Week 7 Story: The Surprise Adoption

It was one of those warm evenings, where the weather was just right, all your favorite people were there, and you wish it would last forever. Except it really wasn't. It was pouring outside, and below freezing. The eldest son was complaining about not being able to go to a party, and work was really starting to stress out Brian out. But it was warm to him.

Oh, Bryan? He's a single father. Wife left him years ago with Roku, now almost twenty years old and still acting twelve. There he was again, complaining and complaining about how the weather shouldn't stop him from going to a party that was "inside, anyways." Roku didn't realize how much he was loved by his father, but it was probably because he did stuff like this.

The argument was disrupted by a deafening knock at the door. Who could be arriving at this hour, in this weather? He certainly didn't order take-out.

Brian went to go check, as Roku was still fixated on convincing his father to let him go to the party. He creaked the door open, but no one was there; then - he looked down. Five babies organized beautifully into a large basket with blankets enveloping them. He didn't have just one child anymore, he had six.

Let's fast forward a little bit, shall we?

Besides the surprise, confusion, and worry about what to do, Brian was actually content about the situation. He always wanted to add to his already minuscule family, and this was just bestowed upon him. Was his prayer heard? Over time he raised the kids on his own. He never had thought to figure out who dropped them off, because he had yearned for more company; and to raise a set of five as his own? This was a dream come true. He educated the children himself, was the best caretaker he could be, and they reciprocated this in the years to come. They grew older and older, completing high school just nearly. They loved him, and he loved them even more.

And they lived happily ever after.

Haha - no, not really, they didn't.

You see, Roku still exists, unfortunately. And he wasn't happy. To be the only child turned to one of six isn't a pleasant feeling. Sure, he was given more freedom as his father was busy all the time, but he didn't want that. He wanted his attention, his love; the freedom he was getting wasn't filling this hole. So he did the obvious - he got jealous.

He wanted to send a message that he had been waiting to send for the last couple decades after being essentially abandoned by his father. He was going to get back at them.

He had a "master" plan. He had already thought things through. Weed in the bag of the youngest son's, a weapon in the middle child's, death threats signed by the oldest son's, a "running away" letter from the youngest and oldest daughters. He wanted to get back at them, so he was going to frame them. He was shaking with joy after he completed his tasks.

It was one of those warm evenings, where the weather was just right, all five of your favorites were there, and you wish you it could last forever. And it really was. The sun was shining, all five of his "pupils" as he loved to joke with them, were there, a day before high school graduation.

The chatter was disrupted by an authoritative knock at the door. Brian got up and was met with several police officers; a warrant was shoved in his face and three proceeded in with handcuffs.

Crying, screaming, thrashing didn't help. The law was the law, and although innocent until proven guilty, for now, they were guilty just as much as they were innocent. All were in tears, except Roku. He giggled just far back enough where nobody noticed. He was so used to being not noticed anyways, right? Well not anymore. He got his father back, and this time for sure.


____________
Author's Note
_____________


I based this story off of Mahabharata when Dhritarashtra raised five sons on his own and trained them as his pupils. In this story, as well, his eldest son became extremely jealous at the fact, and challenged them in many ways. I wanted to take a similar method of telling this story, and did so by telling it this way.

Based on:

Bibliography:
Link

It was one of those warm days

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part D

Amba and her vow to seek revenge happens, which brings about Bhishma's death in her next life

After Bhishma's fall, Drona takes command of Duryodhana's armies. and he vows to make Yudhishthira his prisoner, and Arjuna vows to defend his brother even at the cost of his own life.

 Many warriors fall in the battle, but one of the most dramatic scenes is the fall of Abhimanyu, trapped alone behind the enemy lines. As you can imagine, the news of his son's death will be a bitter blow for Arjuna, and, with Krishna's help, he will seek revenge.

After Arjuna's loses his son Abhimanyu, Bhima will be next, losing his rakshasa son, the mighty warrior Ghatotkacha.

