Reading Diary B: Vaka

The part about Vaka is so interesting.  It reminds me of that old fable or maybe it is a parable about the grasshopper and the ant, which was later turned into that kids’ movie A Bug’s Life.  I know that in the parable, the ant helped the grasshopper willingly, but in the movie it was their job to feed the grasshopper, and if they did not do that, it was suggested that death and destruction would be involved or something along those lines.  I know that this took a weird turn, but the dynamic of this situation reminded me of that film and parable.  Possible storytelling blog.  Why were these human sacrifices made?  Was it to eat?  Was it to keep the village in fear?  How long has this been going on?  Who were the people that were sacrificed?  How were they chosen?  Were any them women or were any of them children?  Was it only men?  Did anyone offer themselves to be a sacrifice?  What did Vaka do with these sacrifices?  How did this entire situation come about?  What is the history of the village?  Inner thoughts of Bhima as he was sent to fight them?  Inner thoughts of the villagers as he was sent to fight them?  Were they scared or elated?  If he was triumphant, it would be a great thing, but if he failed, Vaka would surely be very angry at this attempt.  So I am sure that there would have been tons of mixed emotions.  

A rakshasa,  Source: Wikipedia.

Reading Diary A Week 11: Ocean Churning

The part about the ocean once being milk is so interesting.  I also find it interesting that it was a way to obtain immortality.  I think that speaks a lot about the power of milk and how it was looked upon.  It must have been upheld very highly in ancient times.  I am sure that milk was seen as a tool for survival because it is a very caloric drink and meal, especially full fat milk.  I am sure that in times of a drought or a shortage on food, milk from cows or goats was greatly appreciated because it allowed people to survive.  For these reasons, it makes sense that milk is seen as a tool to gain immortality.  A snake churning the ocean water seems very odd.  Where did this snake come?  Is there a significant reason why this snake was chosen or why a snake was chosen at all?  It is odd that poison erupted from this though.  How did this poison come about?  (This is a possible storytelling blog post.)   What kind of form did this poison take?  Possibly a liquid?  Was it from the snake?  Why did it turn his throat blue? Was the poison blue? Is there any significance in the color blue?  Does it have to do with turning the ocean into salt?  Became blue because it is the color of water, not milk?  Salt water depraves life.  Salt absorbs water so for this reason it is not a good source of water or hydration.  

The churning of the ocean.  Source: Wikipedia.

Reading Diary B Week 10: Drona's Son

The part about them using Drona’s love for his son Ashwatthaman against him is so interesting. I mean I think that it is really cruel to do this. I know that they really did not kill him, but they used someone so dear to him to trick him into his downfall. How cruel. It reminded of that Spiderman movie with the Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus. In this movie the villain decides to kick Spiderman where it hurts the most and that is in his loved ones. I just remember that the villain tried to kill Aunt May. Well, I know that this was an odd way to go in this reading diary, but honestly that is what this made me think of. I do not know why, but this whole situation just rubs me the wrong way. Like it was the use of a father’s love to go to his downfall. Perhaps it is because it is not black and white. The characters are not inherently good or inherently evil, which just confuses my emotions even more. I know that the good guys did not kill him but it is still really messed up for them to use such emotions in such a way. It is just not cool or right. It is sort of disgusting. Something is so vile about using someone’s emotions in such a way. Emotional violations are just so wrong because it uses what every human being has—emotions and feelings—to gain something. It’s gross.

