Epics from India

                                                   Image Details: Kunti praying to Surya, Source: Wikimedia It was a brisk and foggy morning. I was running through the park, feeling the crunch of the crisp leaves underneath my shoes. I sat down on a bench and pulled out my phone. I saw that there were 10 missed calls. I looked at the caller ID and deleted the messages. I didn’t want to think about it “How dare she call me? After everything that has happened between us, now she wants to build a relationship with me.” I could feel my blood boil beneath my skin and hear my breath begin to shudder. Just thinking about her made me furious. I decided that I needed to get back home. Dev would probably be awake by now and so would the baby. I got up and jogged back home, listening to the playlist on my phone. I opened the front door and could hear silence. “ Thank god! No one’s awake yet.” I ran upstairs and entered the bedroom. I noticed that Dev’s briefcase and car keys

Pg: 133-179 Image Details: Draupadi, Source: Wikimedia Yudhistira tells Krishna that he does not want to fight the kauravas  as they are his kinsmen and family. Krishna tells Yudhistira that he will visit the kauravas and try to broker peace between the pandavas and the kauravas . The pandavas warn Krishna to be careful when he goes and visits Duryodhana as he is evil and vicious. Also, that Duryodhana will not hesitate to insult Krishna for siding with the pandavas . However, some of the brothers did not want peace as they feel insulted by the actions of Duryodhana. Furthermore, they feel guilty about what happened to Draupadi in Duryodhana's court. They felt that the only way they could attain justice was by killing Duryodhana. Draupadi agrees with them and tells Krishna that she wants the kauravas to feel her wrath and the pain that she has endured. Krishna comforts her and tells her that she will get her justice. Krishna goes to Hastinapura and meets with Dhritaras

Image Details: Duryodhana, Source: Wikimedia Duryodhana is still jealous of the Pandava's achievements while they are still in exile. Sakuni tells Duryodhana to go to the Kamyaka forest where the Pandava's are and where his finest clothes and jewels. This way it will make the Pandava's jealous and they will feel much lower than Duryodhana. Duryodhana goes to Kamyaka and holds feasts, dances, and entertainment to make the Pandava's feel jealous. Duryodhana tries to summon the Pandava's to his party; however, a gandharva refuses him passage and they get into a fight. The gandharva  eventually imprisons Duryodhana and Yudhistira hears of his plight and asks Bhima to go and save him. Arjuna and Bhima go and save Duryodhana, who becomes ashamed that his plan did not work. The Pandava's leave Kamyaka and go to the kingdom of Dwaitavana. They meet a brahmin there who proclaims that he lost all his elements for performing a ritual and requests the Pandava

                                                       Image Details: Mythology, Source: flickr The crash course video, “What is Myth,” explains that mythology is a combination of literature, history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, religion, and even some concepts from science. Mythology is complicated for several reasons. First, mythology is derived from many older myths that have several different versions of the same story. Another reason why mythology is complicated is that it is open to many different interpretations. Different cultures and religions, individuals argue and theorize myths for hundreds of years. The video explains that most of the time in mythology, we are exposed to interpretations of a myth and not a solid fact. Also, another important thing to remember about mythology is that the line between myth and religion is very thin. Moreover, when looking at myths, we tend to understand and perceive them as stories than as a truth. Historians believe that by

Mahabharata pg:54-83                                              Image Details: Draupadi, Source: Wikimedia After Yudhistira is challenged to place a game of dice with the Kauravas, he tells the men that he willing to play against them. However, he tells them that they must play a fair game. Sakuni tells Yudhistira that there is no such thing as cheating, just people who are smart enough to find another way to win the game. As the game progresses, Yudhistira soon becomes engrossed in the game and starts to raise the stakes. However, Sakuni wins every round against Yudhistira and conquers all his wealth. Vidura tells Dhristriasta to cancel the games as he thinks that Sakuni was cheating. Duryodhana becomes annoyed with Vidura and tells that no such thing is happening. Yudhistira begins to gamble each one of his brothers and then finally himself when he runs out of wealth to bet. Finally, he bets Draupadi into servitude and Sakuni wins. Duryodhana asks his men to bring Dra

Ramayana pg: 1-39                                                                Image Details: Duryodhana, Source: Wikimedia Santanu was the ruler of a kingdom with the capital of Hastinapura. He meets a young woman and falls in love with her. When she reciprocates his feelings, she tells him that she is willing to marry him only if he lets her to whatever she wants. Furthermore, he is not allowed to stop her from doing anything. Santanu agreed with her wishes and they get married. However, whenever the woman became pregnant and had a child, she immediately drowned the child in a river. She does this with seven children until Santanu tells her to stop killing their children. She agrees with his demand, but she takes the child away from him and tells him that she will return the child once the child has grown up. She keeps her word and returns the child to her husband.   Four years later, Santanu meets the daughter of a fisherman and falls in love with her. He asks the fi

                                                                    Image Details: Sita, Source: Wikimedia It was a foggy Friday morning. Lakshmana and I had to leave early in the morning so that the tabloids wouldn’t see us sneaking out of the house. He came into my room last night and told me that I had to leave with Lakshmana in the morning to go meet some constituents that could help him in the election. “Why me? Why not send Hanuman?” I looked at Rama intently. He never sent me anywhere by myself and especially after the rumors about the affair; we decided it would be better if I didn’t make any public appearances for some time. Rama ran his fingers through his hair, “I need Hanuman here, Sita. He needs to rally up the rest of our followers for the speech. Besides, the people adore you. Maybe not right now, but you need to show them that you are stronger than this.” He looked up at me and I could see tears in his eyes. I never saw him cry, even when his father told h

