Story: He Only Knows The Scales

Photo of the Scales of Justice, London
copyright by Chris Downer

Yama walked around swinging his scales to and fro, whistling as he sauntered along. The moon was full, and most of the animals were sleeping in this second quarter of the night. He had recently decided that he would make a journey away from the hinterlands towards a city -- yes, some large city, he thought to himself. Perhaps he would even turn from a night owl to a day bird!

"I'm tiring of just the same old things sitting atop my scales, and reading the same, boring karmic results. It's all the same, and no one is ever happy of their number. Alas.... perhaps I can try my entrepreneurial luck and be of some use in the city. Surely there is some need there."

So, Yama journeyed on towards Delhi. It was the biggest city he could think of within a reasonable distance -- not so far as to take many years to wander there, but not so close as so his friends in the hinterlands to hear word back about what he was up to there. For, if he started a business, and perhaps it failed, he did not want news spreading back to them so quickly.

As Yama approached Delhi, he began to observe all the peoples running to and fro. He could find no good use for his scales, for they all appeared the same as those near to the hinterlands: some good, some bad, some in between as far as the weight of their karma was concerned. Sighing, he wandered further into the heart of Delhi, not realizing he was coming into quite a wealthy part of town. He sat down on a curb with a loud thud, and stared, head perched on his hand, wondering what use he could be of the people to this city besides weighing out their karma. As he sat, he began to notice a trend: All these people were fat! How on earth had they gotten that way?! Didn't they know that a hard day's work was what was best for them? What had happened to their bodies? Those bodies should still be lean from working the wheat fields and sowing the crops. As he looked around, he was reminded that he was no longer in the wilds of the back country, but instead in the heart of a city, where, he supposed, people have found new and innovative ways to while away their days. But, they've gotten fat while doing it. Aha!

I shall weigh their bodies, not their karma! Thought Yama excitedly. He wanted to test his theory, before setting out on a completely new business adventure, for taking a sample of the population would most likely yield useful results. He approached a fatter man with a furrowed brow, who seemed to be thoroughly engrossed in the shouting match he was pursuing with his rickshaw driver. "Um, sir, hi there," said Yama. Quite startled, the rotund man went slack jawed, stammered a bit, before his mouth began to quiver. "Ya.... Ya... Ya.. Yama? Who are you here to weigh? Me or the rickshaw driver? Surely it must be the rickshaw driver, for he has just now performed the most unrighteous deed by trying to charge me double the fare! See how he brings bad karma on himself, surely you want to weigh his karma!" The rickshaw driver just stared wide-eyed at Yama, hoping beyond all hope that Yama was here for the stingy rotund man, not for him. While everyone knew that Yama could appear before you at any moment and take note of your karma in your present life, no one actually wanted to partake of that in their lifetime. No, it was far better to wait until the end of one's life, so that the scales could be weighed, and straightaway you were sent into your next physical form, without the dread of thinking about what you had spent your whole last life doing.

"No, No, No, not your karma this time," replied Yama, boring immediately of the thought. "I've a new idea for my scales... step on. I promise not to reveal to your karmic number until you've passed on for your next life. ...... Yes, Yes, Yes, I'll tell you then, but not now, don't stammer so much and don't worry, just get on, would you?" He gently urged the rotund man to step on. "Oh, Snap, son! What have you done to yourself?! You weigh nearly a tonne!" Yama gasped.

"A Tonne?!" the rotund man replied. How can that be? No one human ever weighs a tonne. Now, I've never been weighed, but it's not said that that is a normal number! A few kilos, sure, but not a tonne! I'll have to go home at once, and scold my wife for cooking so much and making me eat her delicious food. Argh!" said the old man as he stepped off of the scales.

"Yes, Yes, of course it is your wife's fault," Yama said, rolling his eyes. But the wheels were already turning in his head. If no one truly knew of their bodily weight like this rotund man said, then surely people could come clamoring to him to find out! He would be the talk of the town, and everyone would want to get on his scales then! No more grudgingly plopping people onto the scales while they were scared stiff less in regards to the karmic score, no, now they'd be shoving people out of the way to get weighed! Perfect! Yama's entrepreneurial fire was roared inside of him as he envisioned the perfect little, well, let's be honest, huge, sparkling in gold, shop that he would set up. A whole new adventure was here to entertain him.

Author's Note:
Previously to reading R.K. Narayan's the Mahabharata, I can only ever remember encountering the god Yama as the terrifying, bloodthirsty, rips-bodies-in-half at the sight of them, god of death (typically of the Tibetan variety). In this version of the Mahabharata, Yama lures the 5 Pandavas to a lake, so that he might test them. He allows no one to drink from the lake until they have answered his questions, despite their great thirst. In the end, the last one alive is his son, Yudhistira. Yama tests him in his judgment and justice, and finally decides that he is worthy and has passed the test. He revives all of Yudhitira's dead brothers as reward.