One of the great moral crises of the Battle of Kurukshetra has to do with the death of Drona: the Pandavas resort to trickery in order to bring about their old guru's demise.

After the fall of Drona, Karna at last takes command of Duryodhana's armies. It is also time for one of the most terrible oaths sworn by the Pandavas to come true: Bhima will secure his revenge for Duhshana's treatment of Draupadi all those years ago at the gambling match in Hastinapura.

Just as the confrontation between Achilles and Hector is the dramatic climax of the Trojan War. The confrontation of Arjuna and Karna the dramatic climax of the Battle of Kurukshetra

Karna is dead, but Duryodhana is still alive, and he has used his supernatural powers to take refuge beneath the waters of a lake.

Ashwatthaman, seeking vengeance for the death of Drona, will seek to kill the Pandavas while they sleep.

The consequences of Ashwatthaman's night raid on the Pandava camp, including the strange story of the gem in his forehead, a supernatural amulet which he was born with and which protected him all his life from hunger, thirst, poison, the attack of wild animals, and much more.

Bhishma fell in battle, but he had the gift of choosing the moment of his own death. He is waiting for the solstice, and before he dies he will instruct the survivors of the battle on how to rule the world that has survived.

Brief summary of the miraculous birth of Parikshit; Sunity Devee's account of Parikshit's mother Uttara and how she mourned her dead husband, Abhimanyu, Parikshit's father

Yudhishthira to claim imperial kingship by means of this ritual.

After the wanderings of the horse are over, it is time for the ritual itself, and Yudhishthira will now become sovereign king.

Vyasa will conjure up the ghosts of the dead warriors.

Krishna dies, persaged by his omens.

Now that Krishna is dead, the Pandavas and Drauapdi decide to end their time on the earth, leaving the kingdom in the hands of Parikshit, Arjuna's grandson.

In the end, the epic focuses on Yudhishthira and the final test he must face.


Bibliography:
Link

Mahabharata

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part C

Like Rama, the Pandavas will now enter into a long period of exile in the forest and, again like Rama, during their exile they will encounter many sages who live in the wilderness, hearing stories and learning from them.

You won't be surprised that Krishna pays a visit to the Pandavas in exile. Despite his encouraging words, Draupadi is dismayed and rebukes Yudhishthira harshly, as does Bhima.

Arjuna, meanwhile, goes on another series of solo adventures. The first time he went out on his own was because of the exile imposed when he violated Draupadi's private time with Yudhishthira; this time, he will go out on his own to acquire the weapons the Pandavas will need at the end of their exile when they will, once again, have to face the jealous Duryodhana and his brothers. Arjuna is the son of the god Indra, but the god Shiva will also play a very important role in his life

Remember that Indra is Arjuna's father? In this next adventure, Arjuna will go to Swarga, Indra's heavenly abode, and there he will meet Urvashi. The consequences of this encounter will affect his life profoundly in the future!

With this episode, you will now return to Draupadi and the four Pandava brothers in exile who now embark on a journey to the Himalayas. They miss Arjuna and, finally, he rejoins them.

You might remember that at the end of the Ramayana, Hanuman remained on earth and was to remain on earth for as long as Rama's story was told... which means he is still here with us now! He was also on earth at the time of the events of the Mahabharata, and in this episode you will see his encounter with Bhima, who is Hanuman's half-brother: they are both sons of Vayu, the wind god.


Duryodhana's jealousy has not abated, and in this episode he will be humiliated in front of the Pandavas once again. Karna continues to be loyal to Duryodhana, and he now vows that he will kill Arjuna in the battle that will follow the end of the Pandavas' exile.


When Karna was born, his body was clad in golden armor and he had earrings that were a token of invincibility. Indra, Arjuna's father, is anxious to protect him from Karna, so Surya warns Karna that Indra will try to take his celestial armor and earrings. Indra does indeed manage to take these from Karna, but Karna will get something in return.

Life in exile is dangerous enough for kshatriyas, but of course it is far worse for a woman, especially a woman unguarded, as you saw in the Ramayana. Like Sita, Draupadi faces terrible danger in the forest.

