Pashu by Devdutt Pattanaik Reading Notes Part A

Pashu by Devdutt Pattanaik
Image from Reading Guides post MLLL4993

This week I am starting Pashu by Devdutt Pattanaik. It is a mostly illustrated book detailing the animal tales from Hindu Mythology. I should mention that last week, I FINISHED (!!!!) 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik (via videobook format on YouTube!). He is a really great author, and while 7 Secrets was very informative, Pashu is lighthearted and fun! It's a perfect fit for right now, because all the small little stories seem like quick review of the more in depth stories I have been learning all semester (especially from the 7 Secrets book). I really recommend giving 7 Secrets a chance, especially if you're looking for a comprehensive overview of Hinduism. The Reading Notes I made on the whole 7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art book-videos can be found here.

"Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth,

Who Knows it all?

Varuna has but a thousand eyes,

Indra, a hundred

You and I, only two."

Pashu: Pashu means animals in Sanskrit. Without animals in Hindu mythologies, the stories of gods, demons, humans and sages are incomplete. 

• All animals had a common father, Kashyapa (prajapati, father of all creatures), son of Brahma, but different mothers
• Timi gave birth to animals who swim
• Vinata........... garudas, to animals who fly
• Kadru .......... nagas, to animals who creep and crawl
• Surabhi........ to gentle animals with hooves
• Sarama ........ to wild animals with paws
• Surasa......... to animals who are different (monsters) :)
• Aditi.... gave birth to the devas
• Diti..... gave birth to the asuras -- demons who live under the earth

Origination Story of Humanity:

• "The first man, Brahma, saw the first woman, Shatarupa, and fell in love with her. He tried to touch her, but she laughed, and to avoid getting caught, she turned into a doe. Brahma turned into a stag, so she turned into mare, he became a stallion, she turned into a cow, he into a bull. She became a goose and flew up in the air, he followed her and took the form of a gander. Every time she took a female form, he took the male form. 
• This went on for millions of years, thus, over time, all kinds of beasts came into being...

Yogi Lore... Yogasanas

• "Shiva, the great yogi, was at peace with himself. In his joy, he assumed many poses, known as asanas. Many of these poses resembled animals. For example, ustra-asana resembled a camel. When Shiva took this pose, camels came into being. And so it was, Shiva stood in millions of poses, giving rise to millions of different kinds of animals."

Avatars

• Vishnu, who lives in the Ocean of Milk, sometime descends to walk the earth in the form of an animal avatar. "So the next time you see a fish, remember that it was once Vishnu." In memory of the many forms he took, various animals came into being.

Rashi

• constellation/zodiacs are called Rashi. Who came first? The stars or the animals, since the constellations resemble the animals? Did the design of the stars inspire the gods to create the animals?

Yoni

• Some Hindus believe that a being gets a human life after passing through 8,40,000 animal wombs. Astrologers say that one can find out which was the last animal's womb or yoni based on the time of one's birth. Your Yoni determines your personality, examples: elephant, cow, mare, snake, cat, dog, rat, monkey, tiger, goat, buffalo, and deer.
• This is a really interesting concept, and makes me think of the Chinese zodiacs and astrology with the year of the snake, or the year of the rooster. I would be really interested to know what Yoni I was born into. It's a shame that an old professor of mine was a Hindu temple priest and offered to read students' astrology's at the end of the semester. He read mine, but I had no framework for which to understand it, so sadly it was lost on me. I wish I could hear my Indian astrology again now that I have a better understanding about it.

Timi's Children, Who Swim

Manu

• 1st Human Being, Flood Story with Manu bringing all that is important to humanity on a boat. The giant fish he had saved (later revealed to be Vishnu) sprouted a horn and he tied the boat to the horn, and the fish took the boat to the highest place on Earth, Mount Meru. 
• Needs to be a balance between generosity and restraint (created civilization by saving the fish, but his generosity had destroyed the earth)

Parikshit's Wife

• Parikshit was the grandson of Arjuna, the famous archer. He was seduced by a frog princess (!!! sounds like a Disney story to me!), in her human form, and she made her husband promise that he would never let her see a body of water. Well, she saw a pond one day, and jumped right in, returning to her frog form. The husband ordered all the frogs to be murdered, and in order to make the murder stop, he promised to return his frog princess daughter to him as his husband in human form. She returned and followed him back to his house, but the love between them was never the same again. HA!

