Review: How I survived this semester

I was looking through our class announcements to see if I could find anything that struck me as reminiscent of this semester, and I somehow happened to find this:

Words of Wisdom: Latin Proverb (Web Source)

This infographic is the perfect way for me to end the semester in one of my favorite classes! I love that this class offered so much more than than the opportunity to learn about a new subject and included opportunities for personal growth inside and outside the classroom. Thank you Laura for a great semester!

Review: Is Doctor Who a Religion?

Is Doctor Who a Religion?- PBS Digital Studios

 

 

Indian Epics Course Improvements

Planning Weeks
As a full-time working student, I feel like planning is a critical part of being able to successfully take on any amount of work under time constraints. I think for Week 2's planning, it could be really useful to have students look at important dates in their other classes and create an overall schedule for the semester that includes test dates, paper due dates, and any project or other important assignment due dates. I think this could also be combined with a tech tip to incorporate a calendar of the student's choice to plan out his or her semester (Canvas, Google, etc.). I'm not sure if you can embed a calendar on a blog, but I think another tech tip could include embedding this plan to the student's blog.


Story Planning
I completed some of the story planning posts this semester and I really enjoyed these posts. I have a hard time getting past the details of my writing, so writing stories can be very difficult under the various time constraints of the semester and working. I think it could be really useful if students utilized these posts to analyze their readings for the week, discuss what message they would like to convey with their story, and what elements they plan on using to accomplish that message.


Thematic Reading Units
I think this could be a great idea! It would be interesting to allow students a little bit of a choice with this option still, which I don't think would be too difficult because there are so many different themes in all of these readings. Here are a few themes/ways to organize the readings that I think could be useful:
Creation Stories
Love Stories
The Trimurti and Tridevi
Complicated Couples
(I think this option could allow students to pick one couple and follow the various complicated and intricate stories as the couple interacts throughout various lifetimes or in their nonhuman forms)
Dharma
Karma
Maya
(I could see Dharma, Karma, and Maya being combined, but I also think they're complex enough that they could be kept separate)
War Stories
Exploring Religious Traditions
(I started exploring the difference between Vaishnavism and Shaivism, although I know there are other branches of Hinduism that could also be considered)

Cause and Effect
I think it could be interesting to have students trace the causes and effects of certain events through the stories and try to identify the driving force behind those events, like dharma, karma, or maya. I was thinking this could be an interesting extra credit option or maybe an option for story planning.

Growth Mindset: How to Build a Team

Build a Tower, Build a Team- Tom Wujec

Growth Mindset: Multiple Intelligences

I love learning about the different theories on how people grow their capabilities and trying to understand how this could help me with my own study habits or how this could help me retain various things I learn at work more effectively. Although I think everyone has unique strengths, no one is absolutely one type of learner or absolutely intelligent in only one way. Rather it is a mix of these different ways of learning and utilizing this knowledge that creates a person's unique abilities. I also believe that it is critically important to continue improving your way of learning and utilizing what you learned in a way that forces you to confront the areas you are weak in. By growing in all ways, you can prepare yourself to overcome challenging classes with professors that have different teaching styles than what you are accustomed to or taking on tasks at work that force you to utilize skills you would not otherwise utilize.

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Infrographic by Mark Bennett (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Harry Potter!

I was really excited about the Harry Potter quote because I just watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I also agree with JK Rowling; our decisions lead us down a path that can build ourselves and others up, while our capabilities are simply the tools we use to accomplish those tasks, making them less important because they can also be built up our destroyed. However, our choices are a direct reflection of our character.

Quote from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Creating Yourself and the World Around You

I liked both of these quotes because they address how powerful people are as the creators of themselves and as the creators of the world they live in.

Quotes by Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Learning to Sail

I liked this infographic because it reminds me of my Moby Dick in Context class and learning how to take on new challenges without being afraid of failure, because with failure comes learning and with learning comes growth.

Quote from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Web Source)

Growth Mindset: The Spellbinding Art of Human Anatomy

The Spellbinding Art of Human Anatomy- Vanessa Ruiz

Story Planning: Vishnu and Lakshmi

Story Planning: Vishnu and Lakshmi

 

Reading Notes: Krishna Epified (Part B)

 I really enjoyed seeing the interplay between Brahma and Krishna. It is very interesting to see such a different perspective on the creator deity and I felt like this story did a good job of explaining why.  From what I have heard so far, the Hindu religion has a very passive view of Brahma, defining him as a creator unworthy of worship since he had forgotten the purpose of his creation. I think that Krishna, as the avatar of Vishnu and the maintainer of the world, represents the purpose of that creation to the people and is therefore worthy of worship.