As you may recall, the final year of the Pandavas' exile must be spent in hiding. The five brothers and Draupadi go to the court of King Virata, and they each enter into his service. Arjuna's disguise is one that fulfills the curse put upon him by Urvashi: he will become the eunuch Brihannala, a dancing teacher.

Remember when Draupadi was dragged into the assembly hall, and none of her husbands could intervene to help her? It will happen again now: the brother of Queen Sudeshna, Prince Kichaka, tries to rape Draupadi. and her husbands cannot even acknowledge her openly. In secret, though, Bhima defends Draupadi, and she will claim that the deed was done by her husband who is an immortal gandharva.

When Duryodhana and his allies attack King Virata and steal his cattle, the Pandavas will come to his defense — much to the surprise of the king and of his son, Prince Uttara. Be careful with the names here: Uttara ("Uttaruh") is the masculine form of the name, and Uttarā ("Uttarah") is the feminine form. Virata has a son name Uttara, and his daughter is named Uttarā.

Now that the Pandavas' exile is over, war with the Kauravas seems inevitable, especially after the terrible vows of vengeance sworn by the Pandava brothers. Krishna nevertheless attempts to avoid war and make peace between the factions

The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna is very intense, and that will become even more clear in this episode when, given a choice between Krishna alone and the whole army of Dwaraka, Arjuna is glad just to have Krishna by his side.

Krishna has acted as a peace broker before, and he will try once again. This time he will even manifest himself in his divine form as Vishnu, specifically, in the Vishvarupa, the All-Form. He will do the same again in an even more famous scene at the Battle of Kurukshetra, urging Arjuna to fight.

Karna's situation is both fascinating and tragic: as the war with the Pandavas draws near, he still does not know that they are his brothers. That, however, is about to change: Krishna reveals to Karna the secret of his birth and tells him to go to the Pandavas in peace, assuring him that they will not only accept him but regard him as their elder brother. 

The battle forces assemble, fighting either for Duryodhana and the Kauravas or for Yudhishthira and the Pandavas. You will see characters returning from earlier in the epic, such as Bhima's demon son Ghatotkacha (remember his marriage to Hidimbi in the forest, before he became Draupadi's husband?), and you will also meet new characters, such as Duryodhana's half-brother Yuyutsu, son of King Dhritarashtra and a woman belonging to the vaishya caste

The Bhagavad-Gita, or "Lord's Song," is the most famous part of the Mahabharata. When the battle is about to begin, Arjuna looks at the opposing side and sees his relatives and his gurus, and he despairs, but Krishna persuades him to fight. The reading here comes from the first two chapters of the Gita

 As the battle begins, Bhishma is the general of the Kaurava forces but, he does not feel the same loyalty to Duryodhana that Karna does, and he warns Duryodhana of the doom that awaits them.


Bibliography:
Link

The Lord's Song

Week 6 StoryLab: Language

I really enjoyed these spelling and grammar videos as it gave me a lot of insight to the language I am native in, as well as how it can be compared to my second language, Urdu, which I learned from my parents growing up. The videos gave you information on how to better your language and grammar. This was done by telling you what exactly, for example, a semicolon did, how it was used, and when it can be applied. The video also gave background as to how it was developed, which allowed for more insight as to why we use certain punctuation in the first place. I enjoyed the video on how languages evolved, as well. This helped me understand more about my native language, English, and made me curious as to how my home language became a part of the mix.

The video on why grammar matters was also informative on the topic of language. I always believed grammar was important, as it is, in general, the building blocks to getting your point across in any scenario. Whether you are writing a letter to a friend, E-mailing your professor about a question you had, or meeting someone for the first time, it is almost always your method of first-impression. The video reinforced my prior thoughts on grammar and language, and helped me realize even more what a powerful tool it all is. It was also interesting learning about how many verb tenses there are in English, and it also helped me understand how complex the English language is as a whole.