The battle between Bhima and Duryodhana

Reading Diary A Week 10: Giant Deer and A Lake

The part about the deer and the Brahmin is so interesting.  Where did this deer come from?  Why did it take these things?  Was it by accident?  Why is this deer a giant?  I think that these could be great topics for storytelling.  Also the part about the voice form lake.  Who is the voice?  What is in the water?  Why does it kill those who drink it?  I know that it is a test from their father.  It seems stupid.  Like they really didn’t listen to a mystical voice saying do not drink this water until they answer some questions for unknown reasons.  I mean what does this really prove?  I think it opens up great opportunities for a storytelling blog, but it makes no sense at all. It just seems like a dumb way to set up Yudhishthira as the good son or the wise son.  It just seems dumb, but I am sure that this will have great affect on their lives and adventures.  I am also sure that it has something to do with dharma and karma and some higher mystical power, but I just cannot get past loopholes within a plot and narrative.  I guess modern Western storytelling conventions, especially within a narrative or a plot, have ruined me and most likely others when we read stories from not only the past but also stories from other countries.  I wonder if people like Buck or Narayan who retell stories like this consciously understand this type of struggle.  On one hand they need to be faithful to the text, but on the other side they have a flaky narrative.  

A lake. Source: Wikipedia.

Reading Diary B Week 9: Draupadi

Sharing Draupadi as a wife?  Possible storytelling blog?  From her husbands’ perspectives?  What is it like to share a wife?  Difficult?  Easy?  I don’t know because they are both men, and men are dogs.  Yes, they are jealous creatures but really.  I wonder what she thinks of this situation.  Is she happy?  Is she sad?  Does she like one more than she likes the other?  Is there some favoritism?  Do her husbands try to buy her off?  With what types of gifts? Animals, jewelry, gold, diamonds, trips, luscious clothes?  Does she like this?  Does she have a hatred for men so deep that she enjoys the thought of being a shared wife as destroying both of these men at the same time?  Good story from her perspective.  Or is she a true sweetheart who loves both of her husbands deeply and cares about their emotions and feelings?  She loves them equally?  She could never choose between them because they both make her truly happy?  How utterly disgusting.  I like the story better where she hates both of them.  Biased.  Is she sad about Arjuna’s exile?  If she truly loved him, she would be sad.  If she truly hated him and her other husband Yudhishthira, she would also be sad because there would be no competition, no male ego and jealously to destroy one another.  That means that she would have to do this work herself and that would be no good

Draupadi. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A Week 9: Shantanu's Romances

Wait, he never questions her?  What, a woman who gets to be overbearing and hold power in a relationship?  But wait she is a child killer.  What a great female character.  Possible story topic blog.  What was she like?  What was he like?  Was their marriage happy?  It really took him until the eighth child to protest against this?  No spine?  Maybe she was just so beautiful that he could not deny her any wish or thing that she declared or asked for?  Possibly blinded by love or beauty?  Scared of dying alone?  Fortunate enough to have such a beautiful woman love him?  What a sad and pathetic narrative this would make for a storytelling blog.  Possibly do this from her perspective, but not as promising as from his perspective.

Or do the fisherman’s daughter?  What was she like?  How invested was she in this romance?  How young was she?  Gross.  Sappy, young love romance or a woman like Kaikeyi who is only invested in protecting herself and making sure that she has a rich life married to the king, Shantanu.  But she smelled like a fish?  How horrible and sad.  If this was a modern day high school, she would have for sure been homeschooled or made fun of?  Comical story?  Too cheesy?  Too easy?  Too boring and relies heavily on blatant, crude humor?  No.  He has such bad luck with women.  How very sad.

Satyavati.  Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary B Week 7: Sita's Abandonment

Did Bharata ever wear shoes or just not these sandals?  Were these his favorite sandals or just symbolic of his loyalty and affection for Rama?  What happened to Kaikeyi?  Is she alive, resented, hated, or loved?  Maybe all of these emotions.  By who though?  Did Bharata forgive her?  Did they make up? What was that conversation like?  Did she apologize or was she still sure that she was right in protecting herself and her son? 

Sita’s abandonment?  What!?  Really Rama?  Really Lakshmana?  At least Lakshmana spoke against Rama but he still obeyed his orders?  Possible story topic?  The book shows Rama as being greatly affected by this decision.  Make it very dark and sad.  I mean Rama knows that Sita is innocent, but he feels like he must obey this higher creed of kings over what is right?  Wow, I didn’t know that this happened when I wrote my story a few weeks ago about the beginning of Buck’s version of the Ramayana.  This seems like a really deep and dark conversation.  Would be good to write this Rama’s perspective as losing his wife and child.  He must obviously be greatly affected by this.  What goes through his mind as he makes this type of decision?  Or possibly do this from Lakshmana’s perspective?  What was he thinking as he sends a woman he has known for years, someone who he possibly thinks of as a sister or at least sister-in-law, a woman who is carrying his nephews, to her death?  Man that must be a hard conversation.