The Churning Of The Ocean

• I really like this story, and think it's really cute, but I've come across it a few times before already. Basically, the whole Ocean gets churned by a pair of enemies with a snake wrapped around a mount to stir the ocean, with a turtle as the base. Poison first comes up from the Ocean and threatens to kill everyone, but Shiva had compassion on them and swallowed all the poison. Next comes really magnificent beasts up from the Ocean. 

Adrika

• A fish cursed to live as a fish until she gives birth to human children! She went up to a man (a King called Uparichara) and drank his sweat, and became pregnant with twin human children. Someone found her and cut her open and that is how she gave birth to humans, but her twin children smelled dreadfully fishy! This is a story from the Mahabharata, and I think it is a darling little story to tell about how to become pregnant (instead of the tired old "Oh, the Stork delivered you" tale.) I could definitely see myself writing a story expanding on this cute little narrative. 

Image information: green cartoon fish from Wikimedia Commons and Dark fish from Pixaby

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art: Brahma's Secret (Chapter 7, Part F) Reading Notes: EXTRA READING

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Chapter 7 -- Brahma's Secret 

(Video Part 1 of 2)

Via Video Book on YouTube

~

I'm finally finishing Devdutt Pattanaik's book, 7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art!!! After 6 long weeks! It has been so, so, so informative! This new "book medium," YouTube Video! (called "Video Book" format) is free and accessible on YouTube. The chapters have been broken down into chunks, and while quite dense, this chapter has two shorter videos instead.

I cannot stress how informative, useful, and helpful this book (Via Video Book!) has been for me. Each video is chocked full of information, but as I am nearing the end, everything is tying back to the earlier chapters quite well. I can definitely say that the first 1 to 2 chapters were a little overwhelming with information, and they took time to digest. However, now that I am finished!!!, I can actually sense that I have an understanding, a solid base, for Hinduism and what I am seeing when calendar art images are portrayed in the video before me. I truly, truly cannot recommend this book (video series by Epified) enough! 

~

Brahma's Secret (Part 1):

• Human Life is an opportunity
• Why is the Creator not given the same status as the Preserver, or the Destroyer?
• "When the word 'creator' is uttered, we take the Bible as the reference point and assume that since God is the creator there, it must be so in the Hindu world as well. But in the Hindu world, creation happens for a reason, and Brahma forgets that reason, which is why he is declared unworthy of worship."
• "Brahma created the world to understand who he was. The world was a woman, his creation, hence his daughter." 
• Brahma is unworthy of worship, and Shiva is everything that Brahma is not. 
• "The purpose of life is to realize the ego and overpower it — either destroy it as Shiva does or be detached from it as Vishnu is."

Hinduism + Astrology + Geomancy

• "Karma is manifested through nine celestial bodies, the Nava-Grahas, who rule time." [DP then discusses the Vedic art of Jyotish-shastra, the science of light, or astrology.]
  
  "Using gems and certain chants and rituals, one can increase or decrease the influence of a particular Graha in our life. Thus we can influence the future. It is not just fate; there is free will."

Vastu Parusha pinned down
by Oracle 125

• "Vastu Purusha was a demon who tried to rise from the earth and block the sky. The various gods pinned him down. Each god is ruler of the point where he still holds down the demon. [North is Kubera, South is Yama, East is Indra, West is Varuna, North-East is Soma, South-West is Surya, North-West is Vayu, South-East is Agni.]

7 Secrets From Hindu Calendar Art

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Chapter 7 -- Brahma's Secret 

(Video Part 2 of 2)

Via Video Book on YouTube

Brahma's Secret (Part 2): Human Life Is An Opportunity

• Nagas vs Yakshas (metals and gems), Yakshas reside in the north near himalayas
• Santoshi-maa-vrat: specifically a type of worship performed by women for maternity, end of calamity 
• "Seeking a boon and a blessing from a god, a God, a goddess, or a Goddess is considered a good thing, and the best way to overturn the vagaries of fate."
• Tragedies are signposts pointing us to find the purpose of life: of truly finding ourselves, the purpose which existed before Brahma sprouted many heads, the purpose of truly finding oneself, which Brahma forgot
• Hanuman: "Hanuman is called Sankat-mocham, the remover of problems. He is worshipped by people in the hope that he will destroy the problems in their lives the way he solved all of Ram's problems."

"If a monkey can become God, so can man. Thus, there is still hope for Brahma, the unworshipped God."

Story: Let this be the end.....

Barefoot

Soordas' fame was growing. He was gathering moderately large crowds around him now, and he had even been given an ektara (stringed instrument) to help create music for Lord Krishna. The crowds swelled when he began his morning songs for the day, sometimes even beginning to form before he was ready to start the day's Bhajans, or holy songs, that he crafted lovingly as the words and stanzas that formed into harmonious melodies drifted out of his mouth. He had taken to this artistic lifestyle quickly and easily, as if nothing else in the world was arranged so perfectly for him.

