Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A


Ganesha is the lord of beginnings.Yes, I remember the beginning of the story where Ganga asked the man not to question her decisions. I included a similar concept in one of my stories. Wow Ganga, agreed to give birth to eight celestial spirits to free the 8 vases. What I don’t like about this part is that what did Ganga expect? I think she expected too much from her husband because who wouldn’t be curious as to why they’re killing their babies? I wish Ganga would have been more considerate towards her husband by giving him some explanation at least. When Ganga returned, I don’t get why he was so happy when she walked away from their marriage so easily. That’s a Dumb move Ganga. Why did the king take forever to find another woman? It just so happened that he fell in love with someone else after Ganga appeared. Was he waiting for her return? He’s a king so he would have access to so many other women. Could it be perhaps that she’s a goddess and that he didn’t want a normal woman? But that wouldn’t make sense as to why he fell in love with a fisherman’s daughter, Satyavati.  

Bibliography
Epified TV, Mahabharata Part A, Youtube
Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra
Source: Wiki

Reading Notes: Krishna Part B

In episode 11, what I like was the Krishna was going to teach Brahma a lesson. Usually, in Indian epics, the lesson is something that’s unexpected. I wouldn’t have thought of that idea. What I’m confused about is when it said that when Brahma took the people, it was equivalent to one year. I’m super confused about what the speaker meant. So if Brahma is the creator of the universe, then what is Krishna? Also what are cowherd friends? I’ve never heard of that term before. I really like how Krishna took the time to get close to Hastin. By taking the time, he shows how much patience he has. Music is so important. I love how the flute is included in this story. Calmness is the ultimate strength. It’s true because we shouldn’t exert effort on unnecessary things.


Bibliography
Epified TV (India), Krishna, Youtube


Radha Krishna 
Source: Wiki

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Reading Notes: Krishna Part A

In the intro, the fact that people tried to kill Krishna as a child and prevent his growth reminded me of Hercules the Disney version. Demons tried to kill Hercules when he was a baby but failed to. For episode 1, I heard stories similar to the part where the King wanted to slay the baby that was going to kill him. I was surprised when the mother transferred her baby to her husband’s first wife. I didn’t think that would happen but that was a good save! I liked how two huge snakes came to help the dad cross the Yamuna and I thought it was funny when the dad realized that the water was only waist deep. Gypsies were the people of Nand, the cow herd. So if I’m understanding this correctly, the mother transferred her seventh baby to another woman so that she could give birth to him away from the prison. Then when the first mother got pregnant, the prison guards thought that it was her seventh baby but in fact her eight baby. Now the father is bringing back the daughter. What’s going to happen to the daughter when he arrives at the prison? Why is he taking her back there when the king is just going to kill her? Oh now I see, yes the king’s mistake was judging the baby because it was a girl. So now I’m even more confused. Did the mother give birth to two gods? Durga and Krishna?? The slaughter of newborn babies reminds me of a book from the Bible. I think it was in Egypt. I laughed when baby Krishna was sucking everything out of the bad woman (hate, powers, milk, etc.) That’s what she gets!

Bibliography
Epified TV (India), Krishna, Youtube

Krishna
Source: Wiki

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Famous Last Words: Deep Thoughts

Hello Everyone,

I haven’t written one of these in a while so I thought since I have a lot of content in my head, that I would share my thoughts with you all.

These past few weeks on lockdown has brought out the social bug in me. I have the biggest desire to catch up with people.

Last night, I spoke with my long time friend, Keziah, just like any other night; we don’t talk everyday but whenever we do, it’s like picking off where we last ended. I absolutely love that about our friendship. We catch each other up on our life events and give each other advice. Well, last night got a little deep. I’ve never been a person to talk about my friendship with someone; it’s just awkward for me. I believe that the strength of our friendship doesn’t need to be said with words but instead seen with actions. To my surprise, Keziah was a little confused about our friendship.

I did something that I don’t usually do - tell her how important she is to me.

To keep it relatively short, tell your friends and loved ones how much they mean to you. Being on lockdown, we have all the time in the world.

My favorite feeling in this world is talking to someone about old things. I love talking about high or middle school with someone from that time of my life. There are two sides to every story so it’s always interesting to hear what the other person thought or felt at that time.

When we die, we look back on our lives and think “what have I done in my life?” Historical figures and even people now live their lives so that they have a legacy. When they die, the thought of them lives within people that they’ve affected. With that being said, we have countless versions of ourselves within the minds of others. Therefore, when we die, we’re not truly forgotten. Treat people respectfully, help others and be true to yourself.

When I was in middle school, I didn’t have much self-confident so it was difficult talking to new people that weren’t one of my close friends. I strongly viewed myself as an awkward and weird child that I thought everyone else did as well. However, Keziah told me otherwise. She would bring me up in conversations with her others friends and they said “Oh I remember her. She was cool.” Maybe “cool” is just a generic comment people say when they barely know someone but it low key touched my heart.

I’ve been trying to get into contact with a friend from my childhood. It’s proving to be a little difficult just because he’s a very low-profile guy. Plus, it doesn’t help that he’s in Kansas. I got into contact with his brother whom I haven’t seen in so long too. I asked about him and his mother. I’m currently waiting for his response about his brother.

I’ve come to realize that there are so many things left unsaid and unaddressed in my life. I’m not sure about the rest of you but looking back, I regret not saying how I felt. Now, there’s multiple untied ends that I have to deal with.

If you like someone, tell them exactly how you feel.
If you miss someone, tell them.

In life, we usually only get one opportunity. Take that opportunity and run with it.

When you seem to hate everything and everyone around you, just remember that your life isn’t always going to be the same. Hold your friends and family a little tighter. Be grateful that you have them in your life because one day, they won’t be around anymore. If you don’t have any friends (like me), don’t be afraid to put yourself out there to meet new people.