I decided to take this new, enlightened, somewhat softer version of Yama and create a story around him. As I pondered the idea of the scales, and that they weigh justice, I thought about what else scales typically weigh: weight. Why not modernize Yama and have him think of a new job for his scales, since he's probably tired of weighing only Karma all the time! That's where the origination for my invented tale about Yama started from.

Yama, The God of Justice

Tibetan depiction of Yama, the God of Death.
Notice the necklaces of skulls he wears.                  

The Mahabharata Reading, Pages 133-179 Part D

R.K. Narayan's The Mahabharata
A shortened modern prose version of the Indian Epic

This week, I am continuing reading the Mahabharata, from R.K. Narayan's translation ("A shortened modern prose version of the Indian Epics). 

Krishna reveals the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield, just before the battle begins. Arjuna does not want to slay his kin, but Krishna advises him that they have already set their karma, and Arjuna will only be the instrument to bring their karma forth. 

The God declared, "I am death, I am destruction. These men who stand before you are already slain through their own karma, you will be only an instrument of their destruction." (p148)

I'm not actually sure what my reaction is to this statement. I understand that the Mahabharata is one of the great Indian Epics, setting forth some of the principles of Hinduium for a lot of people. This quote certainly underlines the necessity and facts of karma, that it is already deicded by the person whom will be affected by it.... But, that completely cuts out negotiating power, people changing their minds..... It predestines it. Accepting the fact that predestiny is determined by the actor themselves, and no other forces imposing upon them is difficult to accept. 

Krishna displays his Vishvarupa(Universal Form)
to Arjuna on the battlefield,
revealing the Bhagavad Gita

The idea of the Vishvarupa is so cool! I enjoyed looking at all the artistic depictions trying to portray Krishna showing the vision of himself as God, as everything, the creator, the destroyer, it all. It certainly is mind boggling, but such a neat concept to try and wrap my brain around. 

"It is all known as the gift of the goddess Lakshmi, and he who spurns such a gift offends the Goddess. Remember, we can never see wealth acquired without some harm or injury to others." (p172)

"When the eldest brother is mad, all those who follow him are also compelled to become mad." -Draupadi (p173)

• It's like the English phrase: When Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy

Bhramastra: this was interesting. It's like a magical power that can be called during times of extreme need. Except in Karna's case, as he was cursed to forget it in the time of his most need... and so he died.

Wikipedia Trails: Char Dham, the 4 Holy Hindu Pilgrammage Sites to First Woman/First Man (In Hinduism)

Char Dham: The Four Abodes/Seats: the four Holy pilgrammage sites to Hindus. It is highly revered to visit these four places during one's lifetime.

1. Bradrinath
2. Dwarka
3. Puri
4. Rameswaram

The four Vaishnavite Pilgrammages. 

Dwarakhadeesh Temple, Dwarka

Chota Char Dham: in the Indian State of Uttarakhand (I used to live there!!) is the little Char Dham, consisting of:

1. Yamunotri
2. Gangotri
3. Kedarnath
4. Badrinath

I'm pretty sure I've actually been to all of these places, and it explains a whole whole lot about why I would see sooooooo many people coming to these random mountains and valleys to "Picnic" all the time. Explains a whole lot, actually. 

Temple at the Yamunotri River

Tradition is to start to visit the Chota Char Dham from Haridwar, Rishikesh, or Dehradun (Hey! I used to live in Dehradun!) And, you're supposed to go in the order that they are listed above. Let's explore Yamunotri, named after the goddess Yamuna.

Yamuna: The main tributary leading to the Ganges river, named after the goddess Yamuna. She is attrributed with her twin brother, Yama, the god of death. Bathing and drinking of her waters is regarded as removing of sins, and it is the second holiest river in India, first being the Ganges. Yamuna is also sometimes called Yami, being that she was the first woman. Yama and Yami are a pair of divine creator deities. Yama is the lord of Death, Yami is the lady of life. 

Clicking on "The first woman" took me to a list of Protoplasts. Protoplasts is a word from ancient Greek, being the  mythological progenator of  mankind in creation stories, or of surviving humanity after a cataclysm. So, Yami and Yama must be part of the creation story in Hinduism. Interesting. However, when I scrolled down to search under the title of "Hinduism" on the page, Yami/Yama were not there! Instead, listed was Svayambhuva Manu and Shatarupa. So, the first woman in Hinduism actually appears to be credited to Shatarupa. Huh. The First Man? Manu.