Today, though, the crowds who came to watch and sometimes participate in his artistry would be a problem. It was time to move. The dream had been clear: Lord Krishna was instructing him to go away from his camp and onto the untrodden paths. He had taken refuge and commenced his daily work under this tree, far away from his family home, for long enough. He had acquired moderate fame for his devotion to Lord Krishna, that he displayed twice daily when he poetically crafted and sang his holy songs. The fame was not what Soordas sought, however. He had two aims: to sing the most beautiful song to Krishna that Krishna had ever heard, and to be granted an audience with Krishna. And last night, finally and unusually, Krishna came to him in a clear, bright, and was he remembering correctly.... damp dream? He couldn't shake that feeling of sogginess that overwhelmed him in the dream.

He readied himself to move, rising from his sleep in the third watch of the night, alongside the morning birds who began their earliest callings. He gathered his two belongings, his one copper bowl that he used for drinking, eating, and bathing with, and his ektara, his instrument that helped him sing his devotion. He rose, and slowly, slowly, began to make his way out and away from the tree. Back straight, head up, feet shuffling, he started out to find the path where no one else would be. 

After stubbing his toes quite a few times, many scrapes on his arms from low-hanging and wayward branches, and a few days' worth of accumulated sunburn, Soordas had finally made his way into a forest. He felt a path beneath his feet and the cool shade of the trees had been a welcome relief. After two days journeying into the forest, he could feel himself getting parched. The Krishna devotees had not discovered him yet, to his satisfaction, but he missed them now, as usually he could ask them for a bowl of water to quench his thirst. No help would find him here, in this lonely and deserted forest. He had been careful to sing very quietly as he walked, so that no villagers working in the fields would hear his songs and abandon their work to join him in praise of Lord Krishna. No, he had managed to solitarily escape away from humanity, with their distractions, and awkward noises, and questions, and gasps when a particular line of a song was too beautiful. Despite the hunger and the thirst, Soordas was glad, for he could focus on his adorations to Krishna without any hindrances in his way. 

He shuffled forward, contemplating the dream Krishna had granted him, confident that he would find his Lord soon enough. The dream had been vivid, bright, and full of light. Perhaps he would find the location on the other side of this dark, heavily shaded forest. Suddenly, he stubbed his toe... no, his whole foot! He had jammed his whole right foot into something very hard, vertical, and quite stone-like. Soordas lurched forward, his momentum thrown off. He had expected to find the ground soon enough, his hands outstretched before him, but instead, he kept tumbling, tumbling, tumbling down.... splash! The blind bard had managed to fall right into the depths of the well, the fool! Alone, in a deserted forest with no passersby to hear him, he would surely die in here. The blindness he had been born with would be the very thing that brought him directly to the end of his life, what a disgrace, he thought. After everything he had overcome despite this failure his physical form brought him, alas, his lack of sight would be the ultimate failure to him. It would bring him death before he could meet his Lord Krishna. The dream had been clear: Krishna would come to him in a bright place, not in the darkness. 

So he began to sing, welcoming Krishna to take him to his next life as speedily as Krishna could. If not Krishna, then Yama. Let the god of death bring him a swift end, for he did not want to contemplate how long he might be in this dreadful well. No, it was better to focus his last devotional songs on Krishna, thought Soordas. At least he might attain one of his life's aims, to sing the most beautiful song to Krishna that Krishna had ever heard. And so he sang, and he sang, and he sang. Day and night and day and night and day and night for seven long days, wondering when his body would fail him and he could pass from this life onto the next. But this was not to be Soordas' end...

~

Author's Note: Soordas was a blind bard who achieved lots of fame in India, as an almost saint-like figure, for crafting holy songs to Lord Krishna in the 15th Century. His name means "Servant of the Melody" or "Slave of Song," and he is said to have written a hundred thousand songs of devotion. Especially famous is his magnum opus, the 'Sur Sagar' or 'Ocean of Melody.'  His devotion to Krishna was renowned particularly because he was blind. A few miracles surround the story of his life, one of which was only briefly mentioned in the Amar Chitra Katha comic book Soordas: The Blind Bard where I read about him. He fell into a well, early in his career of devotional singing to Krishna, and a week later Krishna rescued him out of the well. He continued singing and creating his devotional songs, seeking to again find Krishna any way that he could. I wanted to surprise the reader with the fact that Soordas was actually blind, so I tried to keep it hidden while highlighting other sensory inputs throughout the story. I also found it interesting that Krishna implored him to move away from the safety of where he had set up camp under a tree and to go seek him in untrodden areas... Wouldn't that be difficult for a blind person all alone without any aide? I attempted to allude to that question with my story as well. 