 

Krishna (Web Source)

 

 

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues (Part A)

I feel like a lot of the stories I have read about have really detailed the endeavors of the male deities, so I felt like this would be a really great way to get a different perspective on the female deities, specifically Lakshmi. The format/layout of this animation was a lot different than I thought it would be, but I think it really helps explain the complexity of the overall story. I also really like the fact that there are three narrators throughout the animation that discuss and sometimes disagree with one another about what actually happened in the story or how one character is actually portrayed, which also adds to the complexity of the story.

 

Rama and Sita (Web Source)

 

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues (Part B)

The beginning of this part started off very grimly, showing the film's author receiving a breakup email from her boyfriend who is in India. Later in the film, she calls him to beg him to take her back and the narrators (who have until this point only commented on the story between Rama and Sita, although at this point it is still a little ambiguous if they are commenting on Nina's situation or Sita's situation) discuss the problems associated with the unconditional love that Sita (and Nina) seem to be displaying. This reminds me of the difference between Sita's unconditional love and Parvati's unconditional love. While Sita is obedient and sadly takes the neglect from Rama, Parvati is angry and demands Shiva to respect her and fix the mistakes that he makes. Parvati and Shiva seem to share a very passionate and mistaken-ridden, yet nonetheless happy and devoted love, while Rama and Sita seem to share a more one-sided love. At the end of the story, Nina is working on this film with her cat and Sita has asked to be swallowed up by Mother Earth's womb in a final act of devotion to Rama, an act that denies Rama to have Sita back. I felt like this ending was very fitting and I really enjoyed this animation.

 

Sita Returns to Mother Earth (Web Source)

 

After watching these videos as well as watching Pattanaik's Seven Secrets of Vishnu, I wanted to write a story about the complex relationship of Vishnu and Lakshmi. It is easy to read some of these stories, especially the story of Rama and Sita, and feel like Rama is entirely to blame for the tragedies that Lakshmi faces. When I watched Pattanaik's videos on Vishnu, it was interesting to hear the difference between Brahma's relationship with Prakriti and Vishnu's relationship with Prakriti. Prakriti is a concept, like Maya, but also seems to correlate with the primary creator, sometimes identified as Parvati or Devi. There is a definite interconnected nature between the Tridevi and the primary creator, with Parvati, Saraswati, and Lakshmi making up the Tridevi. While Prakriti controls Brahma, who is unable to comprehend Prakriti without creating "an objective reality," Vishnu does not need to create any other reality and is therefore able to control Prakriti, who is also identified as being correlated with Lakshmi. 

In one of the videos, Lakshmi is sought after by the asuras and the devas and Vishnu helps the two groups coordinate their efforts to churn Lakshmi out of the ocean. When the two groups successfully free Lakshmi, they wait to see which group she will choose, but to everyone's surprise, she chooses Vishnu, who does not desire her.

I thought this would be a really interesting idea for a story if I wrote from Vishnu's point of view. I would like to write about his thought process as he coordinates the efforts in the above story of rescuing Lakshmi and his reaction as she chooses to follow him rather than either of the two groups that sought Lakshmi in the first place. Specifically, it would be interesting to detail this thought process and his following thoughts as Lakshmi continues to follow him, even after he denies her several times. I want to describe his intentions in this way, potentially shedding a new light on Vishnu as trying to be something he is not and continually failing both himself and Lakshmi by attempting to love the goddess in many of her forms, as Sita and Radha. Although it seems like he truly loves Sita and Radha, I believe he doesn't comprehend love the way that Lakshmi does, and this becomes the continual cause for him failing Lakshmi.

Bibliography:

Krishna Epified (Web Source)

Seven Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley (Web Source)

Wikipedia Trails: From Krishna to Kalpa

Krishna
I wanted to read more about Krishna after watching Krishna Epified this week. I specifically wanted to read more about Radha, the woman he wishes to marry in the epified videos.

Radha
Radha is associated with the original goddess, also known as Shakti. She is considered to be more important than Krishna by some of the followers Vaishnavism. She represents the incarnation of love for Vishnu, and together with Krishna, they represent absolute truth.

Radha by Raja Ravi Varma (Web Source)

Rasa lila
After reading the article about Radha, I read the article about Rasa lila, also known as Rasa dance or the "Dance of Divine Love." Radha is said to be the most important gopika in Rasa lila, as the goddess who dances with Krishna.

