Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Vishnu, Part B

This is part B of the "Seven Secrets of Vishnu."

Matsya's Secret: Only humans can empathize and exploit.

The sacred mark of Vishnu is always on the forehead to represent the difference between humans and animals, the brain.  The larger brain is the spiritual manifestation of reality.  Only the fit can survive, physically and intellectually.  One fans for oneself.  Animals do not judge.  Man interferes with nature and this is because of empathy.  This allows to create society where there are no jungle rules.  The strong protect the weak instead of attacking them.  We become human when we rise above jungle law.  Society is a place where some are more safe than others.  Some are favored.  Often, the needs of culture are put above the needs of nature.  Eventually, nature will fight back.

Matsya (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:

"Seven Secrets of Vishnu" by Devdutt Pattanaik. Link.

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Vishnu, Part A

For my reading options this week, I chose "Pattanaik's Seven Secrets of Vishnu" because I haven't really utilized many video options yet!

Mohini's Secret - Spiritual growth need not exclude material growth

Mohini is the female form of Vishnu.  She was able to seduce sages and demons.  Vishnu is usually viewed as male.  In metaphysics, there are two realities, material and spiritual.  Material reality can be perceived through the senses and is represented by female form.  But spiritual reality cannot be and is represented through male form.  Mohini is female in form but male in essence.  She is spiritual reality wrapped in material reality. Realities are interdependent.  This is compared to a human couple or Lakshmi and Vishnu.  Lakshmi and Vishnu cannot exist without each other.

 

Mohini (Wikimedia Commons) 

Bibliography:

"Seven Secrets of Vishnu" by Devdutt Pattanaik. Link.

Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Reading Guide

I decided to do extra reading for some extra credit this week.  I chose to read this reading guide for Mahabharata and I really enjoyed it.  It gave such a nice summary and it was also in the form of a really cool comic!

I starts with the rivalry of the the Pandavas and Kauravas.  It then goes into the years the Pandavas have to spend in exile.  The next portion of the comic has to do with the Great War and ends with Yudhishthira being crowned as king.

 

The Comic! (blogspot)

Bibliography:
"Guide: Mahabharata" by Laura Gibbs. Link.

Reading Notes: Rama and the Monkeys, Part B

These are my reading notes on the second part of "Rama and the Monkeys."

This began with "The Council of the Evil Beings."  Lanka was completely ruined and Ravana was furious.  He wanted revenge.  He gathered his "Evil Beings" and they talked of Hanuman never escaping should he return to their city.  They schemed of getting rid of all the monkey tribes and Rama.  They talked like it would be no big deal to them at all.  They gathered their weapons and starting boasting incessantly. Ravana's younger brother quieted them, telling them that they must be wise.  He claimed that Rama and Hanuman might not be so easy to conquer and that they should think about sending Sita back.

 

Ravana's younger brother (Wikimedia Commons)

 

Bibliography:
"Rama and the Monkeys" by Geraldine Hodgson. Link.

Reading Notes: Rama and the Monkeys, Part A

I have chosen this for one of my "free readings" because I have really taken a liking to these stories modified for children.

 I really like Chapter 1.  It explained the birth of Rama and the creation of the monkeys.  I especially liked where it was explaining the power of the monkeys.  They could basically do whatever they wanted.  They could tear up trees and break the earth by kicking.  They were even more powerful than the great elephants.  It went on to talk about the greatest of the monkeys, Vali.  It was important that he even was recognized by a name.  There were so many that it was hard to keep up.  It then recognized Sugriva, Agni, Nala, and Nila.  Lastly, the great Hanuman was introduced.  These monkeys were leaders and eventually would help Rama in his great battle. 

While I did enjoy reading this, I question how easy it might be for children to read.  It almost seemed a little too advanced for children, at least children that a re very young.

 

An interesting picture I found of Hanuman (Wikipedia)

Bibliography:
"Rama and the Monkeys" by Geraldine Hodgson. Link.