The Reading Notes I created for this ACK (volume 613) on Soordas can be found here. 

Story: All Around Me

Ghosts in the Forest
by bluesbby on flickr

I am reborn. I have a new lease on life: I am woman. I am strength. I am power. I am Motherhood. I am energy. I am cosmic energy. I am primordial cosmic energy, the greatest energetic force that this Earth and her inhabitants have seen, nay, will see. I am ALIVE.

Her previous physical form, Mirabai, had thwarted death. Banished to the river to kill herself for shaming her husband, she had been saved at the very last moment. Revived, re-invented, a new woman. 

Power. Sheer power, with the free agency to do with it as I please. What is my purpose now?

She began to float away from the river, and closer towards the forest. She was not destined for anywhere in particular, rather, she was feeling out this new form she had and wondering at its capabilities. She explored, she meandered, she experimented with this visceral power. After many days of using her powers on nothing but trees, or leafs, or playing with fire, she ultimately determined that she was being useless in her new powerful form. 

Enough. This is not what this change was given to me for. I've idled away my time for nothing. Here, look, a lonely aesthetic in the woods. I shall nudge his fire back into life. Aha! There you go ascetic, yes, that was me. No, no, you can't see me, don't look around for me like that, I am not visible to you. Oh, I'm not audible either? What if I shout very loudly LIKE THIS! Oh, no, that didn't work either? What if I nudge you to move your encampment to a safer grove over here, where the Rakshasas likely won't find you as easily......... That's right, there you go, now you've got the idea. Pick up your few pieces of encampment and move over here to this grove. MOVE, I SAID! I'll even restart your fire for you..... Bravo! Good move! You may not see me, or apparently hear me, but you certainly felt the force compelling you to move to safety! Well, that's the proper use of this power then: imposing upon humanity what is good for them. 

And then a glint twinkled in her eye, akin to the very first inkling she had when she realized the magnificent power she held within her. 

Imposing on humanity what is good for them.....

She thought maniacally. 

I can save the humans from their own stupidity! I can salvage the rivers, the oceans, and the atmosphere from the brutal trashing it has received from negligence! I can settle peace between the warring tribes! I AM POWER! 

She set off to wield her influence upon anyone whom she could find. But, alas, No! She quickly stumbled upon a problem! She could only wield her power among places of nature it seemed: forests, rivers, oceans, atmosphere (clouds, rain, sun). 

No, this still isn't working! I'm so frustrated! Why won't my influence move people here. What was it about the mendicants of the forests that made it so easy???  ARRRGGHHH.

It took a few more days of attempting to persuade humans to doing her bidding, but she soon learned one key element to her new form.

Ah, I see. I can only influence those who are seeking the primordial cosmic power. *SIGH* Humans are some of the most stubborn creatures.....

And so Radha, The Great Divine Mother, used her influence of power to those who sought her in the forests, those seeking by the riverbanks, and those on the ocean in need of some change of winds. She helped poured down the rain when they asked for it, she helped bring the sunshine when the monsoons were overwhelming the people and their crops, and she attempted to right the world through the only instrument she had available to her: influencing humanity. 

Author's Note:

Thoughts or words spoken out loud are in this typeset.

Narration is in italics. 

This week I was inspired to write about Radha, who is the divine companion to Krishna. I only learned about Radha because I was reading an Amar Chitra Katra comic book about Mirabai, a saint who gave her heart to Krishna. Village people, upon hearing of Mirabai's escape from death and subsequent musical worship to Krishna said, "She is Radha reborn!" I had to go research Radha, and this led me to dwelling on the idea of the primordial cosmic energy that moves throughout the whole earth, like a Great Divine Mother. I wanted to create some sort of mental back story to flesh out Radha more, and I tried to incorporate a ghost theme, since we are fast approaching Halloween. Everything mentioned above, outside of the reincarnation of a "new woman" and being called "Radha reborn" is of my own creation.

Radha: Radha in Sanskrit means fortunate and successful. 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. 

Shakti: power, primordial cosmic power. In Sanskrit, it is from the word Shak, which means "to be able."

Krishna and Radha 

seated on a terrace

Brooklyn Museum

Reading Notes: Soordas The Blind Bard, an Amar Chitra Katha vol613

Soordas The Blind Bard
Amar Chitra Katha volume # 613
Image from DiscoverBooks

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.