Kalpa
After reading about Rasa lila, I read about Kalpa, also known as one "Night of Brahma," which is how long Krishna stretches the Rasa lila and is about 4.32 billion years.

Wikipedia Trails: From Mohini to Narasimha

Mohini
I wanted to learn more about Mohini after my reading this week. So, I found Mohini's wikipedia article and read more about Vishnu's only female avatar. Her description was much different on wikipedia than the videos I watched by Pattanaik and most notably described Mohini's other form, Mahalasa.

Mohini on a swing by Raja Ravi Varma (Web Source)

Mahalasa
Mohini's article led me to an article on Mahalasa, the consort of Shiva's avatar, Khandoba. Mahalasa is very interesting and is explained as partially Mohini (and therefore Vishnu) and partially Parvati (as the consort of Shiva). Mahalasa seems to reinforce the interconnected nature of Hinduism, as many other deities seem to also do.

Kuladevata
After reading Mahalasa's article, I read Kuladevata's article. Kuladevata is known as the family goddess, or a specific goddess that a family or clan worships. Different families or clans from different regions have different Kuladevatas, often based on the beliefs or traditions of that region.

Narasimha
After I read about Kuladevatas, I read about Narasimha, the Kuludevata of a group of the Konkani people. Narasimha is an avatar of Vishnu.

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Vishnu (Part A)

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Vishnu (Mohini)

I thought this reading was really interesting. It discussed the idea of having two realities: a tangible or material reality, represented with the female form, and an intangible or spiritual reality, represented with the male form. Mohini is the female form of Vishnu, but unlike any of the female deities, Mohini represents spiritual reality. This reading does a really good job of reinforcing the idea of balance.

I appreciated that the narrator in the first video tried to reconcile some of the irritation associated with the separation of the two realities into genders, however I am not sure that I understand the reasoning enough to agree with the narrator. I recognize this is more than likely a cultural difference that is making it more difficult for me to really understand this kind of reasoning.

Mohini on a swing by Raja Ravi Varma (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues (Part B)

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues (Part B)

The beginning of this part started off very grimly, showing the film's author receiving a breakup email from her boyfriend who is in India. Later in the film, she calls him to beg him to take her back and the narrators (who have until this point only commented on the story between Rama and Sita, although at this point it is still a little ambiguous if they are commenting on Nina's situation or Sita's situation) discuss the problems associated with the unconditional love that Sita (and Nina) seem to be displaying. This reminds me of the difference between Sita's unconditional love and Parvati's unconditional love. While Sita is obedient and sadly takes the neglect from Rama, Parvati is angry and demands Shiva to respect her and fix the mistakes that he makes. Parvati and Shiva seem to share a very passionate and mistaken-ridden, yet nonetheless happy and devoted love, while Rama and Sita seem to share a more one-sided love. At the end of the story, Nina is working on this film with her cat and Sita has asked to be swallowed up by Mother Earth's womb in a final act of devotion to Rama, an act that denies Rama to have Sita back. I felt like this ending was very fitting and I really enjoyed this animation. 

Sita Returns to Mother Earth (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley (Web Source)

Tech Tip: Blogger Profile

I updated my profile to make sure that it appears on the right-hand side of my blog with the picture from my google profile.

Tech Tip: Canvas Profile

I added some info to my biography as well as a current picture (the one I used for my medical school applications). It was not difficult at all to make any of the changes!

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

I adjusted my canvas notifications so that I get notifications when assignments are due and when assignments are graded. So far its working great!

Wikipedia Trails: From Durga to Dattatreya

Durga
I looked up Durga because she was in the Epified Krishna reading I did this week.

Durga (Web Source)

Renuka
After I read about Durga, I read about Renuka, who is one of Durga's reincarnations.

Parashurama
Renuka's page then led me to Parashurama, who is the sixth avatar of Vishnu. He is also the son that beheaded Renuka, at his father's command, after she lusted after a Gandharva. I find this interesting because this resembles other stories in which conflicts regarding devotion of one of the goddesses of the Tridevi to one of the gods of the Trimuti.

Dattatreya
Parashurama's page then led me to Dattatreya, considered by some to be a deity and by others as a monk. He is said to be either an avatar of Vishnu, or even the entire Trimurti.