Link to the story lab playlist

Spelling and Grammar 

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part B

Vidura is the brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra and wiser than both. He was never able to become king because his mother was a servant. He is loyal to the sons of Pandu and a member of Dhritarasthra's court.

the Pandava brothers lived in the wilderness with their mother Kunti before she brought them to live in Hastinapura. Now they are living in the wilderness once again, and they will face many dangers while they living in hiding.

Unlike Shurpanakha's ill-conceived love for Rama in the Ramayana, the love affair between Bhima and the rakshasi Hidimbi is a happy one!

After defeating the rakshasa Hidimba, Bhima will now do battle with an asura: Baka, also known as Bakasura.

The Pandavas are living in hiding, disguised as brahmins, but news of Draupadi's swayamwara brings them out of hiding — although they remain in disguise. You will also get to read about Draupadi's supernatural birth in this segment, along with the supernatural birth of her brother Dhrishtadyumna.

You have seen some dramatic swayamwaras so far: Sita's swayamwara in the Ramayana, the swayamwara when Bhishma abducted the three brides earlier in the Mahabharata — and now the dramatic swayamwara of Draupadi.

Things will now take an unexpected turn: Arjuna won Draupadi as his bride at the swayamwara, but in obedience to their mother's accidental command, all five Pandavas will now become Draupadi's husbands. It is not uncommon for kings to have many wives in the epics, but for a woman to have five husbands at once is not something anyone would expect!

This story provides a more detailed account of Draupadi's previous lifetime as Nalayni, and the "karma" that results in her having five husbands. 

Finally, Yudhishthira becomes a king in his own right, building a great royal stronghold at Indraprastha on the river Yamuna

 As you can imagine, making a marriage work with five husbands and just one wife is complicated. Arjuna accidentally breaks the rules established for their living arrangements, and as a result he must leave for a period of individual exile, and during that exile, he has a series of extraordinary adventures! The encounter with the Naga princess Ulupi is one of the most famous of those adventures.

This wonderful episode of Arjuna's exile will probably remind you of a fairy. It comes from Kincaid's retelling of the Mahabharata which you might want to consider as a reading option later on; as you can see, he has a lively and vivid storytelling style.

The king is reluctant for Arjuna to marry his daughter because he needs her to have a son to carry on the royal succession. So, Arjuna and Chitra marry and have a son, but the son stays in Manipur and goes on to become king. There will be a dramatic encounter between Arjuna and his son when, many years later, Arjuna returns to Manipur.

Arjuna has a special connection to Krishna, and in this episode you will see how he comes to marry Subhadra, who is Krishna's sister.

This episode tells about a famous adventure that Arjuna and Krishna have together. The meeting with Maya, the divine architect of the gods, will prove to be a crucial event in the series of events (leading to catastrophe!) that will take place when Arjuna returns home to Indraprastha. About Maya: this is the masculine for of the name , as opposed to the feminine form, Mayā. The masculine Maya is an asura, sometimes called Mayasura, while the feminine Maya is the goddess of the illusion that we call reality.

Mayasura proves true to his promise and builds an amazing palace for the Pandavas, one which drive Duryodhana even more mad with jealousy.

It is now time for Yudhishthira to declare himself a supreme monarch by performing a Rajasuya sacrifice. This will require that he confront a rival king, Jarasandha, and it will also lead to a violent confrontation between Krishna and Shishupala, the King of Chedi.

The coming catastrophe now begins to take shape: just as a kshatriya (member of the royal warrior caste) cannot refuse a challenge to battle, he also cannot refuse a challenge to attend a gambling match.

Draupadi's fate is an essential part of the story here, and she protests eloquently and loudly about the events that have taken place in the gambling hall.

As the scene continues, Bhima in particular will swear some terrible oaths, and the rest of the epic will be driven by the cycle of revenge that has now been set into motion.

There will be a second match, and it will end almost as badly as the first match, with no reprieve. As bad omens occur, you will see people shouting "Swashti! Swasthi" which is indeed related to the word "swastika," an ancient symbol of good luck in India, later misappropriated by the Nazis.