Soordas:

• "Born 1478 A.D. to a poor Saraswat Brahman couple of Sihi Village, near Delhi."
• Born blind, everyone forgot his real name and began to call him "Soor" (Soor meaning blind)
• As a child, his parents and the world were cruel to him, and did not understand him. 
• His Brahman father taught his brothers Shlokas, verses in Sanskrit, and having heard a passing group singing Bhajans, Soordas went to his father and asked him to teach him Shlokas too. He did not.
• So, Soordas followed the same group singing Bhajans that passed by the next day. He followed them to the lake, they abandoned him in the morning. But, Soordas remained and sang devotional songs and ate whatever was offered to him by the villagers. He learnt from the Sadhus and the pilgrims on their way to Mathura and Vrindavan. 
• Deprived of one of his 5 senses, he was gifted with a 6th sense, and became a famous Diviner.
• Soordas divined where Zamindar's lost son would be located, so he came and honored Soordas and built him  a hut. 
• An ektara (musical one-stringed instrument) and vessels were given to Soordas, and disciples began to stay with him and serve him. 
• Soordas had a dream of Krishna with many disciples singing devotional songs. So, Soordas left to go wander the woods with his ektara and sing praise to Krishna. "Jai Gopal! Jai Jai Gopal!"
• He kept stopping and singing Bhajans and gathering large crowds, but each time he had to leave them to excape the world, finding unused paths. 
• He fell into a well, and a week later Krishna came to rescue him out of the well. 
• In his quest to find Krishna again, he stayed in Gow-Ghat near Mathura. Here he composed hundreds of Bhajans, acquired many disciples and his fame as the Singing Mahatma (Great Soul) spread far and wide. 
• Eventually, the greatest scholar-saint of all time, Vallabha Acharya met with Soordas, the poet-saint. Vallabha Acharya corrected Soordas from singing degenerating songs to Krishna to singing only of Krishna's life. Because Soordas was unlearned, Vallabha Acharya taught him all about Krishna so that Soordas might sing about him. He initiated Soordas as his disciple.
• "Shri Krishnah Sharanam Mama" - I take refuge in Krishna. Vallabha Acharya appointed Soordas as the chief singer in Shreenathji's Temple in Govardhan. 
• When Soordas sang of Krishna, the devotees could actually see Krishna in front of their faces, it was so vivid and lifelike. 
• His brothers visited him at the temple, and Soordas embraced them warmly as they apologized for not recognizing his greatness and perhaps causing him to leave home. Soordas would not leave the temple to go visit his parents, however, saying that all mankind was his family.
• His brothers soon realized that his Bhajans were on everyone's lips, and all mankind was indeed his family. 
• Even Tansen, the famous singer at the court of Akbar began to sing the songs of Soordas. 
• Akbar came to visit Soordas because Soordas would not sing outside the Temple of Krishna. Soordas composed a new song for him, and Akbar tried to give him some lands. Soordas would not accept them, and Akbar called him 'Indeed, he is a great Fakir.' (Fakir, derived from Arabic فكير means self-sufficient one who only possesses the desire/need for god. Also, poverty.)
• Once, When Soordas was at Mathura, Tulsidas came to seek his guidance.  The two departed from each other after a few days, and requested that each other sing of their god: '
• Tulsi, sing of Krishna!' 'Of course, but Soordas, sing of my Rama!'
• Soordas stayed in the Temple of Shreenath, yet his songs sung in Brij Boli (dialect of Hindi spoken in and around Mathura) became so popular that they were sung from Rajasthan and Punjab to Assam. 

Page 22-23 of Soordas The Blind Bard, Amar Chitra Katha vol613
Personal Photo, October 2016.

I could write about when he fell into the well and Krishna came to save him out of it. I could also write about his songs being on the lips of all of the peasants.

As far as including a piece of golden jewelry, he is quite poor and lives only on what is given to him. I will have to have a piece of jewelry gifted to him, probably around the time that his hut is built, by the Zamindar. Or I could have Vallabha Acharya gift it to him, since he taught him all about Krishna's life, and as Soordas' Guru, he would probably accept the gift from him. 

Reading Notes: Rabindranath Tagore, Amar Chitra Katha vol548

Rabindranath Tagore
India's Gentle Torch-Bearer
Amar Chitra Katha vol 548
Image from Indian Epics ACK Guides

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.

