Reading Evaluation

By far, my favorite reading this semester was Karna: The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata. His character in the Mahabharata fascinated me and, since I was doing a storybook on his father, I decided to read this as one of my choices for the final weeks of class and I am so glad I did. It was such a personal look into Karna's life and I absolutely loved looking at it from another point of view.

I also really liked Narayan's version of the Ramayana and his version of the Mahabharata. His writing style is really easy to follow and it makes the stories easier to follow and they read more like a novel. Their organization also makes reading diaries easier.

I really liked the balance of reading, writing, and commenting. It seemed like a nice and even distribution and the readings were not overwhelming, which was nice. I also enjoyed the multiple options we had because it meant it was easier to personalize the lesson. 

With this in mind, I would tell future students to keep up with the readings and try to space it out. Reading over the weekend or towards the end of the week before the reading diary is due makes it a lot easier to complete all of them on time. I wish I had done that this semester, so I would definitely recommend it!

Week 15: Reflections

I've truly enjoyed this class this semester. I love how it forced me to be creative and stretch my imagination. I feel like in most classes, academic writing is so central to the course that it takes the fun out of it. This class allowed me to express myself in whatever way I wanted and to be imaginative at least once a week in the midst of impersonal and boring assignments in other classes.

This class was truly unique and I am so glad that I got to take it this semester. I'm really proud of how my storytelling has improved and I'm especially proud of my storybook. After all of the writing practice this semester, I feel like the end product was something I could look back on and be proud. This was a fantastic course and I feel like it really improved the way I read and interpret stories and the way I write my own stories. Thank you so much for this class! It really is incredible!

Storytelling Week 14: Deep Slumber

Galaxy Photo found on Wikimedia Commons

"The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" Shane asked, startling Jenny out of her reverie.

She looked over at her friend across the clearing. "Huh? Yeah, yeah, they're gorgeous," she paused before continuing. "Sorry I was just thinking."

Looking back up at the crystal clear sky, Jenny's mind wandered again. The stars were clustered so close together that they seemed to form a shimmering puddle of liquid light across the sky. If she concentrated hard enough, she could feel herself floating through it, her thoughts sliding easily to the farthest reaches of the universe.

She did not notice Shane watching her expectantly until she said, "Well, what are you thinking about?"

Jenny shook her head slightly before turning her head back toward Shane. "I just heard something interesting the other day and it made me think," she started. "You know how, when you're dreaming, everything feels so real. You can never really tell you're dreaming until you wake up?"

Here she stopped, waiting for Shane's answer. When she nodded her head, Jenny continued. "Well, I was just thinking, what if this is just a dream? Or what if this is someone else's dream and we are just characters in it. And when they wake up, we disappear, only to reappear in a different form when they go to sleep again."

Shane's eyes widened before she laughed, eyes crinkling. "You're thinking too much! You have to just appreciate what is happening now because if this is a dream, there's nothing we can do but enjoy the stars and the time we have!"

Jenny paused and looked up at the sky again. She smiled, first at the stars, and then back at Shane. "You're probably right, I'm just overthinking things."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, both watching the stars so intensely that they noticed them begin to dim. One by one, they went out until finally-

****

Nina groaned, yanking her pillow over her head as her alarm told her it was time to get up. She had to leave for class in a few minutes, but before she left she reached into her nightstand to get her dream journal. She always had the most vivid dreams, and this had been one of the strangest ones yet. 

As she hastily wrote it down, she skimmed through the rest of her dream journal. Maybe one day she would figure it all out, but for now, she was running late.

Author's Notes

This story was inspired by the Pattanaik video and the story on Narayan's sleep cycle as the cycle of the rebirth of the universe. When Narayan is awake, the universe exists, but it stops when he is sleeping. For my story, I decided to switch it up and have the dream state as a universe of it's own. This was just a fun little story that I kind of think about a lot and the video this week reminded me of it. 

Reading Diary A Week 14: Pattanaik

1. It's interesting to think about people's perspectives on what is strange being influenced by what they were raised with. We talk a lot about that in my anthropology class.

2. I loved the story about Ganesha running around his parents three times. It was an interesting insight into the matters of subjectivity and the importance of it in life. 

3. The importance of empathy when analyzing or studying another culture is rightly emphasized in this video. We talk about ethnocentrism and how detrimental it is to cross-cultural interactions and I like the way this video analyzes and breaks that down in the example of Hinduism. 

4. I love the idea of divinity being formless and people creating forms for the divine in order to understand it. It's an interesting idea and it shows how complicated and abstract our forms of understanding and communicating are.

5. The story of the two warrior goddesses who did not marry because it would domesticate them was very interesting.

6. The idea of subjective truths was my favorite part of the first video. 

7. Narayan's sleep cycle and the idea of the rebirth of the universe is very interesting. It's an interesting insight into the lives of Hindus. I like the idea that it explains the urgency in some cultures and the lack of it in others. 

8. It's also interesting to think about the question of whether or not something exists if it is not consciously observed or thought of. And I love the question of whether or not we create the world with our observations or if the universe created us.

Statue of Vishnu: Image found on Wikimedia Commons

Storytelling Post Week 13: Karna

Karna tossed and turned in his sleep, worried about his future and his place in the world. Just as he was drifting into a more peacefull sleep, a cry from the other room woke him completely. He could hear the sounds of his brother crying muffled by the door between them. Tip-toeing to the door, he cracked it slightly and listened.