Sita and her son Lava. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A Week 7: Monkeys, Bears, and Sita

Lots of monkeys and bears fly with Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Pushpaka to Rama’s coronation.  What?!  Possible story?  What were they thinking?  They had just been revived?  Some thankful?  Some resentful?  Death can brings peace to some.  One telling a story of this event from many years in the future.  What was Sita thinking?  What was Lakshmana thinking? 

Sita is able to let her hair down.  It is a sign of beauty.  Quote: “he unbound her braid, her sleek dark hair was combed out, free and scented, and her skin was again like warm gold,” (Buck 370).  Very sexual in a very subtle sense, especially her hair.  I love that description of skin as warm gold.  It hints that Sita is looked upon as highly valued like gold, and now that she is in Rama’s presence she is warm and inviting.  This is a great contrast to when she was a prisoner of Ravana.  Sexually inviting?  Possible story topic?  Was she happy with Rama?  Is this his view of Sita?  Sita’s view of herself?  Would she be sexually open to Rama after being a prisoner of Ravana a rapist?  He couldn’t rape her, but I believe that she still would have been highly uncomfortable to be a prisoner of such a creep or a prisoner of anyone.  Was Rama sexually open?  Sita had just done the trial by fire, but was that good enough or is Rama just focused on getting back to Bharata and saving his life.  The narrator just making bland statements to make the story move along in a happy tone? 

Ravana capturing Sita. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary B Week 6: Kumbhakarna

            Kumbhakarna is a character who really sticks out to me.  For one, he is a Rakshasa who has a conscience.  For example, he urges Ravana to give Sita back to Rama because he believes that it is wrong to steal another man's wife.  However, Ravana's power and influence sways Kumbhakarna to fight Rama.  Kumbhakarna is interesting is his introduction.  He is introduced as someone who must sleep for six months for every day he stays awake.  Another thing is that they describe making this enormous breakfast, and then Buck describes Suka waking him up.  I thought that this part was hilarious because it takes the clashing of two giant cymbals.  It reminded me of trying to wake up a child or teenager to get up for school.  I thought it was a cute description, and it actually made me like Kumbhakarna as a character, which is why I hate what happened to him.

            The third and final reason that I found Kumbhakarna to be so interesting was what happened to him.  Kumbhakarna is described as a relentless warrior.  He will not die or give up.  In fact, he stays alive through a fatal arrow through his chest, losing both of his arms, and losing both of his legs.  After all this, Kumbhakarna is still described as trying to kill Rama.  “Still he managed to move, something carried him on,” (Buck 306).  After all that, Rama has to decapitate Kumbhakarna in order to stop him.  At first, I found Kumbhakarna to be really endearing, but after he has such intense hate for Rama, I don’t like him as much.  Aside from that, I think that Kumbhakarna is still an interesting character.

Kumbhakarna in battle. Source: Wikimedia

Reading Diary A Week 6: Sinhika

            Out of this reading section, the part that really struck me was Hanuman’s encounter with the Rakshasi Sinhika.  I know that this section is very short (less than a page which ranges between 226-227), but I liked that so little was told about her such as her back-story, which would make a possible storytelling blog.  Where did she come from?  How did she become this horrible sea monster?  What does her body look like?  Does she have any possible redeeming qualities?  Was she really that hungry to risk her life?  The part that I love about this section was the beautiful imagery that Buck uses.  Of course, this imagery that I have just described as beautiful is actually describing Sinhika as an ugly sea monster, but I love it.  As a writer, I gag when people use such creative imagery.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“...holding Hanuman’s shadow in her claws and looking at him with tiny red eyes,” (Buck 226).

“She opened her ugly mouth and bared her yellow scaly teeth,” (Buck 226).

