Indian Epics Blog

 I began my Wikipedia Trail with the Wikipedia page on Maya , which I visited for this class when writing up my post on the Hindu idea that reality may be an illusion. While the Wikipedia page initially defined Maya as "illusion" or "magic," the page also provided a more nuanced look at the definition. One definition stood out to me, with Monier Williams defining maya as "wisdom and extraordinary power" initially but later meant unreality. I've never heard of this man, so I clicked a link to his Wikipedia page, where I learned more about Monier Monier-Williams . He was born in Bombay during British colonialism, and he was educated at Oxford as well as the East India Company College. He eventually became a professor of Sanskrit at Oxford, and he was knighted in 1876. He was made KCIE in 1887, but I had no clue what that meant, so I followed the Wikipedia link. KCIE stood for Knight Commander in the Indian Empire and was a ranking under the Order of the ...

 The article "6 Hidden Downsides of Perfectionism" really demonstrated how detrimental perfectionism can become if it's not properly controlled. While I never struggled with procrastination, I did relate to the issue of disregarding my health and having issues delegating work to others. Oftentimes, I would stay up and work late in order to get ahead of classes and perfect all my work. I'd spend hours taking notes for no other reason than for it to be perfect. I realized that this approach to learning and working is extremely dangerous and unhealthy; it's crucial to maintain and stick by a healthy work-life balance. Furthermore, I needed to accept the risk of making a mistake or falling behind in order to develop this balance. This read re-affirmed my beliefs on the potential dangerous of unchecked perfectionism. While I appreciate my focus for details, it can become unhealthy and obsessive. I've become better at delegating work in groups and sticking by a sch...

My first idea for a project would be to analyze each of the symbols in Hinduism and describe its deeper meaning. I was inspired by the video Symbols of Divinity as it briefly described some motifs in Hinduism, and I'll be sure to incorporate its information when researching for specific symbols. For my project, I'd be interested in taking a broader approach by analyzing the religious symbols associated with specific deities; I would want to connect these symbols to a story of the deity and highlight the meaning of each symbol as well as its potential applications and life-lessons. One symbol I would primarily analyze would be Om (or Aum) and the meaning behind each part of the religious icon. I'd also want to connect this symbol to the meditative practices of Hinduism as well as its role in prayers and religious ceremonies. I never realized how significant each aspect of the Om symbol is until I learned about the various meanings, and I'd love to learn more about the v...

In suburban America, there once was a boastful and arrogant father who prided himself of his strength. He lay claim to be the strongest in the neighborhood through his arm wrestling competition at their annual cookout. While many men tried, none could defeat him and therefore he claimed to be the Arm Wrestling King, a title he held with great pride.  Two men arm wrestling. Source: Pixabay As the man grew weaker over the years, he knew his son could seize the throne at the annual cookout. The mere thought filled him with fear, and he was well aware of his son’s impressive strength. To distract his son and preserve his ego, the father devised a plan to keep the adolescent away from threatening his title. On the day of the cookout, the father disguised his scheme by politely asking his son for a favor. “Hey bud, I’m going to need you to drive down to the Jerry Mart and bring 10 cases of their finest craft beer. Be quick, we’ve got guests coming in 20 minutes.” Without hesitation, his ...

  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 ...