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales, Part B

These are my reading notes for Part B of "Twenty Jataka Tales." My favorite store was "The Goblin Town."  A great ship crashed onto a beautiful island.  Women came to them, saying that their men had left on a ship long ago and have never returned.  They offered to care for these new travelers.  They charmed the men for a very long time.  One night, a man woke up to strange voices.  He got up and looked around to see that the women had turned to goblins in the night.  He had to tell his fellow travelers immediately. Only some believed him and agreed to escape.  But they were bound by magic chains.  A white horse came down from the sky and saved those that wanted to escape.  Those who did not believe that this was a goblin town stayed.

The White Horse (Pixabay)

Bibliography:

"Twenty Jakata Tales" by Noor Inayat Khan. Link.

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales, Part A

I chose to read "Twenty Jataka Tales" which is another book retold for children.  I read one of these books last week and really enjoyed it so I decided to do it again!

I liked the story of "The Guilty Dogs."  The palace dogs had chewed up the the straps of the king's chariot and the king ordered every dog in the city to be killed.  But the chief of all the dogs would not let this happen to the innocent.  He was so full of love that the guards did not touch him.  He went to speak to the king and prove that the city dogs were innocent.  The king believed him and promised food and care to the city dogs for the rest of their lives.  I probably would like to retell a story like this because it is about dogs and I love dogs!

A Sweet Dog (Max Pixel)

Bibliography:

"Twenty Jakata Tales" by Noor Inayat Khan. Link.

Reading Notes: Babbitt. Jataka Tales, Part B

These are my reading notes for Part B of The Jataka tales retold for children.

I thought the story, "The Elephant Girly-Face," was an interesting one.  A good and kind elephant named Girly-Face would never have hurt a fly.  But, one night he overheard some robbers saying that they must not be afraid to kill.  They will go into the house and kill anyone that awakens.  Girly-Face overheard this and thought it is how he should act.  So the next day he killed two of his keepers.  The king was surprised to hear this and decided the elephant had probably heard some bad talk.  So, the kind sent some men over to talk about how hurting and killing people is wrong.  Girly-Face overheard this and decided it is how he must act again.

I also liked, "The Ox Who Never Envied the Pig."  There were two brother oxes.  The younger brother noticed how a pig had been eating a lot of really good food lately.  HE complained to his older brother that it is unfair that the pig gets to eat all that and he and his brother do all the work while only eating straw and grass.  The older brother told him not to be jealous and that the big was being fattened to be slaughtered.  Sure enough the pig was killed to be eaten and the younger brother was suddenly happy to be working hard and eating his boring food!

"Girly-Face" (Max Pixel)

 
Bibliography:
Jataka Tales by Ellen Babbitt. Link.

Reading Notes: Babbitt. Jataka Tales. Part A

For my reading this week, I chose to read "Jataka Tales" by Babbitt.

I especially liked the story of "How the Turtle Save his own Life."  Basically, the children though the turtle was a demon and it was to be killed.  After several gruesome options, someone offered the idea of throwing it into the lake.  The turtle responded with extreme fear to this and was able to trick the men into actually choosing that as his "punishment."

I also liked "The Ox Who Won The Forfeit."  The ox was very strong and the man wanted to show him off and win some money.  The ox was to pull a hundred wagons.  But when he made the bet, he whipped his ox and called him names so the ox did not budge.  When they got home, the ox explained that the owner had never treated him like that before.  The owner apologized deeply.  The ox agreed to go back the next day to win his money back and then some.  They went and the owner praised the ox as he pulled the wagons.  The owner and the ox went home happy.

 Strong Ox (Wikipedia)

Bibliography:
Jataka Tales by Ellen Babbitt. Link.

Reading Notes: Shri Krishna of Dwarka, Part A

For my reading this week, I decided to read "Overview: Kincaid. Shri Krishna of Dwarka." I decided to read this because it was fast-paced and I enjoyed the set up of it.