"Mama, he hit me!" he sobbed. "He hit me and so did his friends and I didn't do anything!"

The floor creaked as his mother quickly crossed the entryway to comfort her youngest son. The cries were once again muffled, but by his mother's shoulder this time.

"My dear, I am so sorry," she murmured. "Who was it? Who did this to you?"

As his younger brother listed the names of the children who beat him up, Karna's anger grew uncontrollably. He yanked on his shoes, grabbed a jacket, and brushed past his mother and brother on his way out the door. 

He stomped through the field towards the place he and his brothers played baseball on the weekends. When he reached the fence, he found the group his brother mentioned.

There were six of them in all. Karna's brother had not been a match for one of them, let alone six of them at once. Three of them darted off when they saw the fury in Karna's eyes, but the other three stayed, squaring up for a fight.

Karna flew at them, fists flailing as he attacked. Even though there were three of them, they were no match for Karna's righteous fury. 

He was not satisfied until each of them had run off, bruised and bleeding. Only then did he return home.

Not long had passed, maybe ten minutes, so his mother and brother were still in the entryway when he returned. A bag of frozen peas had been placed on the younger brother's eye where it was beginning to swell. 

"It's okay, baby brother," Karna said as he placed his hand on his brother's head. "They won't bother you again."

At his words, his mother turned to him with a concerned look in her eye. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Karna, what did you do?"

"I took care of it, mama," he said, walking towards his room. "I cannot allow people to hurt the innocent. Especially if they are my family."

He walked into his room, knowing he would be grounded. His mother would probably punish herself, too, but Karna could not help his actions. His anger at the boys who had attacked his brother could not be staunched. 

In the fairy tales his mother told him as a child, those who did the right thing always came out victorious, but the more Karna learned of the world, the less this seemed true. For now, though, he would do everything in his power to help those he cared for. He could help a little part of the world, and that was enough for now.

Image of Justice Scales found on Wikimedia Commons

Author's Notes

I have been reading Karna: The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata this week (even though I haven't done a reading diary because it's been kind of hectic) and that's where this story comes from. Karna heard that a group of boys beat up his younger brother and so he goes out and beats the boys who did it. Not much changed in my story, but I wanted to write this one because Karna is such an intriguing character. He is going to be the star of my final "episode" of my storybook, but I do not have the room to include any of his childhood so I wanted to explore that in this story. He does have a temper, but it is usually when someone he cares for has been wronged and he is doing it to defend them. While just reading the Mahabharata, I was not very sympathetic to Karna, but now I definitely am. He wanted to do the right thing, but his loyalty to Duryodhana was his downfall. This is a very interesting take on his character and I would definitely recommend it. 

Storytelling Week 12: Kunti

"Dhatri, what am I going to do?" Kunti asked, pacing back in forth in her bedroom. In her hands was a long, thin, white rectangle. Her eyes never left the screen that confirmed her worst fear. 

Pregnancy Test photo found on Wikimedia Commons

"I can't be pregnant, I can't!" she said, nearly screaming at this point. "It's senior year, I'm not even out of high school yet and I am set to go to the school of my dreams in the fall. This will absolutely ruin me!"

Kunti sat down on the bed next to her best friend. Her eyes were wide with shock but when she spoke, her voice was calm and soothing. "Kunti it's okay, let's just think this through," she advised. "Just breathe and calm down. We can fix this."

Leaning her head on Dhatri's shoulder, she began sobbing. Her parents would never forgive her and if she did not have their support, there was no way she could get through college with a newborn child dependent on her. 

"How? How can we fix this?" Kunti demanded. "You know I'd trust you with my life, but I don't think this situation is fixable."

Dhatri opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Kunti continued, "You know how traditional my parents are! If they found out, they'd disown me!"

Dhatri's eyes were brimming with tears, but her voice was still calm as she spoke. Placing her chin on the crown of Kunti's head, she confessed, "I know what your parents are like and you're right, they would disown you if they found out."

Kunti leaned back and looked at Dhatri incredulously. "But I would never abandon you," she continued. "I will help you through this, no matter what."

Before Dhatri finished her sentence, Kunti was leaping towards her, hugging her tightly. Dhatri hugged her back fiercely and, as she did, she was already coming up with a plan.

****

"Okay, so let's go over the plan again," Kunti said. 

Dhatri nodded, reading over their plan to make sure she had every detail embedded in her memory. 

"My great aunt had an internship available for two high school graduates. I volunteered us both to work for her over the summer and into the fall semester," Dhatri started. She looked up at her pacing friend who motioned for her to continue. "The work experience will more than make up for starting a semester late and she told us that it will open up many connections and career opportunities for us in the future."

Kunti nodded, thinking. Any holes in their plan, and her parents could find out; her life would be ruined. "Are you sure your grandmother is okay with us staying with her until I have the baby?" she worried. "I don't want to be a burden. I feel so terrible already."

Dhatri stood up and walked over to her friend. "You know how much my family loves you! My grandmother always says you're welcome any time and she's happy to help."

Kunti smiled. "What would I do without you?"

