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.