Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part C

The Mahabharata: Reading Notes (Part C)

My favorite part of this reading was having an inside perspective on the exile of the Pandavas and see them sneak back into a position where they can right the wrongs that have been committed against them. There are certain parts of the story that seem to reappear from the Ramayana to the Mahabharata, such as chasing a deer and the chase ending in death for the hunter. Also, both of these scenarios involve the hunter or hunters being tricked, which then leads to their death. This kind of recurring theme could be very useful for my storybook later on. I also might consider looking into the meaning of a deer in Hindu culture to see if there is in fact a deeper, hidden meaning.

Another important part of this reading was the conversation between Krishna, Arujuna, and Duryodhana, in which Arjuna chooses to have Krishna aid him in battle while Duryodhana takes the million soldiers. These choices reflect on their characters and could provide an interesting topic for a story.

Krishna Advising the Pandavas (Web Source)

Bibliography:

Narayan's Mahabharata Online Reading Guide (Web Source)

Story: Eye of the Parrot

Eye of the Parrot

Author's Note: This story combines the principles taught with Drona's test in The Mahabharata with the story of Rama and Sita in The Ramayana. I have heard Drona's test called "Eye of the Parrot" and the principles outlined in that story are really the most important part of this interpretation of the tragic romance Rama and Sita have. This story also incorporates Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love (much like the Roman's Cupid), who acts as Rama's Drona in guiding him back to Sita.

Ravana Kidnapping Sita (Web Source)

 

*Our story begins with Ravana kidnapping Sita and riding off to Lanka, just as Rama and Lakshmana return to find Jatayu taking labored breaths as he dies.*

"Jatayu, what has happened here? Who did this to you? Where is Sita?" Rama stared at the desperate scene, looking for clues as to the source of the commotion.

"Ra...van...a..." Jatayu exhaled painfully. "...hasSi...ta..." With each syllable seeming more arduous than the last, Jatayu took his last few breaths, leaving Rama and Lakshmana with almost no clues as to the events that had just transpired. 

Unsure of how to proceed, Rama and Lakshmana began to wander aimlessly through the forest. Rama, distraught with the thought of his love, Sita, being tormented by the perversions that Ravana was well known for, was unable to eat or sleep. Lakshmana, concerned for the safety of Sita and now the health of Rama, began scouring the forest for anyone who could help them. 

After searching for hours, Lakshmana stopped at a river to quench his thirst. Kamadeva emerged from behind a mango tree and peered back at Lakshmana, who could hardly believe that he had found anyone else in that forest, let alone Kamadeva himself. 

Kamadeva (Web Source)

"Please, help me find Sita. Surely you know of her and her unrivaled beauty? I am afraid that Rama will perish if I am unable to find Sita and bring her back to him soon." Kamadeva gave Lakshmana a long hard stare, as if he were turning over each word in his mind, carefully contemplating its weight. 

Once he had evaluated Lakshmana's plea, he agreed to help.  "However, I am not the one who can find Sita. Rama must find Sita."

Lakshmana, puzzled and increasingly more annoyed, began to question Kamadeva's methods. Kamadeva assured him that he would guide Rama to Sita, as long as Rama was willing to do anything necessary to find his love.

 ~ ~ ~ 

Rama was laying in the dirt when Lakshmana and Kamadeva arrived. The two looked at one another and back at Rama, and Lakshmana grew angrier by the second as he stared at the pitiful sight. "Rama!!!" he boomed. "Get up! Right this instant! I have brought someone to help us find Sita."

Rama barely looked in Lakshmana's direction, only slightly acknowledging his presence as the last word fell upon his ears. Rama's blank stare seemed to be fixated just behind Kamadeva. Following the path of Rama's gaze, Kamadeva noticed a lotus, not far off in the distance. The god hovered above Rama's ear, gently prodding him for some form of words that might elucidate the great meaning of this flower. 

"What are you staring so intently at?" Kamadeva asked.

"I'm not sure..." Rama answered. "Nothing seems to be in focus. But I cannot seem to tear my eyes away..." 