Author's Notes

In the book Karna: The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata by  Umesh Kotru and Shutosh Zutshi I was really interested in the friendship between Kunti and Dhatri. They shared everything and it was such a strong and caring relationship that I wanted to explore it in a more modern setting. This story is fairly similar to the original, except in the original, Kunti tells her father that she is to live in isolation and fast in order to become successful. It is a way to distance herself so that no one finds out about the pregnancy. In my story, I decided that she would go stay with Dhatri's grandmother and come up with an excuse for her extended absence that would equate to success in more modern times.

Week 12 Reading Diary A: Karna: The Unsung Hero of the Mahabarata

I decided to read Karna: The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata by Umesh Kotru and Shutosh Zutshi for the next few weeks. A lot of this story is already familiar to me, so these reading diaries are going to be a little different and a little shorter. I'm just going to focus on small aspects of the stories that are different and that I like. These are going to be used for my final story on Karna for my storybook and also for the storytelling posts of the next few weeks. 

So far, I've read the sections on Kunti receiving the mantra and on Karna's birth and early childhood.

1. Durvasa gave Kunti the mantra because he could see her potential. 

2. Kunti was admiring the sunset when she decided to try the mantra. It says she fell in love with him then and that is why he was summoned by the mantra.

3. In this story, Kunti is pregnant for the full nine months. She says that Durvasa said she would be blessed if she fasted and avoided people for a year as an excuse to keep to herself. She only conversed with Dhatri who was her dearest friend and servant. Dhatri smuggled in a midwife and also smuggled Karna out of the castle. 

4. Karna was described as princely and supernaturally beautiful. His mother loved him very much. He had natural armor and earrings and the midwife noticed that he was divinely beautiful. Kunti adored him from the beginning. Dhatri allowed her to be content with her child for a while, but eventually she had him smuggled out of the castle and sent down the river in a small boat. She cried as he left.

5. Kunti wished she had been cursed by Durvasa and not blessed because losing her son was very upsetting for her. In the other stories, her love for Karna was not emphasized as much. This was heartbreaking.

6. On the Ganga, people were worshiping Surya as the sun rose and Adhirata was out on the river. He saw the boat and took Karna home because him and his wife Radha could not have children. 

Photo of the Ganges River found on Wikimedia Commons

7. Radha performed rituals every day to ward off evil eye. His parents loved him very much and, although they did not have much, they gave him a lot of love and affection. Adhirata was Dhritarashtra's charioteer. They had other children, which I did not know, but they continued to love Vasushena the most.

Week 11 Storytelling Post: We are Still Family

The sun glinted off the shiny red finish of Danny's new convertible as he pulled up to the curb. His hair was slicked back with enough gel to make his hair almost as shiny as the car and as he slid his designer sunglasses onto his head, his hair did not move an inch. Hopping out of his car, he approached the group of brothers who, until now, had been minding their own business as they packed up their campsite for the day.

"So, if it's not the great Pandavas," he said, leaning against their camper. "I just thought I'd come pay a visit to my favorite cousins! How do you like my new car? It's the latest model."

His cocky smile was infuriating and Benny took a step forward. Before he could do anything, however, his brother, Young, stopped him with an outstretched arm. 

"Ah, Danny, it's great to see you! It has been so long," Young said, smiling at his cousin. "It has been, what? Almost twelve years since we last spoke. Truly too long."

At his cousins words, Danny's smile faltered. He stuttered, "Ye-yes I believe it has been that long."

As his eyes moved over his cousins, though-their tattered clothes, their dirty hair, their old, beat-up trailer- his confidence returned.

"Seems like you guys are having a little bit of a hard time," he mocked. "It's too bad my father had to write you out of his will. Of course, I tried to convince him not to, but you know my father!"

His words made the brothers tense because of course this was not true. Danny, being jealous of the love his father felt for his cousins, had begged his father to kick them out of the house and write them out of his will. Being unable to deny his spoiled son anything, he had done so.

Being the calmest of the brothers, Young spoke yet again. "Of course we do not blame you, Danny. You were as helpless as we were in the situation. And, as you can see, we are quite happy! Thank you for paying us a visit."

This, too, surprised Danny. "Well, I-I was in the neighborhood. Th-thought I'd show you my new car," he stammered, before finding his voice once more. "Besides, I'm busy. I have important things to get done. A meeting. I gotta go!"

And with that, Danny hopped back into his car and took off down the road.

Image of a red Corvette convertible found on Wikimedia Commons

****

The Pandavas piled into their camper and set out along the highway. In the distance, they saw the bright, flashing blue and red lights of a police car. As they approached, they also noticed the bright-red shiny paint of their cousins new car.

The closer they got, the more dire the situation seemed. There were at least three officers out of their vehicles, one had drawn their gun, and the other two were pinning Danny to the ground.

Young pulled the vehicle to the side of the road. "Everyone stay in the camper. I'm going to help Danny," he said as he opened the door.

"Hey, Greg, Darcy, Val," Young said as he approached the group. "What seems to be the problem?"

The police visibly relaxed as Young approached. Greg lowered his weapon and Darcy and Val relaxed their hold on Danny, who remained on the ground in handcuffs. 

"This punk was going 50 over the posted speed limit," Val said. "And when I pulled him over, he refused to show any licence and registration. Then he ran for it and trespassed on private property."

