Week 3 Storytelling: Ravana The Hermit

Shurpanakha stumbled into Lanka, leaving a trail of demon blood in her wake. As she approached Ravana's fortress, she fell to the ground unconscious. One of the gods Ravana had enslaved in his service was flying around the fortress in the form of a falcon. The falcon spotted Shurpanakha lying in the streets and cried out for help to the guards. Ravana's cronies brought Shurpanakha to him, and he roared with rage upon seeing his sister. "I will get revenge ten fold on whoever did this to my sister" screamed Ravana.

Shupanakha awoke, and called out for her brother. Lakshmana had gouged out her eyes, and she blindly stumbled around the room screaming in rage. Ravana arrived and demanded to know who had done this to her. She told him that Lukshmana had caught her and mutilated her, and that he was in the forest with Rama and Sita. A sage who was forced into Ravana's service stepped forward, and offered a revenge curse. "Ravana, if you go to them and mutilate Lakshmana, and then bring back Sita, we can sacrifice her. This will restore your sister's body, and make her as beautiful as Sita." explained the sage.

Ravana met with his uncle Maricha and told him what had happened, and how the revenge curse could heal Shupanakha. "I am leaving for the woods where Rama is camped, and you will join me in avenging our sister." barked Ravana. On their way to Rama's camp, Ravana devised a plan. Rama was too powerful, and couldn't be defeated in combat. Instead, Maricha would distract him and lure him away from the camp. Then Ravana would ambush Lakshmana, mutilate him, then steal Sita. In the woods outside Rama's camp, Ravana hid in a tree and ordered Maricha go and lure Rama.

As Ravana was perching in the tree, he saw a golden deer run under him. The golden deer dashed through the woods, with Rama in pursuit. As soon as Rama was out of sight, Ravana ran to Rama's camp. Rama spotted the hut that Sita and Lukshmana were in. He snuck up to the door and knocked it down, then burst into the room. When the dust cleared, Ravana laid eyes upon Sita and froze in his tracks. This was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He lusted after her, and decided that he would take her back for himself. He wasted no time dealing with Lakshmana, grabbed Sita, and headed back to Lanka.

Ravana abducting Siva, Wikipedia

Author's note: This story was inspired by Narayan's The Ramayana. This story is an alternate version of events after Shurpankha returns to Lanka. I wanted to show Ravana as a truly evil character who is only concerned for himself.


Bibliography:

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana

Week 3: Reading Diary A

The demon Ravana has set a very intelligent trap in order to capture Sita. He knows that Rama and Sita love each other very much, and used this to his advantage. A demon capable of enslaving gods in his service seems like he would be capable of making Sita love him once she has been captured. Ravana knows that Sita will be drawn to the golden deer that Maricha takes the form of. Because of this, Rama will surely want to capture the golden deer for his wife. In turn, Sita will be unable to resist the decoy call of Maricha using Rama's voice. I thought Sita would run after Rama's voice, although sending Lakshmana to help makes more sense, as he would be able to face any danger that caused Rama to call for help. Ravana seems like a very smart and devious demon, his peers charged into battle against Rama and met their demise.

I think Rama feels sorry for Sugriva because he thinks they are both in the same situation. Both of them were forced into exile, both their brothers are kings, and both of their wives were stolen. I cannot blame Sugriva and his advisors for deciding to seal the cave that Vali chased Mayavi into. Even though Vali doesn't seem like an inherently evil character, I think he overreacts to Sugriva sealing the cave.

I found the interaction between Rama and Vali to be very interesting. Vali made some very good points as to why what he did was justified. Too often in the world, people try to force others to abide by their code of morals and ethics. Vali explained to Rama that as monkeys, their society does not function according to the same rules as human society. Although this is a great argument, Rama trumps it by saying that Vali did something that violated a moral code present in both monkey and human society. Eventually Vali accepts Rama's reasoning, and decides that he has deserves this fate.


Sampathi was the brother of Jatayu, who is now dead after falling in battle to Ravana. Sampathi's wings were burned after he flew too high and angered the sun god. This reminds me of Daedalus and Icarus in Greek mythology. Once again, these two different cultures have produced mythology with such very similar stories. Although I suppose Sampathi ends up doing a lot better than Icarus.

