Reading notes week 15: The Forest Fire

The Forest Fire

Twenty Jātaka tales, retold by Noor Inayat

There was a family of quails
The mother and father fed the babies
First 6 ate well
The 7th didn't eat well.
The 7th didn't develop strong wings
A fire started in the forrest
The family all flew away and left the 7th
the 7th stood up to the fire and it died.

Quail family 

Reading Notes Week 15: Young Parrrot

Thr young parrot young parrot

Twenty Jātaka tales, retold by Noor Inayat

There once was a parrot more beautiful than any others
When he was old enough, he'd go get rice for his family
The farmer of the field wanted to see the bird
He decided to trap the bird and was successful
He let the bird go because he was helping his parents.

A parrot

Reading notes Twenty Jataka Tales

The Great Elephant


Twenty Jātaka tales, retold by Noor Inayat


Hermit elephant
Lots of imagery
lives in the desert
hear the voices of unhappy men
The elephant followed the voices
found a group of men at deaths door
for the first time in his happy life his eyes filled with tears
The elephant asked who they were
the men were banished by their king
there was 100 but perished on the way.
men begged for food and water
the elephant told them to go toeards a hill where they will find an elephant to eat and water nearby.
the elephant ran off with great speed.
the elephant went to the hill and jumped to his end
the men arrived to see it was their friend the elephant who was dead before them.

Beautiful elephant

The Guilty Dogs: Twenty Jataka Tales Reading A

Twenty Jataka Tales

king and chariot
6 white horses
chariot destroyed by palace dogs
The king was angry
"kill them all" even in the city

palace dog

Twenty Jātaka tales, retold by Noor Inayat

Reading Notes 20 Jataka Tales- The Tortoise and the Geese

Geese and tortoise friends
"Come with us, friend tortoise," said one day two wild geese to a kind old tortoise who lived i a pond in the Himalayas.
    -sentence structure is weird.

The tortoise would go but he said he had no wings.

Birds suggested he hold on to a stick that 2 birds will hold in their beaks.

They flew over Benares and the kids started to make fun of him.

Tortoise got angry and shouted at them. This caused him to open his mouth.

The tortoise fell into a castle

"this fate comes to those who can't hold their tongue"

Lesson

The tortoise being carried through the air.

Reading Notes :The Crab and the Crane

The Crab and the Crane

Ellen C. Babbitt

Enviorment -dry, no rain

All animals suffered
--fish suffered most

Crane - main character

Crane wants to help fish??
-why
-seems like a scam

Fish  call a bluff

Crane takes a trusted fish to see the oasis

All the fish wanted to go after hearing about the pond

The crane tool the fish...
One by one
but he didn't take them to the pond...
Took them into the forest and ate them one by one.

Ate all the fish

The crane saw a crab in the pond and wanted to take him to the pond... ie eat him

The crab realized what was happening and cut off the crane's head

So the Crane put the big Fish on his back and started for the deep woods.

Reading Notes : The Measure of Rice

The Measure of Rice

Jataka Talesby  Ellen C. Babbitt

Dishonest king- Man named Valuer in his court

- his conscious? 

jk- sets the price

he is honest

king did not like this

He saw a peasant and asked him to be the valuer.

Drove the original away

Peasant started setting prices

500 horses for some rice

People were unhappy 

Original Valuer told him to go before the king and this court

The new valuer put a price on the kingdom

Was made fun of for not knowing the kingdom is priceless 

He ran away from the laughing crowd.

Reading Notes: Adventures of Balarama and Pradyumna.

Adventures of Balarama and Pradyumna.

Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C. A. Kincaid (1920)




Balarama cutting a new channel


Return to home... journey

Kadamba tree- fragrant
- bowl of liquid in the tree

Wine was in the bowl
-From the godess Sura- wine goddess

Balarama drank all of the wine
-began to dance and sing

Balarama called to the Yamuna river.
River did not obey him
So he cut into it to and made another channel. The river took the form of a woman and then prayed for him to stop. He did not until he found the spot he called for her the first time. 
Then he took a bath. THEN he closed the channel. 

I want to elaborate on this part of the story.

I want to tell the story of the river and the pain she was caused. What she looked like as a human. The interaction between the 2 of them. 

Reading Notes Week 11: Shri Krishna of Dwarka

Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C. A. Kincaid (1920)

CHAPTER 2. THE CHILDHOOD OF KRISHNA. 

Krishna, circa 1750

Prince Vasudeva and Devaki was freed by Kansa

- Why even keep them in chains if he knew the prophecy 

Killed all the male children

streets flowed with blood and the air was filled with the wailings of mothers, who mourned for their children. 

-imagery 

Such was the charm of her voice and the sweetness of her face that neither man nor woman could refuse her. 