Rabindranath Tagore: India's Gentle Torch-Bearer

• Born May 7, 1861 at Jorasanko Mansion in Calcutta. The 2nd youngest child of Maharishi Debendranath Tagore. His father was rarely home.
• His parents were away or busy, so many different people took over as caretakers to occupy little Rabi. 
• A cousin took Rabi and taught his to write poetry. Rabi was barely 8 years old when he wrote his first poem. 
• Rabi was a sensitive, imaginative boy who often missed school to spend time in nature. His parents arranged for a local uncle-type to come to the house every evening to teach the boys English.
• The house of the Tagores was a virtual university: a meeting ground for poets, scholars, musicians and men of science and philosophy.
• When Rabi was twelve, his father returned home from a long pilgrimage in the Himalayas. He had the boys dressed in the sacred thread, shaved heads and gold rings in their ears. The boys went for a 3 day retreat: they were taught to chant in correct accents, relevant sections from the Upanishads, and were taught to meditate.
• Rabi was serious regarding meditation and was often moved to tears of bliss at the end of a session.
• Around this time, his father invited him to journey with him to the Himalayas
• At 17 years old, Rabindranath went to England for higher studies, but returned after 17 months. He now began to devote much of his time to writing and acting. "Valmiki Pratibha" was a musical play that was produced during this time period.  
• 4 months after the wedding, Rabi's beloved sister-in-law, Kadambari Devi, died. The songs he composed in the months that followed this were intense with feeling. 
• 1890 -- "Let us walk from Calcutta to Peshawar. It will enrich our store of experience."
• Rabi's father heard of this and wanted to provide Rabi with a chance to travel, but wanted it to be combined with business.
• Rabi settled at Shilaidha in Kushthia, in the very lap of nature, to take over running of the place for his father. His family estates were scattered and entailed a good deal of traveling by boat. 
• During this time period, Rabi soaked in all of the songs and tunes of the rural, local people: rowers, sowers, peasants. "It is only unsophisticated music like this that millions can appreciate. It throbs with the joy of life."
• "Though he did write a great deal during this period, his proximity to the illiterate peasant folk turned his mind to other spheres. 'I feel for my countrymen, when will they get rid of their superstitions and fears? When will they know a better life?'"
• Shanti Niketan: Rabi built and Ashram to educate boys and teachers on the model of an Ashram in natural surroundings, Rabi even taught there. "Children are born with a natural curiosity, which, if properly encouraged, makes the learning experience a pleasure."
• He wanted to make learning a pleasure, but the response was poor.
• His liberal views antagonised the Brahma Samajists. "He has too much sympathy with Orthodox Hindu views" "He is a Brahmo! Our children will not study in the school of a Brahmo!" His school is neither recognized by Calcutta University nor by the Government. What good is an education that won't help our children get jobs?
• 1902-1907 Rabindranath's wife, father, daughter Renuka and son Samindra died. Holy crap!
• 1905: Bengal was partitioned by the British on communal lines. There were a lot of protests. He gave a speech to inspire students all of the country "Down with British Imperialism!"
• During this time, he wrote the National Anthem of Bangladesh (My Golden Bengal, I Love You)
• He was a staunch supporter of Widow Remarriage, and in 1910 he married his son to a widow, Pratima Devi. 
• His many works won him admirers from abroad. Rothenstein, the famous English Painter, suggested that his translate his "Gitanjali" into english. W.B. Yeats praised the translation.
• 
  He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for Gitanjali from Sweden. He was the first Asian to receive the prize. The funds from the prize were enough to continue funding Shanti Niketan.
• The King knighted him in Calcutta. Long Live Sir Rabindranath Tagore!
• The Calcutta University conferred a D.Litt on him. 
• He renunciated his title of Knighthood (which was declined, but he stopped using it) when in 1919 a brutal massacre by the British (@ Jallianwala Baug in the Punjab) compelled him to write a letter to the Viceroy of India protesting the barbarous attack. \
• He left Calcutta to go stand by Mahatma Gandhi in solidarity during his fast. "The government was forced to agree to the Mahatma's demand for a common electorate between caste Hindus and Harijans." Mahatma Gandhi broke his fast by sipping lime juice while Tagore sung his favorite songs from the Gitanjali. 
• Rabindranath had attained world fame, and Shanti Niketan became a center of pilgrimage for Indians and for foreigners. $$$ poured in: royalties from the English editions of his books, the education given at Shanti Niketan was recognized and it was considered a great privilege to be able to study there. (During some difficult early years, his wife offered up her bangles and adornments to be sold to keep the school going.) Jawaharlal Nehru (1st Prime Minister of India) was one of the many that were impressed by Tagore's educational methods. 
• Indira (Jawahar) was admitted as a student at the ashram. 
• Tagore lived to be 80 years old. He is called the Father of Modern Bengali Lit. Perhaps his most enduring contribution is his collection of songs, which will be sung for ages to come. 