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues (Part A)

Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues (Part A)

I feel like a lot of the stories I have read about have really detailed the endeavors of the male deities, so I felt like this would be a really great way to get a different perspective on the female deities, specifically Lakshmi. The format/layout of this animation was a lot different than I thought it would be, but I think it really helps explain the complexity of the overall story. I also really like the fact that there are three narrators throughout the animation that discuss and sometimes disagree with one another about what actually happened in the story or how one character is actually portrayed, which also adds to the complexity of the story.

Rama and Sita (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley (Web Source)

Review: Why I really love the oxford comma

Yet another great infographic on the importance of the oxford comma:

The Importance of the Oxford Comma (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Krishna Epified (Part B)

Reading Notes: Krishna Epified (Part B)

 I really enjoyed seeing the interplay between Brahma and Krishna. It is very interesting to see such a different perspective on the creator deity and I felt like this story did a good job of explaining why.  From what I have heard so far, the Hindu religion has a very passive view of Brahma, defining him as a creator unworthy of worship since he had forgotten the purpose of his creation. I think that Krishna, as the avatar of Vishnu and the maintainer of the world, represents the purpose of that creation to the people and is therefore worthy of worship.

Krishna (Web Source)

 Bibliography:

Krishna Epified (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Krishna Epified (Part A)

Reading Notes: Krishna Epified (Part A)

I really enjoyed the Mahabharata Epified series and so I wanted to look into the Krishna Epified series. I thought the part about Vasudev crossing the river under the protection of the serpent was really interesting. I wonder if the serpent mentioned is anything like the serpent from the creation story that I had read. I also was really surprised that Maya and Krishna were switched at birth. For some reason I had not remembered that in any of the stories that I had read. Even better was when Kamsa was about to kill Maya and then she turned into Durga and told him that he was still doomed and chastised him for assuming he was safe because she had come to the Earth in the form of a woman. 

Durga (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Krishna Epified (Web Source)

Story Planning: Brahma

Story Planning: The Unacknowledged Creator

 

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Brahma)

Brahma's Secret

I thought this reading was really interesting because it points out the differences between Brahma and the other Hindu deities, especially relative to the way Christianity views "the creator" deity. I know that I definitely had questions when I first started researching Brahma because I had a much different view of any deity that is deemed "the creator" from my own religious experiences with Christianity and what I learned in Latin about Roman and Greek mythology. 

I think it could be really interesting to tell the creation story from Brahma's point of view and really watch how he forgets the exact reason why the world is created. I think it could be really interesting to have Brahma interacting with some of the other deities as they come into the world and have them question him for not remembering why the world was created. 

I would like to portray Brahma as being really confident about his creation when no one else is around, but unsure of his creation in the presence of others. I think this could create an interesting dynamic that really highlights the reason why Brahma is not worshiped like the other deities. Other people have an interpretation of him that is negative once they realize he is unable to answer why he created everything.

I think Saraswati could be an important part of this story as the redeeming "better half" of Brahma by representing knowledge and wisdom. It would be interesting if Saraswati reminded Brahma why he created the world in the first place and it could reinforce her tie to Devi, who is also known as the primary creator (Brahma is often acknowledged as the secondary creator).

 

Brahma and Saraswati (Web Source)

 

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Part F)

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Brahma)

Brahma's Secret

I thought this reading was really interesting because it points out the differences between Brahma and the other Hindu deities, especially relative to the way Christianity views "the creator" deity. I know that I definitely had questions when I first started researching Brahma because I had a much different view of any deity that is deemed "the creator" from my own religious experiences with Christianity and what I learned in Latin about Roman and Greek mythology. 

Brahma The Creator (Web Source)

 

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Review: Russian Proverb

One Drop Russian Proverb (Web Source)

Wikipedia Trails: From Kali to Shakti

Kali
I wanted to look more into Kali because I came across her in my reading from earlier this week on Shiva. I found out that she is considered the consort of Shiva and is like the primary creator that the feminine deity, Devi, is considered. It almost seems like she makes up a part of the larger whole.

Shaktism
In the Kali wikipedia article, I found a section on Shaktism, which is tradition within Hinduism that reveres the feminine essence, Devi, as the supreme power.

Forms of Devi (Web Source)

Devi-Bhagavata Purana
The Shaktism wikipedia article led me to an article on this text which also reveres Devi as the supreme power or primary creator.

Shakti
Then I found this article on Shakti, which explained that she is essentially the same as Kali and is represented in her avatar form by Parvati.
 

