Epics of India

In this episode Sita is being kidnapped by Ravana and is desperately trying to find help from the animals in the forest and the forest itself. Since she and Rama are well loved by the forest for being good virtuous people, she seems to have faith they will side with her instead of Ravana. Sita asks Jatayu the great vulture to help her, and in response he tries to dissuade Ravana from taking Sita. Rama and Lakshmana's reputation as valiant and skilled warriors has already spread throughout the forest, and Jatayu tells Ravana that Rama will surely kill him in revenge. Image: Killing of Jatayu By: Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, via Wikimedia Commons Ravana does not head the vulture's warning, so Jatayu attempts to save Sita by force. While Jatayu successfully destroys Ravana's flying car and two of his bows and injures the rakshasa, Ravana was able to cut off Jatayu's wings. At this point Sita embraces her dying friend who is "motionless and silent like an ex...

I love exploring new foods and the way food is involved in culture and human interaction, so I've chosen to focus on the topic of food for my storybook. Story Idea 1: This story comes from a Jataka tale about a Brahman who intends to perform a ritual sacrifice of a goat for the "feast of the dead." When the goat is being prepared for slaughter it breaks out is laughter then in tears. When asked why the goat explains he was a Brahman, too, in a past life and as punishment for killing a goat as sacrifice has had to be born as a goat and die as a sacrifice 500 times. As this is his 500th life he is happy to be free of the cycle, but he is sad that the Brahman that will sacrifice him will be doomed to the same punishment. This story extolls the virtues of vegetarianism which is one of many culinary traditions in India that could be the foundations of a story. MATAKA-BHATTA JĀTAKA, On Offering Food to the Dead  from Buddhist birth stories: or, Jataka tales, Volume 1, b...

Image: Feedback by Gerd Altmann at  PublicDomainPictures.net I've always had mixed feelings about receiving praise. Of course it's feels good when someone acknowledges your hard work, but it usually doesn't start a conversation. It has been my experience (which is mostly in face to face discussions) that praise isn't usually followed up with a conversation going into detail about why something or other worked and how it affected the work as a whole. Instead simple praise usually leads to smiles and thanks, but not a lot of useful feedback for the future. Even though I feel this way about receiving praise myself, I still usually do it when asked for feedback by someone else, so I'm going to try to apply some of what I read this week in the future. Image by Tumisu at pixabay In both of the articles I read there was a focus on providing praise based on the process which I think is more constructive because it can be used to inform the process the next time a...

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...

Lakshmana Consoling Rama  By Chitra Ramayana by Ramachandra Madhwa Mahishi, Illustrated by Balasaheb Pandit Pant Pratinidhi, 1916 [Public domain], via  WikiMedia Commons Lakshmana, Rama's brother and close friend, accompanies Rama for most of his adventures in Part A of the Ramayana . Like Rama, Lakshmana and the other two sons of Dasharatha were avatars of Vishnu, but Rama was the most loved, most beautiful, and strongest of them. There are many times in the stories that Lakshmana is overlooked like when it is Rama that Vishvamitra needs to protect him from the rakshasas Muricha and Subahu or when Dasharatha chooses Rama to be the Yuvarajah (heir apparent). When he isn't overlooked entirely Lakshmana is usually a supporting figure while Rama performs great feats or embarks on a new quest. For example when Rama wins Sita's hand in marriage by breaking Shiva's bow, Lakshmana is there but doesn't do much besides try to defend Rama to Parashurama. Though ...