PDE Mahabharata Reading D

Yudhishthira has reached the top of the mountain where he can enter into the afterlife. On his journey up the mountain all of his brothers and their wife died from the burden of the hike. Yudhishthira was the only one besides the dog to make it to the top of the mountain. It is interesting that Yudhishthira even after making it to “eternal bliss” refuses to be there because his cousins are there. His family and the Kauravas shared such bad blood on there time on earth that Yudhishthira would rather be in hell then with them. Yudhishthira is put through a series of tests to determine if he is fit to entering eternal bliss “heaven”. Yudhishthira passes all of these ethics and moral tests and makes his way through hell and does end up ascending to heaven. Yudhishthira must have great strength and courage to be able to pass these tests. He is often faced with the ultimatum of following the god to the afterlife where he would be content for eternity or helping a loved one. Yudhishthira always picks helping his loved ones over going to the eternal bliss.  “The holy life is prepared for all the sons of men.", does this mean man as in all the worthy people on earth or just the worthy males that live on earth. If they are excluding women where are the women going? Do they get to go to the afterlife or is there soul trapped after they die.  

                                      (The Pandavas: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Reading Notes PDE Mahabharata Part C

PDE Mahabharata: Riddles at the Lake by Donald A. Mackenzie

Pandava – the five acknowledged sons of Pandu

Brahmin – one of the classes in the Hindu system including priests and teachers

Yudhishthira – the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti and the king of Indraprastha

Nakula – fourth of the five Pandava brothers

Banyan – a fig that begins its life as an epiphyte i.e. a plant that grows on another plant

            Sahadeva – the youngest of the five Pandava brothers. Nakula and Sahadev were twins

            Arjuna – The third Pandava brother. It is believed that Arjuna was the best archer in the world at their time

            Bhima – is the second born of the Pandavas.  Bhima is responsible for slaying all hundred Kaurava brothers in the Kurukshetra War.

            Yaksha - a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or       capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness.

            Brahma – a creator god in Hinduism and the creator of the four Vedas.

            Dharma – signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta, the order that makes life and universe possible.

           Vedas – large body of religious texts originating in ancient India

           When the pandava reach a pond in the midst of their exile, they are overcome with thirst. In this pond is a being advising them to not drink the water until they have answered a set of questions. Yudhishthira is the only one of his brothers to answer the questions before drinking the water and therefore the only one that does not die. Yudhishthira requests that his brothers be brought back to life once he had completed the set of riddles. The brothers are then brought back to life but are unrecognizable for a whole year. I don’t understand why Yudhishthira requests that his brothers not be recognizable for a whole year. This story reminds me a bit of the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when they are crossing the bridge.

                                    (Yudhishthira Statue: Image from Wikimedia Commons) 

Week 6 Storylab

                                   (Copyright Symbol: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

A New Theory of Human Intelligence by Scott Kaufman

               The Four C’s: Capacity, Competence, Commitment, and Creativity should be differentiated. A graph was shown about the amount of predicted human potential a person should have. I disagree, Scott, with this graph. How can one person or a group of people who are most likely very similar in educational background compose a statistic on how much potential another person can have. I disagree with forming a way to analyze peoples potential but if one needed to the four Cs is a better way then others because it includes many other things other then intelligence scores. Scott shared a personal story about how in his younger days of learning he was placed in special education and eventually exited the program and was excelling in this high school classes. Scott wanted to do more and wanted to enter advanced classes however he was denied because the deciding factor was what his IQ score was at age 11. Speaking personally, I was not the brightest kid or very gifted at the age of 11 and from age 11 to the end of high school my intelligence and personality changed a lot, like EVERYONE else. To be judged on an outdated and inaccurate assessment of potential is unjust and wildly unfair. I want to conclude my notes with a quote that Scott mentions in his Talk “At what point is my achievement allowed to trump my potential”. This sat with me, why should something that you could do define what you instead of what you actually have done. Actions should triumph test scores, and IQ scores, and what’s written on a paper, we have to take into account the whole person.