Bibliography:
Link

Vidura is loyal to the sons of Pandu and a member of Dhritarasthra's court.

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part A

Explanation of how Vyasa becomes the dictator of the Mahabharata to the elephant-headed god Ganesha. The beginning plot for Vyasa's birth is laid out.

Devavrata is introduced, an important character; is also called Bhisma, son of King Shantanu and the goddess Ganga. He is a human being but possesses the powers of the eight gods known as Vasus. Satyavati is reintroduced. She is the new love interest of King Shantanu after his first wife Ganga had left him. The story also describes how King Shantanu's son, Ganga, got his nickname Brishma. It means terrible oath. It is because Devavrata takes a terrible oath so that King Shantanu can marry Satyavati.

Brishma takes the three daughters of Kashi to be brides of Shantanu and Satyavati. Brishma brings back three women to be the wives of Vichitravirya, but only two will become brides of his. Amba, the third woman, has a story of her own and will return later. Although having two wives, he could not have any children as he dies.

Pandu gets sons, even with a curse on him, and eventually dies. Dhritarashtra is introduces, as well as his sons. The dominant theme is set: Duryodhana, his oldest son, and the rivalry between the Pandavas and Kauravas, led by Duryodhana.

Kunti is described to raise the five sons of Pandu alone. She eventually brings them to Dhritarashtra, a blind king, and gives them a home and raises the sons.

Duryodhana is described to hate his cousins and attempts to kill Bhima, the second of Pandu's sons, and the strongest. Bhima goes down into the underworld king of the might serpents, nagas, and becomes supernaturally strong.

Drona is introduced, who is the guru to the young Pandavas and to the Kauravas, their cousins. The Pandavas are great students of Drona, and this makes Duryodhana, King Dhritarashtra's eldest son, jealous.

Ekalavya, an aboriginal boy wanting to be Drona's pupil is introduced. With Pandavas and Kauravas trained as warriors, they display their skills in a tournament. Bhrima engages in a mock fight with Duryodhana and it becomes very serious. Arjuna is also introduced as having the greatest skills of all the princes. As it seems he may win, Karna appears, the son of Kunti and the sun god, born when she was but a girl before marrying King Pandu. He was abandoned as a baby and was raised by a low-caste charioteer. Neither he nor Arjuna realize that they are brothers, son of Kunti.

After the princes have completed Drona's training, he demands the guru Dakshina a payment. He wants the boys to bring about his revenge against King Drupada, his childhood friend who had treated him so badly.

Pandava becomes more successful, and Duryodhana becomes more jealous. He decides he will get rid of Pandavas and Kunti once and for all.


Bibliography:
Link

The Royal Princes Trained Under Drona

Tech Tip: Text to Voice

I find this tech tip extremely, extremely useful! I just recently got a laptop, so I am lacking on these tools, and I feel as though this is very useful for assignments such as reading notes. I feel like I can take notes much more smoothly and efficiently with this method, and will use it in the future. I just started an audiobook, actually, "As Breath Becomes Air," so I hope to get more immersed into audiobooks in the future! I hope to also be able to use this tech tip more, as well! :)

Comment Wall

Comment Wall

Week 5 Story: Truth or Dare

There is posted version on my site!

Sometimes when you are in the moment, you just get too ahead of yourself. When there's something that you want right in front of you - so very close to you, everything becomes a blur and you do everything it takes to get it.

It all happened during Jessica's Halloween party, the party everyone looks forward to all year. Super sweet girl, and also very rich. She's got a four story mansion with several pools, maids, and everything she ever wants. Even chill parents, who are letting her throw this party while they go out to dinner.  My parents didn't know I was going, but it was okay, I had the watch to keep me safe.

The watch I mean is one my grandpa gave me; it had the ability to do lots of things actually, including read minds, go invisible, and even super strength. I could use it if necessary.

The party went as usual; people got drunk, people played some "pong," people went swimming, blah, blah. The friend group was getting bored of the usual so we thought of something else fun.