Personal Photo of page 20 from Amar Chitra Katha's
Rabindranath Tagore: India's Gentle Torch-Bearer
October 2016

I could write about his wife giving up her bangles and baubles to sustain the school/ashram of Shanti Niketan. I could also write about his love of nature, his journey to the Himalayas with his father, or his work of Gitanjali. 

I think it would be interesting for him to receive the gold piece of jewelry for my StoryBook when he gets married and eventually gives it to his wife. Though, later, she returns it to him, in the collection she says "It's not mine, it's yours anyways" to sell. Except, for some reason, there's this one piece that he's not quite able to sell. His later works and translations reveal the true nature of the reincarnating piece of gold, and his figures out the problem with it, which is why he is able to live so long -- until 80 years old!

Abracadabra! Growth Mindset, Week 8

Meme created from ImgFlip

It's a hard, hard world out there creating. You've got to get the time and space carved out to really focus. 

That can be really hard for me to do: if I'm at home, there's a laundry list (or, literally, laundry) of chores that need to be accomplished. Even worse, if my son is home, there's no schoolwork happening, no way, no how... unless he's blissfully passed out in his crib. Which, happens to be the magical hours between 9PM and 6AM, coincidentally when I usually turn in all my assignments for this class. But really, really creating? Getting down to the nitty gritty, and working some creative magic? That's been a challenge for me this Fall. I've enjoyed the process so far, but, man, it has been a challenge.

When we first started exploring the Growth Mindset for this class, I really latched on to this idea, specifically that it's all about the process. Praise the process, not the result. If it's not challenging enough for you (or your child), then apologize for wasting time, and find something more challenging. Grow yourself. Challenge yourself.

~

ABRACADABRA!

Not quite son, not quite.

Personal Gif of my son, June 2016. 

Created using Giphy.com

It doesn't all happen in an instant. Abracadabra! Done, move on to the next thing. That's not really applicable when we're talking about learning. I feel that I have done a decent job with this particular class in challenging myself to go further and to explore new materials. I've definitely explored down deeper rabbit holes, digested supplemental information, and tried new types of reading. However, there are some areas glaring me in the face to improve upon:

• Re-schedule my allotted time for working on this class. So far, most of it is working. What is not working is waiting to work on the StoryBook Project until the end of the week. If there is a deadline, I feel pressure. When I feel too much pressure, the writing juices cease. That's simply what happens. If I have time, space, and enough time for editing and revising, I typically do just fine.
• Encouraging any and all feedback. Hey, that's part of the writing process, right? Getting accurate feedback on what your stuff really gets across to people, not just what you think it's getting across. Some peers in this class have been beneficial in challenging me to explore more difficult concepts in my writing. 
• Ask more questions! This is never a bad idea to keep wrapped around yourself like a shroud. Keep it with you, keep it close, snuggle the idea of questioning. It's so, so, so good for us! 

~

I'm just going to go ahead and copy and paste this below to remind myself that growth, challenge, and the curiosity to explore and create are the goals here. Remember this, Danielle. Remember.

doing the minimum	—	pushing yourself to go farther
looking for praise and other rewards	—	finding motivation inside yourself
staying in the comfort zone	—	being willing to try new things
focusing on grades	—	focusing on learning
expecting things to stay the same	—	being ready for things to change
taking a short-term view	—	taking a long-term view
letting others make choices for you	—	setting your own goals
playing it safe	—	taking risks
thinking you are "not good" at something	—	being confident you can improve
choosing what's easy	—	choosing what's hard
wanting to get things right the first time	—	being ready to spend time practicing
doing things at the last minute	—	setting your own schedule and priorities
generally feeling bored and/or frustrated	—	generally feeling curious and/or excited
wanting only positive feedback	—	being open to any and all feedback
being a perfectionist	—	always ready to learn more
feeling defensive about mistakes	—	being willing to learn from mistakes
comparing yourself to others	—	focusing on your own progress
sticking to what you know	—	asking lots of questions

From OnlineCourseLady's Week8Growth

P.S. Carol Dweck is amazing for Growth Mindset. I would like to spend some more time watching videos of her and her work. 