Week 2 Storytelling: Kaikeyi In The Kopa Gruha

Kaikeyi had been waiting for this moment since the birth of her son Bharatha. She knew her husband to be a man of great honor, the type of honor that would prevent him from breaking his promise to her. She had waited patiently for Bharatha to come of age, and for the king's mind to decay. She knew Rama to be a man of great honor also, and he would not challenge her plan if executed properly. Ever since Kaikeyi saved the King after a battle, she felt that she was owed a great debt. Her marriage to the King and all her worldly possessions were not enough, she felt that her son must sit on the throne.  As she waited for the King to arrive in the Kopa Gruha, she kept reasoning with herself that she had the right to usurp the throne. The minutes she spent waiting for the King seemed like hours to her.

A servant of Kaikeyi's came to her and notified her that the King was about to arrive. She thanked the servant and dismissed her, then began preparing herself for the King. Kaikeyi put on her saddest face and tried to appear as upset and possible. However distraught she might appear, it was only a front. On the inside, Kaikeyi was cool, calm, and collected. The King was already caught in her trap, he just didn't know it.

The King arrived in the Kopa Gruha and looked upon his wife. He wondered what could have upset her this much, and tried to comfort her. The King's mind had been slipping for some time now, and he was unable to sense the treachery lurking in Kaikeyi. As the King tried to comfort her, he fell deeper into her trap. After a few minutes of this, the King began to feel personally guilty for the emotional state of his wife. Kaikeyi noticed this and jumped on the opportunity. She asked the King if he remembered the promise he made all those years ago, after Kaikeyi had saved him. The King recalled him promise to grant to wishes to Kaikeyi, and was eager to grant them in order to appease his distraught wife.

Kaikeyi in the Kopa Gruha, Wikipedia

The King's wife sensed this eagerness in her husband, and spoke her two wishes to the King while sobbing. Upon hearing the wishes of his wife, the King realized there was nothing he could do. He refused to break his word, and told Kaikeyi that her wishes would be granted. The King also called her out for being deceitful and treacherous, but Kaikeyi felt no guilt upon hearing them. She continued with her sobbing facade, but behind this face she was smiling from ear to ear.


Author's note: This story was inspired by Narayan's The Ramayana. I wanted to illustrate Kaikeyi's plot as a premeditated attempt to usurp the throne from Rama. She wishes the throne for herself, but she knows that this can never happen. Instead, she aims to put her son on the throne and rule vicariously through Bharatha.

Bibliography:

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana

Week 2: Reading Diary B

Rama's senses of honor and duty seem to know no bounds. He selflessly accepts his exile, and doesn't resent his stepmother at all when Rama was informed it was her idea. He even offers to let his wife, who is his soulmate, stay behind at the palace. I wonder if anything can get a rise out of Rama, or if he is even capable of doing wrong. When Rama learns of his father's death, he becomes very emotional. This is only the second time Rama has displayed such strong emotion, the first being after he first saw his wife. Even when showing emotion, Rama shows great restraint when compared to his peers. His brother Bharatha spent five days in the palace mourning his father's death, while Rama takes only a short while. Rama even acts kindly towards the demon Soorpanaka when first meeting her, even though the destruction of evil entities is the entire purpose of his incarnation.

I was surprised that Kaikeyi told Bharatha the truth about Rama's exile. Bharatha seems to be an honorable man, and Kaikeyi must have known that Bharartha would be very furious with her. He only spared her life because he knows Rama would hate him if he killed Kaikeyi. He also refuses to become King on account of Rama's honor. Rama seems to not only be a paragon himself, but inspire the quality in those around him. Bharatha only accepts the crown after seeming to understand that it is divine intention that he rule for the time being. Even in accepting rule, he renounces it as much as possible. He places Rama's sandals at the throne and declares he is only ruling in Rama's place until he returns.

I was confused by the demon Soorpanaka. She arrived a wolf in sheep's clothing, so to speak, but quickly revealed her true nature to Rama and Sita. I don't understand why she would fall in the with Rama when she is a demon, the very thing Rama is supposed to rid the world of. She shows her true colors after being mutilated by Rama's brother, and scorned by Rama.

It seems that Rama cannot be bested by demons when confronted directly. He coasts through two battles with the demons, emerging untouched. The demons must use trickery to get the better of him, and so Ravana hatches his plan after hearing of Sita's beauty from Soorpanaka.