"Start with a color that you see. Keep it in mind clearly and focus on only that color. Once you find that the color is sharp, begin to outline the shape that defines that color until you have an image clearly planted in your mind."

Rama struggled with the task for a few minutes, finding a color only to lose its sharpness moments later or run into other colors once the shape was defined and lose the overall image. Finally, he settled on a golden yellow that grew longer as it grew sharper and finally transformed itself into the pistil of the lotus in the distance.

"Now what do you see?" Kamadeva could sense the epiphany within Rama waiting to strike.

After several moments of deliberation, Rama's eyes widened. "Sita." 

"Go and bring her back. Her love for you is strong. She has been clever enough to elude all of Ravana's tricks. Only the magnitude of her loyalty to you could rival her beauty. Focus on only her as you complete your journey. You will find what you must."

And with that, Kamadeva disappeared back into the forest and Rama and Lakshmana set out on their quest to find Sita. Before sunset that same day, Rama had slain Ravana and his various guards, finding Sita waiting for him patiently. 

Bibliography:

Narayan's Ramayana Guide (Web Source)

Narayan's Mahabharata Guide (Web Source)

Kamadeva Wikipedia Article (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: The Science of Procrastination

I wanted to learn more about time management since I always feel a bit pressed for time. I don't have an account on most of the usual social media applications that would eat up my free time, but I do constantly face hyperbolic discounting. This form of procrastination takes effect by playing on our present bias, allowing us to place more value in completing tasks that will provide us with a sense of reward sooner rather than later. While juggling a full course load and work can be challenging, if I make sure to stick to my short term and long term goals, keeping both in perspective, I should be able to manage my time effectively and complete my goals.

Hyperbolic Discounting (The Science of Procrastination)

Bibliography: The Science of Procrastination (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part D

The Mahabharata: Reading Notes (Part D)

My favorite part of this reading was Krishna revealing his divine form to Arjuna before battle and getting him ready to fight. I have heard of the Bhagadvad-Gita several times when doing my own research, but it was really interesting to see its actually purpose in The Mahabharata.

Arjuna and Krishna (Wikimedia)

Bibliography:

Narayan's Mahabharata Online Reading Guide (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part B

The Mahabharata: Reading Notes (Part B)

My favorite part of the second half of this week's reading was the dice game. The entire story seemed like one bad judgement call after another, mostly fueled by pride. I was very surprised when Yudhishthira lost everything he owned and then continued to gamble away his brothers, then himself, and finally Draupadi. I really enjoyed when Draupadi questioned the legitimacy of Yudhishthira's bet when he had already gambled away himself. I really developed an appreciation for Draupadi in this part of the story because she is granted one wish, but because of her humility (something some of the other characters at this point seem to certainly lack), she is able to turn that one wish into three, using only two to selflessly free Yudhishthira and her other husbands, and resulting in them gaining all of their possessions again.

The Game of Dice (Wikimedia)

Despite the very obvious warnings that Yudhishthira receives, he decides to engage in another game of dice with Shakuni and again loses, but this time receives 13 years of exile, 12 years of poverty, and a year of hiding. Although the Pandavas receive help that makes this endeavor much easier, the idea that so much could be lost in just a game of dice seems outrageous and completely irresponsible once Yudhishthira risks everything again. I am interested to see if this time in exile will result in some personal growth that might prevent him from making such reckless decisions in the future.

Bibliography:

Narayan's Mahabharata
Online Reading Guide Part B: Narayan's Mahabharata (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Narayan's Mahabharata Part A

The Mahabharata: Reading Notes (Part A)

I was really delighted to come across something familiar in this week's reading when I read about Drona's Test. Drona is the guru for all the Pandavas and Kauravas, as well as his own son, and he trains them all, putting them through various tests. One day, Drona tasks the boys with shooting a fake eagle he has placed in the trees. All of them miss, with the exception of Arjuna who is able to focus only on the center of the eagle's head.