Young glanced at his cousin before he spoke. "I am truly sorry for my cousins behavior. He is not a danger to anyone but himself and if you could release him, my brothers and I would greatly appreciate it."

Val grimaced at Danny before shrugging her shoulders. "You know I'd do anything for the Pandavas," she said, bending down to unlock Danny's cuffs. "Now, don't let us catch you doing anything like that again!"

****

As the police returned to their vehicles, Danny approached Young. "Thanks for getting me out of that," he mumbled, staring at his feet. "I-I appreciate it."

Young placed a hand on his shoulder. "No matter what, we are family."

Author's Notes

This week I wanted to write about the story where Duryodhana goes to show off his power and his wealth while the Pandavas are in exile, but he just ended up humiliating himself by being captured. I thought this was a really interesting story and I loved how Duryodhana ended up having to thank the Pandavas for saving him. In this story, I really wanted to place the setting in a rural, small, American town. Young is Yudishthira, Danny is Duryodhana, and Greg, Darcy, and Val are the Ghandarvas that captured Duryodhana in the original text. The original story from which I created this story is from Narayan's the Mahabharata. 

Week 11 Reading Diary B: The Mahabharata

1. Krishna tries to stop the war from happening by appealing to Dhritarashtra. He refuses to stop Duryodhana. Duryodhana wants to capture Krishna as a prisoner, but Dhritarashtra does not allow it. 

2. Karna learns that he is the son of Kunthi and Surya, but he owes a lot to Duryodhana. His loyalty makes it impossible for him to switch sides in the coming war. Kunthi tries to convince him not to fight and to join the Pandavas, but he refuses. He says that he will only kill Arjuna, though.

3. The battle begins and it lasts for 18 days. 

4. Amba has returned as a warrior named Shikhandin. She has returned to kill Bhishma, but he recognizes that he used to be a woman so he will not fight her. This leads to him being distracted and Arjuna shoots him. He lays on a bed of arrows for the rest of the battle. Karna joins the battle.

5. Arjuna's son is trapped in a lotus formation when Arjuna is drawn away from battle. He dies and Arjuna is angered and seeks revenge. He vows to kill Jayadartha by sundown the next day. Jayadartha hides and Arjuna uses his discus to fake sunset. Jayadartha comes out and Arjuna kills him. 

6. Karna uses his weapon that is only able to be used once to kill Ghatotkacha. He was saving it for use on Arjuna but, due to a curse, he forgot this and used it to kill Bhima's son. 

7. Arjuna kills Karna after his wheel becomes stuck in the mud. It is due to another curse he received. 

8. Bhima fulfills his vow to break Duryodhana's thigh and he kills him. 

Bhima kills Duryodhana found on Wikimedia Commons

Week 11 Reading Diary A: Narayan's The Mahabharata

1. Dhritarashtra learned of Arjuna's weapon acquisitions and began worrying for Duryodhana's well-being, but also the well-being of the Pandavas. He is always caught between the two. Duryodhana wants to end them once and for all since they now know their location.

2. Duryodhana decided to go humiliate the Pandavas by setting up a splendid camp across the river from them. He tried to summon them, but his soldiers could not cross the river. The people who would not allow them to cross got in a fight with Duryodhana and his soldiers and Duryodhana was eventually captured. It was Indra's doing, to teach him a lesson and Bhima and Arjuna went and freed him. 

3. The Pandavas, one by one, approached a pond that warned them not to drink until the questions were answered. Each one died. Yudhishtira approached and answered the questions first, saddened by the deaths of his brothers. He was given the choice to revive one of his brothers and chose Nakula so that both mothers would still have a living son. The pond was happy with this answer and let all of them live. They also received the blessing of being unrecognizable. 

Photo of a pond found on Wikimedia Commons

4. The Pandavas came up with secret false identities for their final year of exile.

5. Duryodhana discovered the secret identities of the Pandavas and tried to work out a plan to expose them before the time was up so their exile would be extended another 13 years. 

Week 10 Storytelling: Drona and Drupada

The two boys chased each other through the field, twisting and turning and zigzagging through the grass, laughing all the while. When one boy would get too close, the one in front would put on a burst of speed, usually avoiding his friend, but this time, it wasn't enough. Drona tapped his shoulder, shouting gleefully and immediately turning to run in the other direction.

"I'm going to get you, Drona!" Drupada shouted. "You aren't going to win this time!"

Drona, without slowing or turning back, said, "I wouldn't bet on it! I win every time and you know it!"

The game went on like this, one boy catching up to the other, declaring his prowess at the simple game of tag, and getting tagged yet again, until the sun began to set and the boys' limbs were heavy with exhaustion.

They were laying in the field, watching the final rays of sunlight dance across the sky, waiting for Drona's parents to call him in, for Drupada's nanny to come pick him up.

"Drupada?" Drona asked.

"Yeah, Drona?" he responded.

"We are going to be friends forever, right? No matter what happens, we'll always be friends?" Drona asked.

Drupada turned to face his friend. He smiled widely before he said, "Of course! There is nothing that could tear us apart."

Just then, Drupada's nanny called out from the car, Drona's mother called out from the house in the middle of the field and the boys hugged before parting ways.

****

"Wait, who?" Drupada asked incredulously into his phone. "I don't have time for anyone, I have a meeting in ten minutes and I have to prepare."