Josh, Jessica, Paul, Maria, and me decided it was time for some Truth or Dare. Maria ended up picking dare and kissed Paul, even though she has a boyfriend. Paul wussed out and picked true, and he quickly revealed that he had been cheating on all his exams this year. Josh took a dive into a pool after daring himself, and Jessica, being the daredevil she is, took a round at the beer keg.

It was my turn, and all eyes were on me. Wanting to impress the crowd, I went for dare; I guess they were running out of ideas, because they chose me for the beer keg, as Jessica had just finished.

"Come on! Don't be scared, you chose dare you HAVE to do it. It was tons of fun, too!" said Jessica, wiping the beer residue off her own lips, clearly very drunk.

I have never drank before. How would this affect me? I'm not even 21, this could be so bad for me.

I went for it anyway, and took the biggest swig of my life. How did it go? Terrible. I puked everywhere and passed out, to keep it short. Things only got worse, however. The cops showed up at the door, demanding to be let in; they had come back for the fourth time after telling everyone to keep it down, this was their limit. Too dazed to use my watch for safety, I just let everything overwhelm me. This was the end.

Everyone scurried like cockroaches, as I was still too dazed to get up. This was it for me, I was underage drinking, my parents thought I was at a friend's house studying, and I was not feeling so good. I was going to get caught. Suddenly, Jessica came to the rescue; I tried to make out as much as I could, but all I remember is her, very tired herself, carrying me over a fence and taking me to her car where she kept me hidden and safe.

After I got to my senses, I thanked her again, and again.

"It's no big deal, a friend is a friend," she said.

I told her I owed her ANYTHING, anything at all. Whatever she wanted, she can have. I said this because I knew she already had everything, there wasn't anything she could possibly want, right?

"Okay. I want your watch," she quickly replied. I told her I couldn't give it to her, it was special to me.

"You said anything! You're not a liar are you? Not after I just saved your butt?" She angrily replied.

She was never like this. She was clearly very drunk, but I had to give her what I promised. I had to fulfill it. So I handed it over. It was clearly a stupid mistake, but we were both drunk and I suppose I forgot not only the power value, but the generational value of it, as it was in my family for decades.

And that's all I can remember. I'm laying in my bed wondering how the hell I managed myself to do that last night. Now, I need to get that watch back. But how?


--- Author's Note ---

I took my own story from the beginning story of Rama, where Rama's mother and taken care of Dasharatha one day and he, in return, said he would do anything she wanted after she had taken care of him while he was very ill. She requested that Rama be sent to exile for 14 years, and this was all just before he was going to get crowned as king. but in order to fulfill his promise on doing anything. This caused Rama to be exiled, all because Dasharatha had promised something and fulfilled it. I took a more modern approach to my rendition, and wanted it to make it more daring.

Everyone was having fun at Jessica's party

Story based on an online story of Rama: Sita Singles the Blues

More Ramayana Reading Notes: Online Film

Sita Sings the Blues

Couple is sleeping, while a cat hops around looking for food in the kitchen. It wakes up the couple until the wife feeds him, and the husband welcomes him back into bed lovingly. They fall asleep. The next day they are relaxing in the living room, and the husband gets a job in India.

Narrators appear, who are Indian characters who are confused about how dating works. They seem to be important religious figures. Background about some religious figures are given. A lineage between them is also established. Rama was about to be crowned and Kaikeyt took care of Dashratha while he had been sick. This caused Dashratha to give her any wish she desired, and she chose to have Rama exiled for 14 years. This lines up with the story of Rama (obviously, as it is)

He fulfills her wish, and exiles Rama. He does this by saying there was a tradition where he needed to be exiled for him to receive the crown. He is banished to the jungle then. He sends him lovingly, however, and told him to be strong. The wife, however, had no remorse for it all, as she clearly wanted him to be gone. Dashratha mourns over this, as he stayed true to his wish to Kaikeyt. He eventually passes away. Stories are different however, as some stories of Rama say that Dashratha died from a heart attack after having to do this deed, while others mention that he died over time, or he died because he was already in poor health. This goes back once again to how these stories can different renditions.