Week 8 Reflections: Reading, Writing, Connecting

From the Online Course Lady :)

Fall Reading Review:

• Overall, I feel that my Reading Notes are probably pretty lengthy. However, they've helped me to organize and process what I am taking in, as a lot of it is new-ish information combining with new perspectives on older information I already had acquired. I feel that I have been making great choices with the readings, for me, in keeping it varied and interesting. I've chosen several different mediums throughout the semester, and have tried to gain a broad base for important stories from India. 
• I've actually most enjoyed the extra reading assignments so far this semester, specifically the Video Book format that has allowed me to progress through Devdutt Pattanaik's  7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art.  This book has been the most informative. 
• Sister Nivedita's work for the re-read through The Mahabharata was actually quite dry, and not what I expected or anticipated. 
• R.K.Narayan's book The Mahabharata was more enjoyable to read and went fairly quickly, so I will probably return to him as an author in the future.
• I most enjoyed the PDE version of the Ramayana, and would like to revist some PDE editions in the future. The reading guides were so helpful for further exploration! All the extra time I spent in the beginning looking into extra information really laid a great foundation for moving forward with Hindu ideas/philosophies/epics.
• Reading Notes: I do feel that I am reading like a writer, where I am trying to pinpoint one aspect that I can hone in on and create a story from that. When I do narrow down, highlight, or emphasize only one point, I find that I can think about my story as I am moving through my day, and when it's time to write, it's almost all there ready to just be penned down. In reference to the semester long project, however, it has been a struggle to incorporate enough information relating to my project to be ready to move forward in the storytelling aspect of the semester project. 

Future Reading Options: Weeks 9-14

        I'm so exited to move forward in the exploratory readings for the rest of the semester! I feel that I have a wealth of books that I could devour, and only wish that I had enough time to do so! I am going to try and finish most of the books I considered for possible StoryBook Project ideas -- they all interest me, and while I can't use them all for my project, I can still read them!

• More Amar Chitra Katha Books (Already Read: Mirabai and Kabir)
• Brahma Dreaming by John Jackson (I'm already 1/3 finished with this book, I just haven't written up any reading notes yet. I L-O-V-E this book! It's visually so beautiful!)
• Krishna Krishna by Indira Parthasarathy. (Available on Audiobook, perfect for me!)
• Twenty-Two Goblins by Arthur Ryder. (I've actually already finished this book, and it wasn't stellar, but it was unique. I just haven't written up Reading Notes for is yet.)
• Pashu by Devdutt Pattanaik. Love Pattanaik's work so far, and I already have the physical copy of this checked out from the Library. Just need to sit down with it and read through it.)
• Fugitives, Rabindranath Tagore. I still want (and need!) to read through these plays and songs, especially considering it relates to my StoryBook.
• Razmnama - The Persian (Mughal) translation of the Mahabharata -- perhaps, thought not a definite.
  
  

Fall Writing Review:

Stories I've written so far:

      Overall, I am fairly happy with the stories I have written. I definitely feel that the quality of my work is actually weighted to better quality at the beginning of the semester when I had more time and mental capacity to devote to the stories. I've also noticed that if I give myself a few days to ruminate/physical write about the story, it comes out far superior to when I am forced to sit down in one day and write the story. Those stories are still OK, and they're my stories, but they tend to be more lighthearted and playful, rather than seriously incorporating everything I have digested thus far. I want to focus more on this website for inspiration and writing technique development: Writing Laboratory.

StoryBook Review:

I am happy with the choice that I have chosen, although I am unhappy with the hosting site that I have chosen. Admittedly, though, technology and web design are areas that I am least capable in, not to mention areas that intimidate me the most! Plan: Readings need to focus on sourcework from the poets that I have chosen (Tagore/Surdas/Kabir/Mirabai) so that I can digest them, focus on my favorites, and begin to write StoryBook stories incorporating those stories. Digestion and synthesis takes the longest for me.

Looking Ahead:
      I found a diary entry style of storywriting from one of my classmates recently, and that looked like an interesting style of writing to try. I would also like to try and revisit writing something in verse, that was really challenging and quite a lot of fun.

Connecting Review:

      I most admire the conciseness with which other writers are able to get to the juicy bits. It can immediately get intriguing, or suspenseful or spooky within a sentence or two. I feel like I get really weighed down in the details in my intros. 

      I think I have probably been doing a good job giving other people feedback, though on the normal, weekly stories that we comment on, it's hard to get into much depth in that commenting. It's much easier to go in depth for the Portfolio or StoryBook reviews. I can probably aim to include one encouraging way to enhance a story on even the regular weekly stories that I comment on, not just saving the in depth analysis for the Feedback groups.