Before he could hang up, though, his office doors opened, revealing a strange man. He was well-groomed, but his clothes showed evidence of multiple patches and places that had been previously mended. 

"Drupada," the man said. "My old friend!" 

He walked forward, arms outstretched as though he were going to hug Drupada. Noticing this, Drupada stepped behind his desk to create a barrier between the two.

"I think you must be mistaken, sir," Drupada said, straightening the cuffs on his obviously expensive shirt and smoothing his jacket. "I don't think we run in the, uh, same circles, you could say."

He chuckled a little at the thought of it. 

"Do you not recognize me?" the stranger asked. "It is me! Drona!"

Drupada looked up, for he did recognize the name and held fond memories of him from childhood. Fortune had not been kind to Drona, obviously, but who's fault was that?

"Ah, of course. You can see why I did not recognize you," Drupada said, gesturing towards Drona. "Anyway, why are you here?"

Drona looked down at his feet at this question. Without raising his head he said, "It's my child. We do not have-"

Drupada's eyebrows shot up and he interrupted him before he had a chance to finish. "Ah, so you NEED something do you? Life treats some people differently and I am obviously very successful," he said, gesturing to his office. "Friendship between us now will just not work. Someone like you cannot associate with someone like me. It's just not natural."

At this he pressed a button on his office phone. The secretary picked up and Drupada said, "Please send security. A strange man barged into my office and now he refuses to leave."

Photo of office buildings in Chicago found on Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note

This story in the Mahabharata was very interesting to me. I wanted to experiment with putting it into a more modern business world, but I did not want to change the story much more than that. It definitely explains why Drona wanted to have Drupada's kingdom attacked, because it was such a humiliating way to be treated and I wanted to experiment with that in this version of the story. The original was take from RK Narayan's version of the Mahabharata. 

Reading Diary B Week 10: Narayan's The Mahabharata

1. After surviving the fire trap set by Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas hid in a village. Eventually, King Drupada offered his daughter's hand in marriage in a tournament. Arjuna entered and won Draupadi's hand. In this version, it was not Kunthi who said they must share her after the misunderstanding was remedied, it was Arjuna. He did not want to sin and disobey his mother. They all agreed to share Draupadi.

2. Dhritarashtra learned about this from Duryodhana who was angry about the situation. Because Drupada was an enemy of Drona who had sided with the Kauravas, the king thought it would be wise to gain the Pandavas favor now that they were the son-in-laws of King Drupada. He invited them to his palace where he offered them half of the kingdom. They would have Khandavaprastha. 

3. When they arrived at Khandavaprastha, they realized it was a desert wasteland. They were happy with it, though, because it was a place to call their own. They worked very hard and the gods were on their side so it turned into a splendid city called Indraprastha. 

4. Sage Narada moved easily between the worlds of men and of the gods and he enjoyed involving himself in both groups affairs. He would be an interesting assistant on Surya's show.

5. Arjuna was exiled for twelve years for intruding on Draupadi and Yudhistira. During this time, he married Ulupi and Subadhra.

6. The success of their city made them want to throw a celebration. They performed a rajasuya sacrifice and many people came to celebrate, including Duryodhana. He was offered luxurious accommodations. He was very jealous and perceived that the Pandavas were mocking him.

7. During his time in exile, Arjuna received the Gandiva from the God of Fire for setting fire to the Khandava Forest.

8. Duryodhana comes up with a way to humiliate the Pandavas and to weaken them. He has his father build an even bigger palace. They invited the Pandavas to attend a party in their new palace and they invited Yudhistira to a game of dice. He said gambling was immoral, but he could not refuse his host. When he began playing, he lost all thought except the game. He could not think straight and could not tell right from wrong. He gambled away everything, including himself, his brothers, and his wife Draupadi. Vidura tried to convince them to stop, but Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra would not. 

9. When they went to retrieve Draupadi, she asked who was gambled first, her or Yudhistira because if it was him, he would have no right to gamble her away. She said she was in the woman's month and she could not go with them. They did not listen and dragged her into the assembly. They tried to disrobe her but the gods gave her unlimited cloth  to cover herself. 

Draupadi in the assembly photo found on Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary A Week 10: Narayan's The Mahabharata

For this week I decided to read another version of The Mahabharata because I was fascinated by the story, but I had a hard time keeping track of everyone with just one read through. I chose RK Narayan's The Mahabharata.

1. Santanu married a beautiful woman whose only condition was that he could not question anything she did. She was pregnant eight times and each time she tossed her baby in the river and drowned it. On the eighth child, Santanu finally tried to put a stop to it. She explained that she was Ganga and the children were the eight vasus who stole a cow and so they were being punished. I didn't realize that the reason the last one was spared was because he was the one who organized the crime. He had to live longer on earth than the others and his name was Devavratha. Santanu named him as his heir.

2. Kunti marries Santanu after Devavratha promises that their son will inherit the throne and that he will be celibate. He changes his name to Bhishma.

3. Vichitravirya inherits the throne after his brother Chitrangada dies and he marries Ambika and Ambalika. Amba, their sister, says she is already in love with Salwa. She leaves to go be with him, but he rejects her. Bhishma refuses to marry her because he is celibate and she swears she will kill him. Vichitravirya died and so Satyavathi begged Bhishma to have children with his wives. He refused due to his vow of celibacy.