Copyright is Brain Damage by Nina Paley

               Culture is a network, this is a concept Nina expresses in her video. She is talking a lot about copy right laws and how they have limited the ability for people to share and spread art. She compares art and culture to the neurons because the information must flow through them because they are all connected. This video is called Copyright is Brain damage because what copyright does is it cuts off that connection of art and culture, like the neurons, and leaves everything brain dead. Nina encourages people to ignore copyright and to ignore this brain dead state and freely express themselves in their art.

Wikipedia Trail from Mahabharata to Kurukshetra War

     The Article I began with was the Mahabharata. I chose this article because I wanted a broad overview of this new epic we are reading. It helped me to understand the basic premise of the epic and its characters. I then went to an article about Vyasa, this helped me to understand that this is a main character and the narrator of this epic. I also learned that he is thought to be a decedent of the god Vishnu. I then went to an article about Pandava, where I learned that these are the five sons of Pandu who all share a wife. They are important to the story because they are the cousins to the mother main characters. These two sets of cousins fought a war against each other which is the last article I read. The Kurukshetra War, was fought between these two sets of cousins because they all wanted the throne for the kingdom of Kuru.

(Kurukshetra War: Image from Wikipedia)

Reading Notes PDE Mahabharata: The Gambling Match Part B

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata: The Gambling Match by Donald A. Mackenzie

                                     (Roulette Wheel: Image from Wikimedia Commons)     

     This story is interesting in that it is following a common trend that I have noticed. The way the kings and gods are portrayed in these stories is much different then those in western stories. The gods and kings in these stories are like normal people with anger and jealousy and rage. You often see in western stories that gods and kings and royalty can not make mistakes, they are incapable of human actions and are portrayed as above humans. This is probably the reason so many people blindly follow them and idealize them. However, it is possible for the exact same reason that the Indian people idolize their kings and gods, because they are no different then them and are capable of the same emotions. In this story I have found another common theme, unlike in some stories where rage is showed as violence, in this story rage is shown by knowledge and deceit. Instead of Duryodhana calling in an army to attack Yudhishthira and his land he invites him to gamble. However, he is very tricky and has rigged the game to win every time. One thing I found strange was that Yudhishthira never questioned anything that was happening like how Duryodhana had his uncle role the dice for him or how out of the many games they played Yudhishthira did not win a single one. It is unlikely to win zero games out of many even when gambling and Yudhishthira should have been more cautious before he gave away everything. Vidura tries to help his nephew Yudhishthira by explaining that he set himself free before gambling away his wife and that she could not be taken however his help does not work.  

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata: Vyasa and Ganesha, Part A

Bibliography: PDE Mahabharata: Vyasa and Ganesha by John Mandeville Macfie.

                                   (Son and Daughter of Uparichara: Wikimedia Commons)

     

     This story begins in what appears to be the middle of a scene or the middle of another story. Vyasa is trying to find someone to write down all of the knowledge a person could know about life on earth and heaven. It leaves the reader to wonder, if Vyasa is writing down everything there is to know then by default, he must know everything there is to know. If he does have this knowledge, how did he get it? Is he a god, do the gods talk to him, is he immortal? He must be talking to the gods since on of them has offered to be his scribe. I am unsure what the comment about not putting the pen down means quit yet. My guess is that Vyasa will talk about something he does not want in the book but Ganesha will write it for everyone else to know, like jealousy or anger. In the next part of this story speaking of Vyasa’s father, I think it is interesting that the gods have the emotion of fear. In so many western stories the gods are so unlike humans that they do not have emotions like fear or jealousy like humans do. The gods also bribed King Uparichara which is also not very god like compared to western stories. It is typical and unsurprising that the king would not except his daughter and only his son. I have a feeling the daughter will play a large role in this story and the king may be sorry he did not except her. The style of writing is different from other stories we have read. There is no dialogue in this story only narrative, also different from this story is that the narrator is not a character, they speak as if this happened before their time.   

Week 5 Story

     Sita and Rama have become immortal and are now living in the modern-day world but nothing has changed. Sita is still singing the blues and is often sad because of Rama. She never really forgave him for exiling her. Rama is often to busy being a leader to the village to pay much attention to her and Sita is growing increasingly saddened over it. While she increasingly grows more and more sad everyday, she sings more and more. One day Sita was singing in a park while Rama was out tending for the village and a young man comes up to her.