Arjuna Taking Aim (Web Source)

Although the version I heard was a little different, this story still resonated strongly with me because it was a lesson I really took to heart over the past year as I have prepared for the MCAT and applying to medical school while working full time. The story as I have heard it involves a similar series of questions and answers between Arjuna and Drona (although at the time I heard the story, I was not familiar with these names), but the final answer Arjuna gives is that he can only see the "eye of the parrot". This story represents the immense focus that is required to accomplish a task and highlights the lesson that in order to accomplish a task, you must be able to find one point to focus on and then work towards that specific goal. Trying to define goals too broadly will end in misfires, but if you focus on a small piece of the goal at a time, you can sometimes find that you will not only accomplish one small thing, but potentially the entire thing if your aim is focused.

Another story I really liked from this reading was the story of Draupadi. This story interested me because its another story that ties together the concept of past lives with current circumstances, which is a big theme for my storybook. During Draupadi's swayamwara, Arjuna wins her hand and is then told he must share his new wife with his four other brothers. In a past life, Draupadi had been married to five men and had hoped to meet them again in another life. I also noticed that Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, was at the swayamwara, and I am interested to see what role he plays in this story.

Bibliography:
Narayan's Mahabharata
Online Reading Guide Part A: Narayan's Mahabharata (Web Source)

Week 4 Review: "Call me Laura"

I promise to try harder with this one! It is very difficult to break habits and even though I know you are wanting to be called by your first name, it is a difficult task. I promise to take a second look at the emails that I send you and try to break that habit.

Literal Change is Hard Meme (Web Source)

Learning Challenge: Learning By H.E.A.R.T. Meme

I chose a meme to talk about for this week's Learning by H.E.A.R.T. I was looking through the assignment pages when I came across this meme:

Procrastination Panda Pumping out Those ATPs (Web Source)

This meme really speaks to me as a science major. There are definitely days where I am tired and want to consider the fact that my body continues to enact all its various metabolic processes for the day an accomplishment.

Wikipedia Trail: From Saraswati to Brahman

Saraswati
I was initially interested in learning more about Saraswati because I was considering the Hindu Trinity as the topic for my Storybook Project. I was specifically interested in the love story she has with Brahma. So...I clicked on Tridevi next.

Tridevi
I wanted to look into this article because I wanted to see if there were any more connections between Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati that I had not yet considered. I found a really interesting image while looking at the article and I could really see myself using this image in my storybook later on.

 

Tridevi (Wikimedia)

Brahma
After reading about the Trinity, I clicked on Brahma, Saraswati's significant other. I didn't find as much as I would have liked on his romance with Saraswati, but I did find a lot of interesting factoids about Brahma and all the various ways I had seen his name before. It was interesting to see the different ways in which his name was used to create new words or represent different ideas.

Brahman
The last article that I clicked on was Brahman. I was hoping to learn more about the differentiation between Brahma and Brahman and found out that Brahman actually refers to the "highest Universal Principle" or the "Ultimate Reality". I thought this could be an interesting idea to pair with Maya which is an alternate reality.

 

Growth Mindset: Throwback to Finals Week of Spring 2016

After completing the Feedback Focus assignment this week, I was reminded of a time last semester that I felt completely overwhelmed by everything I had on my plate. It was the weekend before finals and two weeks before I took the MCAT. I felt like I needed to study literally everything for every single remaining second until I had completed everything in front of me. And then, I decided to do something crazy....

Meme I created to remind myself I could do it (Christen O'Neal)

...I took a break. I made this meme and I felt like it was really applicable to anyone who ever feels like everything is just way to big for them to accomplish. Because, even though the stack of papers may be larger than the stapler, the stapler still conquers the papers by organizing them into that stack. By recognizing that I needed a system, I felt less overwhelmed and got back on track with studying for finals and continued my relentless MCAT studying.

Bibliograph:
Growth Mindset: A Powerful Way to Learn by Laura Gibbs (Web Source)

Feedback Focus

Reading Out Loud
Although I liked the idea of reading each of the stories out loud, I found it very difficult to find a time and a place where I could actually do so. I already follow through with reading stories from beginning to end and then giving them a second read through, so I feel like my method is typically focused. I do feel like when I am reviewing my own work, I really have to read it out loud in order to get a different perspective. If I am not understanding a story, I might utilize this technique to similarly gain a different perspective.