-Siren

-poisoned breast milk

Krishna would not let go Putana’s breast until he had sucked out her life blood as well, and she had fallen dying on the floor of Nanda’s hut.

Reading Notes:Krishna. Chapter 13, Part B

Shri Krishna of Dwarka

Chapter 13
The passing of Krishna

Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C. A. Kincaid (1920)

Krishna returns to Indraprastha.
Prince Samba goes to Pindaraka with some nobles.
They come across some sages (Vishvamitra)

Samba tries to trick the sages by dressing up as a girl. The sages know that they are trying to fool them.

"The child that she will bear will be a club which will destroy all the Yadava race."
he found in the folds of his skirt an iron club."


They went back to Dwarka and told King Ugrasena. They ground the club to powder but left the handle. (Why?). Then threw the powder and handle into the sea. Iron dust sunk to the bottom and was washed ashore. Grew into rushes. The handle was swallowed by a fish as it sank. A fisherman caught that fish. Cut it open to find the handle. Sold it thinking nothing of it. Jara, hunter, made it into an arrow. 

Dwarka was terror struck. There were earthquakes and demons, and storms. To calm the fears of his people, Krishna told them all to take pilgrimage. "The women, the children, and the old men should go to Shankhodhar. The men should go with me to Prabhasa. It is sacred to the goddess Saraswati. There let us bathe and worship her. In Prabhasa, too, live holy brahmins. We shall give them gifts of cows, of treasure, of land, of elephants, and of chariots, and they will pacify the gods who are angry with us."

Reading Notes: Krishna. Chapter 1. Part A

Shri Krishna of Dwarka

the birth of Krishna and his escape from Mathura.
incarnation of Vishnu's own power

100's of years ago, many demons came to exist to harass man

Earth took form of a cow and visited Brahma Deva to get rid of the demons.
Brahma Deva took the god Shiva and visited Lord Vishnu. (Why did Deva take Shiva?). Asked Vishnu to be born again to help earth.

Vishnu, after hearing the story, pulled out 2 of his hairs. One black and one white. The hairs will take human form. White- will be born as Balarama and shall be the incarnation of my serpent Shesha. Black- will be born as Krishna a will slay Kansa and the demons who aid him.

“Today Kansa in his folly honours her whose eighth child will slay him.” 
Comes during wedding procession 

Sage Narada came and told Prince Kansa that he will be slayn

Prince Kansa then killed all 6 children and threw Vasudeva and Devaki into prison. 

Vasudeva and Devaki got news that they will have a 7th child. White hair
But before Devaki’s seventh child was born, the Lord Vishnu caused it to be drawn from her womb and placed in the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva’s other wife who was in hiding in Gokula for fear of King Kansa. Rohini gave birth to a son and called him Balarama. But the dungeon guards told King Kansa that Devaki had miscarried. 

In due time, the eighth child came. The black hair. 
he had four bejewelled arms and on his brow a diadem

split water

took in his place Yashoda’s baby girl and carried her back with him to Mathura.


“Fool, did you hope to slay me? Your real enemy Krishna is born and is now in safety.”

Vasudeva carrying the newborn Krishna (Source)

Bibliography- Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C. A. Kincaid (1920)

Reading notes Nine ideal Indian women

Nine ideal Indian women
Uttara
First son of the king is asked to be heir
He vowed to never marry so that his father could have a second marriage
New capital
Distribute sacred food
wedding
war
uttara happy, kind, radiant
Uttaraa was widowedUttaraa tried to burn herself
Bibliogrophy: Sunity Devee,Nine ideal Indian women
 
Uttara grieving 

Reading Notes Mahabharata Part A

Nine Ideal Indian Women: Savitri, Damayanti, Sati, and Uttara

Savitri

Princess 

Only child of a king and queen

The king and queen grieved that they had no son
   why were they upset
   Cuz the son would be an heir

"the sun had finished it's days work"
I like the verbiage

Fell for "prince charming" Satyaban

King and Queen upset at the fact that their daughter is in love with a "penniless and unfortunate King's son"

Priest tells shavitri that satyaban will die in a year and that it is written to be true
She says that "woman's destiny is to love and serve him who is her hearts lord."


The priest pleads on her behalf

The kings allows the marriage

She leaves with her husband to go back to his father

She leaves all luxuries and gifts

So poor they wouldn't always have food

She is persistent - gets her way

Satyaban dies in Savitri's arms

God of death comes to claim him

She pleads with the god of death to give back

She concurs death and gets her husband back

Savitri brata- hindu wives say this so they never become a widow

Bibliogrophy: Sunity Devee, Nine Ideal Indian Women: Savitri, Damayanti, Sati, and Uttara



 Satyaban and Savitri

Reading Notes Narayan's Mahabharata, part A

Mahabharata Part A Notes

King falls in love with a girl by the river

The woman is the river ganga 

Human form to give birth to eight sons

8th son returned as an adult

Woman wants revenge for a man ruining her marriage. 