“...with a long tongue,” (Buck 227).

            I felt that by describing her teeth as scaly was so creative.  I mean I would have never thought to describe teeth in such a way.  Overall, I love the descriptions that Buck gives about Sinhika.  I also really enjoyed Buck’s imagery of Hanuman and other parts of this section. 

Some of these quotes include:

“...his sharp fingernails,” (Buck 227).

“Her blood burst and spread throughout the water, and the fish came quickly to eat her,” (Buck 227).

            Essentially, this section caught my eye because of the wonderful descriptions.  I think it would make a great storytelling post.

Hanuman and Sinhika.  Source: Wikimedia

Reading Diary B Week 5: Sita's Imprisonment in Lanka

            The part of this reading section that most struck me was Sita’s capture within Lanka.  While in Lanka, Sita has conversations with both Ravana and Indra.  Through her conversation with Ravana, the audience is shown multiple views of women.  For one, it explains how easily women are seen as property through rape.  Another thing that the audience sees is how fickle minded women are perceived to be.  For example, Ravana tells his demon servants to threaten her softly, use strong words, tell blatant flattery about Ravana, and give her everything she asks for and more.  Ravana believes that by doing this he can sway her to “love” him and sleep with him willingly.  Of course, as the story goes on, the audience understands that Ravana can no longer rape any more women due to a curse.  However, Indra gives us a back-story that explains that Ravana’s curse is due to him raping multiple women and raping one whose husband cursed him. 

            While this section does portray some negative views of women, it does give some positive views.  Through Ravana’s harsh curse, which states that once he rapes another woman all of his ten heads will explode, the Ramayana is stating that the rape of women is wrong.  Possibly by suggesting that all of his heads will explode not only infers that all rapists should be punished harshly, but also that rapists are mentally messed up.  Of course, I am an English major and we overanalyze everything.  While this passage has those redeeming qualities, I feel that at the end Indra’s statement, “‘I think women are more cruel than demons.  Very often they are,’” completely retracts those qualities and paints women in a bad light (Buck 180).  

Ravana and Sita. Source: Wikimedia

Reading Diary A Week 5: The Valakhilya

            Something that I found interesting about this reading section was the Valakhilyas.  While I really didn’t find the Valakhilyas interesting, I did find their descriptions about the demons and their actions intriguing.  The language that Buck used really struck me.  I thought it was beautiful and fascinating.  While I often find that too much descriptive imagery takes away from the plot or action within the scene, I found these descriptions to add to the action and keep me intrigued through this section of the story. 

Some of my favorite descriptions are:

“‘Rakshasas prowl for flesh by night.  They overshadow the darkness as though they would crush the mountains down.  We must endure demons and submit to them.  We have seen mountains of bones from the victims they have slaughtered, white bones, Rama, white bones...,’” (Buck 143).

“‘We hide from the Rakshasas of Lanka walking abroad through Dandaka, in form like hideous charred corpses from some cremation ground,’” (Buck 144).

            These descriptions of the Rakshasas from the Valakhilya are very disturbing.  By saying that they create mountains of white bones, Buck is inferring that they are killing so many of the Valakhilyas and other creatures that their bones create mountains.  Furthermore, the fact the bones are described as being white says that the Rakshasas have cleaned the bones so thoroughly by eating that they have turned white.  Another thing that I liked about this section was that Sita had a voice and actually stood up to Rama about starting a war.  However, Rama and Lakshmana quickly correct her thinking. 

Rakshasa.  Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary B Week 4: The Language of Animals

            A really interesting excerpt from this reading section was Kaikeyi asking Dasaratha to teach her the language of animals.  I found this section to be really interesting because it just seems so unexpected.  It literally feels like it comes out of nowhere, but I have a guess as to why it is inserted into the Ramayana.  Now, I could be totally wrong, but I believe that this is put into the story to possibly show Kaikeyi as having a past of being selfish.  Kaikeyi has just used her two boons to banish Rama and make her son Bharata king.  This story follows up that event by showing Kaikeyi asking Dasaratha to teach her to speak to animals in exchange for his death.  To be honest, how the Ramayana describes their relationship is sickening.  It is honestly like a teenage romance.  My reaction to this section is just pure disgust.  I’m not necessarily getting worked up about it but I’m just over it. 