“Hello my name is Pierre, do you know you have the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.” Says Pierre.

“Thank you so much I often sing in private where no one can hear me?” Commented Sita.

“That is such a shame the whole world should be able to hear your voice. I am actually the leader of the London Opera and just by hearing your voice I wanted to invite you to sing in our company. We could use a voice like yours.” Said Pierre.

“That is very kind of you to say but I don’t think I will be able to because of my husband and my life here in India.” Said Sita.

“Well that is truly a shame but if you change your mind, this is where you can find me.” Pierre handed her a card with is number on it and continued on his walk in the park.

Sita was thrilled for the opportunity but was afraid of how Rama would react. Sita continued to sit in the park and sing until she needed to head home to prepare dinner. The whole afternoon and evening Sita thought of the reaction Rama would have if she told him she wanted to leave to join an opera. While Rama and Sita ate dinner Rama only talked of work and himself and never questioned how Sita was doing. Sita then realized that Rama never asked how she was doing and never gave her praise for the things she did. The next morning during breakfast Sita built up the courage to tell Rama about the opportunity and his reaction was just what she expected.

“You can not leave me here in India to go sing in another country, I forbid it.” Said Rama

“But Rama it is an amazing opportunity and you can come visit me all the time and come see me sing.” Said Sita

“You can not go and leave me here, you will never make it far in the opera, you have never had training before. Said Sita.

“You are right Rama, I will not succeed. I will see you when you get home after work.” Said Sita.

After Rama went to work Sita continued with her daily ritual of her walk in the park and was sad that she could not go sing in the opera. She sat on a bench in the park and thought about her life. She realized that this was not the life she envisioned for herself when she was a girl and she thought yes, I may not succeed in the opera but I most certainly will not if I do not try. Sita ran home packed a small bag and left a note on the dinning room saying “Rama, I love you but I love to sing as well and I have to try. Please come see me soon. I love you.”  

Authors note: This story is adapted from Nina Paleys recreation of the Ramayana. In her story she uses the same plot as the original story but during many points of the video she has Sita singing about her troubles in a separate scene.

(UK Opera 1933: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Reading Notes Video

                                    (Sita sings the blues: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley

This form of the story was my favorite by far because it is a different type of format. It is much easier to follow along because I am not taking time to figure out how to pronounce the words. I really enjoyed the three narrators and how they all have slightly different versions of the story but it is still the story. I also enjoy that they bring a humors side to the story that was not previously there. I think it is helpful that the narrators are explaining the story because you can here the story talked through instead of reading it. It is interesting that they also use modern objects and ideas through out the story and while the narrators are talking. I am confused of the significance of adding in the story of the couple from San Francisco. I am also confused by the changing the animation of the characters like when Sita is signing. I like that the story talks about where the places are in this day and age as they highlight it on a pop-up map. It is interesting the mixing of cultures because it seems that when Sita is signing the tone is very cabaret like, representing a western style of music. I really enjoy that the three narrators explain the confusing aspects of the epic as well as give a short history of the characters and the individual stories. This form of the story appealed to me because I am a visual person and it was much easier to understand the aspects of the story with images and video to support them.    

Comment Wall

                                               (Plane: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

My Story Book:
https://sites.google.com/view/india-through-rama/home

Week 4 lab

Ted Talk Story Lab: The danger of a single story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

·        Our lives are influenced heavily by the things we see and read

·        Stories do not always need to be about foreign things but can also be about things close to us that have meaning in our lives.

·        The more you read of one topic the narrower your perception will be

·        A single story will always give you only one and usually wrong perspective of a topic

·        The modern-day single story is news, TV, and social media

·        Single stories are often a result of belittling someone or making yourself superior

·        A single story is not an accurate representation of its whole

·        “It is a not that the single story is wrong it is that it is incomplete. They make the single story the only story.” This quote gives you a great perspective as to why hearing multiple sides to a story is important.

·        It is just as important to take about the negative stories as it is to talk about the positive ones.

·        “Single stories rob people of dignity” “It emphasizes with we are different and not why we are similar.”