The first half I read was about Krishna's childhood adventures.  The birth story was interesting because Krishna was born out of Vishnu's black hair.  Krishna was very special and powerful from the very beginning.  The story about Putana was very disturbing to me.  She breastfed babies with poison milk and any child that was fed by her died.  But she stood no chance against Krishna, who literally sucked the life out of her!  It was funny to read about how naughty Krishna was as a child.  He even had to help his mother punish him. I then read through the boyhood and youth of Krishna.  I especially liked reading through the miracle at Mount Govardhan.  As he got older, Krishna would eventually defeat King Kansa, which was the main reason he was born.  He would then go on to found the city of Dwarka and marry Raivata.

Krishna (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:

"Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories" by C.A. Kincaid. Link.

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

 That last part of Mahabharata was Amba seeking her revenge on Bhishma.  I really liked this story and all the details.  This might be one that I recreate myself.  Bhishma is defeated and Drona takes over.  He wants Yudhishthira prisoner but Arjuna promises to defend his brother.  There is a battle in which many die and Abhimanyu is one of them.  This is very hard for Arjuna so he decides to take revenge.  Bhima also loses his son.  I really enjoyed the episode where the Pandavas take down Drona.  I liked all the elements of trickery and might recreate this later in the week.  There is a lot of revenge in this last part.  Bhimas seeks revenge against Duhshana for how he treated Draupadi. Arjuna's and Karna's confrontation will be the high point of this battle, but it is not the end.  Ashwatthaman is very upset about the death of Drona so he seeks revenge on the Pandavas, planning to kill them in their sleep.

Drona (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:

"Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition" by Laura Gibbs. Link.

Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Part C

These are my reading notes for Part C of Mahabharata.

It starts off the the exile of the Pandavas.  Draupadi and Bhima are very upset and want revenge on Duryodhana.  They accuse Yudhishthira of being weak because he thinks they should not act on their emotions.  Arjuna goes out on an adventure to gather weapons for when their exile is over and the Pandavas must face Duryodhana.  After some time, the Pandavas traveled to the Himalayas and eventually were reunited with Arjuna.  Hanuman was eventually brought into the story and I really enjoyed that because I remembered reading of him in Ramayana.  I really enjoyed the story where Duryodhana was humiliated and I can see myself retelling that.  I also can see myself retelling when Draupadi is taken.  It reminded me of Ramayana when Sita was taken!

The Pandavas (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:

"Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition" by Laura Gibbs. Link.

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part A

I chose to read The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould this week.  Something about it just caught my attention!  Around page 8, I liked the description of Videha and of the boys walking through the town.  It was like the brothers were celebrities!  When Rama had to bend the bow of Shiva, I had a couple ideas run through my head for potential story topics.  I thought that I could come up with a different way in which Rama had to win Sita's heart.  I also thought the wedding scene around page 16 was beautiful so I also thought of that as something I might like to recreate.  I really did enjoy this version of the story so far.  I thought it was very well written.  I also appreciated the detailed reading guide.

 The Divine Archer (Blogspot)

Bibliography:
The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould. Link to the reading online.

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part D

The Bridge
In this story Nala, an artisan, constructed a bridge for Rama to cross over into Lanka.  This is obviously a really significant moment because without the bridge, Rama might not have been able to cross over.  I think I could recreate this in a different way, incorporating a new way in which the bridge came about.

Kumbhakarna 

In a way, I thought this story was kind of funny.  All Kumbhakarna wants to do is eat and sleep. I can definitely relate.  I think it would be fun to do a modern-day spin off this episode.  It seems like it could be a fun time!

Sita and Rama

I was very surprised by this episode.  I think anyone would guess that Rama and Sita's first meeting after such a long battle would be nothing short of amazing.  But, that is not exactly what happened.  I must say that I am not really pleased with how the meeting went.  I would have been so happy to finally see my significant other after such a challenging period of time.

