven Secrets of Vishnu. Link to videos online.

Reading Notes: Epified Krishna, Part B.

(Krishna and Balram meet their parents)

I loved the story about how Brahma came to realize the greatness that was Krishna. It really goes to show how great he (Krishna) really is to not only the people around him but also to the people who he had never met before. Krishna used kindness to get close to Hastin, who everyone had feared. He showed them that with just a bit of if, you could do great things. I wonder what was in the water that Akrur used to wash his face that caused him to see hallucinations. In the town Krishna and Balram met a woman named Trivakra. She was an old woman with 3 deformities: a twisted neck, a hunched back, and a paralyzed knee. It turns out that someone had told Trivakra that it would be the son of  Vasudev that would be able to heal her deformities. When she realized that that son was Krishna, she asked him to heal her and he did. After finally defeating Kans, Krishna was able to free all of his family members that were once imprisoned by him (Kans). After Kans died, Ugrasen became the king of Mathura. Now that Kans was dead, many of his allies attacked Mathura. Due to this, Krishna asked Ugrasen to move the city in order to keep the members of the city safe. After much convincing, Ugrasen asked Vishwakarma, the divine architect. to build the city of Dwarka. In this new city, Krishna became king.

Bibliography
Epified TV (India). Krishna. Link to videos online. 

Reading Notes: Epified Krishna, Part A.

(Krishna and Radha)

Krishna worked hard to protect the ones that he loved. He had a strong distinction of right from wrong. I like this characteristic of him. Due to him hearing that the 8th son of his sister, Devaki, would cause his demise, Kamsa tried to kill her and her husband. Since he did love his sister very much, he locked them up in prison instead and killed every child they had. He killed the first 6 newborn by smashing them against the wall. The 7th son was transferred into the womb of another. This tricked Kamsa into thinking that Devaki had a miscarriage.  Vasudev followed the voice in his head and ended up switching him with Maya, the daughter of Yashoda. when Kamsa tried to kill the baby girl, it turned out to be Durga. Putana ended up being a demoness in disguise. She tried to kill Krishna by feeding him her poisonous milk but in the end, Krishna didn't die from her milk but he actually consumed it and her powers as well. Krishna became famous as "the boy who stole butter". When Yashoda found that Krishna was eating mud, she tried to get him to remove it by telling him to open his mouth. However as she looked inside, she found that his mouth contained everything: the universe, the sun, the moon, everyone, etc. Krishna's brother from another mother was Balram. In the forest where everyone played, there was a lake that was the home to Kalia the snake. He challenged the snake after finding that a bunch of his friends had died from the poisoned air and water. He danced on the head of Kalia and it caused her to leave the lake and therefore the poison in it disappeared. After the townspeople decided to shift their worshipping to the Govardhan hill, Indra was angered. He attacked their homes with thunder and lightening but Krishna sheltered with the hill by lifting it with his little finger. Krishna was in love with Radha, who had the purest of hearts. She would always put his safety first no matter what.

Bibliography
Epified TV (India). Krishna. Link to Reading Guide. 

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata, Part B.

(Ekalavya)

If I remember correctly, I believe that is was a Brahmin had cursed Pandu for shooting him. He cursed Pandu to died in the arms of his loved one. In the epified version however, Pandu is cursed to die whenever he becomes intimate with a woman. It is interesting to see the slight variations in the different versions of the Mahabharata. I did not know that this was a curse that had haunted Hastinapur for many generations.  I was under the impression that it was a curse that was uniquely created for Pandu due to his actions. Yama is the the god of not only death but also truth. Pandu named his first son Yudhishthir. It was funny to see that their second son, Bhima, broke the rock he had fallen onto. Kunti refused to use the mantra anymore after the birth of their third son, Arjun. Kunti helped Madri have 2 sons and there were the 5 sons of Pandu. Madri took the leap of faith as she jumped into the fires with her dead husband. I was shocked to see that Ghandari had given birth to a lump of flesh. Vyasa did not want to harm the lump so he divided it into 100 pieces and placed them all into vats of oil. The first son to emerge was Duryodhana. They all looked demonic. Durodhana became jealous of all the love that Bhima was receiving. Duryodhana tries to push Bhima into the lake while he was in a deep sleep due to the laced food that he had eaten. Vasuki, the ruler of the serpent world, gives Bhima powers. They met Drona while trying to retrieve a ball from the well. Bhishma makes him their teacher. They all met Ekalavya  in the forest when they saw how he had shut a dog up by jamming a bunch of arrows in the dog's mouth. It turns out Ekalavya had learned his archery skills from Drona, well kind of, he hand crafted an image of Drona after being rejected by him and practiced in front of that and became the world's best archer. Drona did not want him to beat Arjuna so he made Ekalavya cut off his right thumb and he did not hesitate to follow the orders of his guru.

