Reading Diary B: "Myths of the Hindus and buddhists"

I enjoyed reading the second half of the "Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists" more than I enjoyed the first half. My favorite story was the story of Story of Siva, the Great God. In this story I got a better idea of what kind of God Siva was. In the first portion of this reading, I felt like I did not know the God Siva at all. This was a little disappointing because I like to have some background information

Reading Diary A: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists

I really enjoyed my first half of reading for week 14. A story that I enjoyed from the Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists was the story of The Anger of Shiva. In this story it describes the anger of Shiva. The story was very detailed. This helped to illuminate Shiva's anger. It used terms like "burned," "energy," and "tore." All of these terms allude to anger. In this story a demon prays to Shiva, asking him to help him defeat Daksha.

(Shiva)

Reading Diary B: Buddhist Legends

I did not enjoy the second half of The Life of Buddha as much as I enjoyed the first half. I felt like the first half was more interesting or entertaining. Despite it did enjoy some of the stories for instance, I enjoyed the story Siddhartha Leads a Life of Please. In this chapter, it talks about Siddhartha's extravagant and happy life. He is happily married to Gopa. He lives in a beautiful palace. He is ruler of one of the most powerful kingdoms. What more could you ask for? Another chapter that I enjoyed was Gopa's Dream. In this chapter Gopa's has a dream. It is more like a nightmare. She has a nightmare that the trees uprooted and shattered, the moon and stars fell out of the sky, she stripped naked, her crown was gone, and there were meteors shooting across the sky. Gopa woke up from this dream and confided to the prince. The prince conformted her by telling her that her dream was not a nightmare but a prophecy that her future looks good.

(Siddhartha)

Reading Diary A: Buddhist Legends

I really enjoyed reading Buddhist Legends. I have not really ever read any buddhist stories so it was interesting reading it this week. This first portion of the story was about the King Suddhodana and Queen Maya and their child Siddhartha. One story that stood out to me was the Marriage of Siddhartha. This chapter is about Siddhartha finding a suitable wife. Siddhartha does not just any pretty faced maiden but rather a woman of virtue. He sent out a priest to find a maiden for him that met his criteria but his standards were so high it was difficult for the priest to find  anyone good enough. Eventually he found Gopa. She was everything Siddhartha asked. There was one problem though. Her father was unwilling to give her up for marriage until Siddhartha proved to him that he was not some spoiled lazy man. To sum things up Siddhartha proved her father that he was indeed good enough to be Gopa 's husband.

(Siddhartha

Reading Diary A: Public Domain Indian Fables and Folklore

I really enjoyed reading the first portion of the Indian Fables and Folklore. My favorite story was the The Gifts of the Sun. In this story, there is a husband and a wife. The husband is shooting arrows at a tree on a sunny day with his wife by his side. Every time he shot his arrow at the tree, his wife would go and fetch the arrow for him out of love. As the day progressed it got hotter because of the sun. It got so hot the wife could not get the arrow for her husband any longer. The husband was upset by this and therefore complained to the sun. In response the sun gave the wife a pair of slippers and a parasol. The slippers helped her feet to not get hot from the hot sand. The parasol offered her shade. The purpose of this story was to explain the origin of the parasol and shoes. 

Another story that I enjoyed was the The Hungry Elephant. I really liked this story mainly because I like elephants but I mean the story was good as well. The story starts off by introducing a hungry elephant. The elephant goes up to a shop owner and ask for rice. The owner replies that there is none. The elephant then as for flour and then butter and for molasses. The owner replies that there are none of those. The elephant does not believe him. He bumps the shop, causing it to crash. In amidst the crash, the elephants finds plenty of food.

(Hungry Elephant)

Reading Diary A: public domain Krishna and the Gods

I read the first half of Cox. Tales of Ancient India: Krishna and the Gods. I really enjoyed it. A couple of chapters that I really enjoyed reading was How Krishna Stole the Milk and Slew the Demons. In this chapter, Krishna steals milk and is eventually gets caught and punished.