Manu and the 7 Sages being protected during the time of the Great Flood/Great Deluge

Reading Notes: Mirabai: She Gave Her Heart to Krishna -- Amar Chitra Katha

Mirabai: She Gave Her Heart To Krishna
an Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Volume 535

Today, I read an Amar Chitra Katha comic book. Have you heard of Amar Chitra Katha? I hadn't either, but they are incredibly famous in India, and generations have now been able to enjoy them. There are more than 400 titles, in more than 20 different languages, that retell stories from the great Indian epics, mythology, history, folklore, and fables in comic book format. It was originally created by Anant Pai, beginning in 1967.

Mirabai: A Rajasthani princess whose mother (jokingly?) told her as a child that Lord Krishna was her husband. (She was about 5 years old)

• Mira was eventuall married to prince Bhojraj of Chittor, who hated the Mughals and was known for his valour
• Her new family goddess was Durga, but Mira refused to give up her devotion to her Lord Krishna
• Bhojraj's sister Uda was offended at this, and spread rumors that Mira went every evening to another man -- this enranged her husband Bhojraj
• Bhojraj decided she was insane, so he humored her and built her a temple where she could worship her "stone lover"
• Mira's devotion spread far an wide, and a Mughal emperor, Emperor Akbar wanted to know what these songs were. They came to the temple disguised as Hindus, and were brought into a trance by her song. Overwhelmed, they brought a necklace to her feet, touched them, and offered her the necklace in the name of Krishna
• This was forbidden, her husband found out a Mughal had touched her, and her ordered her to drown herself in a river. 
• A true and faithful Hindu wife, she went to the river, but just as she was about to jump, Krishna appeared and saved her! She fainted, but when she was revived, her told her that her previous life was over, and now she was to go and worship him in Brindavan.
• They were ecstatic that once more there would be singing and dancing in Brindavan. "She is Radha reborn!"

Krishna and Radha seated on a terrace, Brooklyn Museum

Radha: Almost always depicted as the goddess next to Krishna, she is considered to be the embodiment of Shakti herself, the original goddess, and the embodiment of the female creative powers, sometimes referred to as "The Great Divine Mother", and she is the primordial cosmic energy that moves throughout the whole earth. 

• Her husband heard that she was alive, and traveled to her and asked her forgiveness. She forgave him, and went back to Chitor with him, where she continued her worship of Krishna.
• 10 years later, her husband Bhojraj died. Her father in law told her to prepare herself for Sati. She refused. 
• The new King told her that she could not worship Krishna in the palace, or mix with holy men, or dance. So, she decided to go to the public temple. 
• Miracles: 
• the new king wanted to poison her, so sent a snake to the temple as a "gardland" for Krishna. When Mira opened the basket, it was indeed a garland, stunning the deliverer. 
• They removed her bed mattress and replaced it with poison tipped nails, covered with rose petals. Mira went to sleep, not noticing anything and it felt as soft as petals beneath her. 
• Poison mixed into nectar intended for Mira. The poison turned into nectar, after it was offered to her in the name of a gift for Krishna. 
• She wrote to Tulsidas, a saint of her times, and asked him what she should do. Tulsidas advises her to shun those who come in the way of her worship, even if they are the closest of relatives. 
• So, she left the king's palace in Chitor, and went to the palace of her Uncle in Merta.
• She began growing old, and went on pilgrammage to all the places that were important to Krishna: 
• Mathura
• Brindavan
• Dwarka -- she stayed on here because the call of Krishna became loud and more insistent.  One day during her worship and dance, she fainted and fell at the feet of Krishna, and here she died, and Krishna took her to become on with him, her bridegroom. 

Dwarka: associated with Dwarka Kingdom, the ancient Kingdom of Krishna. It is one of the Sapta Puri, the 7 most holy ancient religious cities in the country. It is one of the Chardhums, the four Holy Hindu pilgrammage sites. 

Mirabai is usually shown with an instrument, a Dotara or a Veena

Reading Notes: Kabir: He Spoke Of Tolerance And Mercy -- Amar Chitra Katha

Kabir: He Spoke Of Tolerance And Mercy
an Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 623
source: Reading Notes Guide

Today, I read an Amar Chitra Katha comic book. Have you heard of Amar Chitra Katha? I hadn't either, but they are incredibly famous in India, and generations have now been able to enjoy them. There are more than 400 titles, in more than 20 different languages, that retell stories from the great Indian epics, mythology, history, folklore, and fables in comic book format. It was originally created by Anant Pai, beginning in 1967.