            Other than that reaction, I thought Kaikeyi’s behavior was odd.  I mean she wanted to know how to speak to animals at the cost of her husband’s life.  Within the excerpt, she is described as sitting nonchalant waiting for him to tell her then die.  It’s insane.  At least within her exiling Rama and demanding Bharata to be king, the reader may see that she is doing this in order to protect herself.  However, this shows her as completely selfish.  I kind of hate it because it puts Kaikeyi in a worse light.  

Kaikeyi and Dasaratha.  Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A Week 4: The Beginning

            Something that I really like about Buck’s version of the Ramayana is that he includes so much background information.  The beginning is what is so striking to me.  He sets up the story as happening thousands of years later from the events of the Ramayana through someone telling a story about someone else telling a story.  It’s a bit complicated at first, but eventually it all starts to make sense. 

            What most interested me in this reading section was Valmiki helping Sita.  Buck’s version explains that Valmiki has been chosen to care for Sita so that she does not commit suicide after Rama has abandoned her.  When I first read this, I was surprised.  I honestly thought Buck’s version would not have differed so much from Narayan’s but I was obviously wrong.  Something else that is interesting to me is that the text explains that Sita has done nothing wrong, but Rama must still banish her because the people within their kingdom do not like her.  Here, I really wish that we would have been given more details, but I suppose we are most likely not supposed to know what she is accused of because she didn’t do anything wrong.  However, the suspense and ambiguity is killing me.  Obviously, I understand that Sita’s banishment is nothing more than a useful plot device so that the Ramayana can be told to us, but it is annoying. 

             Overall, I am pleasantly surprised because I thought that Buck’s version of the Ramayana would have been so similar to Narayan’s version that I would have been bored and uninspired to write storytelling posts, but it appears that this version will be very different.  

Valmiki. Source: Wikipedia

Week 3 Reading Diary B: Sita's Mistreatment

            Within this section of the reading, I found the treatment of Sita to be very interesting.  At different points within the readings, she is blamed as the cause of all this or falsely accused.  Surprisingly, she is falsely accused by Rama, who is supposed to be wise and understanding beyond human capability.  I found it odd that Sita was put into this category as the cause when she had no choice in being kidnapped.  Furthermore, why is Rama suddenly judging Sita? He just helped Sugreeva rescue his wife who was taken by another man and he made no objection about Sugreeva taking her back without question. 

Quote:

“...Ravana shed bitter tears and swore, ‘This is the time to kill that woman Sita, the cause of all this misery,’” (Narayan 137).

           

I picked this quote because it shows how Ravana instantly blames Sita for being the reason why he has lost so many people at Rama’s hand and for his ultimate loss of power.  I can only wonder if this was a common thing within Valimiki’s life.  Furthermore, Rama even mistreats Sita, who he believes is the most virtuous woman in the world.  She must endure a trial by fire to ensure that she did not have a relationship with Ravana.  This ending seems a bit odd because Sita is put on a pedestal the entire epic and is shown as being completely devoted to Rama, but Rama still needs this assurance.  I suppose it was put into the epic to show beyond doubt that Sita was virtuous and perhaps to show Rama as less than perfect, but it still rubs me the wrong way. 

Sita enduring the trial by fire. Source: Wikipedia

Week 3 Reading Diary A: Vali Ignores Tara

Something that really stuck out to me within this reading section was the treatment of Tara by her husband Vali.  It reminded me of the story of Ahalya because of how both were treated unfairly.  Although the book never explicitly states that Ahalya was punished because she was a woman, I feel that it definitely made the difference in her having such a severe punishment.  Like Ahalya, Tara is also discredited because she is a woman.  She tries to warn Vali to not be too rash about fighting his brother Sugreeva, but he basically ignores her insight because she is a woman.  I decided to write about this because I feel that it is a common theme within the Ramayana. 