Avoid the Regret of Not Doing
Source: Doctor


Sunday, March 29, 2020

Week 11 Story: A Start of Something Different

A nearby river was infamously known to be teeming with alligators of all sizes and ferocity. No one went near the dangerous river. Next to the river was a huge beautiful tree that held countless of monkeys. Despite the imminent danger that always lied below them, the monkeys stayed in that tree because of the spiritual fruit that it bore. For generations, the fruit sustained families of monkeys. The number one rule for the monkeys was to never lose their grip from the tree or else they would fall into the water. Alligators were always hiding right below the tree just in case any of the monkeys did make the mistake.

One day, an unlucky zebra came to the river to drink. The beautiful tree caught the zebra’s eye for a second and in that moment, an alligator bit the zebra’s neck pulling him under the water. Alligators tore the zebra apart causing a fiasco in the water. Some of the monkeys huddled together witnessing the chaos. A monkey named Suzu, who couldn’t watch, noticed a loner alligator. A piece of fruit fell from the tree which floated for a couple seconds until the alligator swam to it and ate it. 

“I thought alligators didn’t like fruit?” asked Suzu. The alligator looked left and right, then up. He was surprised to see that a monkey was talking to him. In a quiet but deep voice, the alligator said “most don’t, but for some reason I’ve always liked them.” 

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” asked the alligator. Suzu explained that she isn’t and that she’s always been a fearless monkey. “You guys usually do a good job of making sure none of the fruit falls into the river. It makes eating a little difficult” said the alligator. “Are you not carnivorous? asked Suzu. “Surprisingly no, I don’t like meat” said the alligator. 

“I never got your name” stated Suzu. “It’s Legosi” said the alligator. 

After that day, the two would talk every day. Suzu gave fruit to Legosi whenever he was hungry. The other monkeys and alligators noticed the forbidden friendship. 


Author’s Note 
Elements of this story came from multiple inspirations primarily the Jataka Tales. The first inspiration came from The Monkey Bridge. A tree that held hundreds of monkeys created incomparable fruit. The chief monkey told his children to never let a fruit drop into the river or else people will come looking for the tree. A fruit ends up in the river and reaching a nearby kingdom. A king ate the fruit and pursued to find the tree. 

My biggest inspiration came from an anime called Beastars. In the Beastars reality, there a divide between carnivores and herbivore animals. The story takes place at a high school where carnivorous and herbivorous animals live and interact together. A gray wolf named Legosi, meets a white dwarf rabbit named Haru, and ends up falling in love with her. Legosi is fully aware of the situation since he  is a wolf. 

I wanted to a similar story from Beastars while including elements from the Jataka Tales. I wanted a situation like the wolf and rabbit so I decided to do one with an alligator and monkey. There were many tales between the two. The friendship between Legosi and Suzu are very much in its early stages. I couldn’t write about their love just because it would’ve been a long story. A strong bond between takes time to develop. Beastars had twelve episodes so I didn’t want to rush my story. 


Bibliography
Noor Inayat, Twenty Jataka Tales, Source


       
Legosi
Source: Fandom

Haru 
Source: Fandom



Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part B

The Two Pigs
This story had an unexpected turn that was kind of confusing. One of the pigs said this poem causing everything in the world to listen? I wasn’t sure how his riddle was able to do all of that. I thought what was going to happen was that the two pigs found out they were going to be eaten and then run away. Also, the pigs didn’t say anything about it but the drunken grandma ended up betraying Cullatundila. If I was that pig, I would’ve tried to get back at the grandma. With these Jataka tales, I never know what’s going to happen. The story has to have a twist in rather than the expected. I really thought the pigs were going to escape through their window or door and runaway to the forest. Instead, they end up being treated as royalty. What an ending..



The Patient Buffalo
I have to say this one was my favorite story because of the lesson that’s taught. I loved how the buffalo stated that the monkey did not have a brain so why should he punish him for it. It’s like saying why should I waste my energy on someone else who won’t understand. It’s an important lesson to learn. I know for me I tend to waste a lot of my time on trying to convince the other person and in the end, it’s pointless. Thank you buffalo.



Bibliography
Noor Inayat, Twenty Jataka Tales, Source


Water Buffalo
Source: Wikipedia

Reading Notes: Twenty Jataka Tales Part A

The Monkey Bridge
What surprised me was that the king went with his men to search for the tree. Usually kings stay in their kingdoms rather than doing the work. I felt sad reading the part where the chief monkey sacrificed himself to save his children. I just can’t believe that none of them stayed back to make sure he was okay especially the last monkey who broke his back. I also thought that the king was going to kill the chief monkey. However, it was surprising to me when the king actually had a conversation with the chief monkey. The fact that the king even made a temple in honor of the chief made me warm inside. WhatI liked about this story was that a lesson was taught by example. The chief indirectly showed how to be a king and the king saw that. In the end, the king actually ruled his people by loving them instead of being a tyrant like many other past kings. After reading so many tales with sad endings, it was nice to read a happy ending like this one.

Guilty Dogs
When the royal family found out their royal satchel thing got ruined, I instantly knew the king was going to order those dogs to be killed. This is what I was referring to in the Monkey Bridge. I really thought I was going to read about the slaughter of those street dogs and then read about how guilty those royal dogs felt after. But I’m glad that the chief dog came up and saved all the innocent dogs. Unfortunately, we don’t know what happened to the royal dogs; I wish they included that.

Bibliography
Noor Inayat, Twenty Jataka Tales, Source


Royal Dog Breeds: Akita
Source: Bustle

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

Ganesha is the lord of beginnings.Yes, I remember the beginning of the story where Ganga asked the man not to question her decisions. I inc...