Indian Epics Blog

  These reading notes are over Part B of Epified: Krishna , which is made by Epified. Plot Notes:  I really enjoy the consistent detail that Krishna proves his divinity, strength, and creativity to not only humans but also the gods. First, Krishna showed his strength and divinity to Indra, the god of gods. Now, Krishna was able to show his divine nature and importance to Brahma, god of creation. It was an interesting story as well, and it might connect back to the notion of Maya, which is what my project is about. Since Brahma saw all was Krishna, it can show the objective, unchanging reality is beyond the physical world with the copies of cows and people kidnapped by Brahma. I really enjoyed this tale and found it very interesting to consider on a broader context. The story of Krishna and Hastin was also very powerful. The message that kindness is the greatest strength is really meaningful, and small details say a lot about how important kindness is. For example, I liked that...

These reading notes are over Part B of Epified: Mahabharata , which is made by Epified.  Plot Notes:  This part of the Mahabharata is when the Pandava brothers begin to take the spotlight and develop. We see their characters as well as their strengths and capabilities, but I like how the narrative doesn't necessarily equate divine powers to moral goodness. For example, Arjun is seen as disciplined and a divine warrior, but his arrogance and drive for power caused his guru to do a great injustice to Ekalayva. My favorite parts of the story is Drona's introduction, training of the Pandavas, and the eventual cruelty and injustice done to Ekalayva. Drona's skills and amazing powers are recognized immediately when Arjun senses something special about him, and he proves his capabilities when he recovers the ball from the well. The training shows how each brother is specialized and plays to their own unique strengths. They are all great warriors, but they all take different forms...

 These reading notes are over Part A of Epified: Mahabharata , which is made by Epified. Plot Notes: It's always nice to refresh yourself on such an engaging and expansive story like the Mahabharata, and these videos reminded me that there is so many different factors building up in the narrative. All characters hold importance at some point, including the author himself. There's so many stories to pick from that it can be a bit difficult to choose just one to re-tell. I think I'm going to re-tell Amba's Ruin, as it was a concise story with a defined beginning and end. I'm still unsure if I will shift the details around or try to expand on specific parts, such as the dialogue, but I do enjoy the story. If I want to completely re-tell the story, I'll keep the central plot of revenge and an epic battle in place, but I'd try to make it in a futuristic setting with a battle arena. Furthermore, rather than Amba asking the sage to fight Bhishma, Amba herself could...

 These reading notes are over Part D of Narayan's Mahabharata , which is written by R.K. Narayan. Plot Notes: I found it interesting how the Mahabharata went into such detail on the preparation for war as well as the logistics. It demonstrates that this epic didn't just convey a story of great narrative importance but also of geopolitical value. This war between the Pandavas and Duryodhana was really significant, and the details allow us, the readers, to envision the logistics and work put in to fight the war in the first place. From Krishna damming a river for water to Yudhishthira marching ahead of the troops, all were involved in the upcoming battle. Yudhishthira's action before the battle provides another example of his virtue and nobility in both peace and war. He crossed the battlefield, took off his armor, and showed respect for his elders and master before commencing war. Although justice and Krishna were on his side, Yudhishthira's actions demonstrate how much ...

  These reading notes are over Part C of Narayan's Mahabharata , which is written by R.K. Narayan. Plot Notes: The nobility and righteousness of the Pandavas are consistently shown throughout the epic. The Pandavas' willingness to help free Duryodhana from imprisonment demonstrates how valuable family was to this. Yudhistira's line on how they are brothers and can not be abandoned really demonstrated the virtues of the Pandavas. The power of Bhima and Arjuna is also shown when they save Duryodhana, as Indra himself told the gandharvas to take him prisoner to teach him a lesson. I really enjoyed the story of the voice in the lake. The idea of thirst motivating all the brothers to ignore the yaksha was really interesting, and the overall story demonstrated how each brother responds to threats. Both Nakula and Sahadeva were driven by thirst to heed the warning and died. Arjuna responded with rage when he saw his dead brothers, but he failed to properly listen and died in drink...

 These reading notes are over Part B of Narayan's Mahabharata , which is written by R.K. Narayan.  Plot Notes: Part A contextualized the various characters and the began rivalry between Duryodhana and the Pandavas. Part B progressed the plot significantly and highlighted specific weaknesses with characters, especially with Yudhishtra. Yudhishtra's addiction to gambling and his willingness to lose everything in both games highlighted how clever and manipulative Duryodhana truly was. Many details established in Part A come full circle in Part B, and smaller side plots hold great significance in justifying character motivations or general world-building. One of the major examples of this was Drona's rivalry with Drupada. While the Pandavas assisted in attacking Drupada's kingdom, they are now allies through their marriage with Draupadi. As a result, Duryodhana used these details to advocate to attack the Pandavas and preserve their own kingdom. I had forgotten about these ...

These reading notes are over Part A of Narayan's Mahabharata , which is written by R.K. Narayan.  Plot Notes: I found it interesting how the author of the Mahabharata, Vyasa, is also a character that plays an important role in the narrative. Vyasa explains why Draupadi must marry all of the Pandavas, and he helps guide the Pandavas to refuge. Vyasa is the great-grandfather of these characters, and the Introduction that explains the writing process was also interesting. I've learned that the Mahabharata was primarily a spoken narrative, and the syllables in which the story is spoken can convey different meanings. As a result, certain parts of the epic can have layers of meaning depending on how its spoken, which is just fascinating. It also makes me curious on how difficult it was to accurately translate the story and what details are missing out due to the limitations of translation. The important plot point of spies and secret codes can give us, the readers, insight on how imp...

