Course Improvements

Personally, I like the way the course is set up and there isn't much at all that I would change about it. Some of my favorite aspects of the course are: the grace period, the extra credit, and last but not least, the stories that we have to write. For someone who does feels the most motivated to do homework late at night/early morning, I really appreciate the grace period. I definitely overuse it but it has helped me to turn in so many more assignments than I would have if I didn't have that option. As for some feedback on the idea of changing the review weeks to planning weeks, I personally would not agree to it. Not that it isn't a good idea, it's just I rarely stick to any long term plans that I try to make so I don't feel like that option would really work for me but that's just how I am. For others, it could be of great help to them so what I would suggest is giving people the option to do either/or. This way people who prefer one method over the other can choose to do so without being forced to do either one of them.

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.

Portfolio Introduction

The Demon Within the Forest

(Soorpanaka on the ground in pain after her nose was cut off by Lakshmana. Rama and Sita are standing behind him. Image source: Wikipedia.)

 Link to "The Demon Within the Forest" Story

The mother of Rama, Kaikeyi, wants her biological son, Bharata, to become the heir to the throne. She therefore orders Rama, her other son, to be exiled to the forest. The story follows the journey of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana as they encounter numerous obstacles during Rama's exile. They come to encounter the evil demon, Soorpanaka, who brings danger upon them. Will Rama be able to defeat Soorpanaka and save his family? Read to find out!

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Redemption's the Winner 

(Ravana and Rama battling)

Link to "Redemption's the Winner" Story.

Infuriated, Rama wages a battle with Ravana to save his beloved wife. What will happen when Rama decides to unleash the Maya weapon? Will it be enough for him to save his wife? Or will he leave this battle empty-handed? Read to find out!

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The Reconciliation

 (A figure representing Pandu)

Link to "The Reconciliation" Story

Cursed, King Pandu relives his death over and over again. Will King Pandu be able to break this wretched curse? Or will he be doomed to die in the arms of his wife for eternity? Read to find out!

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How the Mind Kills

(Krishna killing Kamsa)

Link to "How the Mind Kills" Story

After finding out that one of the sons of his sister, Devaki, would one day kill him, Kamsa makes it his mission to stop this horrible fate. Will he be able to maintain his position on the throne? Or will he be doomed to meet this horrible fate? Read to find out!

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The Journey of Mohini

(Mohini)

Link to "The Journey of Mohini" Story

Mohini just can't seem to find her purpose in life. Was she born to just exist? Or is there something bigger in store for her? Read to find out!

The Journey of Mohini

(Mohini)

Mohini never felt like she belonged anywhere. She was adopted when she was a baby so she never got to know her birth parents. In school, Mohini didn’t have any friends. Many would make fun of her due to her being different. See, Mohini somehow always had the ability to attract bugs. Sounds weird right? Well, due to her strange ability, many would avoid even sitting near Mohini. She grew up with only a little bit of love, which was given to her by her adoptive parents. Although Mohini loved her parents dearly, she wanted to experience friendship. She wanted to be normal.

Mohini lived in such a small village that everyone basically knew each other. Her parents worked in the fields, tending to the land of a farmer who supplied a variety of crops a to big company. Their family made just enough money to get by. Their family resided in a small house made of wood. The house itself was old with some of the wood splitting and the tin roof starting to rust but the interior made it feel brand new. Inside the home was where Mohini lived her best memories. Since she never had any friends, Mohini spent most of her time with her family. She loved watching her mother cook and her father working on different chores in the house. This was before they started to work in the fields. Mohini’s parents wanted her to go to a good school so they had to start working in order to pay for it. That’s when Mohini began to feel more and more alone. She had always felt that a part of her was missing but she didn’t know what.

This year, many of the people who worked in the fields were getting laid off. Mohini’s village had been suffering a terrible drought and the since the crops were dying, the farmer wasn’t able to pay some of his workers so he had to let them go, Mohini’s parents included.

Every day, many of the villagers would gather to the center of the village to pray to the Gods. They prayed for an end to this terrible drought. Then one day, an old sage came.

“You need not worry! For the God, Vishnu, will be the one to stop this terrible curse! Legend says that Vishnu will one day come when there is a terrible drought and I believe that that time has finally come. We need not lose hope.”

Everyone thought that the sage was crazy. However, they did not want to lose hope as the sage had said in the case that Vishnu would actually come. They quickly began to prepare offerings to the God. Many brought fruits while other hunted animals. They earnestly waited the arrival of their savior.

At first, Mohini was happy that her parents no longer had a job. Now, she could once again spend time with them. However, her parents were deeply saddened by the whole ordeal. One day, when Mohini was on her way to the bathroom, she overheard her mom crying. This was the first time she had seen her mom sad. She didn’t know what to do so she ran out of the house. She ran all the way to the village. There, she saw the offerings that the villagers had prepared for Vishnu and it made her angry.

“Why aren’t you here? Why haven’t you saved us from this horrible drought?”

Mohini began to cry. She cried and cried. Then, as Mohini's tears hit the ground a single drop of rain hit her cheek. She looked up and suddenly, it began to pour. Everyone gathered to the center of the village and rejoiced. Then they began to look for Vishnu, who the sage had said would be the one to bring the rain. Suddenly, a bright light appeared and Vishnu now stood where Mohini had. The people gasped in shock of the sight they had witnessed.

“Hello, everyone. As you may have noticed, I am Vishnu. I have been asleep for centuries, waiting for the day that I would be needed. Your cries of help have awakened me.”

“Wait, so are you Mohini?” asked a villager.

“Mohini and I are one. She is me and I am her.”

So that’s how Mohini found the missing piece in her life. She had always gone about wondering what her purpose was. She always felt out of place, but not anymore. Mohini was the female form of Vishnu. With this newfound knowledge, Mohini lived her life helping others. She would become the light that would guide people. She would be the hand that reached out to those in need. She became the person who they needed when times were rough. Lastly, she would finally become the person she had always wanted to be for herself.


Author's Note:

For last week’s reading, I read about Mohini. She is known as the female form of Vishnu. In history, Mohini is known as a goddess that enchants lovers which ultimately leads to their doom. In my story, I wanted to portray her in a different light. I made it to where she didn’t know that she was the female version of Vishnu in order to create a story that would explain to the audience how she came to find out she was. She finds out who she was after it was her tears that caused the rain to finally pour. My story portrays the journey of a girl who was once lost but has now found her true calling in life. I chose this topic because it is one that can be applied to all aspects of life no matter the time we live in. Since I did not base my story off of another story, but off of the fact that Mohini was known as the female form of Vishnu, I don’t have much to explain in my author’s note. I just wanted to try and write a more modern story while still applying original Hindu teachings that were well known. I would still like to expand more on different parts of the story. I hope you will enjoy!

Bibliography

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

Wikipedia: Mohini. 

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.

Wikipedia Trail: From Mohini to the Peripheral Nervous System.

(Mohini)

First, I started with Mohini. From there, I found that in the Mahabharata, Mohini appears in the form of Vishnu in order to take back the pot of Amrita from the asuras. Then from there, I found that remedies against leprosy can be found in plants that asuris have projected their powers into. Lastly from there, I found that leprosy is primarily a disease of the peripheral nervous system.

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.