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Part E)

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Vishnu)

Vishnu's Secret: Detached Engagement Brings Order

I really liked this reading because it provided a contrast between Vishnu and Shiva, whereas a lot of the other readings have focused on the differences between Shiva and Devi. This reading also explained why cows are sacred in Hindu culture and introduced Kamadhenu, the mother cow that resides with the Hindu gods and goddesses in the heavens. Vishnu was then compared to a cow that produces milk for his family and for others.

Vishnu represents a different kind of balance when contrasted with Shiva; as the maintainer, Vishnu represents a caretaker for the world and Lakshmi represents the caretaker for the man.  Both exist in harmony with each other and cannot exist without the other. Shiva, on the other hand, represents the opposition to societal constraints, which Parvati seems to represent. I think this is an interesting concept and I had not considered this contrast earlier when I watched the first few parts of this series.

Kamadhenu (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I have an android phone and installing the canvas mobile app was very easy. I am able to easily access my to-do list (since I set it up as the first thing to show up when I open the app) and I love that some of my classes have the overall grade listed on the dashboard page. I highly recommend installing the canvas mobile app.

Story Planning: Devi and Shiva

Story Planning: Devi and Shiva

"For most Hindus, God is best embodied in the form of three human couples: Brahma and Saraswati, Vishu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Shakti."

I thought this quote was especially important for the storybook that I am working on because these three couples form the basis of my story. I will need to read a little more about Shakti, though, since my story relates to Sati and Parvati.

Ardahanari's Secret

I thought this part was really interesting because it related the cultural view to the modern day perception of male and female counterparts. This really relates back to last week's reading that I did, where Shiva represented the spiritual aspirations and Parvati represented the materialistic desires. I find this to be an interesting perception because the materialistic desires mentioned specifically translate to having a family.

Shiva's Secret

I liked this part because I felt like it really clarified the difference between Shiva and Parvati as far as their aspirations. Shiva is essentially the "destroyer of desires." 

Then Kali entered the picture and Shiva became a little bit more confusing again. It's just difficult sometimes to understand the exact role of each deity in Hinduism because they all seem to be interconnected and there seem to be several different ways to explain every god, goddess, or divine concept. Although it is confusing, it really exemplifies the message I'm trying to portray in my storybook.

Shiva's Secret (continued)

After a thoroughly confusing introduction to Shiva in part 1, this again makes a little more sense. Shiva becomes the householder after Parvati is able to bring him out of a hermit-like state that starts when his first consort, Sati, kills herself because of her father's disapproval. Shiva then kills Sati's father, becoming the destroyer of social constructs. The Shri Yantra is the representation of balance between spiritual and material aspirations. I thought this was another really interesting concept and related well to what I am trying to explain in my storybook.

Devi's Secret: Desire and Destiny Create Life

This part of the reading made a lot of sense because I've done a lot of reading about Devi and the Tridevi already. I really like that the feminine aspect of the divine represents a balance between power and love, which translate into the concept of a mother. I think this is a very respectful view of the feminine aspect that isn't always appreciated or represented in this particular way in some cultures and is even lacking in some of the stories we read from the epics.

I think this week's reading could really help me with my storybook for this week because my next story is about Sati being greatly affected by her father's opinion of her marriage to Shiva and then killing herself in response to what she sees as an irreconcilable situation. I am trying to figure out how exactly I would like to portray Saraswati as being involved, but I think she will create these forms from a simple word (like Shiva from Brahma in the first story), but Sati and Sita will still be tied to her. I can see this working as a sort of in and out of consciousness experience for Saraswati as she bounces between each of the deities. Once Sati commits suicide, Saraswati will be devastated and console Shiva, urging him to seek vengeance for Sati.

I see this story being really big on balance and how things can quickly spiral out of control if Saraswati is unable to effectively divide her attention between her different forms. Saraswati is the powerful part of the tridevi as the primary creator (which will be revealed in the final story), while Sati and Sita represent the love portion of the tridevi.

Ardhanari (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Reading Guide: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Part D)

Reading Guide: Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Shiva and Devi)

Shiva's Secret (continued)

After a thoroughly confusing introduction to Shiva in part 1, this again makes a little more sense. Shiva becomes the householder after Parvati is able to bring him out of a hermit-like state that starts when his first consort, Sati, kills herself because of her father's disapproval. Shiva then kills Sati's father, becoming the destroyer of social constructs. The Shri Yantra is the representation of balance between spiritual and material aspirations. I thought this was another really interesting concept and related well to what I am trying to explain in my storybook.

