Reading Notes: More Jataka Tales Part A

(Mongolian Wolf: Pixabay)

• A rat forest had a Chief of Rats. 
• A wolf knew about this rat civilization and wished to eat them.
• The wolf planned to stay at the corner of the rats' on his hind legs and with his mouth open.
• When the rats passed by, he said he was on his hind legs because he was lame, and he had his mouth open because he ate air.
• The rats believed him, and every night, they would go with the Chief of Rats and talk to him because they felt bad.
• The wolf always ate the last rat.
• There were less and less rats at bed time, and the Chief of Rats knew it was the wolf.
• The next night, they talked to the wolf again, except this time, the Chief of Rats was last to leave.
• The wolf tried to make a jump for the Chief but was too slow.
• The Chief saw the wolf's crime then bit him and killed him.

Bibliography

More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Reading Notes: Abhimanyu

(Uttara and Abhimanyu: Wikimedia Commons)

• Abhimanya is the son of Arjuna.
• The Pandava's cousins exile them, but Abhimanya and his mother stay in the royal, and Abhimanya vows to avenge the wrongdoings done to his father and the other Pandavas.
• The Pandavas meet King Virata, and he offers his daughters.
• Arjuna suggests that Virata's daughter, Uttara, marries Abimanya, and so, they marry.
• Krishna tries to make peace between the Pandavas and the Kauravas when the Pandava's exile ended, but the Kauravas want war.
• The Kauravas attack in a specific formation that only Abhimanya knows how to partially defeat.
• He knows how to break it but not to exit it.
• Abhimanya breaks the formation but gets cut off and is left to defend himself.

Bibliography

Abhimanyu: Star-Crossed Prince by Anant Pai

Reading Notes: Gandhari

(Vyasa Talking With Gandhari: Wikimedia Commons)

• Gandhari is the woman that married to Dhritarashtra, but he is blind.
• Gandhari blindfolds herself to share her husband's life, and her brother, Shakuni, has to take her to Hastinapura to marry Dhritarashtra.
• Gandari receives a blessing from Lord Shiva that she will have a hundred sons, but her first child is a shapeless lump.
• Vyasa tells her to prepare one hundred jars, and Gandhari's requested another jar for a daughter.
• Vyasa cuts the lump and puts a piece into each jar, and then, they wait two years.
• Their first born is Duryodhana.

Bibliography

Gandhari: A Mother Blinded By Love by Gayatri Madan Dutt

Reading Notes: Karna

(Boon of Indra To Kunti: Wikimedia Commons)

• King Juntibhoja adopts his niece Pritha.
• He gives her the new name of Kunti.
• There is a sage named Durvasa that stayed with the king for the year.
• He was known for his bad behavior, so many people avoided him. 
• Kunti was the only one who befriended Durvasa, so he granted her a mantra.
• The mantra was that Kunti could invoke any god and hear that god's son.

Bibliography

Karna by Anant Pai

Reading Notes: More Krishna Part B

(Krishna Kills Kansa: Wikimedia Commons)

• Krishna returns to Mathura.
• He knows his destiny is to kill King Kansa.
• So he heads towards the palace looking for him.
• He meets Kansa and reveals himself.
• They begin battle, and Krishna kills King Kansa.
• Krishna is then the new king of Mathura.

Bibliography

Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita

Reading Notes: More Krishna Part A

(King Kansa Kills The Baby Girl: Wikimedia Commons)

• There was a bad and evil king named Kansa
• He loved his sister, Devaki, and arranged a marriage between her and Vasudeva, one of his nobles.
• But a voice told Kansa that the eighth child of Devaki and Vasudeva will kill Kansa when he turns 12.
• Kansa did everything he could to prevent his fate.
• He threw Devaki and Vasudeva into jail and killed each of their children.

Bibliography

Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita

Reading Notes: More Mahabharata Part E + Part F

(Krishna As Envoy: Wikimedia Commons)

• Yudhisthir was trying to have a ceremony.
• He needs to call upon a king among the audience to do the honors.
• He chose Krishna,  but Shishupal objected and became very upset.
• Shishupal was aggressive with his words, so Krishna used his chakra to remove Shishupal's head from his body.
• With that, the ceremony continued, and Yudhishtir was crowned emperor.

Bibliography

The Mahabharata by Epified

Reading Notes: Krishna Part B

(Krishna: Wikipedia)

• Krishna befriends a violent hog, Hastin by playing him the flute and feeding him from a distance.
• Krishna showed everyone in Vrindavan how Hastin had become obedient and even friendly.
• This showed the people in the town that kindness is the best strength.