Bibliography
Epified TV (India), The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution. Link to video online.

Reading Notes: Epified Mahabharata, Part A

(Bhishma)

Whenever I read something, I tend to just go over it without fully understanding everything that's happening. While I do know the overall plot-line of the story, I can sometimes overlook the important details. One of the main things that surprised me was the telling of how the first son of Shantanu, Devavrata, became Bhishma. I must have overlooked that part of the original Mahabharata because that was definitely news to me.
I really liked viewing the Mahabharata as an animation because it helped me to take the visuals that I had in my head and actually bring them to life.
I enjoyed watching about how Gandhari blindfolded herself for life in order to be equal to her husband, Dhritrasthra. Even though all of Hastinapur was happy for their marriage, Gandhari's brother, Shakuni (the future king of Gandhar).

Bibliography
Epified TV (India), The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution. Link to video online. 

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Section D.

(Draupadi and Yudhishthira gambling)

It is very unfortunate that Bhisma died simply die to the fact that Shikhandin (Amba) was a woman, or born one. In the end, I had always thought that the Pandavas would be able too exact their revenge and win. It was low of the Pandavas to kill Drona by fooling him, saying his son was dead. Their intentions don't seem as pure. After reading about how Bhima drank the blood of Duhsasana, I was very shocked. I kind of want to include the fact that he enjoyed in my story to show more of his sadistic side. Arjuna ended up killing Karna after Krishna brought up the son of Arjuna. Duryodhana ended up hiding under the water even as the battle continued. The fight has been going on for so long that I feel like at this point, there is no winner. Even if there were to be a victor, it wouldn't feel like a victory since so many of people's loved ones were lost along the way.

I wonder why a horse was chosen as the animal of sacrifice for the Ashwamedha cermony. Draupadi became the queen of sacrifice. I love the story that the mongoose told about how a family gave up all their food to their guest even though they were starving themselves. In the end, it was revealed that they had fed Dharma. It goes to show that the people who have the least, give the most. I like how in the end, Vyasa brought everyone back to life. It allowed them to feel happy after learning their lesson the hard way.

Bibliography: Public Domain Mahabharata. Link to reading online.  

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Section C

(Arjuna and the Gandava (the divine bow))

It is interesting to see how Sita willingly follows Rama into exiles with no regrets while Draupadi very much shows her dislike of her fate and continues to weep about what she use to have. I loved reading about how Arjuna came to be able to live on air alone. It really showed the audience how much determination he held as a person. Gandava, the divine bow, sounds like it would be an interesting component to possibly include in my story.

Indra: King of gods

Varuna: God of waters

Yama: King of the dead

Kuber: Lord of treasures

For some reason, I was very surprised to see the epic mention a car (Indra’s great car). Karna sacrificed his invincibility, his armor and his earrings, to Indra in return for an invincible dart that could kill a single person. However, if the dart was used when Karna still had weapons or if he was not at the breaking point, the dart would kill him instead. I wonder why Bhima left five locks of Jayadratha’s hair instead of cutting in all off. As I read more and more, Draupadi continues to reveal herself as a bad person. She is even called the dark princess in the story. I wonder what she will do in the future. I really appreciate Karna because he still chose to stay loyal to the people he called his friends even after finding out that he was the child of Queen Kunti. I am intrigued by Ghatokatcha, who has the power to change his shape and create illusions.

Bibliography
Public Domain Mahabharata. Link to reading online. 

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part B

(Bhima standing. Image source: Wikipedia)

I found the part where Bhima carried his whole family on his body was very interesting. The bald baby that Bhima and Hidimbi had that was named Ghatotkacha for "pot-headed" made me chuckle. Baka devouring the men sounds like it could be an interesting component to add to my story. I really enjoyed the story of how Prince Arjuna saved the cursed water nymphs. The story of how Agni came to feed his hunger was fun to read. I liked the idea of how his hunger was subdued by the forest since he was the god of fire. It was an interesting surprise. my favorite part of this section was the part where the soul of Sishupala ended up being drawn to Krishna and therefore entered his body. I like this because it allowed for him to continue to live on but in another form. When Bhima drank his own blood, it definitely caused a fright for me. it was a great, while not to great, way of grabbing the people's attention.

Bibliography
Public Domain Mahabharata, link to the reading online.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part A.