Some of my favorite lines include:

“‘Oh foolish creature, you are betraying a woman’s intelligence and a gossiping tongue...I know more about Rama—more than you do,’” (Narayan 98).

“He looked at it and brooded over his own recklessness in castigating his wife for mentioning Rama’s name.  That poor creature showed better judgment than he,’” (Narayan 100).

The first quote shows Vali’s complete disregard to Tara’s knowledge on the situation because she is a woman.  I’m almost certain that if she was a male character, her warning would have been taken seriously or at least more serious than it is currently.  Similarly, the second quote also discredits Tara.  Even though, both Vali and the narrator have realized that she was ultimately right, the narrator still refers to her as a “creature.”  By doing this, Tara is still referred to as something less than human.

Painting of Tara by Raja Ravi Varma, Source: Wikimedia

Reading Diary B Week 2: Soorpanaka

My favorite part of this reading was Soorpanaka’s extreme lust for Rama.  Even though he blatantly refuses her offers multiple times, she still schemes various plans to get him.  However, these schemes result in either herself or her family being harmed or killed.  Even after Lakshmana deforms her by cutting off her nose, ears, and breasts and Rama still denies her, she doesn't give up.  Her devotion is comical because she never gives up even though every plan she tries fails miserably.

Her final attempt is to trick her brother Ravana, much like she tried to trick Kara, into lusting after Sita.  With Ravana looking to capture Sita and take her away from Rama, Soorpanaka believes that this will leave her the opportunity to become Rama’s lover.  In fact, Soorpanaka is so obsessed with Rama that she must constantly fight her feelings to appear to others as though she hates Rama for every misfortune that has occurred. 

One of my favorite quotes from this section that shows Soorpanaka’s comical obsession with Rama includes:

“‘Even if I had a thousand tongues, I could never fully explain his beauty and the grandeur of his personality.  Even if I had a thousand eyes one could not take in the splendor of this being’...She realized that she had made a blunder revealing too much of her inner feelings for Rama and corrected herself by adding, ‘For all his looks, what a cruel heart he has!  His mission in life is to wipe out our whole family, clan, class from the face of this earth,’” (Narayan 75). 

I like this quote because it demonstrates Soorpanaka’s intense infatuation with Rama.  Even though she has been maimed and had members of her family killed due to her obsession with Rama, she is still able to praise his looks and personality.  Furthermore, Soorpanaka explains that Rama’s duty in life is to kill demons like her.  This is perhaps the most comical point because Soorpanaka still lusts for Rama even though it is his fate to kill her.

Lakshmana is shown maiming Soorpanaka in the lower right-hand corner. Source: Wikipedia

Reading Diary A Week 2: Thataka

One of my favorite excerpts from this reading was “Thataka’s Story.”  I found Thataka to be interesting for several reasons.  The first is the great contrast from her past as the daughter of Suketha, who was known as being pure and courageous, to the wife and mother of troublemakers.  It seems that Thataka has no real influence over what her life has become until her husband is killed, then out of character, she becomes this evil force devouring every living thing.  This complete transformation is really shocking and interesting because Thataka’s life up to this point gives no evidence of such things occurring.

Another reason I found Thataka to be interesting was that she is a woman.  I believe there is something to be said about a woman who is described as turning fertile land into an unlivable desert.  From a literary point of view, she is obviously being criticized as an unfit woman.  This is furthered more directly through Viswamithra stating, “‘You shall not consider her a woman at all.  Such a monster must receive no consideration...A woman of demonic tendencies loses all consideration to be treated as a woman,’” (Narayan 12).  Basically, instead of performing the duties of a woman such as producing valuable offspring or exuding fertility, Thataka does the complete opposite by being a destroyer of life.  Thataka’s story was my favorite part of this reading because it demonstrates such a harsh view of women who do not live up to society’s standards.  Of course, I could be reading too much into this but I believe it does say something about the view of women during this time.

Rama battling Thataka. Source: Wikipedia