 These reading notes are over Part B of The Divine Archer which is written by F.J. Gould. Plot Notes:  An important detail I noticed in Gould's story was how we, the readers, meet Vibishan relatively early within the story. During Hanuman's first visit to Lanka, he found Vibishan by seeing the name Rama on a building. Vibishan is clear that he's not supportive of Ravana or Lanka, and he wishes to serve Rama and Ayodhya. These details foreshadow how important Vibishan will be in the impending battle, as he leaves Ravana to support Rama within the epic battle. Vibishan plays an essential role, and the foreshadowing was really interesting. I never realized how Hanuman was able to set Lanka on fire until I read Gould's book. It highlights how creative and clever Hanuman is and how brutish and ignorant Ravana can be. By manipulating his size and tricking the soldiers, Hanuman was able to set Lanka on fire and begin the prophecy that will eventually lead to Ravana's demis...

These reading notes are over Part A of The Divine Archer which is written by F.J. Gould. Plot Notes: It was definitely helpful to review over the Ramayana and read a different re-telling of the story. It's interesting to see what details are emphasized depending on the way the author narrates the story. For example, Gould chose to include the detail of the angry hermit after Rama broke Shiva's bow. It gives us, the readers, insight on how prominent Rama's actions were as well as how peaceful and noble Rama was as a character. He was able to calm the angry hermit and eventually the man said, "Glory to the mighty Rama!" I also noticed how this re-telling of the Ramayana avoided telling Ravana's background and role. The experience of Rama and Sita is the major plot of the Ramayana, but I believe Ravana's background and experiences help build the narrative world and allow us to better imagine all the different environments. The way Gould describes the marriage...

 These reading notes are over Part D of Tiny Tales of Ramayana which is written by Laura Gibbs. One of the interesting things I noticed when reading Part D and reviewing over Part C was that the battles in the Ramayana come in waves, rather than one complete battle. In Part C, the initial battles begin and both Rama and Lakshmana were struck and paralyzed by serpent-arrows, but they survived through Garuda's intervention. Throughout Part D, the battles are close and threaten Rama's life, such as Indrajit's Brahmastra. I appreciate the plot moving past the major battle and analyzing the consequences of the war. It's interesting to see how the rumors affected Rama and caused him to make a mistake in exiling Sita. This post-war narrative adds a lot for world-building, and it avoids the cliche of a "happily ever after."  The Ramayana had a very interesting parallel between Rama and Sita's experience with faithfulness. Sita was initially questioned of her comm...

 These reading notes are over Part C of Tiny Tales of Ramayana which is written by Laura Gibbs.  Plot Notes: Part C connected previous a range of previous storylines and “loose ends” to the larger battle between Rama and Ravana. Hanuman’s backstory was solved as he learned of his true powers and Jatayu’s sacrifice was contextualized through his brother, Sampati. Hanuman’s adventure across the ocean produced a smaller narrative within the larger goal of reaching to Lanka. His journey reminded me of Odysseus, with various temptations and monsters threatening him. Part C was dominated by Hanuman’s journey, and it’d be interesting to re-tell one of Hanuman’s many stories and experiences in his travels of reaching Lanka. As previously noted, shapeshifting continued to play a role within the larger narrative. For example, Benjakai shapeshifted as Sita’s corpse to trick Rama, but her plan failed. When Hanuman warned Ravana, it was typical of Ravana to respond with violence by ...

 These reading notes are over Part A of Tiny Tales of Ramayana which is written by Laura Gibbs. Style Notes:  The style of writing conveyed the essential parts of the epic without overwhelming readers with too many details. As the Ramayana is impressively long, this writing style makes the narrative accessible. However, in order to re-tell specific stories within the epic, it's important to go more in-depth and focus in on specific plot parallels. I want to avoid using the same style of the Ramayana when writing my own stories, but specific plot points can provide a strong enough bridge between both narratives. As a result, I'll probably also reference R.K. Narayan's The Ramayana to capture the whole plot before I begin writing my own story.  Since the Tiny Tales summarize a majority of the stories, most dialogue is left out. When re-telling the various stories, this provides the creative liberty to imagine the conversations and use a more modern, fluid style when writi...

  One of my favorite stories from the Jatakas was of "The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses" which was from Tayodhamma Jataka in The Jatakas: Volume 1 and was translated by Robert Chalmers. Plot Notes:   One of the major plot twists I wasn't expecting was of the ogre's helpfulness. I was expecting the ogre to try to hinder Brahmadatta and stop him from taking the lotuses, which would force the young monkey to prove his strength and kill the ogre. Instead, the monkey's virtuous traits persuaded the ogre to assist him. It's essential to the plot that the character's traits and virtues stay the same, as it highlights Brahmadatta's superiority over Devadata and the importance of valor, resourcefulness, and dexterity. A re-telling of the story could be done in a different environment with different characters but with the same central conflict. Devadata needs to be fearful of Brahmadatta's capabilities and should attempt to sabotage him. Th...

 I'd be most interested in reading Narayan's Ramayana due to its modern language and historical connections. Narayan is both an author and historical figure in Indian history, and I look forward to reading his own rendition of the Sanskrit epic in order to appreciate his work. I also like the book's historical context with the work being based on the medieval Tamil poet, Kamban. Finally, since the length of Narayan's novel is 200 pages, I feel as if it would be thorough but not a struggle to complete.   A few comic books also interested me in learning more about the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The comic book Rama: Retold From Ramayana had an appealing artistic style, and it would be a great way to retell the epic. The summary of the comic book highlights how detailed the narrative is, and the short length makes the comic a great way to review over all the details. In order to learn more about the Mahabharata, I'd also be interested in reading the comic book Krishna ...