Week 14, Reading Diary: The last one!

For the very last reading I read Part B of the Legends of India by Washburn Hopkins. I was actually a little excited about this reading. Mainly because I jumped ahead and did the project feedback last night and one of the stories were about Arjuna and Ulupi. This section talks about Ulupi so yay for connections! It is a little odd how Arjuna, already married just falls in love at first sight. After being in a very serious relationship, I couldn’t imagine loving more than one person. I do really like the rhyming but it is a little hard to understand what is going on.  Like for the Ulupi part, I wasn’t sure if Ulupi was coming unseen or not. Really fun read for the last one!

Arjuna and Ulupi

Week 14: Reading Diary, Something Something Fiery

For the Tuesday Reading of Week 14, I read part A of Legendsof India by Washburn Hopkins. This book is written in verse focusing on Arjuna in the Mahabharata. I chose anther version of the Mahabharata again to get the full story. For me it is a little hard to grasp the whole story in the first sitting, even in TV shows and movies. One of my favorite things about this reading would have to be the rhyming of the verse. It was actually fun to read out loud. Some of the words are different, like it calls the Pandavas the Pandus. Also the character list was a little funny. I really enjoyed this read. I did like the way it talked about Draupadi’s swaraymara and Arjuna having a thing for her in the beginning. Honestly that would really suck, sharing a wife with your brother. I mean think about it!!

Legends of India

Reading Diary, Week 13: Dishonesty is the Worst Quality

For this reading diary I read part A of “The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India.” I again came across more stories that seemed to line up in plot. One example is “The Hypocritical Cat” I believe in the Jataka Tales, the animal that stayed back and ate the rats was an injured wolf and not a cat like in this version. I think my favorite story from this bunch would have to be “The Dishonest Friend.” One reason is like how it talks to the reader. Like: “Was not that a mean trick to serve a friend?” and “You must not suppose this man was quite such a fool as he seemed. You will soon see why he did not make a fuss about his plough.” It makes the story quite humorous. I also thought it was funny when the man that had is plough stolen talked to the judge about it and the friend had to give it back. 

The Boy Taken by the Hawk

Week 13 Reading Diary, Extra Credit: Twenty Jataka Tales and a random horse

Ocean of Stories

For this reading I read the second half of the Twenty Jataka Tales. Since I have already commented on how much I like the morals the stories give. I want to talk about a few that I really liked. I really liked the “Goblin Town” It was just very different from most of the others. First off most of them seem to have animals as the characters. This one didn’t. Another thing was it was sort of random. I mean there are random elements in the rest of them but a freaking flying horse was just like, “Oh hey guys, hop on my back and I’ll save you.” Pretty random. Another thing is that it didn't all turn out happy. Of course it ended with, "and they lived happily ever after" Like almost all of them but actually all the guys that didn't believe there were goblins all died. 

Week 12, Reading Diary Extra Credit: Twenty Jataka Tales

Banyan Deer

This week I read the Twenty Jataka Tales. I had read the other Jataka Tales before reading this one. One huge complaint about this version is that it is very hard to read. I would have too zoom in quite a bit and even then it was still blurry and hard to read. I did notice that some of the stories were almost the same. For example “The Monkey Bridge” I remember reading that from the last time. If face a lot of it sounded familiar. I really like that the theme of at least the first few stories was a chief of a group of animals saving their followers. It is a really great moral to have in the stories. 

Reading Diary: Week 11, More Jatake Tales part 2

For Wednesdays reading I finished the last half of the Children’s book, More Jatake Tales by Ellen Babbitt. Looking at the list, it appears that there is another Jatake Tales book. Probably the reason this one I am reading is “More”. Anyway, as I said before, I really like these stories. They always seem to be pretty different. Sometimes all the animals get along even if they aren’t in the same food chain. Then in another the lion will just let a wolf get killed. I do like the variety of different stories though. My favorite was, “The Brave Little Bowman”. Of course it was a little predictable that eventually the big man said he didn’t the little man’s help anymore but I still really liked the ending.