Kabir: Famous Poet Who Spoke of Tolerance towards all religions and Mercy

• Found as a baby by a newly betrothed Muslim couple on their journey back home to Varanasi after their wedding(Year: 1398 A.D.) Father Niru, a weaver, and mother Nima 
• Child named by a Muslim Priest: 
• Kabir, one of God's names
• But the son of a weaver could not have God's name for a name, even though the texts declared it to be so, as seen by several colleagues of the priest. Niru wanted to end the child's life due to the outrage, so he took him to the forest to leave him alone for the animals. But, as he turned to go, he heard a voice "Stop! There is no evil in him. He shall be the wisest of men. His form, his very name, would spell holiness." "Kabir.... destined to be great?" Niru kept the baby and raised him in Islam.
• As Kabir grew, he struggled to differentiate between the god of Islam and the god of Hinduism, so he sought out a Hindu swami (swami Ramanand, a Vaishnava Saint)
• Swami Ramanand taught him that "In the Eyes of God, all men are equal irrespective of caste, creed, and colour."
• Kabir wed, and had a child, but thought only of God. "I have neither roof nor hut, I have neither caste nor name; thy name alone, O God, is enough for me." Kabir's wife, Loi, was very sad because they had not enough clothes or food even to eat, because Kabir gave everything away.
• When a burglar came in to rob them, he tripped and fell, and Kabir turned on a lamp and helped him up, offering anything that he had to him. 
• Kabir was accused of mixing religions, being immoral and an infidel. He was brought before the King, but refused to bow. They chained him and attempted to drown him, but he came back up again. They tried to burn him alive, but he came out of the flames of the fire unharmed. A third time they tried to kill him, by throwing him under the feet of an elephant to be trampled to death. However, the elephant saw a group of angry lions charging at him, a miracle, as it was only Kabir standing there, and the elephant ran away scared. 
• Millions became Kabir's followers, and his Bhajans (Hindu word for holy songs, interestingly) were on their lips. 
• Shortly before Kabir's death, he desired to go to Maghar, the place where if people die there, they do not get into Heaven. He did this because he was determined to free the people from superstition.
• Controversy over burial practices ensued: burial? cremation? 
• Kabir appeared to his followers in a vision: "I belong to all of you. Please don't fight." And his followers found no body, only the shroud that had covered his body and a bed of flowers. They took the flowers and shared them amongst his followers. 

-I find it interesting that many of the saints, or even incarnations of the gods, are often "found" as babies, and raised up and destined to be great.

-I like the idea of Kabir, as a child wearing a Muslim skull cap, putting the forks of Vishnaivism on his head, diregarding the differences between the god of each religion. He learns the word for god of hinduism by cleverness, "Hare Ram!" and declares himself to be a student of the Swami. 

-He defied death three times, and sought to abolish idol worship and separations between people

Kabir on a postage stamp in India

Mahabharata Reading Notes Pages 85-131, Part C

R.K. Narayan's
the Mahabharata

This week, I am continuing reading the Mahabharata, from R.K. Narayan's translation ("A shortened modern prose version of the Indian Epics). 

Yama, The God of Justice

(The God of Death)

Page 91: List of Answers to Yama's test (Yudhistira's father! (Yama= The God of Justice)

A Note on Yama: I have only ever encountered him from the Tibetan Bhuddism perspective, which is Yama the God of Death. He destroys humans, their lives, and eats them -- visually, he's terrifying. Seeing him in this new light is a whole new vantage point for me. 

• Pride, if renounced, makes on agreeable; anger, if renounced, brings no regret; desire, if renounced, will make one rich; avarice, if renounced, brings one happiness. True tranquility is of the heart.... Mercy may be defined as wishing happiness to all creatures.... Ignorance is not knowing one's duties.... Wickedness consists in sopeaking ill of others." 
• "Who is really happy?" "One who has scanty means but is free from debt; he is truly a happy man."
• "What is the greatest wonder?" "Day after day, and hour after hour, people die and corpses are carried along, yet the onlookers never realise that they are also to die one day, but think they will live for ever. This is the greatest wonder of the world."
• "What is the Path?" "The Path is what the great ones have trod. When one looks for it, one will not find it by study of scriptures or arguments, which are contradictory and conflicting."

Tech Tip: Google Site Page Expansion

Circles in a Circle
by Wassily Kandinsky
1923

My website for our StoryBook Project for Fall 2016 has been expanded! 

I've just added the Introduction to my site, explaining where I hope to be taking this project this semester! Quite a bit of thought, sweat, and love will probably wind up into the making and creating of this website, so I'd love to have you check it out! 

I've used Google Sites to create Kabir.Tagore.Surdas and have just recently added a page to it!

Story: Beware of Seeds!

I ate a seed!
Tshirt by Andrea Robison
of DJammarMaternity on Etsy.
~~

And as the young girl was playing near the Yamuna river, her grandmother was heard to be scolding her, 'Be sure to keep your mouth closed, child! You never know what will jump inside and get to your tummy and start growing!"