Another story that I enjoyed was the story of how How Rukmini Became the Bride of Krishna. . In this chapter, there is a maiden named Rukmini. She is described to very beautiful. Her beauty was talked about all across the world. She was set to get married to Shishupal even though she did not want to. She really did not have any choice. Her only option was to call out the God Krishna. Krishna heard Rukmini's prayers and replied that he would save her. This put her at ease. Krishna tried to take Rukmini away but had to face an army before he could. There was not way that only Krishna could have created this army but because of his strong love for Rukmini, anything is possible. Fortunately, Krishna was able to save Rukmini from a horrible married with Shishupal.

The only thing I wished about this story is that I wish that there were pictures. There are so many colorful indian pictures that could have been included. It would have been a nice visual aid. I am curious as to what Rukmini looks like. She is described as very beautiful. The story seems to emphasize her beauty a lot. It is just kind of hard to imagine so it would be nice to have an image to refer to.

(Pukmini)

Reading Diary B: public domain Krishna

Although I really enjoyed the second half of Coomaraswamy. Songs of the Love of Radha and Krishna, it was a little harder to understand or translate. It was harder because there were more characters. In the first half it was mainly just Krishna and Radha but in the second half there are at least four characters. Having so many characters kind of confused me. I would get who is saying what mixed up.

Similar to the first half of the story, the second half had a lot of imagery as well. The detail and imagery set the romantic tone of the story.

While reading the chapter of the second half the story, Dalliance in Spring , I noticed that there were some rhyming. The rhyming helped to make the story more upbeat and interesting. I feel like the rhyming helped to make the story more fun and lighthearted. It also helped to make the song more well- structured.

Another chapter I enjoyed from this story was the Reunion after Wilfulness. From this chapter can tell that Radha is still deeply in love Krishna. The way she speaks, her choice of words, and the imagery she uses to describe her love for Krishna help to emphasize her love for him. One other chapter that I enjoyed reading was Reproaches, Lacak and Longing. In this chapter Radha defends Krishna. She defends why Krishna is her true love. She uses a lot imagery and detail to show how she feels for Krishna. From this chapter you can tell how much Radha admires, respects, and loves Krishna.

(Krishna and RAdha)

Reading Diary A: Public Domain Krishna

I read the Coomaraswamy. Songs of the Love of Radha and Krishna from the public domain of Krishna. These tellings were in a poetic format. Although I am not a huge fan of poetry, I really enjoyed reading the songs of the love of Radha and Krishna. My favorite thing about it was how detailed it was. It was filled with colorful imagery. The colorful imagery really set the romantic tone in the songs. A specific song that I really like was actually the first one: KRISHNA PURBBARAGA: The First Passion of Krishna. In this song Krishna describes his admiration for Radha. The length of his song really reflects his strong love for Radha. The imagery and details emphasizes his love for Radha as well. I was a little worried that I would not understand what I was reading just because it is in a poetic format but I felt I felt like I really understood it.

Another song that I enjoyed was RADHA PURBBARAGA: The First Passion of Radha. I like how they included Radha's point of view. It allows the readers to see that the love between Krishna and Radha is mutual. Although Radha's song is not as long as Krishna's, I felt like she loves Krishna just as much as he loves her. I believe so because in her song there is a lot of imagery and detail as well and I believe that they are reflections of her admiration for Krishna. Krishna is just a little more expresive than Radha.

(Krishna and Radha)

Reading Diary A: Another Mahabharata

    I really enjoyed reading about Krishna. One of the chapters that I enjoyed was the The Birth of Krishna, the Indian Christ- Child. In this chapter it explains how Krishna came to be. It begins with introducing Kansa, an evil ruler and brother to Krishna's mother Devaki. In the story there is a prophesy that Devaki's 8th child would be the downfall of Kansa. Knowing this Kansa decided to kill all of Devaki's children. He imprisoned Devaki and her husband and every time she gave birth to a child, he killed him/her. By the time of Devaki's 8th pregnancy a plan was devised. She would switch out her eighth child, which was the god Krishna, with another. This plan actually worked. Krishna was saved.
    Another story that I enjoyed was the story of Krishna in the Forests. I enjoyed this story because of the imagery. When describing the setting the author was very detailed. This helped in illustrating the setting. The story begins describing the forest and how peaceful it was for Krishna until he ran into a Demon-sheep. Krishna fought this demon and fortunately prevailed.
    The third story that I enjoyed was the story the Conquest of the Snake Kaliya. In this story there lives a snake that is terrorizing the people. The snake poisoned the water, killing everyone. Fortunately, Krishna was able to revive them with his tears. Krishna went on to get ride of the snake Kaliya. Krishnd defeated the snake Kaliya. Krishna did not kill the snake. Instead he allowed him to live one one condition -- he does not poison the waters.