4. Satyavathi admits that she has another child and tells the story of her birth. She was born form a fish and so she always smelled of fish. A sage got rid of her fishy odor and gave her a fresh fragrance so she had a child with him. She stayed on an island to give birth and so her virginity was not lost. The child was named Vyasa.

5. Vyasa agreed to have children with Ambalika and Ambika, but he asked for a year to prepare. He had been in penance and so he was not in a state to be seen. Satyavathi would not allow this and sent the wives to him. Ambika was disgusted by his appearance and kept her eyes shut. Their child, Dhritarashtra, was born blind. Ambalika grew pale when she saw him and so their child, Pandu, was born very pale. Ambalika was asked to have another child with him, but she sent her servant in instead. Their child was born normal and his name was Vidura.

6. Dhritarashtra married Gandhari. She wore a blindfold to live like her husband. Pandu married married Kunthi and Dhritarashtra allowed him to rule due to his handicap. 

7. Pandu was cursed to die the next time he 'attempted to unite' with his wife. 

8. Kunthi had a mantra which she had already used to have a child with Surya. His name was Karna. In able to continue their line, she offered to use it again. First, she had a child with Yama, the god of death and justice. This child was a leader named Yudhistira. Next, she had a child with Vayu, the god of wind. This child was strong and his name was Bhima. Finally, she had a child with Indra. This child was wise and knowledgeable and could use every weapon with ease. His name was Arjuna. Madri wanted children as well, so Kunthi gave her her mantra. She used it to call upon the Aswins and had the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. These five children were the Pandavas.

9. Gandhari had one hundred sons with Dhritarashtra. The oldest one was Duryodhana. 

10. Pandu died with his wife Madri. 

11. Drona trained the Pandavas and the Kauravas together. Duryodhana resented the Pandavas and the special attention they received because of their great skills. Drona was caught in the jaws of a crocodile and Arjuna shot him into pieces. For his reward, Drona gave him a weapon that was too powerful to use against a normal opponent. The only way he could use it, was against a supernatural foe or the world would burn up.

12. Karna enters in a competition and matches Arjuna's talents. He is contested by the Pandavas. The Kauravas and Pandavas begin forming their sides, with Karna on one side and Arjuna on the other. Duryodhana makes Karna King of Anga, but he is humiliated anyway by his lack of a prestigious family. 

13. Drona asked his students to attack Panchala and capture King Drupada, who used to be his friend but rejected him due to his own status. They captured the kingdom and Drona took half so they would be equals. 

14. Dhritarashtra said Yudhistira was his heir because he loved him so much, but he regretted it. The Pandavas were all being talked about but his own sons were ignored. Dhritarashtra began plotting ways to get the Pandavas out of the way for a while. He told Yudhistira to go to Varanavata for the festival of Shiva and to take his mother and the rest of the Pandavas with him. 

15. Their home in Varanavata was a trap. Yudhistira noticed the smell of oil and resin in the home when they arrived and knew it was meant to kill them. They dug a hole underground as a means of escape. The Pandavas escaped during a big feast and the house was set on fire. The Pandavas were thought to have died in the blaze, but they escaped and left. Dhritarashtra had not expected the plan to be taken so far and his conscience was troubled.

Photo of a house fire found on Wikimedia Commons

Week 9 Storytelling: Karna

"My love, I have heard terrible rumors," Surya said. "My eyes and ears have informed me that someone means to trick our son. They are going to use some sort of ritual to strip him of his invulnerability!"

Kunti gasped. While Karna was not her only son, nor her favorite for she had not even raised him, he was still her son. How could someone steal Karna's invulnerability which his father had bestowed upon him as an infant. It was as much a part of him as his head or his heart. She knew of spells that could perhaps achieve this, but it would require consent from the other party. They would need to repeat a phrase that would trigger the event, so the magic knew to whom it should attach itself.

She voiced her concerns, asking, "But, Surya, would not Karna have to consent to such a ritual? He could never knowingly allow someone to strip him of such an integral part of him!"

Surya shook his head. "That's what I believed as well, but my contacts say whoever is doing this has found a spell that only requires eye contact with the person. They must be very powerful to control magic in such a way!"

Upon hearing this, Kunti began formulating a plan. If her son was to survive, she had to make a difficult decision. She could do nothing about the assassin's vision, but she could prevent eye contact between the two.

****

"Karna, it is your mother," Kunti said through the doorway. "I must ask something of you and you are not to question me."

Karna came around the corner, smiling at his mother. Although he only just learned that she was his mother, he already felt very close to her. She obviously cared for him and only sent him away to give him a better life than the one she could provide at the time.

"Of course, mother," he said. "Whatever you need."

Kunti pulled the phial from behind her back, purple liquid sloshing, threatening to spill over. It almost seemed to smoke. "I need you to momentarily remove your invulnerability." She took a deep breath before continuing, "And I need you to drink this."

He blinked, momentarily confused, but he removed his invulnerability and drank without question. All of a sudden, his vision began to blur, streaks of black blocking out the light of the room. Slowly his vision disappeared completely and he was unable to see. 

****

Karna approached the sound of the battle. He heard the clash of steel on steel, felt the vibrations in the air, felt the heat of battle. But he could not see. And it was all his mothers fault. Over the ringing of swords striking armor, he heard the voices of his brothers, the Pandavas, his mother's prizes. 