Copy and Delete
There are definitely occasions that I have used this technique, especially for denser readings. I really enjoy the stories I read in this class, so I don't think I will need this technique unless I come across a particularly confusing story.

Use a Timer
I have not used this technique before, but I actually really liked it. I tend to be very goal-oriented, and sometimes this makes giving real, focused feedback difficult because I am more concerned with completing an assignment than with the actual feedback process. This is one of my biggest pet peeves, but I cannot deny that I am occasionally guilty of doing the same thing. I know others can tell when the feedback is not coming from a place of curiosity and rather a place of haste because I know that I can tell when others do the same to me. This method really made me dedicate a specific amount of time to the reading and this made the feedback much easier to write.

Jackie Gerstein (Web Source)

Tech Tip: Google Site Website (Nakshatras of the Trinity)

My storybook website is up and running! If you want to take a look at it, click here.

The storybook is inspired by some of the most dramatic stories of the Hindu Trinity. Each character must battle the mistakes of their past in order to create a new life for themselves. However, some will find that their crimes against others are too great to dismiss, and will transcend time itself to deliver karma.

Reading Notes: Kubera- The Lord of Wealth

I wanted to read this particular comic because I wanted to see if there were more connections between Ravana and Sita prior to the Ramayana. It was very interesting to read the backstory of Ravana and to realize that he had caused a lot of imbalance in the world long before the time that the Ramayana took place. Ravana, formerly known as Dasagriva, was influenced by his mother's jealousy of his half brother, Kubera, and vowed to become more powerful than him.

I found it interesting that in order to accomplish this task, Dasagriva had to perform various acts showing his devotion to the gods, gaining him attention from Brahma, who granted him immortality. Similarly, Kubera had to perform these tasks, although different from Dasagriva's, and for 1000 years. However, Dasagriva used his gift for evil and continued to take various kingdoms until Kubera begged him to stop. Dasagriva was outraged and stole Kubera's chariot that was given to him by Brahma and seriously wounded him. Eventually, Dasagriva was killed by Rama, after he kidnapped Sita.

Ravana Kidnapping Sita (Wikimedia)

I found more on the history between Sita (Vedavati) and Ravana on Wikipedia. There is some variation in the different stories about Vedavati, but she is supposed to come back and take revenge on Ravana for touching her hair and making her unpure. The ideas about purity and women are very interesting and I felt like Vedaveti's story was somewhat similar to Sati's story because they both end their lives over a man's dissatisfaction. I think I could use the four stories to really put together a storybook with the themes I have been considering.

Bibliography:
Kubera: The Lord of Wealth by Amar Chitra Katha (Bizzell Library)
Vedavati Wikipedia Page. (Web Source)

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part D

As with most great epics, a large emphasis is placed on the battle that concludes the story with some wavering mentions of the love story which the entire epic is essentially based off of. Although I know this literary style is bound to frustrate me in the very last part of the story, I continue to love reading epics because it is a very unique literary style that aims to establish several in depth back stories, allowing for character development from sometimes several perspectives.

I was particularly frustrated with this ending because I could hardly believe that Rama would accuse Sita of betraying him, or condemning her if she had been overtaken by Ravana. It seems to go against the main principles established throughout the story and reminds me of the same kind of brash reaction Shiva exhibits in his love story with Parvati. In both stories, the actions of the female characters are seen as secondary, and often undermined by the action of their husband, despite their unwavering faithfulness.

I would like to do more research on Ravana and possibly see if he has more backstory with Vishnu that I could utilize for my project. I think it could be interesting to incorporate a story about the tragic back and forth between the two main characters if I decide to use Karma as my topic.

Bibliography:
Narayan's Ramayana. (Web Source)

Rama and Rava in Battle (Wikimedia)

Week 3: Review

I know this post was really meant for the Mythology Class, however on Wednesday I was going over the story of Narcissus as it was referenced in Moby Dick's first chapter. I really enjoyed the reference when I was reading Moby Dick that morning and thought it was funny when I saw it appear in the announcements. It just goes to show how far reaching some of these stories really are in modern culture.