It was also importantly mentioned that when Rama was exiled by his father, he obeyed his wish and did as his father told him to without questioning or complaining about it. This is highlighted by the narrators as a good sense of character.

0:00 - 11:00

Image

Bibliography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzTg7YXuy34
Question Copyright

Week 4 StoryLab: Crash Course Myth Videos

One of the video mentions how myths are generally very old and how they can be told in different versions. I personally like this idea about myths, as they can be retold different ways; these ways can be just simple syntax changes, overall plot differences, or character additions. If you were to have a favorite myth, or story, it would be nice to know there are different renditions you can choose your favorites from rather than just having one or two versions. Different versions does not equate to the myth being wrong, or a particular version being wrong, it just means there are different perspectives, or all of them have a piece of the picture as a whole. The video gives an example of the story of Zeus & Persephone; the versions are different for example in the scenario that Hades tricks her to eat pomegranate seeds in one version, whereas she wants to eat them herself in another version. These differences can be subtle differences as such, or change the plot as a whole.

I also enjoy how myths tell a tale of how the world works in modern times. Using the story of Persephone again, Hades had gotten Persephone to spend 6 months of her year ever year in the underworld. Since Demeter, her mother had influences on the climate due to her powers, whenever she leaves to spend the 6 months with Hades, she mourns for her, causing the season to change. Whenever she is available for the 6 months, Demeter is joyful, and the Spring and Summer seasons flourish at that time.

Overall, I enjoy learning about myths due to their variability and their overall nature; hearing different versions is always enjoyable and adds to the myth as a whole.

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part D

Hanuman jumps to Lanka using superpowers, but Rama as well as the army is left behind to get to Ravana's kingdom. Ravana holds the power of illusion - so he attempts to use them to cause Sita to despair when Rama advances on Lanka. Garuda, mount of the god Indra comes and heals the Rama's soldiers that were wounded previously by Indrajit by his weapon Nagapasha, a serpent-weapon. Garuda is also an enemy of the Nagas.

They come across Kumbhakarna, who needs to be awoken and have his appetite satisfied for him to join them, as he is a great warrior and a brother of Ravana. He is very, very large. Indrajit attacks again using Brahmastra. Ravana attempts to make Sita despair again by saying that Rama has died; also - Indrajit tries to make Rama despair by doing the same, which is making an illusion that Sita has died. Vibhishana takes him out of this illusion, and also tells him how they can ambush Indrajit.

Lakshmana eventually slays Indrajit, and Ravana wants revenge. He attempts to kill him, and is almost successful. The gods watch the battle, and Rama eventually gets aid by Indra as he is sent Matali, a charioteer on Indra's chariot. Agastya also comes, and gives Rama advice for the battle. Ravana eventually falls using the Brahma-weapon; the gods rejoice, as this was there plan. It gave reason for Vishnu's human incarnation.

Mandodari, Ravana's wife mourns when she finds of his death, and Vibhishana conducts his funeral. Sita's honor gets challenged - and she demands a test by fire, and she calls upon Agni, the fire-god to showcase her faithfulness to Rama. Rama ends up taking Sita back to Ayodhya in the Pushpaka, flying chariot, once belonging to Ravana. Ravana returns just in time for Bharata - who had earlier vowed that he would kill himself if he did not return at the end of the fourteen-year exile; the brothers have a reunion (this reunion is celebrated in a Hindu festival as tradition).

Rama becomes king at last. After time, and surprisingly, Sita goes into exile and Rama is the one who sends her to exile. Rama eventually decides he needs to depart after Lakshmana is taken by the gods into heaven. He becomes Vishnu again.