Son born blind

Deer curses Pandu so that he will die when he makes love

Bibliography: Narayan's Mahabharata

source 

Reading Notes Ramaya Divine Archer

The Divine Archer, F. J. Gould 1911

The length of this version was what I enjoyed the most.
The search for Sita
Rama slays Vali with an arrow
Rama gives Hanuman his ring as a token for Sita
Sita is in Lanka.

Hanuman in Lanka
Sita refuse Ravana's advances
Hanuman speaks to Sita, giving her Rama's ring. He tells her Rama is coming.

Lanka on fire
Hanuman makes his tail grow larger and larger

I want to focus my story on these three chapters. These were the most exciting to me. I want to focus on loyalty.


Ramaya (Source)

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part B

Bharata Returns
Bharata informed Bharata of his fathers death
-strong mother
wanted to kill his mother
but spared her

The Funeral
Bharata hosts the funeral of his father

Rama and Bharata
Bharata leaves on his journey to find rama
- Lion King
-Nala goes to Find Simba after Simba has been

The Sandals
Rama does not want to return to Ayodhya
Bharata will take Rama's sandals to represent Rama in ayodhya in his absense
Bharata said he will not return to Ayodhya without Rama

Anasuya
Origin story of Sita.
This could be used in a retall
Kind of like an origin story of a superhero

Viradha
Sita is abducted by a demon
Wants her to be his wife
He can not be hurt by weapons
Put the demon into a pit

Shurpanakha And Rama
Ravana's sister falls in love with rama
He does not show interest in her
Rama suggests she goes for his brother

Lakshmana and Shurpanakha
Shurpanakha is angered because she felt ridiculed by Rama
She fights them

Battle with Khara
Rama defeats Khara

Ravana and maricha
Ravana wants maicha's help to abduct Sita

Golden Deer
Sita is enchanted by a golden deer
she asks rama to go get the deer
this was ravana's plan

Ravana and Sita
Ravana disguises himself to get close to Sita

Jatayu
Battles with Rama to save sita
drops jewelry to help rama to find her
Hansel and grettle


M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder. Ramayana
PDE Ramayana
mgdktu307

Ramayan TV series (Source)

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana, Part A

King Dasharatha-
Ayodhya- capital of Koshala
Could be setting of story
Almost like holy land
Not having a son made the King sad
- A male can be a kings only successor. Without a son the King had no one to leave his kingdom to.

Dasharatha's Son
ashwanedha- grant them an heir
21 sacrifices
Gods promised four sons to Dasharatha
- This story was about the sacrifice and ritual that Dasharatha performed to gain an heir. And he got 4
After the 21 sacrifices Dasharatha was given four heirs.
This could lead to issues later

Rama avatar of Vishnu
Vishnu split into 4 as the heir of Dasharatha
Rama is to Jesus as Vishnu is to God???

Vishvamitra
Their journey was a right of passage
An unforeseen battle awaits...

Thataka
Sons of Dasharatha would not fight Thataka
Weapons arrive when needed- like Harry Potter
Chamber of secrets- sword appearing when Harry needed it most

Ganga
Himalayas- holy place
Horse sacrafice
Horse was stolen
60,000 uncles died
I didn't understand this story

Ahalya
Poem
I could tell my story in poem form
or include a poem in my story
Love story
A love triangle between a husband wife and Indra


Janaka
A bow- an earned prize
Almost like only certain people can carry the bow
Sita will go to the one who can bend the bow

Rama wins Sita
Rama wins the challenge
Sita becomes his bride
but the bow snapped

Parashurama
Avatar of Vishnu
Gives rama a test
Rama gains a new weapon

Wedding
Rama and all his brothers marry girls from the Janaka family


The Heir
Dasharatha needed an heir
He chose Rama

Exile
Rama is exiled
Kind of like the Lion King

Karma
Dasharatha was cursed to lose his son
He lost Rama
This is Karma

Death
Dasharatha died without his sons

M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder. Ramayana
PDE Ramayana

Ramayan TV series (Source)

Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology.

 The Foolish Timid Rabbit

• Rabbit had a dream of the world breaking up 
•  When the coconut fell he made it to where his dream came true. He didn't take time to really see what was going on
• Animals took the word of one rabbit and all started running
• group mentality 
• Lion- king of the jungle= leader
• This lion was able to calm all the other animals. Sense of strength, respect, and fear

The story highlighted how group mentality can lead to very bad events. With the right leadership you can control what has lost control. Through guidance like from the lion, the out of control animals were guided back to their normal life. 

Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt.

Illustration by Ellsworth Young.