Shri Yantra (Wikimedia)

Devi's Secret: Desire and Destiny Create Life

This part of the reading made a lot of sense because I've done a lot of reading about Devi and the Tridevi already. I really like that the feminine aspect of the divine represents a balance between power and love, which translate into the concept of a mother. I think this is a very respectful view of the feminine aspect that isn't always appreciated or represented in this particular way in some cultures and is even lacking in some of the stories we read from the epics.

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Reading Guide: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Part C)

Reading Guide: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Ardhanari and Shiva)

"For most Hindus, God is best embodied in the form of three human couples: Brahma and Saraswati, Vishu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Shakti."

I thought this quote was especially important for the storybook that I am working on because these three couples form the basis of my story. I will need to read a little more about Shakti, though, since my story relates to Sati and Parvati.

Ardahanari's Secret

I thought this part was really interesting because it related the cultural view to the modern day perception of male and female counterparts. This really relates back to last week's reading that I did, where Shiva represented the spiritual aspirations and Parvati represented the materialistic desires. I find this to be an interesting perception because the materialistic desires mentioned specifically translate to having a family.

Ardhanari (Web Source)

Shiva's Secret

I liked this part because I felt like it really clarified the difference between Shiva and Parvati as far as their aspirations. Shiva is essentially the "destroyer of desires." 

Then Kali entered the picture and Shiva became a little bit more confusing again. It's just difficult sometimes to understand the exact role of each deity in Hinduism because they all seem to be interconnected and there seem to be several different ways to explain every god, goddess, or divine concept. Although it is confusing, it really exemplifies the message I'm trying to portray in my storybook.

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Tech Tip: Canvas Calendar

Tech Tip: Canvas Calendar

I added the calendar from Canvas and it's helping me stay on top of assignments that I might have otherwise forgotten about. It is very useful.

Learning Challenge: Being young and making an impact

Being young and making an impact- Natalie Warne

Natalie Warne (Web Source)

Review: Map of Literature

Map of Literature (Web Source)

Growth Mindset: Bound for Success or Doomed to Fail

How we're priming some kids for college- and others for prison (Alice Goffman)

I found this Ted Talk very interesting because it really illuminates some of the unsung struggles of growing up as a minority in an underprivileged community. I think it can be easy to lose sight of the way these problems are created when we look at only the outcomes and ignore the causes that begin so much earlier than we often realize. 

Story Planning: Ganesha and the Eternal Balancing Act

Story Planning for Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Devdutt Pattanaik)

Ganesha

I really enjoyed the analysis in this reading and found the part about Ganesha representing the balance between pursuing what's best for the individual (Shiva/spiritual aspirations) and pursuing what's best for the family (Parvati/material aspirations) to be interesting.

I want Ganesha to be the central character in my story and for the content of the story to portray this balance that he represents. So, I'm thinking I could present Ganesha with a conflict of pursuing his personal interests while balancing the interests of his family. I am also considering a different approach of these conflicting interests by making the conflict about spiritual aspirations versus material aspirations. I do find the representation of Shiva as the manifestation of spiritual aspirations and of Parvati as the manifestation of material aspirations to be really interesting because it is a very individualistic perspective. I may be seeing it from a very western perspective, though, in which seeking individual achievements over familial achievements is sometimes viewed rather negatively for women.

Narayan

I thought it was interesting that death was not seen as a "full stop" in Hindu culture. I feel like this principle is embodied in the creation story with all of the creators and important deities interconnected.

At first, I was not entirely sure how I would approach connecting these two stories into one overall story, but my overarching goal would be to represent Ganesha as this figure capable of divine balance. With as many things going on during my own semester right now, I was considering making Ganesha into a student that works full-time and encounters plenty of defining struggles that help him learn this divine balance. Once he has an understanding of this balance, maybe he encounters pause in his endeavors while he continues to improve his ability to balance the things that the universe throws at him. I was also thinking I could show Ganesha as a male in one life, leaning towards the familial or material side of the balance as he sorts through this conflict and as a female in another life, leaning towards the individualistic or spiritual side of the balance. I think this could be an interesting way to explore gender roles and show how balance can be achieved no matter what the circumstances are.

Ganesha Graffiti by Zarateman (Wikimedia)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: A new way to study the brain's invisible secrets

This is actually a Ted Talk that I watched last week and thought was really interesting. So, I watched it again this week. I have some research to do on the various methods this speaker discusses utilizing in making this technique work.