Bibliography

Krishna by Epified

 

Reading Notes: Krishna Part A

(Baby Krishna and Putana: Picryl)

• Krishna was the eighth son to be born from Vasudev and Devaki and was destined to King Kamsa.
• Vasudev took Krishna to Yashoda, and switched him for a girl.
• Krishna was then in the care of a new family.
• Putana came to visit Krishna, was likable and began a close part of the family.
• Putana changed form and changed into a demoness and tried to kill Krishna by feeding him poisonous milk.
• Krishna was drinking everything for her: her powers and even her hatred.
• Yashoda then found Krishna playing next the corpse of a demoness.
• Kansa heard that Putana, his loyal servant, failed but vowed that the next demon he sends after Krishna will win.

Bibliography

Krishna by Epified

Reading Notes: More Mahabharata Part D

(Draupadi and The Pandavas: Wikimedia Commons)

• Draupadi had a ceremony to find a suitor.
• Arjuna won the competition and Draupadi married him (and his brothers too?)
• The Kauravas heard of the news, and made a decision to call the Pandavas back to Hastinapur and crown Yudhishthir king of Kandavaprasth.

Bibliography

The Mahabharata by Epified

Reading Notes: More Mahabharata Part C

(Arjuna vs Karna: Flickr)

• Karna finally found a teacher to teach him the art of war
• But his teacher had a hunch that Karna was not a Brahmin, so he stopped teaching and cursed him
• The Pandavas held a competition to show their great skill
• Karna attended and outshone Arjuna in all weaponry competitions
• The Pandavas wanted to battle him, but they could only do so if Karna was of royal lineage
• Since Karna only knows of his humble family, Dhoryoda gave him his crown and announced Karna as king of Anga

Bibliography

The Mahabharata by Epified

Reading Notes: More Mahabharata Part B

(Boon Of Indra To Kunti: Wikimedia Commons)

• Kunti befriended Durwasa, a sage that had a short temper and was known for laying curses upon people for the slightest offense.
• Durwasa enjoyed Kunti's company because it was unlike the way that everyone else treated him.
• When he left, he whispered to Kunti a mantra and told her that it would summon any god.
• What the actual mantra did was summon a god AND Kunti could bear their son.
• This is how Kunti gave Pandu five sons, despite his curse of death by intimacy.

Bibliography

The Mahabharata by Epified

Reading Notes: More Mahabharata Part A

(Oath Of Bhishma: Wikimedia Commons)

• Devavrat wanted to make his father, King Shantanu, happy by convincing Satyavati's father to let her marry Shantanu.
• In order to gain her father's trust, Devavrat made a vow to never marry or have children, thus giving up his biological seat to the throne.
• Devavrat swore this to the gods, and the gods renamed him Bhishma - he of the terrible oath.
• Her father then allowed Bhishma to take Satyavati to Hastinapur to marry Shantanu.
• Shantanu feels bad for Bhishma but recognized his sacrifice, so he granted him a boon. Bhishma now could choose the moment of his death, making Bhishma into a demigod.

Bibliography

The Mahabharata by Epified

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

(Drona: Wikipedia)

• Battle of Kurushetra.
• Bhima found out that the only way to conquer Drona was to kill his son, Ashwatthaman.
• Bhima, instead, selected an elephant named Ashwatthaman and killed him.
• Bhima then shouted "Ashwatthaman is dead!"
• Drona only trusted Yudhishthira and came to him for the truth.
• Yudhishthira confirmed the statement, while saying "Yes, O Drona! Ashwatthaman, the elephant, is dead!", but Drona did not hear that important differentiating detail.
• Drona fell into despair and could not think enough to use his divine weapons.
• At this time, Dhristadyumna, the Pandava general, took advantage of Drona's sorrow state, and chopped his head off.
• Dhristaduymna immediately picked up Drona's decapitated head and threw it at the Kuru hosts.
• The Kuru hosts wearily and mournfully all departed to their quarters.

Bibliogrpahy

Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part C

(Krishna and Arjuna On Battlefield: Flickr)

• Arjuna's father, Indra, transported his son to his own city, the celestial Swarga. 
• Urvashi fell in love with Arjuna, but she felt like he rejected her, so she cursed him to live among women as a dancer and musician.
• Arjuna was troubled, but Indra used this curse to Arjuna's benefit.
• Arjuna became skilled in music, dance, and song. He even learned how to wield celestial weapons.
• Indra had demon and giant enemies, named daityas and danavas, who lived in the lowest division in the underworld beneath the ocean, Patala. 
• Andra waged war.
• Andra went to the underworld in Indra's car, with Matali as the driver, and killed all the daityas and danavas and destroyed their dwellings.
• Indra praised Arjuna and gave him a gold chain, a diadem, and the war shell.
• Maybe a story about why Arjuna waged war with Indra's long-time enemies?