He would strike them down one by one. There was nothing stopping him. One by one, he slew his brothers on the field of battle until only Arjuna was left. He could hear his mother's voice filtering through the sting of the sounds of men dying, begging for him to spare his last brother, his last enemy.

"Duryodhana took me in, he cared for me!" Karna was shouting, notching an arrow as he approached the sounds of his brothers breath. He could feel his aura seeping out of him. No one could hide from Karna's heightened senses. "Kunti took my sight and you did nothing but mock me!"

He released his arrow and it flew true, striking Arjuna in the heart. "I will stand by the side of those who loved me," he said, turning his back. "Not on those who abandoned me."

Image of Karna found on Wikimedia Commons

Author's Notes

This story is based on the story of Karna found in the comic by Anant Pai. In the story, Karna gives away the armor and earrings that grant him his power and invincibility in exchange for a weapon. In that story, Arjuna is able to kill him because of this. I wondered what would have happened if he were able to keep those things. In my version, he turned on his family because of what his mother did to protect him. His brothers mocked him and Duryodhana supported him through it, similar to when he supported him at the tournament with Arjuna in the original story. In my version, Karna is still invincible and never makes a pact with his mother. The Kauravas are victorious.  Also, instead of one long story, I decided to try a different tactic. It's a short story comprised a small snippets of time. The middle is left to interpretation. 

Reading Diary A Week 9: Karna

1. Kunti looked after Sage Durvasa (who was notoriously angry and hard to please) for a year without angering him. She was given a mantra that would give her the power to call uupon a god to give her a son as a reward for her service. She tested it out and Surya came to her. She was not married so she begged him to return, but the mantra was too powerful and he couldn't. He gave her a son with the Kavacha (armor) and the Kundalas (earrings).

2. Kunti could not raise him so she sent Karna down the river. Adhiratha, a charioteer, found him and brought him to his wife, Radha. 

3. Kunti married Pandu who could not have children. She used her mantra again and her and Madra had the Pandavas. Pandu diead and Madra threw herself on the pyre with him. Kunti took the Pandavas to be raised with the Kauravas. Karna would come and watch and he eventually became a student with them. He resented the Pandavas as the Kauravas did.

4. Karna deceived a sage so he could be taught the Krahmastra. When the sage learned this, he cursed Karna that his knowledge would fail him when he needed it most. Karna then killed a brahman's cow (unknowingly) and was cursed again that he would be killed when he was helpless and unable to defend himself.

5. Karna entered a competition with Arjuna and was able to complete all the same tasks as him. He asked to fight Arjuna as a reward and was asked to reveal his parentage. Duryodhana then crowned him as prince of Anga. They learned he was the son of a charioteer and he was humiliated and left with Duryodhana.

6. Karna blindly sided with the Kauravas in the feud because of his love for Duryodhana. 

7. Indra wanted to protect Arjuna from Karna and Surya wanted to protect Karna from Indra so Surya visited him in a dream to warn him. Indra dressed as a brahman and asked for help and Karna gave away his earrings and armor. Indra gave him his most powerful weapon in return, the Shakti. 

8. Krishna told Karna of his relation to the Pandavas and who his mother was. Karna said his love for Duryodhana was too important to him and that he would not tell anyone his secret until he died.

9. Kunti visited Karna to try to stop the war and he promised to only kill Arjuna.

10. Karna learned that Bheeshma would lead the troops and so he said he would not go on the field until he fell. The battle lasted 18 days and Bheeshma fell on the 10th day. On the 14th day he was fighting Bheema and could have killed him but he promised his mother he would not. Arjuna came to defend him, though. He used his Shakti on Ghatotkacha, though, and he could only use it once. 

11. Karna began leading the forces after Drona died. He died in battle against Arjuna and his mother finally told the Pandavas of their relation to Karna. I liked the line "the sun smiled".

The battle between Karna and Arjuna found on Wikimedia Commons

This story was taken from the comic Karna: Brave, Generous, Ill-Fated Prince by Anant Pai and the additional readings found on the previous link.

Reading Plan

For this half of the semester, I think I want to study and read a variety of stories. Since my project is a storybook featuring a compilation of many different stories, I want to be able to draw from many different sources. Also, I want at least a few of those stories to feature Surya as a major character. For one of the weeks, I would like to read the story Surya: How the Sun God Was Tamed by Maya Balse. It would offer some good insight into my narrator and also give me some potential story ideas.

For the next two weeks, I would like to read Narayan's The Mahabharata. Surya and his family play a pretty major role in The Mahabharata and I would like to read a different version of this story that is more like a novel. I enjoyed Narayan's version of The Ramayana, so I think I will also enjoy his version of the other epic.

Because he is Surya's son, I would also like to read more about Karna. A comic book that seems fairly interesting about him is the one by Anant Pai called Karna: Brave, Generous, Ill-Fated Prince. 

Death of Karna found on Wikimedia Commons

This is what I'm thinking so far, but I'm not sure if this is exactly what I'm going to follow. Also, I have not decided what I am going to read for the last two weeks, but I think I want to read another version of the Mahabharata or two other comic books. 