1

(Drona drawing his bow. Image source: wikipedia)

1

Vyasa and Ganesha

Vyasa was the author of the Mahabharata but Ganesha was the one who was the scribe. The semen of Uparicha, king of Chedi fell into a river and after a female fish swallowed it, there was a boy and a girl that emerged. The girl’s name was Satyavati. I kind of got confused how they mention a child being born (Vyasa) out of nowhere.


King Shantanu and Ganga

Ganga made a deal to become the mother of the 8 Vasuses. King Shantanu came to become fond of her and made his wife. Ganga agreed under the condition that they would split up if he ever muttered a word of harshness to her. Every time she had one of the Vagauses, she would drown them in the Ganges River. At first, the king didn’t want to say anything to her about it because he didn’t want her to leave him but in the end he did. She left him but before she did she gave him her last child who was named Devavrata.


King Shantanu and Satyavati

Parashara promises to get rid of Satyavati’s odor if she became the mother of his child. Vyasa left his mother and her odor disappeared as well. She was once again a virgin. Satyavati’s “father” refused to let her marry Shantanu until her son Vyasa would be promised the heir to the throne. In the end she refused because she could not leave her son Devavrata.


Devavrata’s Vow

Devavrata says that if he cannot make the fisherman’s daughter his wife, then he would never accept his place as heir to the throne. Satyavati got married to the king and gave birth to 2 sons, Chitrangada and Vichtravirya.


 Bhishma at the Swayamvara

After Bhishma’s father (Shantanu) died, he wanted to find his half-broter Vichitravirya a wife. The three daughter of the king of Benares-Amba, Ambikia, and Ambalika- were the candidates.


 Amba

Amba was rejected by both Bhishma and the man she truly loved, the king of Shalwas. She tied her failed love to Bhishma and causing his demise was now her goal. She summoned the Great God Shiva by fasting and going through intense regimes. She asked Shiva to slay Bhishma. He said that if she wanted to she must become a man and a warrior. She enters a fire and destroys her old body in order to obtain a new one.


 Dhritarashtra and Pandu

Queen Satyavati asks Bhishma to become the father of the future heirs to the king but he couldn’t so her other son Vyasa did and he had Dhritarashtra (blind) with Ambika and Pandu (pale) with Ambalika.


 Kunti and Her Son

King Pandu had two wives named Kunti and Madri. Kunti secretly had a son with the god of the sun, Surya. He was named Karna. She was ashamed of what she had done so she set Kunti afloat into a river in a basket. The couple, Radha and Adhiratha, found him and were very ecstatic since they could not have a son of their own.


 Pandu and His Wives

Pandu accidentally shot two deers who ended up being a Brahmin and his wife in disguise. He was cursed to die in one of his wives arms.


The Sons of Pandu

King Pandu dies in the arms of his favorite wife, Madri. Kunti and Madri argue. They both want to die for their beloved husband. In the end Madri died by throwing herself into flames.


Gandhari and Dhritarashtra

I loved the use of the word ass. The kind urged Bhishma to abandon his son, Duryodhana because he was cursed. In the end he didn’t.


Pandavas and Kauravas

The blind king, Dhritarashtra, protected the 5 heirs to kind Pandu after hearing and mourning his (Pandu) death.


Bhima and the Nagas

Duryodhana poisoned Bhima and threw him in the Ganges River. There were snakes in the river that tried to poison him but failed since their poison counteracted with his poison. Bhima sunk to the underworld (city of serpents).


Drona, Son of Bharadwaja

Drona thought that he and Drupada were companions but Drupada considered him a “luckless beggar”.


Drona Trains the Princes

Drona trains the princes to become warriors to fight Drupada. Arjuna was had the best warrior skills. Nakula could tame steeds (horses). Sahadeva was a strong swordsman. Drona liked Arjuna the best out of the 3.


 Ekalavya
Ekalavya wanted to be instructed by Drona to be an archer but Drona refused because he didn’t want to teach him how to use weapons. Drona was saved by a man who wanted to become his pupil. Drona said that if he wanted to be his pupil he would have to give him the thumb of his right hand and he did. Since his thumb was now gone he now drew the bow with his middle fingers and everyone followed his style and that is how it all started


The Contest

All the disciples now engage in a tournament in order to display their skills as a warrior.


The Arrival of Karna

Karna is the son of Surya. He states that he will accomplish all of the things that Arjuna did in the tournament and succeeded. Duryodhana liked Karna a lot. Arjuna was very angry about this. They prepared to engage in a battle. In the end, people started to doubt the strength of Arjuna.