The Brave Little Bowman

Reading Diary: Week 11, More Jatake Tales

The Golden Goose

This week I read the Children’s book, More Jatake Tales byEllen Babbitt. I absolutely loved the stories but at first I was thinking that they were supposed to be a different version of the two epics we have read. They are not. I liked how all the stories were very different. I liked that they had a moral to the story as well. My example is “The Golden Goose” story, how the daughters didn’t want the mother to take the feathers and when she did they turned white.  

Week 10 Reading Diary: Part D of The Brook

This week I am continuing part D of the Brook by Peter Brook. A video version of the Mahabharata. I did not remember Bhishma taking so long. It is also hilarious that the bling king tells his wife to take her vail and she lies and tells him she has taken it off. In Epified it seemed like she was very willing to take away her own eye sight. In the Brook, it seems she is bitter. It is also really weird imagining a god not played as Morgan Freeman.

Yudhisthira Dying

In the Mahabharata wasn’t the ending scene of the brothers a trick? It didn’t look like it was a trick. In the Brook. I am very confused by the ending. I even re-watched it but it doesn’t look like he ever got to a paradise.

Week 10 Reading Diary: Part C of the Brook

This week I am continuing part C of the Brook by Peter Brook. A video version of the Mahabharata. In this section Bhima killed the king to protect the honor or Draupadi. Which I thought was hilarious. The King of beauty is one ugly guy. Bhima killing him with his hands was super awkward and the scene was very cheesy. It also really bugs me that yes the character are dresses like the people of India but they don’t physically look Indian. I also really like how the story is being told as a poem.  

Bhishma's Death

Bhishma's dying was more ceremonious than I had originally imagined it, laying on a bed with arrows all around it. 

Reading Disary Week 9: The Brook

This week is read part B of the Brook. It is amazing how detailed these movies are. Before this week I was confused about what sections I had gotten two but we read the Mahabharata in a week and now this movie version is a two week process. Its like watching Lord of the Rings in a different genre. The two week period doesn't bother me and neither does the cheesiness of the film. This is because it is really easy to watch it at the end of the night in bed. I am still slowly piecing together the story but I am not sure I like it as much as the Ramanyana.


The Brook byYoutube

Reading Diary Week 9: A New Epic

  

This week I am watch a video version of the Mahabharata called the the Brook. One of the big differences about this video version is that it is real characters. I have thought that the other videos I watch were had to follow or a bit annoying. This version is still a little cheesy I will admit, but I am use to marvel movies! Even though it is a cheesy movie, I feel I have a better grasp on the story of the Mahabharata. Even with watching most of Epified I caught more of the story but it is more defined watching this version.

From Blogger

First Part of Reading: Week 9 Reading Diary Epified

From Google Images

For the extra credit reading for Week 9 I watched Part A of the video version of the Mahabharata that is on Epified TV in india called, The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution. I know this version of the story doesn't even make it to the dice game but I can understand why very easily. The story telling in this is very slow. I guess that is a a good thing that you get a lot more into the story but it is also taking forever. I must say kudos to the artist who is drawing the whole scene out. I really like the drawings but it seems the will take a while to do. I wonder if they will ever finish them.

Week 7 Reading Diary: The end of the Mahabharata

I finished part D of the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata. I most definitely like this ending better than I did in the Ramayana. It was very biblical to me, I kind of feel like God might do something like a  test to show us Hell or something like that. At first I was a little nervous that Draupadi and some of the brothers were going to hell. I even fell for it when Yudhishthria heard them being tortured. I also liked that none of them had to suffer a tragic dead and that they just kinda got to walk into heaven.

Yudhishthira's journey to hell   

Week 7 Reading Diary: Mahabharata Part C

This week I am making up the reading from week 6 and reading part C the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata. A few things I tend to notice about these epics is that exile is a huge thing. It kind of funny because doesn't these people live thousands of years? So in the long run, 12 years is a drop. Another thing I notice is that death seems to be nothing in these epics. It feels like Game of Thrones without the sex. A couple points makes the think of this. The first, pretty much all of the brothers aside from just randomly die by drinking water! I know that they get revived by the god in the water, but still!! The other is when when Draupadi is slapped by the annoying king and so Bhima just goes and kills him. I guess they are very certain about their afterlife. 

Draupadi watches Kichaka and Bhima fighting.