Bibliography:
Title: Rama: Retold from the Ramayana
Author: Anant Pai
Link

Rama Engages in a Battle With Ravana

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part C

Rama and Lakshmana follow the advice from Kabandha and go look for Sugriva, the monkey king. The monkey king soon finds out and panics, thinking they are danger for his brother, Vali. Once they find Sugriva after disguising themselves to get through, they find out from Sugriva that his brother, Vali, had a fight with a demon, and he then asks for Rama's help with his conflict with Vali, who is now in quarrel with Sugriva.

They eventually meet Tara, the chief wife of King Vali, and Angada, her son. She trusts in Rama to deal with the conflict with the Sugriva, and begs Vali not to fight Sugriva; Rama then helps Sugriva with the conflict discreetly, and eventually manages to kill Vali, betraying him, in essence. Knowing this, Tara mourns and even Sugriva has pity. Sugriva fully becomes king, and in order to repay Rama, he offers to help him find Sita, but only after the rainy season ends. Rama must hide in the wild due to being exiled, which is really hard for him as his impatience and lack of being able to help grows.

After the rainy season ends, he notes that Sugriva lacks doing anything, so he has Lakshmana to go and remind him, which has Sugriva send an army to fulfill the promise. They search a plethora of regions. They come across Jatayu's brother, Sampati, and he tells them they are on the right path, as Sita is in Lanka, as she was taken by Ravana. The monkeys and bears of the army learn of Jatayu's, his brother, as well as his own.

Hanuman eventually encounters a terrible rakshasi while taking the leap, who tries to kill him, but manages to pass him. Now in Lanka, Hanuman seeks Sita, who enters Ravana's bedroom in his palace, but Sita is still missing. Eventually, she is found in the ashoka trees, but rakshasis are guarding her. Ravana attempts to convince Sita to reject Rama and be his wife instead. Eventually, out of hiding, Sita meets Hanuman. Indrajit, Ravana's son, captures Hanuman and brings him bound to the court of Ravana. Ravana provokes Hanuman by setting his tail on fire.

Hanuman is eventually able to return with his army to King Sugriva, who delivers the news.

Vibhishana, Ravana's younger brother, urges Ravana to return Sita to Rama, which angers Ravana; this causes Vibhishana to take Rama's side, and he leaves Lanka.


Bibliography:
Title: Rama: Retold from the Ramayana
Author: Anant Pai
Link

Hanuman and His Army Set Out on an Adventure for Sita

More Feedback Strategies

Be a Mirror

I really enjoyed the tips throughout this article as it lined up with my main thought in life that I have had in life, which is the golden rule of treating others how you want to be treated. The title insinuates this, as it is important to give and take feedback as you would with yourself, that way it is genuine and humanly. Qualities such as "letting it transfer" and to "focus on what the reader is doing" allows for changes to be made in the current time - things people can change at the moment so they can continue to improve, and not something that can be put off later. It is also important to take yourself out of the feedback, meaning not to use personal pronouns, but rather making it about the reader.


Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!"

I always admired both giving and receiving personal unique praise. Receiving generic praise or comments never seem to help me, as I feel as thought it is either not genuine, or it is too broad for me to take seriously, and the idea of just saying "good job" to something fits that ingenuity. The article focuses more the loss of interest and stealing away with pleasure, as receiving these generic praises do not seem to affect a person's mindset about how they went about something they accomplished. On the contrary, constantly giving this simple and quick feedback can create what the author calls "praise junkies" who begin to rely on praise constantly.

Receiving Feedback

Topic Research: Reincarnation

Three possible stories:

1. Samsara

Samsara is present in multiple religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. I would like to focus more on Hinduism, as I have been exposed to it more than the others - so I feel as though I will have more of a background on the topic. My key topic will focus around the circle of life itself, as well the idea of karma.

2.  Sita

I have gathered some background on Sita from our reading on Rama's story, so I feel as though I can approach it with multiple perspectives. My focus of research will be the symbolism present throughout the story.

3. Nirvana

My other topic choices have revolved around some knowledge about the story, but I wanted to start anew with another topic, which is Nirvana, as I am unfamiliar with it. My focus of research on this topic will be of the topic itself, which is the non-self and emptiness.

Revolving My Topics Around Hinduism