Week 2: Reading Diary A

Rama is a very interesting character from the beginning. He seems to be a messiah of sorts, in the sense that his mission is to rid the world of evil. Although at this point he does not seem to be aware of his life's purpose, and he is certainly not aware that he is an incarnation of Vishnu. This is an interesting situation with respect to Thataka, who can only be defeated by a human. Perhaps if Rama was aware of who he really was, he would be unable to slay Thataka and start his journey.

In the beginning, the reader doesn't know what Rama is thinking, or how he feels about his life or his journey. He simply follows the sage and defeats demons on demand. This first glimpse into his mind seemed to be after he first laid eyes upon Sita. He is destined to fall in love with her, as she is an incarnation of Vishnu's wife. Rama wrestles with her existence and his feelings for her, which is very different from his matter of fact approach to his journey so far.

I really enjoyed the plot involving Shiva's bow. I have read The Odyssey, and was instantly reminded of Penelope challenging her suitors to string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through the twelve rings. The fact that these two epics, created by such very different cultures, share such a specific subplot is remarkable.

I found the scale of the wedding caravan to be quite spectacular. The procession of elephants with golden head decorations sounded quite marvelous. At first I was astonished by Sumithra's two thousand attendants, which was nothing compared to the sixty thousand beautiful attendants that escorted Rama's mother.

As someone who is not familiar with the culture of the epic, and only slightly familiar with Hindu theology, I wonder about the daily duties and religious practices that characters engage in. The author only declares that a character has done these tasks, and gives no actual description of what is occurring.

I was entertained by the human qualities of the deities. They are not immune to emotions like jealousy and lust, and seem to be quite fallible. I was perplexed by some sages' ability to curse others at will. The sage who cursed Indra was certainly not more powerful that Indra, but nonetheless cursed him.

Week 1: Introduction

My name is Barclay Weddle. I am from Tulsa, Oklahoma and am currently a senior at OU. I am studying biochemistry and applying to medical school. I love Oklahoma and would be honored stay here and go to medical school at OU and live in OKC. I'm only in seven hours this semester, so my semester will be pretty laid back. I'm in a fraternity on campus and like to play raquetball in my spare time. Because my class load is light this semester, I am planning on volunteering at a hospital or clinic. I went to EMT school the summer after I graduated high school, so I have some experience in the medical field. Hopefully I will be able to find a volunteer position where I will be able to use some of those skills.

I have a dog named Indy, and she is a Scottish Deerhound. Deerhounds are very large and were bred to hunt deer and wolves in Scotland. However, they are a very docile breed and prefer to lay around most of the day. I like to take her to the dog park, where she can run around freely off a leash and play with other dogs. Deerhounds have a very high prey drive, and if I let her off the leash anywhere that isn't fenced in, she will chase the nearest moving car or animal.

A Scottish Deerhound, Wikipedia

I really enjoy ancient epics and am excited to learn about the Indian Epics. In high school I took Latin and read several Greek Epics and The Aeneid. However, I struggle with creating stories and being creative in that aspect, so that part of the class would be challenging for me. I would honestly rather learn about chemistry than write a story, and even the first 300 word story was a challenge for me. 

Week 1: Storybook Favorites

When I first scrolled through the list of Indian Epics scrapbooks, the first one to catch my eye was Food and Culture. I love Indian food and frequent Indian restaurants in my hometown of Tulsa and in Norman. The welcome page of the storybook featured some pictures Indian food and spices. The author briefly introduced herself, and explained why she was interested in this topic. Then the author discussed several Indian dishes and her travels in India. The text was accompanied by images of the dishes she was discussing, or the location she was describing. I thought the images she chose accompanied the text very well.  At the end of the storybook, the author shared two recipes with her readers. I think I might try and prepare the Chicken Tarkari.

Next I investigated Zoo Animal History, which seemed like an interesting topic. I expected to learn about animals in Indian zoos, but was pleasantly surprised. The author created a fictional zoo filled with three animal characters of the epics, and told a brief summary of the animal and how it relates with the story and characters of the epics. I thought this was a creative way to cover this topic. The author included images of the animals in the zoo, which helped visually represent these characters for someone who is not familiar with them.

Finally, I read the Indian Travels storybook. I also love to travel and was interested in the authors travel experience. The author introduced herself and talked about the three locations she most wanted to visit in India. The first location was the Himalaya Mountains, which I found interesting because I love the mountains. I've been mountain climbing in many states here in the U.S., and I've also been glacier climbing in Washington. I also would love to visit the Himalayas.