A new way to study the brain's invisible secrets- Ed Boyden

Growth Mindset: 8 Secrets of Success

Here's one of the Ted Talks I listened to this week. It's really short and if you need just a little extra boost for the day, this is exactly the video for you.

8 Secrets of Success- Richard St. John

Reading Guide: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Part B)

 Reading Guide: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Narayan)

I thought it was interesting that death was not seen as a "full stop" in Hindu culture. I feel like this principle is embodied in the creation story with all of the creators and important deities interconnected.

Brahma, Vishnu, Sesha, and Lakshmi at the Beginning (Web Source)

 

 

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art (Part A)

Reading Notes: Seven Secrets of the Hindu Calendar (Ganesha)

I really enjoyed the analysis in this reading and found the part about Ganesha representing the balance between pursuing what's best for the individual (Shiva/spiritual aspirations) and pursuing what's best for the family (Parvati/material aspirations) to be interesting.

Parvati, Shiva, and Ganesha (Wikimedia)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Reading Guide by Devdutt Pattanaik (Web Source)

Growth Mindset: Jugaad

Jugaad- "Frugal Innovation"

Creative problem-solving in the face of extreme limits by Navi Radjou

Review: Multitasking

Week 10 Review: Multitasking

Multitasking (Web Source)

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Epified Part F

The Mahabharata Epified: Reading Notes (Part F)

 

I was really interested in Urvashi's curse because even though Arjuna was only trying to show her respect by refusing her hand in marriage, it enraged her and she cursed him. It was also interesting to see Indra involved in lessening the severity of this curse, given his history of being cursed.

 

Urvashi's Curse (Web Source)

 

 

Bibliography:
The Mahabharata Epified Reading Notes (Web Source)

Wikipedia Trails: From Draupadi to Drona

Draupadi

I read a little more about Draupadi after watching the epified videos this week and was led to the article on the Upapandavas.

Draupadi in Virata's palace, by Raja Ravi Varma (Web Source)

Upapandavas
The Upapandavas were the five sons that Draupadi had by each of the five Pandava brothers she married. They were killed in battle by Ashwatthama.

Ashwatthama
Ashwatthama was the son of Drona.

Drona
Drona was the teacher for most of the key players in the Kurukshetra War.

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Epified Part E

The Mahabharata Epified: Reading Notes (Part E)

 

I really enjoyed hearing more about Draupadi's story. When I initially read it, I couldn't believe how incredibly unfair the entire situation seemed. It was nice to hear this story told with a little more outrage from several people involved, including Draupadi herself.

 

Draupadi in Virata's palace, by Raja Ravi Varma (Web Source)

 

Bibliography:
The Mahabharata Epified Reading Notes (Web Source)

Review: The Pause Button

The Pause Button

I saw this infografic while scrolling through the announcements on Friday and it seemed fitting for the week of midterms, less for pausing to prevent issues and more for pausing to find peace.

Practice the Pause by Lori Deschesne (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Why do we sleep?

Why do we sleep?

One of the Ted talks I watched this week:

"Why do we sleep?" - Russel Foster

Growth Mindset: Try Something New for 30 Days

Try Something New for 30 Days 

One of the Ted Talks I listened to this week:

"Try Something New for 30 Days" 

-Matt Cutts

Reading Notes: The Mahabharata Epified Part D

The Mahabharata Epified: Reading Notes (Part D)

My favorite part of this reading was hearing about Arjuna's exile again. I felt like this version of the story gave me a very different perspective on the events that took place as well as more respect for Arjuna.

Arjuna Grabbing his Bow and Arrows (Web Source)

Bibliography: The Mahabharata Epified Reading Notes (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Getting Motivated

This week I have been starting my day with a TED talk and so far it has been a really motivating way to begin each day. Here's one that I watched earlier this week by Kelly McGonigal. She talks about rethinking our perception of stress and the benefits of a positive outlook.

How to make stress your friend

Growth Mindset: Grit

I have been listening to one TED talk each morning on my way to work or school this week and I have really enjoyed all of them. However, this morning I found this particular talk where the speaker mentioned Carol Dweck to be both interesting and inspiring.

Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Week 8 Review: Spring Cleaning (Fall Edition)

I saw this on today's calendar feed and really liked it! This is definitely how my weekends go.