(Krishna and snake Kaliya)

Reading Diary B: public domain Mahabharata

    Although I did not enjoy this portion of this week's reading as much as the first there were still some chapters that stood out to me. One chapter that I enjoyed was Ashwatthama's Jewel. In this chapter, Draupadi grieves for the death of her brother and her five sons. In her grief she requests the head of AShwawtthaman. In place of his head she will accept a jewel of his. Apparently the jewel that he has is just as precious as his life is to him. Arjuna found Ashwatthamann and took the jewel from him and gave it to Draupadi.
   Another chapter that I though was interesting was the Horse Sacrifice. In this chapter, a horse is sacrificed. Before sacrificing the horse, they had to determine if it was pure. This did this by pressing its ear and if milk flowed out of it, it means that it is indeed pure. The animal has to pure in order to be considered good enough for the gods. Bhima began the sacrifice by severing its head. To further determine that the animal was pure the inspected the insides of the horse. A bright lite appeared inside the animal; this means that the animal is indeed pure and is good enough for the god Vishnu.
    The third chapter that I though was interesting was Death of Krishna.In this chapter, the people were drinking and began to fight. Fathers were killing sons and sons were killing fathers. Krishna was trying to fight the rebels but died upon leaving the city. He was mistaken for a gazelle by a hunter and was shot.

(Death of Krishna)

Reading Diary A: Mahabharata public domain

    I really enjoyed this portion of the public domain Mahabharata. One of the stories I enjoyed was the first one, which was Life in the Forest. In this chapter, the writer introduces what it is like living in the forest to the reader. He does so by describing what kinds of foods they eat. They ate fruits, roots, and produce. It is pretty much what you would expect. For twelves years Pandavas and his wife Draupadi live in the forest -- living minimally and simply. Whatever food they obtained, they had to share a portion of it with the holy men. Although their live was simple, their home was pleasant. They were surrounded by fruits and flowers. I wished they would have included a picture in color depicting the abundance of the forest though.
    Another chapter that I enjoyed was Krishna's Visit. In this portion of the reading Krishna visits Draupadi. Draupadi uses this opportunity to complain to Krishna. She complains about her husband to Krishna. She accuses her husband of not caring about her. Her husband Pandavas saw her afflicted but did not do anything to save her. Krishna comforts her and promises her that she will be the queen over kings.
    I chose the image below because I really felt like if fit into the story of Krishna’s Visit. Not only is it a beautiful picture but it really captures the relationship between Krishna and Draupadi. It shos Draupadi confiding in Krishna and Krishna offering advise to Draupadi.

(Draupadi and Krishna)

Reading Diary A

    I really enjoyed this first section of Mahabharata. It is probably my favorite so far. One of the stories I really enjoyed was the story of Vyasa and Ganesha .
     This story was lighthearted and humorous. It begins by introducing the author of Mahabharata, Vyasa. Vyasa is in need of an scribe. When he finally finds a scribe the story begins. The story revolves around a girl named Satyavati. A king named Uparichara dropped his semen into the river, impregnating a fish. This is how Satyavati was born. She was born from a fish. Because she was born form a fish she was cursed with a fishy smell. I thought this part was really funny. the only way for her to get rid of her fish smell was to remain a virgin. Satyavati kept this promise of chastity and was granted a sweet smelling smell.
    The picture that was included in the story of "Vyasa and Ganesha" illustrates Vyasa talking and Ganesha recording. It shows Vyasa reciting the story and Ganesha writing it down. This picture fit very well into this story.

(Vyasa and Ganesha)

     Another story that I enjoyed was Amba. This story was kind of sad but I still enjoyed it. This story revolves around Amba, a princess. Amba is set to marry a man she does not want. Amba is still hung up on another person, Brishma. Despite be committed to marrying another person Amba still pursues Brishma even though he does not reciprocate. This angers Amba, making her vow to destroy Brishma. 