Reading: The Sons of Rama: Luv and Kush- The Invincible Twins                                                  Image Details: Valmiki with Lava and Kusha, Source: Wikimedia  The comic book explains what happens after Rama banishes Sita from Ayodha and how she raises her two sons, Luv and Kush. In R.K Narayan's " Ramayana, " the author explains that he did not want to add the remainder of the Ramayana where Rama banishes Sita from the kingdom as this was a controversial topic and some scholars believe this to be fiction. The comic book begins with Rama banishing Sita and Lakshmana leaves her in the wilderness. Sita is pregnant and terrified of being alone; however, a scholar named Valmiki lets Sita to take refuge with him. Sita gives birth to two sons, Luv and Kush. Valmiki educates the boys about Rama and his many accomplishments. However, he does not reveal the fact that Rama is actually their father. In Ayodhya, Rama prepares for the Horse-Sacrifice, but whe

Reading: Hanuman- The Epitome of Devotion and Courage                                                      Image Details: Hanuman, Source: flickr The comic book highlights important events that occurred in the Hanuman's life. Compared to R.K. Narayan's " Ramayana, " there is definitely more information about Hanuman's life in the comic book as well as the extent of Hanuman's devotion to Rama. The comic book begins with Hanuman when he was a child. He accidentally grabs the sun, believing it to be a piece of fruit. This was one of the first instances when Hanuman displays his strength. The book explains how Hanuman met Sugriva as he saved Sugriva from a wild elephant. Also, Hanuman joins Sugreeva in exile and meets Rama and Lakshmana, who defeat Sugriva's brother, Vali. Hanuman plays a vital part in helping Rama save Sita. He finds Sita in Lanka and explains to her that Rama is coming to rescue her. Also, Hanuman attacks the rakshasas who were

I have created a Storybook on the new google sites. I plan on doing a storybook about the one of the most ill-fated hero's of the Mahabharata, Karna.                                                                   Image Details: Karna, Source: Wikimedia Here is the link .

                                                                                                       Image Details: Twine Logo, Source: Wikimedia This week for the story lab, I looked at the " Twine Story Software. " I thought that this was a very creative method for storytelling. When I tried to make my own game, I noticed that it is a lot more complicated that it actually looks. It was easy to set up the variables that I was manipulating in my game. For example, I made a game that was similar to the example " Pick a number ," but instead I called it " Pick a color " and changed the variable from number to color. However, after changing my variables, it took me some time to understand how to connect all the passages on my story together. Even though it took me longer than expected, I was able to brainstorm and link all the passages in the story together. I like the twine software because it was very creative and interactive. I think in future pro

Ramayana pg. 130-153 Across The Sea: Vibishana meets with Rama after leaving Ravana. He warns Rama of Ravana's plans and pleads to help Rama. Hanuman tells Rama that he can trust Vibishana as he is one of the most pious and righteous man in Lanka. Also, he helped Hanuman when Ravana was about to kill him in Lanka for burning down the city. Vibishana and Rama draw up a plan to attack Lanka. Rama prayed and fasted for seven days. Then he asked the sea to give him passage towards Lanka. Rama, Hanuman, and the rest of the army built a bridge across the sea by filling it with pebbles and rocks. The Siege of Lanka: As the fight between Rama's and Ravana's armies began, Ravana started to lose more of his army day by day. He decides to send spies into Rama's army and even tries to manipulate Sita in order to prevent her from reuniting with Rama. However, none of his efforts work. Then, Rama tries to convince Sita that Rama and Lakshmana were dead by sedating them. Sita

Ramayana: 89-131 Vali:                                                             Image Details: Rama and Sita, Source: flickr The author explains that this one of the most controversial chapters in the Ramayana. Throughout the Ramayana, Rama is depicted as an ideal man. However in this chapter, Rama begins to act out in half-knowledge, haste, and out of partiality. Rama and Lakshmana enter the kingdom of Kiskinda, which was a kingdom ruled and inhabited by monkeys. The subjects in this kingdom possessed extraordinary intelligence, speech, immeasurable strength and nobility. Rama and Lakshmana meet Hanuman (also known as Anjaneya). Hanuman takes them to Sugreeva, who shares his story with them. Sugreeva's Story: Sugreeva explains that he had an elder brother named Vali. Once, Vali helped the gods churn the ocean in order to obtain nectar. This act pleased the gods and Vali was rewarded with immeasurable strength. He was given a special gift; whenever anyone los

Image Details: Feedback, Source: Pixabay In the article, The Difference between Praise and Feedback, the author explains that the “inverse power of praise” have made it very difficult for parents to positive feelings or attitudes to their kids without having to face negative consequences. One method the author gives to fix this problem is the “process of praise.” This method particularly focuses on praising effort or strategy of students rather than simply praising students themselves. However, the author explains that it is important to strike a balance between praise and person hood as kids should not feel that their parents only value them due to their actions. The author also explains that it is important for parents to be involved in their children’s life and that they need to ask questions and communicate freely with their children. By providing “helpful, detailed, and encouraging feedback,” parents are able to praise their children more effectively. I like the

Background:  Karna is one of the most tragic hero’s from the Mahabharata. He is known for his loyalty, bravery, and chivalry. Karna was the son of Kunti and the sun god, Surya. However, since Karna was born to Kunti before her marriage, she abandoned him in a basket along a river. An interesting aspect to Karna was that he was born with golden earrings and a strong armor to indicate that he could not be defeated. One interesting aspect of Karna's story, is that of his and Duryodhana's friendship and loyalty to each other.                                                           Image Details: Karna and Indra, Source: Wikimedia Duryodhana makes Karna a King: When Karna participates in a weapons competition; he is required to announce his lineage. This was done so that men of equal ranks would fight each other. However, Duryodhana intervenes and says that Duryodhana was an “Arajna” (non-king) and that he was planning on anointing Karna as the king of Angas. T