Famous Last Words: STRESSED

(Desk Work: Pixabay)

This week I had my kinetics and separations exam on the same day, so I was definitely stressed this past week. My kinetics exam was 3 hours long, and I definitely felt like a freshman because that was the last time I had to take 3 hour long exams. It was quite brutal. Thankfully, the week is over, so my schedule is kind of back to normal, but new week poses new academic challenges. My unit operations lab is sort of killing me, but I am in proactiveness is kicked into high gear, so I hope all goes well. Me and my boyfriend's 10-month anniversary is tomorrow, so that will definitely be a highlight of my week, and hopefully fuel me enough energy to get through the week.

This week's assignments were very interesting. The Mahabharata is super packed with a lot of scenes, so it can get kind of confusing, especially since there are so many different characters. However, the story is very amusing, so I can not wait to finish it next week. We also started giving feedback on projects, and it was so cool to see everyone's storybook. I chose to do a portfolio, so I am just revising my old stories, but it was so awesome being able to see other student's storybook! I definitely saw some very unique ideas, and I can not wait to see how they pull off their storybook. I also did a Tech Tip as one of my extra credit assignments, and I added a featured post onto my blog. Before, I just had a weather app at the bottom of my blog, but now I have the featured post to balance out some of the negative space, so I am definitely enjoying how completed my blog looks now after adding that gadget.

Week 6 Story: Ekalavya's Revenge

(Ekalavya's Guru Dakshina: Wikipedia)

Drona became very famous as a perceptor, and many rajahs sons and warriors very extremely quick to try to be instructed by him. Drona mentored all that came to him, except for one man, Ekalavya. Ekalavya was the son of the rajah of Bhils, and the Bhils were highway men and cattle lifters. Because of the Bhils' status, Drona refused to teach Ekalavya, but Ekalavya continued to beg and beg.
Finally, Drona said, "Why would I teach a Bhil the great knowledge of weapons? That would be the utmost sin."
Drona's final decision infuriated Ekalavya, and he returned home while thinking, "If Drona and I ever cross paths, the only thing he will see is my arrow aiming at his body."
Once Ekalavya returned home, he trained at every waking moment. If Drona would not train him, then he would take matters into his own hands, and make himself the best archer the world has ever seen.
One day, Drona and the princes went hunting in the Bhil kingdom, and their dog was running freely through the woods, until the dog made a high pitched yelp. Drona and the princes immediately ran to the dog, and was met with not only the dog but with Ekalavya.
"Who art thou?", the princes demanded.
Ekalavya introduced himself, "My name is Ekalavya, son of rajah of the Bhils."
"Son of the rajah of the Bhils?", Drona curiously asked, "Have we met before?"
Ekalavya smiled and replied, "Why, yes, we have. And I am so glad I finally can see you again."
As soon as Ekalavya finished speaking, he raised his bow, pointed it at Drona, and was getting ready to draw his bow. However, Arjuna knew there was evil behind Ekalavya's smile and instinctively knew what was about to happen, and before Ekalavya could release his bow, Arjuna already beat him to it. As soon as Ekalavya's body dropped to the ground, Drona remembered how he met Ekalavya and understood why he drew his bow.

Author's Notes
I did not understand Ekalavya's reaction to getting rejected from Drona, so that is what I decided to change in my story. In the original, Ekalavya makes a clay doll, worshiped it, and trained in front of it, and in the end he still had to sacrifice his thumb to Drona. I had a hard time wrapping my head around that, so instead, I made a stereotypical revenge story.

Bibliography
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