Drona’s Revenge

The Pandavas and Kauravas now prepared to battle Drona’s enemies. The Kauravas were defeated. Arjuna was able to capture Drupada. Drupada then asks Drona if he had not remembered that they were once friends. Drona said they could be friends once again if he could possess half of the kingdom and Drupada agreed.


 Duryodhana’s Jealousy

Duryodhana is getting fed up with how he keeps falling behind of Drona.






Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata, Link to reading guide A.

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part D.

(Battle between Rama and Ravana. Image Source: Wikimedia.)

7. When the Rains Cease

Hanuman and Angada become trapped in a cavern while on their search for Sita. They were about to accept defeat when they met with Sampathi who told them that he had seen Ravana carry Sita to Lanka. In order to get there, Hanuman must be able to cross the ocean. He became a giant (Mahendra mountain) and crossed the ocean in one stride.

8. Memento from Rama

Hanuman became super tiny in order as he continued his search for Sita. He finds Sita being guarded by demons. He then saves her and destroys Ravana’s capital to ashes.

9. Ravana in Council

Ravana’s capital is now rebuilt into the divine architect Maya. Ravana’s brother, Kumbakarna, first states that what Ravana has done was wrong. He then suggests that since Ravana has already gone too far past the point of return that he should just keep going till the end. Ravana’s youngest brother, Vibishana, urges his brother to stop the terrible path he is going down. He tells Ravana to release Sita but Ravana ignores his request. After multiple attempts to persuade Ravana to stop his tyranny, Ravana orders him to leave. Vibishana then heads to where Rama was residing.

10. Across the Ocean

Upon Vibishana’s arrival, everyone is hesitant on trusting him. Hanuman is the only one that believes that Vibishana is not evil.

Vibishana spoke to Rama and gave him insight on Ravana’s plans.

When Rama and his army tried to cross the ocean, they encountered the sea god. He refused to make a path for them but then Rama threatened to shoot his arrows at the sea which therefore led the sea god to surrender to him and help him build a bridge through the sea.

11. The Siege of Lanka
The battle started to take place between Ravana and Rama’s army. Ravana started to show signs of defeat. Rama then told him to go and come back with fresh weapons. Ravana then left to summon his brother, Kumbarkarna, from his deep sleep. Kumbarkarna almost defeated Rama’s army but in the end Rama was able to defeat him with his arrows. One of Ravana’s sons, Indrajit, disguised himself as Sita and tried to use her to his advantage as their weakness. He killed himself in front of them to cause them pain but in the end his plan did not succeed. Ravana was at his breaking point and was going to kill Sita to end it all but some of his people advised him not to.

12. Rama and Ravana in Battle

After suffering from so many losses, Ravana sought to fight the battle on his own. The gods believed that Rama would need all the help he could get so they sent him a chariot. Rama planned to beat Ravana by taking the battle slow and steady while Ravana, blinded by his anger, would become exhausted from moving too fast. Mahodara, one of Ravana’s assistants, tried to go full force on Rama but, in the end, failed. Ravana was now angrier than ever. Many things started to foreshadow Ravana’s defeat. The battle continued with what seemed like to no end. After so many of his weapons failing, Ravana decided to use the “Maya”, which was a weapon that created illusions and caused confusion. In the end, Rama was able to defeat Ravana by using the “Brahmasthra”. He pierced the heart of Ravana and finally ended the battle

Bibliography

Narayan's Ramayana. Link to reading Guide D. 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Section C.

(Vali Dying in the arms of Tara after his battle and encounter with Rama and Sugreeva. Image source:Wikipedia) 

6. Vali

Hanuman is the servant of Sugreeva who is the son of the sun god

Sugreeva’s Story

Vali is the older brother of Sugreeva. Vali became as strong as he is now from completing what seemed to be an impossible task. He turned a churner to obtain the nectar that gave the gods immortality. For this deed they rewarded him with the strength he has today. He also has the ability to obtain half of the strength of whomever he fought. I really like this aspect of his powers. It sounds like a good concept that I might include into my story for this week. There was this demon named Mayavi who was trapped in a cave with Vali. In order to trap the demon, Sugreeva blocked off the cave and that therefore caused Vali to feel vengeful against his brother. The difference in Rama and Lakshmana’s relationship and Sugreeva and Vali’s relationship is quite interesting.