Bibiliography

Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part B

(Kunti's Guidance To Daupadi: Wikimedia Commons)

• Vidura, half brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra, saved Kunti and the Pandavas from the fire, but everyone else thought they died, so they mourned.
• The Pandavas and Kunti now have to live in the wilderness once again.
• Bhima falls in love with a demon, but defeats her.
• Bhima defeated a monster named Baka.
• Drona trains the Pandavas and Kauravas.
• Pandavas excel as Drona's students, and Duryodhana, Dhirtarashtra's eldest son, grows jealous, especially of Arjuna.
• Ekalanvya, son of a Bhil king, tried to get trained by Drona but was rejected, so trained himself, but still said he was a pupil of Drona.
• Pandavas and Kauravas participate in a tournament. Bhima and Duryodhana get into a mock fight that turns serious, then Arjuna stopped them, and his true skills were shown.
• Karna then showed up to the tournament and beat Arjuna, and is befriended by Duryodhana.
• Drona's request of payment for training the boys was to have him bring revenge to his childhood friend that treated him badly, King Drupada. Drupada and Drona "make up" and Drona gets half of Drupada's territory. 
• Pandavas waged war against neighboring kings, and they extended the territory for Dhritarashtra.
• Duryodhana grew jealous with the Pandavas' successes, so he convinced a wicked guard, Purochana, to kill them. Purochana assured Duryodhana that he would set fire to their palace when they went to sleep.

Bibliography

The Indian Heros by C.A. Kincaid

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

(The Five Pandavas With Draupadi: Wikimedia Commons)

• Vyasa, composer of the Mahabharata, is born.
• Devavrata is the son of King Shantanu and goddess Ganga, but Ganga leaves and never returns.
• King Shantanu falls in love with Satyavati, Vyasa's mother, but cannot marry her because he cannot fulfill her father's wish of letting her son become the heir to his throne.
• Devavrata renounced his throne so that Satyavati could be Shantanu's wife. The gods then called him Bhishma, meaning terrible, because this deed was terrible.
• Satyavati then bears two sons for Shantanu, Chitrangada and Vivhitravirya.
• During a battle, Bhishma seizes three princesses to be the bride of Shantau and Satyavati's youngest son, Vichitravirya.
• Vichitravirya only takes two of the princess, leaving Amba, the third woman. She set herself on fire so that she could be reincarnated to destroy Bhishma.
• Vyasa had a son with each woman, Ambika, Ambalika, and Ambika's handmaiden. Ambika's son (Dhritarashtra) was blind, Ambalika's son (Pandu) was pale, and the handmaiden's son (Vidura) was the reincarnation of Dharma, the god of justice.
• Bhishma trained them, and Panda and Vidura was set upon the throne.
• King Pandu's wife, Kunti, had a son, Karna (who was actually born a girl),years before they married.
• Dhritarashtra's son, Duryodhana (sons are called Kauravas), tried to kill Bhima (son of Pandu, and they are called the Pandavas), but Bhima came back to life with the power of a thousand nagas.
• Drona trains the Pandavas and Kauravas.
• Pandavas excel as Drona's students, and Duryodhana, Dhirtarashtra's eldest son, grows jealous, especially of Arjuna.
• Ekalanvya, son of a Bhil king, tried to get trained by Drona but was rejected, so trained himself, but still said he was a pupil of Drona.
• Pandavas and Kauravas participate in a tournament. Bhima and Duryodhana get into a mock fight that turns serious, then Arjuna stopped them, and his true skills were shown.
• Karna then showed up to the tournament and beat Arjuna, and is befriended by Duryodhana.
• Drona's request of payment for training the boys was to have him bring revenge to his childhood friend that treated him badly, King Drupada. Drupada and Drona "make up" and Drona gets half of Drupada's territory. 
• Pandavas waged war against neighboring kings, and they extended the territory for Dhritarashtra.
• Duryodhana grew jealous with the Pandavas' successes, so he convinced a wicked guard, Purochana, to kill them. Purochana assured Duryodhana that he would set fire to their palace when they went to sleep.

Bibliogrpahy

The Indian Heros by C.A. Kincaid

Reading Notes: Week 5 Ramayana Part B

(Rama and Sita As A Couple: Wikimedia Commons)

