Epics of India

By Ramanarayanadatta astri (https://archive.org/details/mahabharata04ramauoft) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons All his life Duryodhana had been more susceptible than those around him to the dark emotions that bring unhappiness and violence to people. It was apparent this would be the case when he was born. when Duryodhana entered the world, his terrible screams caused the animals of the kingdom to erupt in thunderous cries and the wind to blow so ferociously that it carried embers from fireplaces and ignited many buildings around the palace. The councilors to King Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana's father, urged him to heed the many bad omens that accompanied his son's birth and cast him aside for the good of the kingdom, but the King was very fond of his first born son from the very beginning and could not abandon him. As predicted by the councillors, Duryodhana grew up to be driven by jealousy, rage, and revenge. It was no surprise that when Duryodana first laid eyes...

The Silk Merchants by Edwin Lord Weeks, via Wikimedia Commons Two traveling merchants boarded a ferry in a large city with the goods they hoped to sell. The ferry pushed off into the flowing water and headed down the river to a smaller town. During the trip the merchants discussed their views of their profession. The first merchant explained that he values a fair exchange of equally valued goods. The second merchant chuckled and with a patronizing smirk told his colleague that he will never become rich with an approach like that. The second merchant continued his self-righteous speech by explaining that he plans to accumulate wealth by selling his goods for much more than they are worth or trading inexpensive items for much more valuable items. The first merchant was not impressed with the other merchant's philosophy. The first flaw he found with his fellow merchant's plan was that he can only do business with people who do not know what products are worth. Then once...

This story has been added to my portfolio project. Read the most up to date version here . Josh was walking home from school with his older brother Jacob on a beautiful, breezy spring day. It was one of those perfect days. The sun was shining, the temperature was lovely, and Josh was starting to feel excited for his tenth birthday which, as of today, was exactly one month away. The brothers turned the corner onto Hickory Lane and walked one block. At the intersection of Hickory Lane and 4th Avenue they crossed the street to walk on the north side of the road to 6th Avenue. All the children in their small town walked on the north side and never on the south side of Hickory between 4th and 6th Avenues to avoid The Hickory Lane Terror. Image Source: pxhear On the corner of Hickory and 5th there was an old dilapidated house. The decades old white paint that hadn't already peeled off was gray with age and the windows were so dusty someone on the street could barely tell if an...

NOTE: This story has been revised and added to my portfolio, here . Please read the most up-to-date version in my portfolio. Arjuna is troubled. Overcoming obstacles has never been difficult for him; in fact, he's known for being exceptionally talented at slaying any problem with apparent ease. However, a seed of growing unease about the future took root in the pit of his stomach and began to flower. Arjuna's fear of this looming unconquerable challenge never seems to fully leave his subconscious, but he still cannot think of what the challenge might be or what he can do to prepare himself to face it. Arjuna has spent his entire life confident in his abilities, so experiencing any doubt at all that he will inevitably overcome all future obstacles obviously rattles him, and he grows more and more distracted from his day-to-day activities. He also starts to worry every opportunity he encounters could lead to his insurmountable task and avoids them, thinking he can t...

An updated version of this story has been added to my portfolio project here . Image Source: By E. A. Rodrigues [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons I, Agni the god of fire, spent the past twelve years secluded in the forest fasting and performing the rituals to show my virtue and devotion to the gods. During these twelve years I consumed nothing but the ghee offered to the gods by other devoted followers' yajnas or fire rituals, and I am now very weak from malnourishment. The radiance with which my flames usually shine has dulled and I can barely stand from hunger. I need to eat, but what could be so satisfying as to fulfill the hunger of a twelve year fast? There! Nothing could possibly satisfy this hunger better than the Khandava Forest! This will not be an easy task. This forest is protected by Indra, my twin brother, and he will surely do everything he can to prevent me from consuming it. We are equals in strength and power under normal situations, but in my curr...

"If I go to the grocery store around 11:00 I can take my time and won't have to rush. When I get home I should have some time, but I'll need to start prepping the vegetables around 12:30," I thought as I lay in bed trying to sleep. I've always enjoyed planning out how a meal will go. That way things don't get chaotic or stressful while I'm cooking because what's the point if it isn't any fun. "How should I cut the carrots? Rounds or chunks? I think the chunks will be better. It's going to cook for a while, and he likes carrots. Then it'll be about 1:00 or 1:30 when I'm ready to start searing the meat and sautéing the vegetables." "Do I have enough wine to cook with? I'll have to stop into the liquor store, too. Ok if I stick to this everything should be ready around 7." "Love you babe good night." Mise en Place by David Huang via flickr The next morning I woke up for a lazy Saturday. One of t...

Rama breaking the bow to win Sita as his wife CRAAAACCCKKK! Wow! Is there no feat my good and virtuous brother cannot complete? He not only drew the sacred bow that many noble men have failed to budge but snapped the mighty weapon clean in two. We are both the sons of the great Maharajah Dasharatha, yet the mighty Rama is the only son for whom the poets write verse after verse. When I am gone will I be remembered less than the shadow cast by my beloved brother? Ah who's this entering the hall? A hermit? I guess my dear brother enticed another admirer to join the praise. But wait. This strange man is no admirer! His eyes are full of rage and fixed intently on ... Rama. Why would this man care that Rama broke Shiva's ancient bow, and how could that cause him to stare at Rama with such murderous eyes? I see now; the man has the marks of a worshipper of Shiva. He may worship Shiva but it is still nothing but an old bow. This man is going to try to kill Rama! I may n...

NOTE: This story has been revised and added to my portfolio project here . There were once two ponds or rather one beautiful, deep lake that was cool and bountiful all year long and one shallow pool that would nearly dry up every summer when the rains stopped. In the shallow pool there lived many fish, and life was hard for them during the dry summers. Even though it wasn’t easy, every summer the fish managed to survive and grew stronger because of it. Not far from the shallow pool was the deep lake, and along its banks beneath a shady mango tree there lived a conniving crane. There were plenty of fish and bugs to eat in and around the lake, and the crane was not hungry by any means. Now, the crane did not particularly like eating bugs and avoided them if he could. However the water was so deep the fish could easily hide from the crane, so he had to work very hard to catch the fish by surprise. One summer the conniving crane happened upon the shallow pool when the water lev...