Rama and Sita meet again (Blogspot)

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. Indian Epics: Images and PDE Epics. Link

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part C

Sugriva and Hanuman 

This was a very happy story to me.  Rama and Hanuman have both gone through many difficult times.  Finally they can come together and hopefully help each other out.  I am excited to hear more about their story later on.  Added bonus that Hanuman is a really cool monkey!

Vali's Death

I was reading about how this story is very controversial in the way that Rama killed Vali.  I think it would be interesting to rewrite it in a way that perhaps would be more honorable for Rama.  But, at the same time, controversy can be very interesting! 

Vibhishana

In this, the younger brother of Ravana urges him to return Sita. I really like this because it shows that anyone can turn and do the right thing.  Vibhishana eventually turns away to ally with Rama and I worry that this puts him in danger! But it also seems very respectable.

 

Vibhishana and Rama (Blogspot) 

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. Indian Epics: Images and PDE Epics. Link

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B

Rama and Bharata
This story was interesting because everyone just seemed so stubborn! It was also nice that the two brothers were once again reunited.  I can see myself taking a more satirical spin on this story.  Both brothers are fighting about who gets to live in the jungle for 14 years!

Anasuya
I really liked this.  I liked the how it rhymed and how it was set up.  It was a very sweet story that I can respect.  Sita told of sorrow and happiness.  I loved how much Anasuya appreciated this story and I loved all the small details.

Viradha
This was definitely a different kind of story.  I thought it was very neat.  There for a while, I was scared that Rama might not be able to defeat the beast! But I enjoyed how the story somewhat ended nicely for everybody involved.  That does not usually happen in battles!

Poor Viradha? (Blogspot)

Bibliography: Gibbs, Laura. Indian Epics: Images and PDE Epics. Link.

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part A

I read the PDE version of Ramayana.  While I enjoyed listening to all the stories, I can see myself writing about one of the following later on this week.

Dasharatha's Sons: I didn't like the gruesomeness of the horse sacrifice so I would maybe want to change that.  Things can be sacred without being gruesome!

Thataka: This was Rama's first battle.  Thataka was misshapen and horrible.  I think I might want to make her beautiful so that it is harder for Rama to want to hurt her.  I also would maybe go more in detail about the celestial weapons he received.

Sita: I liked this story because it was very much "love at first sight."  I enjoyed all of the descriptive details.  I can see myself writing a story based off of this one.

Rama Wins Sita: I liked this story because of Rama having to win over Sita from the numerous other suitors from far and wide.  I can see myself turning this into a more modern version of "the boy wins the girl."  I think I am noticing a theme in liking stories about Rama and Sita.

 

 

Breaking the Bow of Shiva (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:

Gibbs, Laura. Indian Epics: Images and PDE Epics. Link

Reading Notes: Turtles and Goblins

All of these stories were different and interesting to me. I especially liked the one called, Two Turtle Jatakas.  I think it was people can relate to it in a since.  Just because we are smart in one situation, does not mean we are smart in all.  And, just because we make one wrong decision, does not mean we ALWAYS make the wrong decision.  I also liked the story called, Goblin City.  Honestly, this one was just weird.  But it was something that I could see myself recreating so that there is a happier ending for everyone.  I look forward to putting my own spin on some stories.

Goblin cartoon (SketchPort)

Reading Options

I'll be honest...this was initially a little overwhelming! I did get a little confused because there were so many links to so many different things.  After browsing for a little while, I definitely found some things that interested me.  For Weeks 3-4, I will probably choose the PDE Ramayana.  Obviously the first reason I chose this was because it is free online, which makes my life a lot easier, but it also has an audio version which is nice!  Aside from practicality, I did like the different styles and all of the illustrations.  I look forward to diving into that more.  For Week 5, I'm thinking I will probably choose the online film option, Sita Sings the Blues. This is a little different from just reading a long story and sometimes I like to just sit back and watch!  Lastly, my choose in Week 6 will likely be the PDE Mahabharata.  I chose this for the exact same reasons I chose the PDE version in Weeks 3-4.  It's easier and more appealing to me!

Hanuman, Rama, and Lakshmana (Blogspot)