Narcissus by Franceschini (Wikimedia)

Reading C: Narayan's Ramayana

The first half of the reading for this week was really centered around Sita being captured by Ravana and all of the adventures that Rama goes on while trying to find her again. The epic style is really noticeable in this part of the story as there are several different stories woven together to create the overall feel of the story in which the main events take place. Although most of the events that take place are important to the story itself, there is definitely some room for expansion of other characters that might not occur in a story lacking the epic style.

I found the story about Sugriva and Vali to be particularly interesting, as it happened almost as an intermission to the original story and was worked back into the search for Sita when Sugriva sent out a search party. I was reminded of The Odyssey when I read this portion of the story because of the epic quality associated with a heavily action-based plot, often taking intermittent breaks from the main story line in order to establish a new story and regain focus from a new perspective in the story.

Sugriva and Vali Fighting (Wikimedia)

I really enjoyed the development of the story about Sita and Rama. As far as ideas about utilizing this story in my project, I think that learning more about the divine trinity of gods and goddesses would be a good start. I could make two alternate versions of this story, similar to the style of cloud atlas, and craft one version to be much more tragic and the other version to be much happier.

Bibliography:
Narayan's Ramayana (Web Source: Reading Guide)

Feedback Thoughts: Effectively Receiving Criticism and Dishing it Out

Constructive criticism is a really difficult thing to achieve for many people, myself included. I am constantly forced to not only receive constructive criticism as a student and an employee, but I also I have to give others constructive criticism when I train students and new employees at work, provide peers with feedback while editing their writing, and work in groups on projects for various classes. After reading the articles for this assignment, I reflected on some reasons that I might struggle with both receiving and giving constructive criticism.

One of the biggest issues I tend to have stems from my own pride. I take pride in everything I do, regardless of how small the task may seem. I personally think that taking pride in one's work means they'll do the job right because they care about it's outcome and how it will reflect on their abilities. However, I also see the danger in this thought process because there are often factors that are outside of that person's control and attributing the success or failure of a project or task that they take on solely to their personal characteristics completely discredits such factors. By discrediting these factors, one not only could be inflating the actual success of that person, but also not giving credit to that person for overcoming some very extenuating circumstances. I find the latter to be especially true if the person was unable to complete the task and others review the failure with an all or nothing mindset, often reducing the work that person put in on the project to nothing, since the outcome was not a success.

I am definitely guilty of doing this to myself, which makes receiving criticism, especially from peers, feel somewhat threatening to my work. If I receive criticism from professors, supervisors, advisors, or really anyone who is in a position to be providing me with constructive criticism, I find that I often have a much easier time receiving it. However, when it comes time to do peer review in class, I find that receiving criticism can occasionally bring out the scarier side of me...

Meme on Constructive Criticism (Constructive Memes)

Ok, I'm not that bad, but I know someone else has to feel this way. A lot of times, I have to read what someone says about my work and evaluate the source of the criticism. What I mean by that is, sometimes we are forced to evaluate peer work and not everyone cares about the process or takes it seriously. If it is for school, the person reviewing your work might be seeking out a mistake to simply write something about it, rather than reading carefully. If the person is not a part of the group that is working on the project or has limited information on the project, it is also possible that they might have misinterpreted the purpose of the assignment. However, these two conditions are not as common as anyone would like to think they are, and often, even if the criticism seems misguided, there is some truth to it and a take-home message to be had.

Meme on Constructive Criticism (Constructive Memes)

So, how can I give better feedback so that no one looks at my comments and thinks I don't care about the review process or that I just really don't know what is going on? Well, while looking for the above two memes, I ran into a checklist of how to provide effective feedback and it really seemed to highlight all the things I felt like people were missing in their feedback.

Tips for Effective Feedback (Personal Excellence Blog)

Although I really think all of the tips outlined in the above list are really important parts of providing effective feedback that will elicit a positive response, I think the first tip is my personal favorite. It is just as important to mention what someone is doing well in your feedback, as it is to mention what they could work on. There is often a huge disconnect between your explanation of how to make something better and the message you are trying express in that explanation. Providing context of what you think is already good is critical in bridging the gap between your feedback's explanation and its message. That way, no one has to feel like you are simply "dishing out" constructive criticism, and the actual goal of the peer review process can be achieved.