Reflections: Looking Forward

So far this semester I have kept up with the assignments and turned everything in on time, so my strategy is working. I currently am on track to make the grade I want and I am enjoying the assignments. Sometimes, though, I am a little stressed because I submit assignments the day they are due. For the second half of the semester, I want to try to get ahead of schedule so I do not have deadlines hanging over my head.

Although I mostly like my schedule now, I am going to try to get all the readings and reading diaries completed early so I have more time to spend on thinking about my stories. Also, it would be nice to finish semi-early so I can free up time for studying when finals come around. I want to work on the same days I'm working now, but I want to work on assignments in larger chunks. I think this would help my comprehension as well because I would be reading more of the story at once, leaving less time to forget.

Also during the rest of the semester, I would like to try some new and different story-telling techniques. Although I've switched up settings drastically, I've been sticking to third person in general. I would like to try some different techniques that may deal with different POVs. I think it might be an interesting creative strategy if I used a style such as letters or diary entries.

Journal photo taken by Joel Montes de Oca

I'm mostly happy with how the first half of the semester progressed, so I'm hoping to stay on track and finish the semester strong.

Reflections: Looking Back

So far this semester, I have enjoyed this class immensely. It allows me to be a lot more creative than my other classes and doing the work for this class is often a break from my other work. I like to do my readings during breaks between classes on campus because it allows me to focus on the reading with little distraction so I can get as much from the story as possible. I've tried to read in my apartment, but I often multi-task and do not focus on the week's reading as much. I do like to do the storytelling portion of the assignment at my apartment, though, because I have found that listening to music or watching my favorite show can give me inspiration for a story.

I haven't done any growth mindset challenges so far this semester, officially, but I have been trying to vary my storytelling styles to add variation and to help me grow as a storyteller. Some of my favorite stories that I've told this semester have been ones that I have changed drastically, in style and in content, because I felt they were the most original and most fun to write. For example, this story about Sugriva and Vali is my favorite that I've written this semester and it is one that I changed the most from the original. 

I'm also enjoying writing my storybook, but it's fairly difficult because it is a lot different than anything I've attempted so far this semester. I'm trying to characterize someone and create a mental image solely through the dialogue used by the narrator. The storytelling aspect is just a simple form, but the introductions to the "episodes" are a lot more complex. I'm pretty proud of my introduction to my storybook, but I want to work a little harder on my next stories. I have the mental image in my head, I just have to get it out and on the computer!

iPod image found on Wikimedia Commons

Storytelling Week 7: Hidimbi and Bhima

"Sister, do you see those brothers living in the forest," Hidimba said, indicating towards the viewfinder. "They are living alone and would be perfect for our research on the human species!"

Hidimbi looked through the telescope, spotting the people her brother referenced almost immediately. There were five brothers grouped around a campfire and they were in the middle of nowhere, the perfect place for an abduction without witnesses.

"Send me down, send me down!" Hidimbi shouted enthusiastically. "It's my turn to do the abducting, you know that's my favorite job."

Hidimba smiled, gesturing to the teleportation pad in the middle of the room. Hidimbi hopped on the teleportation pad and disappeared immediately.

****

She hid in the bushes, watching as four of the brothers left the campfire, presumably to find some food, and left the last brother behind. His back was towards her, perfect for an abduction without incident. With four of them gone, hopefully she could pick them off individually.

As she planned her attack, the last brother turned, revealing his face to her. Her thoughts instantly left her, for she had never seen anything more beautiful in her life. Forgetting her plans, she emerged from the bushes, startling the man. 

"Who-what are you? And what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I am Hidimbi," she said, squaring her shoulders. "My brother sent me to abduct you for our research on your species, but I cannot. I saw your face and now I could never hurt you! Come with me and I will keep you safe from him."

As Hidimbi spoke, her blue skin faded to a dark brown, her single eye split and grew into two, and her hair grew long and curly. 

The man's eyes grew wide. "I am Bhima, but I could never leave my brothers. I want to be with you, but I cannot leave with you. I cannot leave my family!"

At this, Hidimbi enthusiastically claimed, "Well, they can come with us. We can all go together! But we must go now or my brother will come-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a flash of light appeared behind Bhima. Her brother appeared from the light and, before she could warn him, attacked Bhima. Hidimba was trying to abduct him where his sister had failed, so he had not brought any of their sophisticated weaponry. Bhima bested him almost immediately.

"Hidimba, Bhima stop!" Hidimbi shouted. "Hidimba, I love Bhima and Bhima that is my brother. Please stop fighting each other."

At her words, the two slowly drifted apart, both bruised and bloody. 

"You love him?" Hidimba asked. 

"I do," Hidimbi said. 

"I love her as well," Bhima added. "I would like to marry her, if my mother will approve of it."

"Well, it's settled then," Hidimba said. "I will return to our home planet, and you will stay here. I wish you every happiness."

Alien Abduction found on Wikimedia Commons

Author's Notes

For this story, I kind of wanted to make another sci-fi story so I picked Hidimbi and Bhima's story so I could include aliens. I made Hidimbi an alien instead of a rakshasa, but I also made it where Hidimba was not killed by Bhima. Hidimbi and Hidimba seemed to have a good relationship before all this, so I did not want him to die for some guy she just met. They won't see each other again for a long time, or possibly ever again, but at least he isn't dead. The version of the story that I used was the one from Peter Brook's The Mahabharata.