Week 7 Reading Diary: Mahabharata Part B

This week I am making up the read ing from week 6 and reading part B the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata, It had been over a week since I read part A but started to catch up. This reading is a little tough, one big reason is the names seem so familiar, sometimes just one letter is different and it confuses me. I also find it super confusing when it switches to poetry and it doesn't flow to make since. It was interesting to me that Yudhishthira seem to start gambling even though he knew the other guy was going to cheat. Yudhishthira might not have, but the text made it seem like it. He was VERY stupid to bid everything when he kept loosing. Also why is being exiled such a big thing in these epics. 

Draupadi and the Pandavas sent into exile.

Week 5 Reading Diary: Another Epic

For week 5, we are reading the Indian Epic, Narayan's Mahabharata. I am liking this epic so far, a lot of the elements remind me of the Ramayana. People being exiled, love, rakshasa, gods, and goddesses. I am actually liking the plot a lot and I am already thinking about stories I could write from this. I like the concept of a friendship turning into hatred. Not in real life obviously but at least in a good story. I also like the jealousy between the cousins. That is most definitely a relevant topic, being jealous of family. It might be my ignorance but is this the Hindu version of a Bible? Is the origins of Hinduism? I believe I have asked that before. 

Arjuna statue in Bali

(image source)

I added this picture for a few reasons, okay one. It is awesome! I love that it isn't some weird painting with 10 heads. It is a super beautiful statue! I have been to many places in Europe and have seen a lot of statues but this one is awesome.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Sita Sings the Blues

For the originally story, I read for the first week and listened to the audio book the next. I definitely missed a few things while reading on my own, but not so much listening to it. Watching the movie for the Ramayana helped clear up some fuzzy area's that I had had for the text. For example How did I miss Ravana having like ten heads...I also missed the part about Ravana personally capturing Sita. Not sure how.

Screenshot from Youtube

The modern story could have been left out. I see the ties but it was kind of random. I mean the guy just telling the girl to not come back? At least in the Ramayana, Rama had a little bit of a reason (even though a stupid one) to not want Sita. The man in the movie had no reason to act like a jerk.

Week 4 Reading Diary: Modern and Old

For this weeks assignment I watched the, Sita Sings the Blues. It was...interesting. I did like some of the characteristics. I thought it was hilarious when the three black figures would talk and kind of narrate the story and how they would mess up on the names.

From: Indian Epics:Reading Guide

I have to admit, the version of Sita where she was just made of circles and singing, was really annoying. I honestly turned it down a lot during those parts so I wouldn't get a headache. The modern story was interesting, it added to the variety in the movie, however I am not sure it was really needed. I can see the relationship very clearly but to me it just seems like another character to dislike. 

The first part of this story seemed to have a lot of unneeded and long scenes just of the gods. For about 5 minutes I was worried that I would have to interpret how the story just through the gods dancing. Thankfully not. 

Week 3 Reading Diary: The end of Ramayana

The Earth takes Sita

Let me get this straight. So Sita is taken by Ravana, Raped. Rama has to have proof that Sita remained loyal to Rama in her heart. Then even after having that proof, Everyone in the kingdom doesn't believe her and Rama sends her away for 16 years, after fighting a huge battle for her. She has his children. Rama has her come back to testify she is pure and the earth takes Sita. That is so terrible! I don't like Rama anymore. Arg, I like unconventional love stories but geez they are suppose to at least have a good ending. Geez

Week 3 Reading Diary: Sita is found

                                                       

Statue of Ravana from 18th century CE

Created by: Valmiki

I can definitely see the story characteristics in the modern world. It is very interesting and kind of funny that everything we "think of" has already existed. I really liked how they were able to find Sita. I must have missed why Ravana kidnapped Sita. But he got what he deserved! So Emily Canady went to India for an internship and she said she encountered a family that told her this was all a true story. This may be the ignorance in me but is this the foundation from Hinduism? Or is it just an Epic. I know the Odyssey has a lot of elements of Greek Mythology, is the same thing? (This Engineer lives under a book)

i included the Picture above because it was really odd how they depicted all the characters, while I was listening to the story I would click and look at the pictures of the different characters and some are so strange!