Indian Epics Blog

 I began my Wikipedia Trail on Vyasa , who was both the author of the Mahabharata and an important character. I wanted to read up more on who he was and what he accomplished during his life. Vyasa lived near the banks of Ganga near what is now known as Uttarakhand. His Wikipedia page mentioned that this area was also home to the sage Vasishtha , who I had never heard of. This led me to my second Wikipedia page on Vasishtha, one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis. He and his family are mentioned in many Vedic texts, including the Rigveda. Furthermore, Vasishtha is credited for writing Mandala 7 of the Rigveda. Although I had heard of the Rigveda, I was interested in learning more about it. This led me to my third Wikipedia page on the Rigveda . The Rigveda is ancient collection of Sanskrit hymns, and it's one of the oldest texts of any Indo-European languages. The dating of the texts were difficult, but some scholars consider it to be written around 1200-1000 BCE in the Kur...

 What is Myth? The video noted that there are a variety of different versions of a specific myth, and I've noticed that throughout our class. Although this can make studying myths difficult, it's invaluable in showing how storytelling evolves over time. One narrative can take so many different forms and shift the focus, which makes the story a lot more fluid. Rather than a rigid, defined structure, this malleable nature of mythology makes it fascinating. It's crazy to think that we don't necessarily know the true authors of these stories, but we've been telling them for so long. Even the authors we know could be re-telling stories that were long forgotten. It shows just how impactful storytelling can be, as it can span across time and the conveyed ideas can be constantly re-imagined.  I had never considered how broad and vague the term "myth" can be until this video, and it's a bit surprising. We definitely use the word as a synonym to mean untrue, bu...

 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...