Communication Breakdown: The Story of Ahalya and Gautama (Amended)

Author's Note: The original source that inspired this story comes from the Ramayana, in which the story of Ahalya and Gautama is shared as background to one of Rama's encounters while on his way to Mithila. The story is one of deception and misunderstanding. Gautama, a sage and Ahalya's caretaker while she grows up, is granted her hand in marriage by Brahma, who made her to be exceptionally beautiful. However, Indra lusts after Ahalya. So, after Gautama leaves one morning, Indra changes his form to Gautama's and then seduces Ahalya. When Gautama returns, he finds the two together in bed and curses Indra to be covered in a 1000 female genitalia (later this is changed to a 1000 eyes) and turns Ahalya to stone. I changed the fate of Ahalya to include a counseling session between her and Gautama with Parvati, the goddess of love, devotion, and destruction. Parvati has her own experiences that make her particularly qualified to bring Gautama around to hearing Ahalya out.

The Story of Ahalya and Gautama (Amended)

Gautama burst into his room, seeing Ahalya, clearly shaken, and a cat attempting to exit the scene. The cat was Indra, the god of the heavens who had lusted after Ahalya for some time and had changed his form to her husband's form (Gautama's form) in order to finally succeed in seducing her. Gautama understood what had happened and immediately cursed Indra, causing him to be covered with a 1000 female genitalia. Just as he was about to lose his temper with Ahalya and turn her to stone, Parvati appeared to the couple and urged them to meditate away from one another until Gautama had calmed down and then discuss the situation.

Ahalya, terrified by the anger her husband had displayed, implored Parvati to mediate their discussion and provide them with guidance as they worked out the issue. Parvati, having been a part of many difficult discussions and engaging in plenty of frustrating situations with her own husband, Shiva, was understanding and promised to stay and guide the couple in their discussion with the goal of leading them to an understanding of what transpired, rather than letting their emotions take hold and destroy their relationship.

Ahalya by Raja Ravi Varma (Wikimedia Commons)

After meditating for the majority of the day, Gautama was ready to discuss the matter with Ahalya, only requiring that he was allowed to discuss his feelings about what he had seen first, and then letting Ahalya share her side of the story. The terms were agreed to and Parvati led the two in their discussion.

"When I saw you there with Indra, I felt completely shattered. It was as though I was being broken into a 1000 pieces as I cursed him to be covered with a 1000....well, maybe I could have handled that differently, but I nearly turned you to stone and if Parvati had not shown up when she did, I probably would have." Gautama seemed very disturbed, although considerably less angry than he had been earlier that day. 

"Ahalya, tell Gautama what you were telling me earlier. I know you are nervous, but surely you can see your husband was angry because he cares about you deeply. You two have a strong bond that is not so easily broken and if you are able to open up and discuss this, you will only become stronger." Parvati encouraged Ahalya who was still worried by her husband's temper.

"Gautama, he came to me in your form. I thought it was you until a moment before you burst into the room. I am so sorry, for I can only imagine how hurt you are, but please consider how hurt I am. I was deceived by Indra, and once I realized what was happening, he had already overcome me. You cannot imagine the fear and relief I felt when I saw you come through that door. I needed you more than ever in that moment, even in all your anger. If you can find a way to just see this from my view and imagine how terrified and disturbed I was, I know you'll find a way to forgive me. I promise you that I love you and only you." Ahalya began to tear up, saddened by the thought of Gautama no longer loving her in the wake of such a devastating event, as well as the thoughts of what Gautama was feeling. Seeing his wife cry, Gautama himself began to tear up and moved across the room to embrace her. 

"Recovering from this will be extraordinarily difficult, but if you two continue to communicate, I know you will be able to overcome this." With that, Parvati left the couple to pick up the pieces and begin the healing process.

Shiva and Parvati in British Museum (Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:

Narayan's Ramayana (Web Source)

Tales of Ancient India by Edmund Cox (Web Source)