·        When we chose to reject and not accept the single story, we “regain a sort of paradise”. Meaning we grant ourselves the ability to not see just the bad or negative but to accept all perspectives so we truly understand.

Imaginary Friends and real-world consequences by Jennifer Barnes

·        People send so much time and money on fiction. Why?

·        We believe that fictional characters are fiction but we have this gut feeling that they are real.

·        We can draw emotional support from these characters in hard times like they are a real friend.

·        The benefits of real-world relationships have a very similar benefit to the relationships with fictional characters.

·        Our social circle includes both our real friends and family but also these fictional characters

·        People are more invested in fictional characters then people they are acquainted with. Probably because we have invested in the fictional characters and care for them.

·        The people in acting as these fictional characters represent someone in the real world like politicians. The attachments to these fictional characters can be a negative thing if based on how we perceive them. If all the fictional politicians are white males then our perception of politicians is going to change.    

                    (Fictional Comic: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part D

     The Bridge by Donald A. Mackenzie

     There has not been much mention of water and its importance in this epic. It is not surprising that there is a King of the Ocean since there are many kings and queens presented in this epic. What types of sacrifices did Rama need to perform to summon the King of the Ocean? Is Rama stronger then the King of the Ocean? How different is this land under the sea from the one on earth, is it like what other myths of under the sea are like? Why does the king of the ocean grant Rama permission to have the bridge after Rama attacked his sea? Is there an island chain in this world that represents this bridge, if so, where would it be located? Rama does not seem to have much respect for the king of the ocean after he attacks the deep sea. Is this usual of kings to disrespect each other and to attack each other if they do not get what they wish for. Unlike any other story I have read there is no dialogue in this one. It is unclear if the author does this because the dialogue is not important or if it is more useful with no dialogue. Why was Rama traveling to Lanka, is it of great importance? The author of this story does not use very descriptive language and is not detailed in their writing. It leaves me asking a question, is this story very important to the topic of the whole epic?

                                                 (Rama's Bridge: Image from Wikipedia)

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part C

                                          (Ravana: Image from Wikimedia Commons)

     Story from: Sita and Ravana by Sister Nivedita

     

In this reading the author describes Sita as being the most beautiful thing, which describes why she is often targeted and loved by others. Ravana continues to be the horrible villain he has been in past stories. The scene is painted well but I am left wondering exactly what these places look like. It is interesting that Sita will not even allow Hanuman to carry her out of her captivity. She is so devoted and in love with Rama that she will risk her life to stay devoted to him. Sita is a larger part of this epic then I realized, she is not only a love interest but a major reason for so many of the conflicts and journeys in this epic. If it were not for Sita and her importance to Rama then this epic would not be what it is. It is unclear to me if Ravana wants Sita because he loves her or because Rama has her. He has many wives so what is so special about Sita that he wants her over the other wives. Why is Ravana giving Sita two months to change her mind about him before he kills her? Is he waiting to see if Rama will come or is, he really hopping Sita will change her mind? It is interesting that the author uses the dialogue to rhyme, it makes it fell less real and more like a poem. The writing style is very different compared to the written text because the dialogue comes at the end and is separate from the narrative.        

Feedback Strategies

The first article I read was "How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk". I really liked this article because giving feedback and accepting feedback is difficult and can come off in a negative way most of the time. No one wants to sound rude or superior when they are giving feedback but it is easy to do. One thing I agreed with is to not give the compliment sandwich, people know when you are doing it and I think it is more rude then just giving the feedback because the compliments are not sincere. I think that first taking yourself off of the pedestal and then giving the feedback is a good way to go.
The second article I read that I found useful was Be a Mirror. I enjoyed the part that talked about giving feedback that can be applied. Feedback is not useful unless it can be transferred. This is why I use the question type of feedback because it gives the author something to think about and indicates a part of the story that is unclear.