Dundubi’s Story
He was a demon who took on the form of a buffalo. He wanted to fight forever so the gods Vishnu and Sheeva told him to go to Vali, for he was the only one that could meet his requests. They fought for one year until Vali killed Dundubi with his own horn. I like this concept of being killed by something that you have. It could also be translated into being killed due to the thing you hold most dearly whether it be an item or a person. Sugreeva informed Rama that he had seen Ravana with Sita. She had dropped her jewelry so that they could know which way Ravana had gone.

They decide to battle Vali to get rid of his evil. Lakshmana is hesitant to trust Sugreeva since he seemed to have no hesitation for killing his brother. Rama is empathetic to Sugreeva. Sugreeva and Vali started their battle. Sugreeva was about to be killed when Rama put an arrow through Vali. Vali was actually impressed by the fact that someone had managed to defeat him and looked at Rama in a bright light instead of the person who had just shot him. Vali is then confused as to why Rama had sought to kill him. In the end, Vali accepts that Rama had killed him for the right reasons. In the end, Vali wishes his brother a good and safe life. Although it is unfortunate that Vali had to die for this to happen, it is nice to see that he did not die while still having a hatred towards his brother

7. When the Rains Cease

Hanuman wants to serve Rama but Rama tells him to wait four months until the rainy season stops.

Sugreeva vows to never drink again after Lakshmana comes to ask of why he hasn’t sent an army to Rama yet in anger. Sugreeva failed to get the message because he was drunk which is why he vows to stop drinking.

Angada and Hanuman set out with search parties for Sita. Rama tells him that they will know it is Sita when they see her because she has ruby red toenails.

Bibliography

Narayan's Ramayana, Link to reading Guide C.

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Section B

(The Indian God, Ravana. Image Source)

Two Promises Revived

Due to the promise that Rama’s father made to one of his wives, Kaikeyi, long ago, Rama must go into exile for exactly 14 years in the forest. Sita and Lakshmana demonstrate their devotion and love for him by joining him. Bharatha strongly opposes the actions of his mother and wants nothing to do with them. He tries to follow Rama into exile but is told to rule until his return.

Encounters in Exile
Rama’s main goal for the time that he is in exile will be to wipe out the asura class. The sister of Thakata, Soorpanaka, has appeared and has unsuccessfully tried to court Rama. Angered, she gets Kara, her stepbrother, to lead a fourteen man squad of asuras to attack Rama. They failed.

The Grand Tormentor
Ravana, Soorpanaka’s brother, falls in love with Sita while hearing about her through Soorpanaka’s recount of what had happened. He tries to banish all the seasons because he was annoyed of the fact that he wasn’t able to see his love Sita. He also began to mix night and day. Ravana then seeks his uncle, Mareecha, in hopes that he will help him find his love. Mareecha would rather be killed by Rama than by his own nephew. They make a plan to capture her. Mareecha would become a golden deer that would be used as a distraction to lure out Sita and then Ravana would do the rest. Lakshmana guards Sita but a call from what seemed to be Rama but was actually Mareecha causes him to leave Sita’s side. Ravana captures Sita but is stopped by Jatayu, who gets his wings cut off and his throat slit by the “Chandrahasa” (the special sword).

Bibliography

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide B. 

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part A

Thakata’s Story: I enjoyed this part of the book as well since it dealt with demons. I started being interested in demons while watching my favorite show, Supernatural (10/10 would recommend). Back to the point, I found it interesting the way that the book incorporated the story behind how Thakata became well, Thakata. It goes along the lines of “do harm, and harm will come to you”. 

(The fight between the demon Thakata and Rama, Image Source)

Mahabali’s Story: This story intrigued me a lot. I loved how it took an interesting turn when Viswamithra transformed from a tiny dwarf to an almighty being. I really like how the story incorporated a modern-day saying of “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

Ahayla’s Story: This story was a mix between humor and despair. I really enjoyed the punishment of being covered with the female organ (as sadistic as that sounds). I would love to try and incorporate a humorous feel into my story. On the other hand, this story also offers a sad side to it as well. It speaks of the sin of cheating and its consequences which is still and ongoing problem in today’s society.

The Wedding/ Two Promises Revived: Rama has now been able to successfully accomplish the “impossible” task set by Sita’s father. Now that they are nearing the wedding day, there is a lot of pressure going around. Rama’s mentor, Dasharatha, becomes aware that he is aging and not like he used to be. Due to that he decides to make Rama his successor. He also tries to make sure that everything about Rama and Sita’s wedding goes smoothly. I enjoy reading about the care and affection he has for Rama (I will definitely try to emphasize relationship that in my storytelling).

So far, I have really enjoyed how the book is set up. It was a very easy and pleasant read. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A