The little girl groaned, rolled her eyes at the old woman, and continued dragging her stick on the bank of the river while she lifted her skirts with her other hand and carefully moved each ankle through the mud and waters. 

Just up ahead was her father, Vyasa, son of her Grandmother, Satyavati. He was perched on a rock a quarter distance between the bank of the river and the center of the river, legs crossed, with his body angled just so, as to conceal the tip of the rock altogether, giving the illusion of hovering above the moving river. The girl grinned, knowing that her father was fond of illusions and creating mystical moments out of nothing. To any passerby, surely it would look like he was levitating, but she knew this trick of her father's and grinned at the secret shared between them. 

As she approached her father, he squinted one eye closed tighter so that the other eye might pop open to see her. "Tell me, what does your Grandmother warn you from this time?" he asked his beloved daughter.

"Oh," sighed the girl, "Nothing out of the ordinary, except that today she keeps telling me the River will make something grow in my belly. Is this true, father? I know only girls grow things in their bellies, but did the river ever make you grow anything in your belly?"

"No," laughed Vyasa, "Not in my belly, no, but take heed of your Grandmother's advice, for she knows what she is talking about." The little girl lifted an eyebrow at her father, inviting him to entertain her for a few moments with one of his stories. He was always telling her stories, and she could lose entire afternoons completely immersed in the adventures of his characters.

Just as he was about to begin, a large, blue rainbow fish swam past the ankles of the girl, catching her and her father's eye with its metallic and shiny scales. 

Rainbow Fish

"See," said Vyasa, "There are many beautiful things in this river that would love to lead a charming little daughter of mine away from me," he began. "But how can a fish take me away?" Asked the little girl, satisfying her father by asking the leading question he was looking for.

"Because the fish's blood is in your blood, sweet girl! It is your ancestry! Has your Grandmother never told you that she was born out of the belly of a fish? It is true, and a twin was found in the belly of her mother with her!" The little girl squinted at her father, not sure if this was a true story, or another one that he was making up. 

"Now, how does a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, no less, get inside the belly of a fish?" he asked. This time, the little girl remained silent, waiting for the answer. "According to your Grandmother, a seed was spilled over the River, and the girl fish was playing in the water one bright afternoon, when just as she was splashing about, laughing happily, in plopped a seed, which went straight to her tummy and began to grow!" exclaimed Vyasa.

 "Remember how your Grandmother is always warning you to never eat the seed of a watermelon, for fear that you'll grow a watermelon in your belly? That is exactly what happened to her mother! And out popped your grandmother, Satyavati, and her brother. Well, the seed of a different sort, but the point remains the same," he admitted. 

"Now, my little daughter, do you want to carry around a big, giant belly the size of a watermelon? Or, as big as two happy babies? You know how the bellies of the wives swell just before they add a child to their family."

The little girl squinted at her father. It was true, she had seen only a few women with swollen bellies just before they acquired a son or a daughter for their family. She'd never seen how big a belly got when it carried two babies, though, and that thought scared her. And a watermelon! How big they are! How would one ever fit inside of her belly? And how would it get out?! No, she thought, she didn't want to carry around a big belly, and then have a watermelon come out, although it would be tasty. She certainly didn't want two babies coming out, for although sometimes they were cute and fun to play with, mostly they just cried and slept a lot. All the babies she'd ever gotten to play with wouldn't leave their mothers, and she didn't want to have to worry about what to do with babies when she was trying to go out playing in the River. 

She clamped her jaw shut while she contemplated if her father was telling the truth, this time, or not. 

He cocked his head and simply watched her. 

She gave a quick, small, nervous grin, to convince her father that she knew he was just spinning stories again. But as she walked on in the Yamuna River's waters, from that day forward, she made sure to keep her mouth tightly clamped shut. 

~~

Author's Note:  I took a small character from the Mahabharata, Satyavati, and retold her birth story. She was in fact born from the belly of a fish when a king dropped his semen into the river below (there are differing accounts as to whether he was flying above or he sent an eagle with his semen meant for his wife who was flying above the river and dropped it). It fell into the mouth of a fish, and she bore twins, a boy and a girl, the girl being Satyavati. I wanted to use it in combination with our own western stories of warning to children, that one should not swallow seeds, for fear that they will grow that fruit in their belly. Vyasa, mentioned in my story, is in fact the son of Satyavati, and he is the iconic storyteller of the Mahabharata, so has a very important, real-life role as an epic storyteller that I also wanted to include as factual in my version as well. 

• I took inspiration for this story from Page 6 of R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata (2013 edition), and filled in the missing details using Satyavati's Wikipedia Page.