Reading Diary B

    The second portion of this story was formatted a little different than the first part. For instance the breaks between the paragraphs were not as short. The paragraphs were longer. This took me by surprise because I expected the second portion of the story to look similar to the first part.
    Despite the differences between the two, I still really enjoyed the second portion of the story. Some of the chapters that I really enjoyed was Ravana's Death and Mandodari's Lament. In spite of the depressing topic these chapters cover -- death. I though it was really interesting it kind of marked the beginning of Rama's reign. 
     In "Ravana's Death" the story begins with Rama and Ravana fighting. Soon enough Rama defeats Ravana and becomes the king of Lanka. The chapter ends with a rhyming poem. I thought it was different to include a poem -- different but enjoyable. The poem was very detailed. Its choice of words allowed me to imagine the setting. It really created the atmosphere.
    Unlike Ravana, in "Mandodari's Lament" not everyone was too happy about the death of Ravana. For instance Ravana's cheif wife Mandodari was devastated. Reading this chapter I could just tell how devastated Mandodari is based on what she says. For instance, she goes on saying that happy days are done. This suggest that she has no hope of getting over Ravana.
    Another thing that enjoyed about this reading was the pictures. The pictures are always very colorful and they are always very detailed. This really helps me as a reader to imagine the setting and the  atmosphere. For instance in the picture of Ravana's death below, from just looking at it I can tell that the atmosphere is depressing. I can tell because of the very detailed expression of the people in the picture.

(Ravana fallen)

Reading Diary A: Public Domain Ramayana

   I really enjoyed this section of the reading. Some of my favorite chapters or stories was Sugriva and Hanuman and Sugriva's Story. In the "Sugriva and Hanuman," Hanuman is introduced. He is introduced as Sugriva's helper. In this first chapter they do not say much about Sugriva and his background until the second chapter. I liked how it was formatted like that. It kind of leaves the audience guessing and wanting to read more.
   In the second story "Sugriva's Story," the backstory of Sugriva is revealed. It begins with telling a tale about the source of Sugriva's and his brother's animosity for each other. Apparently it was one big misunderstanding. Sugriva's brother Vali thought that Sugriva tried to kill him so that he may rule over his people but that was not really the case at all. Sugriva tried to explain himself but Vali would not listen. To get back at Sugriva, Vali stole his wife.
    It was not until Vali's Death that Sugriva finally overcame Vali. Sugriva and Vali had a great battle. Toward the end of the fight Sugriva shot an arrow toward Vali and got him. This arrow killed Vali.
    Another reason why I liked this section of reading was because of they it was formatted. The breaks in it made the story very clear and concise. I did not think it was too fluffy or had anything that unnecessary.
   I also liked the pictures that were included in this section of the reading. They were really colorful and allowed me to set the setting of the stories. It helped me imagine and put the details together.

(Rama kills Vali

Readin Diary A: Public Domain Ramayana

I read the Ramayana: Public Domain Edition. I really enjoyed reading the first portion of this story. The story started off with introducing King Dasharatha. He was as introduced as a very wealthy man but who was sad. He was sad because he could not have sons. Eventually though by conducting a ceremony, he is given three sons. The story goes on with the three sons marrying but then things turn for the worst. Rama the son of King Dasharatha is banished and goes into exile. His faithful wife and brother insist on joining him. He had no choice but to allow them. The story ends with an even sadder note. King Dasharatha passes away. Everybody was sadden by the death of King Dasharatha.
   The plot of the story was not the only thing that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed the way the story it was written. It was very detailed. For instance in the King Dasharatha chapter when the speaker was describing King Dasharatha's home. The speaker used key terms that helped me picture King Dasharatha's home. I imagined it to be very extravagant and majestic. I liked how the author described the setting to be very rich and extravagant. I kind of thought the purpose of it was to emphasize the idea that the King was wealthy on the outside but not on the inside. He was not emotionally fulfilled. This was because he did not have any sons.
    I also like the picture that was included in the first chapter. It is a very beautiful picture. It makes me want to visit the place.

(Ayodhya)