                                                 (Feedback: Image from Wikimedia)       

Topic Research

1. Rama's Exile - Using google maps I would create a map of key routes that Rama took during his exile. Adding a story pop up of where they stopped or where a key story took place.  Having an interactive map could be a good way to engage my readers and tell the stories. The website Maps of India could be used as a tool for this project.
2. Ravana in Lanka - I could create a travel brochure based on the Ramas time in Sri Lanka. I can include cities, temples, and other structures that represent Rama and its companions in this story. One tool I can use is a tour guide through India based off of the Ramayana.
3. Forest Life -  On google maps I can create a map of where Rama went in the forest and what events occurred during his stay there. I can include why the forest story is important and where Rama had visited. The website Maps of India could be used as a tool for this project.

                                             (Rama's Journey: Image from Wikimedia)

Week 3 Story

Bibliography: Story adapted from R.K. Narayan's Story Ravana and Maricha. 

The Princess saves herself (and everyone else) in this one:

Sita, wife to Rama, is often a common target because of her high power and high beauty. On an excursion with Rama and his brother Lakshmana because, they were banished from their kingdom, Sita asks her husband to catch a deer for her and he obliges. What the three of them did not know was that this deer was a demon and by trying to kill him they unleashed his wrath.

Rama yells to Lakshmana “Hurry, take Sita to a safe placed while I kill this demon.”

Lakshmana happily agreed and took Sita just far enough away that they could see but also remain safe. Sita began to see that this was a powerful demon, possibly more powerful then Rama. She demanded Lakshmana to go help his brother in defeating the demon and assured him she would be safe alone and there was nothing to worry about. Again, what the three of them did not know is that demons do not travel alone, they travel in partners. The whole thing was a decoy to get Sita alone and away from her companions. The demons knew she was a valuable person and figured they could benefit greatly by holding her captive and just like that the demon took Sita away to their home miles away without being seen.

Upon arrival to the demon’s home Sita asks “What am I doing here and what do you want from me?”

The demon responded “I have taken you because I know you are worth a lot of gold and no on knows where you are now so no one can save you.”

Sita was fearful for her life and was worried that the demon was right, that no one would ever find her. However, Sita was determined to see her husband and friend once more and this helped rid her of her fear. Sita began to brainstorm different ways she could escape and she became fearful again that she would not be able to find Rama and Lakshmana after she escaped. She was also afraid that they would not be alive. Sita knew she had to act fast because if she didn’t her friends would either be dead or long gone. Then it hit her she knew how to defeat the demon.

Sita knew that the demon would not hurt her because she was to valuable and they would be rewarded more if she was unharmed, she used this to her advantage.

Sita being tied to a tree with rope explained to the demon “I am so hungry and feel weak demon would you please fetch us food so I will be well and get you more money as a reward.”

The demon was specious at first, but was confident in his ability to tie Sita to the tree and knew she would not escape. “I will fetch us food so you can remain silent until I get our gold reward.” Said the demon. And the demon went off out of site to get food. Sita knew this would be her one and only chance to escape the demon so she broke her pearl bracelet against the tree and used the sharp edge to cut her way free. Sita began to run until the tree was almost out of site and then she stopped. She realized if she did not defeat the demon now he would only comeback and take her again. Therefore, Sita ran back to the tree beating the demon there and stole an arrow from the demon’s home. She pretended to act as if she was still tied to the tree. The demon returned with food for the two of them and after he ate began to feed Sita. The demon still believed Sita was tied to the tree until he got close enough to feed her the last bite and she stabbed him. The demon was to weak to fight back and died right there under the tree.

Sita then ran back miles from where she was to happily find Rama and Lakshmana. However, they were still fighting the demon and it was obvious they were quickly growing tired and weak. Sita approached quietly not letting her presence be know and used this to her advantage.

Right when the demon looked like he would prevail and cornered Rama and Lakshmana, Sita discretely comes up behind the demon and stabbed him with the same arrow she killed the other demon with. The demon collapsed and fell dead. Rama and Lakshmana could not believe there eyes that Sita had saved their lives and had saved her own.             

                              (Sita before she is taken by the demon: Image from Wikipedia)

Authors note: This story is based off of R.K. Narayan's Story Ravana and Maricha. In this story Sita wishes for her husband to catch a deer for her. However the deer is not only a deer it is Maricha, Ravana's uncle. Sita worries Rama is in trouble and sends Lakshmana to help him, leaving Sita alone. This is how the story ends, with Sita alone and unprotected. The story above provides an ending to this story.