Below is a little more backstory on Satyavati, which sets up the characters for the Mahabharata.

Santanu woos Satyavati by the River
painting by Raja Ravi Varma

 Satyavati was the second wife of King Santanu, who together had two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada dies, and Vichitravirya is to be King, but he is too young to take the throne just yet. King Santanu's son from his first wife, Bhishma, acts as Regent to his little brother, Vichitravirya, and he finds three wives for his brother. Vichitravirya dies, leaving no heirs to the throne, and Satyavati begs Bhishma to continue the lineage by having children with his brother's wives. Bhishma has vowed to a life of celibacy, and so cannot, so Satyavati proposes another option: that her unknown-until-now first born son, of questionable origins, Vyasa, take the act upon himself to continue the lineage. He does, begetting sons, of whose sons will then war against each other, setting up the character premise of disputing cousins in the Mahabharata. 

The Mahabharata Reading Notes, Part B

R.K. Narayan's
  The Mahabharata

I am working through R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata, A Shortened Modern Prose Version of The Indian Epic, and finished reading Part B, Pages 41-83 this evening.


A warning to the 5 Brothers that sharing one wife could be troublesome. They are warned with the story of Sunda & Upasunda, brothers who shared everything, until their destruction by sharing one woman, Tilottama.

Arjuna becomes exiled after transgressing against his brothers and his wife, by intruding on his wife and brother during a year that was not Arjuna's year to be with his wife. He is exiled for 12 years, and during that time, he also marries Ulupi, a princess of the Serpent World, and Subadhra: sister of Krishna.

Arjuna and Subhadra,
by Raja Ravi Varma

Page 82 - Urvashi's Curse -- While Arjuna is in the celestial realm of his father, Indra, learning song and dance and acquiring many new weapons,  an apsara named Urvashi noticed Arjuna and comes to like him. With the permission of Indra, she goes to Arjuna at midnight, dressed in a see-through silk-sari and knocks on his door, practically offering herself to him. He refuses, as he is under a vow, and cannot partake of women until his duty is over - she curses him to become a eunuch, and to be unnoticed by women everywhere that he goes. Later, she reduces this curse to only one year of his choosing, which he chooses to use during his thirteenth year of hiding, which works to his advantage.

• I'd like to write a story spinning off of this, perhaps.

Page 64/65 - Draupadi's Sari Miracle -- she has been gambled off by her husband and is led in front of her captors wearing only a single cloth, during her menstrual cycle. In shame, she has been touched by a man, and they are leering at her, and begin to attempt to undress her. Her FIVE WARRIOR HUSBANDS do nothing, and she is left humiliated. She prays to Krishna to save her, and he alone comes to her aid, replacing each piece of cloth that is unraveled from her body with another piece of cloth, leaving her original sari in place to cover her appropriately. 

Arjuna: Invincible, honored by gift of Gandiva, the inexhaustible quiver

• Gandiva is a gift from Agni, the fire god, when Arjuna set the Khandava Forest on fire with his astra. Agni needed to consume animal fat for his own well-being. 

Statue of Arjuna in Bali

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art, Chapter 3 - Ardhanari's (Shiva's) Secret (Part C) EXTRA READING

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Chapter 3 -- Ardhanari's Secret

Via Video Book on YouTube

I'm continuing working my way through Devdutt Pattanaik's book, 7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art, and it is so informative! I am digesting it through a new "book medium" for me: YouTube Video! It's called "Video Book" format, and it's free and accessible on YouTube. The chapters have been broken down into chunks, and while quite dense, they're only about 20 minutes in total length (each). I am thoroughly enjoying this method of learning!

For the Reading Guide in Indian Epics, Part C consists of Andhanari's Secret and Shiva's Secret (Part 1). For the sake of keeping Shiva's Secret together, in one blog post, I combined Shiva's Secret Parts 1 and 2 together here. 

Ardhanari's Secret

• God is stillness within, Goddess is movement around.
• God: 
• Nirgun: Without Form
• Sagun: With Form
• God is best embodied in 3 Human Couples:
• Brahma + Saraswati
• Vishnu + Lakshmi
• Shiva + Shakti
• Male Trinity: Doing/Spiritual representation of god
• Brahma: Creator
• Vishnu: Sustainer
• Shiva: Destroyer
• Female Trinity: Passive, Material representation of god
• Saraswati: Knowledge (Brahma's consort)
• Lakshmi: Wealth (Vishnu's consort)
• Shakti: Power (Shiva's consort)

• "Women are meterial reality, men are spiritual reality." (But modern times have misconstrued this myth!) 

