Indian Epics Blog

I began my Wikipedia trail on Narada , an important sage in Hinduism and the main character for a story for my project. I wanted to learn more about Narada in the Mahabharata, and the Wikipedia page explained how Narada was capable of arriving at specific conclusions with wealth, devotion, and religion. Narada was intelligent and had a powerful memory, harboring knowledge of all of the universe and everything surrounding it. Specifically, Narada was capable of answering Brihaspati. This led my to my second Wikipeda page on Brihaspati . Brihaspati is a Vedic era sage who counsels the gods, but medieval texts portray him as Jupiter. He was important in teaching both Bhishma and Vidura the duties of a king. In astrology, Birhaspati is part of the Navagraha in the Hindu zodiac system. This led me to my third Wikipedia page on Navagraha , which are the nine important heavenly bodies in Hinduism. These celestial objects are told to influence life on Earth. Furthermore, specific planets, such...

There once was a family of four brother monkeys living in a jungle. Green and flourishing, the jungle trees provided the monkeys a home and delicious source of food. From figs to bananas, they were always surrounded by fruit. However, one year, the rain never came; the sky was clear with not a cloud in sight. The sun shone harshly as the jungle trees wilted away. The monkeys, yearning for some sweet fruit, searched far and wide for a surviving fruit tree. With growling stomachs, they finally stumbled upon the last golden treasure in the entire jungle: a banana tree with ripe bananas. The youngest monkey leaped forward to grab a banana when a booming voice asserted:   “Stop! This tree is mine. Don’t touch it until you answer my questions. After answering, take all the bananas you please.”   The youngest monkey looked up and saw a small, colorful parrot. Unintimidated, the monkey ignored the bird’s request and went to grab a banana. As his hand reached...

 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...