Interior Life by Grant Snider (Web Source)

Week 8 Growth Mindset

Now that I have completed all of my prerequisites for medical school, this year is about taking all the classes that just didn't quite fit into my schedule before. So, I am completing my honors requirements, working on a Spanish minor, taking neurobiology courses, and taking humanities courses that help me learn more about cultures that I am interested in and/or grow my writing skills. All of these things are very important to me and I see them as a way to continue pursuing my goal of lifelong learning, but it also forces me to grow in other ways. I am accustomed to balancing a heavy work and school load, but my classes are usually 4 or 5 hour classes, as opposed to 3 hour classes. My classes this semester are all 3 hour classes, making this a much different course load than my standard schedule. I think that in striving to take on new challenges, I sometimes take on more than I should. 

Growth Mindset meme (Web Source)

Week 8 Reflections

 Reflections

Reading
My reading notes could definitely be formatted better in order to transition more effectively to a story. I have not written many stories this semester because I find the Wednesday deadline to be extraordinarily challenging to meet every single week. It feels like I am constantly making a sacrifice between finishing my reading for the week and writing a story. I love the readings, so I usually finish those, but it takes much more effort to write a story.

Writing
I think that my stories are typically well written, if I am able to complete the story for the week. I find myself having plenty of ideas for stories as I write my reading notes, but unless I write the story during the weekend before that week, I am often unable to write something that reflects the quality of work that I would like it to. I will say that I am very excited about writing my storybook and that a lot of thought has gone into the structure and plot of the story.

Connecting
At first, commenting on others blog pages was challenging and I was not sure how to really comment on a post introducing someone to me that I had never met. As the semester has progressed, I have found the process of doing this to be much easier and I now consistently write more than required.

"Eye of the Parrot" (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Increasing Efficiency/Tech Tip: Embedded YouTube

So, this isn't exactly a learning challenge from the Learning by HEART page, but I think it fits into the principles that Learning by HEART really tries to promote. I struggle finding time to maintain my studies and work schedule, but I am fortunate enough to constantly be surrounded by people who inspire me to put in as much effort as I can to what I do each day. While I do take time to listen to music or read something unrelated to school or work, I do occasionally utilize even my most sacred relaxing time (driving to work, which takes just under 30 minutes and ensures I do nothing but drive during that time) for something that is related to work or school. This week, I chose to listen to this TED talk on my way to work. Now, I know it may seem like overkill to utilize this time for learning, but it was less of a necessity and much more of a way to keep me engaged and excited. I absolutely love what I do, but I will admit to occasionally finding myself feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything. Sometimes I take a break, maybe work on a simpler assignment for a different class, or listen to some music in Spanish to practice my listening skills, but sometimes I choose to dive a little a deeper and confront that feeling head on by getting engaged in an interesting, and perhaps more manageable part of what I am working on. This technique REALLY helps me to stay motivated and tends to attack the problem, rather than avoid it.

Here's the link to the TED talk I listened to on my way to work. It's about neural plasticity, nature, and nurture and where the field of neuroscience is headed.

Nature, nurture & neuroplasticity

big think (Web Source)

Wikipedia Trails: From Karna to Anrita

Karna
After finishing the third part of the epified version of The Mahabharata, I looked up Karna on wikipedia to learn a little more. I learned that in one of the versions of Karna's death, the goddess of Dharma was protecting him from Arjuna's arrows. This led me to the next article on Dharma.

Arjuna Killing Karna (Web Source)

Dharma
I knew already that the concept of Dharma was fairly complex, but I had thought of it as someone acting in accordance with their fate. However, there is no one word that actually can serve as a translation for the concept of Dharma. I also found a new word, Adharma.

Adharma
I found the words used to define Adharma very interesting because they were not exactly the opposite of fate. Instead, it meant something more along the lines of evil or wrong. It just reminds me that different cultures have different opinions regarding fate.

Anrita
After reading the article about Adharma, I read about Anrita, a son of the god Adharma. I found it really interesting that each of these concepts was personified as a deity. 

Growth Mindset: Diving Headfirst

I saved this meme because it is exactly what I feel like I have to do every time that I start a new week. Keeping up a delicate balancing act is hard, but as long as I can continue to stay motivated and dive into each week like the growth mindset cat, I can keep achieving my goals.

Growth Mindset Cat Dives Headfirst (Web Source)

Review: The Difference Between a Family Dinner and Cannibalism

Punctuation Saves Lives (Web Source)

I saved this announcement from Tuesday this week because it is one of my favorite grammar infographics. It humorously illustrates how important it is to use commas, a punctuation mark which I feel is highly undervalued.