• Male: Judged, observed, measures with scales
• Female: Maha-Maya (Embodiment of Delusion) Measured by Men

Ardharnarishvara
1/2 male 1/2 female,
with both vahanas

Ardharnarishvara: God as 1/2 male, 1/2 female

• Left Side: Male as the ascetic (Form of Shiva, the Ascetic God)
• Right Side: Female dancer

Why?

• Parvati saw Ganga on Shiva's head, she was enraged! So, to satisfy her, Shiva merged his body with hers. (Ha!)

"For Without Either, There is Neither." 

(Referencing that without either male or female, then there is in fact neither. Nothing can be created without the female.)

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art, Chapter 3 - Ardhanari's (Shiva's) Secret (Part C) EXTRA READING

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Chapter 3 -- Ardhanari's Secret

Via Video Book on YouTube

I'm continuing working my way through Devdutt Pattanaik's book, 7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art, and it is so informative! I am digesting it through a new "book medium" for me: YouTube Video! It's called "Video Book" format, and it's free and accessible on YouTube. The chapters have been broken down into chunks, and while quite dense, they're only about 20 minutes in total length (each). I am thoroughly enjoying this method of learning!

Ardhanari's Secret

• God is stillness within, Goddess is movement around.
• God: 
• Nirgun: Without Form
• Sagun: With Form
• God is best embodied in 3 Human Couples:
• Brahma + Saraswati
• Vishnu + Lakshmi
• Shiva + Shakti
• Male Trinity: Doing/Spiritual representation of god
• Brahma: Creator
• Vishnu: Sustainer
• Shiva: Destroyer
• Female Trinity: Passive, Material representation of god
• Saraswati: Knowledge (Brahma's consort)
• Lakshmi: Wealth (Vishnu's consort)
• Shakti: Power (Shiva's consort)

• "Women are meterial reality, men are spiritual reality." (But modern times have misconstrued this myth!) 

• Male: Judged, observed, measures with scales
• Female: Maha-Maya (Embodiment of Delusion) Measured by Men

Ardharnarishvara
1/2 male 1/2 female,
with both vahanas

Ardharnarishvara: God as 1/2 male, 1/2 female

• Left Side: Male as the ascetic (Form of Shiva, the Ascetic God)
• Right Side: Female dancer

Why?

• Parvati saw Ganga on Shiva's head, she was enraged! So, to satisfy her, Shiva merged his body with hers. (Ha!)

"For Without Either, There is Neither." 

(Referencing that without either male or female, then there is in fact neither. Nothing can be created without the female.)

Mahabharata: Reading Notes Part A (Pages 1-39)

Vyasa quote from the Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan,
meme generated here

The Mahabharata:
 A Shortened Modern Prose of the Indian Epic
by R.K. Narayan1978
Book cover image from Indian Epics Reading Guides

The Mahabharata was dictated by Vyasa, although there is some speculation as to the authorship. Originally, it is said to have been titled Jaya, meaning Triumph or Victory.

It took place in Hastinapura, which today is considered to be held within the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Modern Day state of Uttar Pradesh (highlighted in red) 

in India, bordering Nepal.

From Wikipedia.

5 Divine Brothers VS 100 Cousins 

Draupadi and Her Five Husbands
by Raja Ravi Varma

Page 5 - Amba: One of the sisters set to be wed to Vichitraviraya, Bhishma's younger brother.

Amba would not be wed to him, as she desired to be wed to the King of Salwa. She was sent to the King's house, and he refused her and sent her back to wed Vichitravirya, but she came back and offered to marry Bhishma, which he refused, due to his vow of celibacy. He sent her back to Salwa, who rejected her, and she was passed back and forth and back and forth. She later transforms into a male warrior and kills Bhishma. 

Page 6 -- Satyavathi's origin story: she is the daughter of the womb of a fish when her father, a gandharva, spilled his seed over a river as he was flying across it. The fish was looking up at the time, and it entered her, and she conceived. It's like what we tell little kids all the time: Don't swallow watermelon seeds, or you'll grow one in your belly! I could write a tale spinning these two ideas together. The odor of fish clung to Satyavathi due to her origin. 

Shantanu woos Satyavati
by Raja Ravi Varma

Feedback Focus

"A New Secret Weapon - Planet Oven" by DocChewbacca

Everyone uses a timer to cook, right? I use a timer all the time, especially when I'm cooking... When I'm baking... definitely when I'm exercising.... When I'm bathing my son... When I'm winding him down for bedtime..... So, WHY WOULDN'T I USE A TIMER FOR SCHOOLWORK?! I have no idea. I've occasionally used a timer to force myself to read for chunks of an hour at a time, whenever I am struggling to get through some material, but I have never really used a timer when I've been writing things. However, soon we will be reading closely and giving feedback to our peers, so a timer seems like the perfect solution! My introduction to the Google "Set A Timer" is a game-changer for computer-related work!