• Sita, but mainly Rama, overcome Vila, and a search party is sent to find Sita. Hanuman and the search party run into Jatayu's brother, Sampati, and he tells them that Sita is in Lanka.
• Hanuman reaches Lanka and meets Ravana's brother, Vibhishana, and Vibhishana helps guide Hanuman to Sita because he is loyal to Rama.
• Hanuman approaches Sita and tells her Rama is coming, but he tears up the trees and gets arrested.
• Ravana sets Hanuman tail on fire, and Hanuman grows his tail so big that he sets the whole town on fire, except for Vibhishana's house and where Sita is at. Hanuman rendezvous with Sita, and she gives him a jewel to give to Rama.
• Hanuman returns to camp, and Ravana is preparing for war, even though everyone around him tells him to just give Sita back.
• Rama marches to Lanka by betting a bridge built for him. 
• Battle begins and lasts days.
• Rama kills Ravana with the help of Indra. Hanuman brings Sita to Rama, and she has to prove her fidelity by going through a fire. She walks through unscathed, and Sita and Rama are united. Vibhishana become king of Lanka, and everyone else returns to Ayodhya.
• Despite proving her fidelity, the people of Ayodhya still gossiped, so Rama exiled her. She stayed with Valmiki and gave birth to two twins. Rama hold a large sacrifice where many showed up to celebrate, and the twins recited the Ramayana. Valmiki then told Rama that they were his sons and says he will bring Sita to him the next day.
• Sita meets with Rama and proves her fidelity once again by asking Mother Earth to take her if she has been faithful. A golden throne emerges from the ground, and Sita takes her place and disappears into the Earth.

Bibliography

The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould

(http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2014/05/reading-guide-week-1-gould-divine-archer.html)

Reading Notes: Week 5 Ramayana Part A

(Sita: Wikipedia)

• Dasharatha births four sons. Rama is awesome.
• The kings lets Rama and Lakshmana leave to help Vishvamitra fight demons.
• Vishvamitra take them to Videha, where they both meet Sita.
• Rama and Sita fall in love at first sight, and Rama becomes Sita suitor by bending the bow of Shiva.
• Rama and Sita marry, and Dasharatha is there. All of Dasharatha's sons marry that day and return to Ayodhya.
• Rama gets exiled for 14 years because of Kaikeyi and her evil servant, Manthara, want Bharata to hold the throne.
• Dasharatha realizes that this event happened because he accidentally killed a blind couple's son, and then he dies.
• Bharata finds out what happened and is furious. He tries to convince Rama to come back but is unsuccessful. He, however, is able to bring back a pair of Rama's sandals as a sign of power.
• A ugly demon named Shurpankha falls in love with Rama and tries to marry him but he refuses. She tries to seduce Lakshmana but cannot. She is furious and calls a demon army to kill them. When they fail, Shurpankha calls on the help of her brother, Ravana.
• Ravana agrees to help Shurpankha and gets another demon, Maricha, to help him.
• Ravana captures Sita.
• Rama and Lakshmana meet Sugriva and Hanuman, which are monkeys. Sugriva was exiled by his brother, Vila. Sugriva and Rama vow to help eachother, and together they go confront Vila.

Bibliography

The Divine Archer by F.J. Gould

(http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2014/05/reading-guide-week-1-gould-divine-archer.html)

Reading Notes: Week 4 Ramayana Part D

(Vishnu Surrounded by His Avatars: Wikimedia Commons)

• Hanuman can jump over Lanka real easy, but a bridge is built for Rama and everyone else, also known an Rama's Bridge.
• Ravana has powers of illusion and tries to trick Sita into thinking that Rama is dead, but she realizes that he is just messing with her.
• Garuda helps Rama and heals all his men that have been attacked by Ravana's son, Indrajit.
• Ravana's giant brother, Kumbhakarna, helps him but Rama shoots flaming arrows at Kumbhakarna and decapitates him.
• Indrajit attacks Rama's men again, so Hanuman hastily jumped over Lanka and rooted up the Himalaya over and back to the injured men so the herbs from the mountain could heal them.
• Indrajit uses his illusional powers to try to trick Rama into thinking that Sita is dead, but Vibhishana explains to Rama what is going on and tells him how to ambush Indrajit.
• Lakshmana kills Indrajit, and Ravana swears revenge.
• Ravana kills Lakshmana, but there is a physician in the Himalayas that heals him.
• Indra, a god, comes down in a chariot and gives it to Rama as an aid against Ravana.
• Agastya give Rama advice, follow a hymn, in order to defeat Ravana.
• Rama kills Ravana.
• Rama tries to renounce Sita as his wife because she was "with" Ravana.
• Sita proves her fidelity by calling upon the fire god, Agni, and her and Rama are back together.
• Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya.
• Rama returns just before his fourteen year exile, which means Bharata doesn't have to kill himself.
• Rama is now king.
• The people of Ayodhya questioned why Rama took Sita back, so he exiled her. She found refuge with Valmiki and gave birth to two sons, Lava and Kusha, shortly after.
• Rama does a horse sacrifice, as to cleanse himself from sin, and Lava and Kusha took possession of it and defeated the royal army, injure Lakshmana, and encounter Rama. Rama then questions whose children they are.
• Sita proved her innocence and was taken away by the earth as proof. Rama is now sad.
• Lakshmana is taken into heaven by the gods, and Rama shortly follows and returns as Vishnu.

Bibliography

"Indian Myth and Legend" by Donald A. Mackenzie

(http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/pde-ramayana-indrajit.html)