Feedback Focus Techniques

1.) Reading Out Loud

        

       I read The Wax Crocodile out loud as a reading technique. I found that I was able to focus on some details better, but lost other details altogether. For instance, I assumed that the Pharaoh had created the Wax Crocodile, when in fact the scribe had done so. I found that my mind wandered as I was reading so slowly, and therefore I had to go back and check this fact to clarify. 

       Overall Take-Away: Somewhat helpful, somewhat distracting.

        *Note: "The Wax Crocodile" and an Egyptian tale taken as an excerpt from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie. 

2.) Copy-And-Delete

      For this method, I read and re-wrote notes after each paragraph, deleting the paragraph I had just read after I had written a note about it. I chose "Chonguita" from Filipino Popular Tales by Dean S. Fansler. 

     I've added the notes that I took on the story. I found it to be incredibly effective in doing a close reading of the material, and a good exercise in general, however, I struggled with parsing the story down to just the essential details, as you can see below.

       Overall Take-Away: This method was more time consuming, but more effective.

      

Chonguita

Narrated by Pilar Ejercito, a Tagalog from Pagsanjan, Laguna. She heard the story from her aunt, who had heard it when she was still a little girl.

-Brothers Pedro, Diego & Juan must set out to find their fortunes in different directions, they agree to meet back up at a certain place in the forest

-Don Juan met an old man who gave him bread and told him to go to the palace, but he must divide the bread among the guard monkeys.

-The Big Monkey offered to marry his daughter, Chonguita, to Don Juan, because he knows Don Juan's purpose in coming to the palace. Married immediately.

-Don Juan needed to go meet his brothers, but was ashamed to take his monkey wife. His mother-in-law insisted that he take her.

-The brothers meet, and Don Pedro and Don Diego both have beautiful wives. Don Juan is ashamed to show his wife, and his brothers exclaim at the sight of her "Have you lost your head?!" "Let's go home to our father, he must be waiting!" says Don Juan. The brothers and their wives begin the journey. Chonguita walked by Don Juan.

-When the 3 brothers returned to their father's palace, the king fainted when he heard about a monkey wife for his youngest son. He determined to bear it, and gave each couple a house. However, he was disgraced, and asked each wife to embroider a coat within 3 days and the one who fails to do this will DIE.

-Chonguita's coat was the prettiest of all the coats, thwarting the father's death to kill her.

-All 3 wives must embroider a cap in 2 days, or they DIE. 

-All 3 wives must draw a picture on the chamber walls of their father-in-law,and the prettiest picture, her husband will be crowned successor king. 

-Chonguita's picture was prettiest = Don Juan crowned king.

-A Celebratory feast was held, and Chonguita wanted to dance with Don Juan. He was angry that she insisted to dance, and he hurled her against a wall. The hall became dark, but when it became light, Chonguita had been turned into a beautiful woman.

3.) Use A Timer

      I opened up a Google Timer (First Time using it!) and set it for 10 minutes. I then proceeded to read "Midterm Madness", a Portfolio Blog post by Savannah Jung.

     I found this quite difficult to stay focused for the entire length of time allotted, as I was already familiar with the original story that was being retold. I did enjoy the story-telling technique of modernizing the tale and setting it on OU's campus -- I might have to try that one out for myself sometime soon. With the additional time left over, I zoomed back in on the final paragraph where Sita abandons Rama, switches classes and finds a new study group, leaving Rama all alone to finish out the semester... alone with his distrust of everyone. On the first read-through, I found this paragraph to be a quick, easy way to finish out the story, but on the second-read through I actually found it to be quite in line with the original story of Sita leaving Rama alone in his kingdom, and so had a better appreciation for how true to the story the author stayed. 

       Overall Take-Away: I will use this technique again! 

      

Newly Created - Tech Tip: Google Website!

"The Kuran also looks good to me, my knowledge of the Gita Law,

Rain on Me A Lot, Maherbaniya,

For Allah (God) is Mine and Bhagvan (God), too, is mine."

Kabir quote translated into Hindi
from Anmol Vachan, via Manohar Vare

I created a website, and it was quite easy! This excites me greatly, as I am notorious for being technically challenged, so this Tech Tip is quick!

1. Log Into Google
2. Go to Google Sites
3. Name your website, pick a template, and Hit the Big Red Button that says "CREATE"
4. DONE!

This week I created a website about Visionary Poets from the Non-Western World. I am very interested in Rumi, Sufi, Kabir, Rabindranath Tagore and Surdas, so this is my Storybook Website dedicated to them. I shall be working on it all Fall! 

Visit my new website here ----> Kabir.Tagore.Surdas