Storytelling for Week 13: Dulah

Dulah

    Once there was a little girl. She was a beautiful and innocent little girl. One night she was walking with her father when they passed by a wedding. There up on the stage was a bride and her Dulah (bridegroom). The little girl saw how happy the bride was and told her father that she wanted a Dulah as well.

    The next day, the father found a little Dulah toy doll and bought it. He brought it home and gave it so this daughter. The daughter loved it. The little girl took the Dulah toy doll everywhere she went. She took it with her to the market, to school, to church, and even to the playground. It was her favorite toy. Even as she grew up to become a beautiful young maiden, she still had the Dulah toy doll. Her loyalty to the Dulah toy doll represented her commitment to wait until an actual Dulah comes into her life. She would pray every day to the god Krishna that a handsome, loyal, strong, and courageous man would become her Dulah.

    As time went on, her friends all found their Dulah and got married off. This disheartened the young maiden. All she ever wanted as a child was to find very own Dulah just like the bride she saw when she was a young girl. She confided to her father about why she has not found her Dulah. Her father replied that she must be patient. The gods will answer her prayers.

   One day while running a few errands for her father, she saw a poor starving orphan boy. He was just sitting in the middle of the market, staring at the food and longing for it. The young maiden had compassion for this boy. She had no money on her but despite it she decided to grab an apple when the owner of the market was not looking and give it to the starving orphan boy. Unfortunately the owner saw her try to steal the apple and threatened to cut her hand off as punishment. The owner was just about to cut off her hand when a young man stepped in and stopped the owner. The young maiden looked at the young man instantly fell in love with him. He was everything she had ever wanted. He was her Dulah.

    A few months later, the young girl who once dreamed of having her Dulah is now a young woman and married to the young man that saved her in the market. And now the Dulah toy doll is safe with another young little girl. 

(Bridegroom)

Author's Note

My story is based of the story of  "Mira's Bridegroom." I kept the Dulah toy doll but changed the story into a more a romantic story. 

 "Mira's Bridegroom" from Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi (1919). Web SourcePublic Domain

Storytelling for Week 12: Looking for Happily Ever After

Looking for Happily Ever After

Siddhartha was very happy with life. He was next in line to rule his father’s kingdom. He lived in a beautiful palace that had hundreds of servants at his feet ready to do his bidding. He pretty much had everything except someone to share it with. Siddhartha was getting to that point where he wanted a wife. Someone that he can share his riches with. So he informed his parents of this desire to get a wife. 

He went on and told them what his standards were. They were very lengthy. According to Siddhartha, she much be youthful, beautiful but not vain, maternal, an animal-lover, honest, sweet, faithful, meek, and grateful. Siddhartha’s parents suggested hosting a ball and inviting maidens that had the characteristics that he described above. The Siddhartha liked this idea. 

Siddhartha’s parents sent out their servants and had them look all throughout the kingdom for maidens that would be appropriate for Siddhartha. They did not find any women that had all of the characteristics that Siddhartha wanted in a wife. They would only have some of it or maybe half of what Siddhartha wanted. Finally, at the last house in the kingdom they came upon a maiden named Gopa. The servants interviewed and realized that she had all of the aspects that Siddhartha wanted in a wife. She was beautiful but not vain, youthful, maternal, an animal-lover, honest, sweet, faithful, meek, and grateful. Knowing this they invited Gopa to the ball. 

On the night of the ball, the palace was filled with potential maidens for Siddhartha. It was an hour into the night and Siddhartha still did not find anyone remotely anyone he would be interested in until Gopa walked in. She was the most beautiful maiden that Siddhartha had ever seen. He introduced himself to her and asked her to dance with him. While dancing with Gopa, Siddhartha realized that she was everything he had ever wanted. He did not dance with anyone else that night because he had no need to. He had found his wife. 

After dancing with her for a while, Siddhartha proposed to Gopa. Gopa was hesitated at first because of her inferior social status. She felt like she was not good enough to be Siddhartha’s wife. Siddhartha reassured Gopa that she is equal to him because of her humble, beauty, and honest characteristic. It is her characteristic that defines her not her social status. Realizing this Gopa accepted his proposal. 

(Siddhartha)

Author's Note

My story is based on the The Marriage of Siddhartha from the "Buddhist Legends." I kept the main ideas, such as Siddhartha's criteria for a wife, Siddhartha and Gopa falling in love, and Gopa coming from a lower social status. I wrote my story in the style of a fairy tale. I was inspired by the Cinderella story. 

"The Marriage of Siddhartha" from The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922). Web Source: Public Domain

Storytelling for week 10: Surya and Sangna

(Surya and Sangna)

Surya and Sangna

 

There once was a God named Surya. He was known as the God of light. Whenever he wished it, his form would be a bright light. Surya was blessed with a great strength, physical appearance, and kingdom. He had everything except someone to share it with. Surya was tired of being alone. He went on a journey to find a bride that will stand beside him as he traveled the heavens and the world casting light everywhere he went. 

In a faraway land, lived a maiden named Sangna. Sangna was known for her great beauty. She was daughter of a skillful but poor architect. She was not of noble birth. 

Surya noticed Sangna from a distance and was taken aback by her beauty. He instantly fell in love with her and had to have her. Knowing her lower social status, Surya did not want to scare her so he approached her as a commoner – like her. Upon meeting Surya, Sangna immediately fell in love as well. With the blessing of her father, Surya and Sangna got married. She bore him three children.

After some time though, Surya could not hide the fact that he was a god and could make himself light up as bright as the sun any longer. He revealed his secret to Sangna. Sangna seeing his bright form was taken back by it. She saw herself as incredibly inferior. Feeling like she did not deserve to be Surya’s wife, Sangna planned to runaway the very next morning before Surya woke up and replace herself with some like her – hoping that it will fool Sangna. 

Surya woke up and found himself next to a woman who looked like Sangna but was not actually her. The imposter did not fool Surya. Once he found out that the woman lying next to him was not actually Sangna left to find his real wife. 

Surya looked everywhere but had not luck. After several weeks, Surya finally found Sangna near a beautiful river. He begged her to come back by telling her how much he loved her and wanted her to come back and be his wife again. Sangna would not give in. She told herself that she could not live with someone so extraordinary when she was so ordinary. Surya prayed to the gods hoping that they would help. The gods heard his prayer and answer his prayers by giving Sangna the power to light up her form as well. Now Sangna and Surya are equal. 

Author's Note:

My story is based on the story of Surya from the public domain of Krishna. I kept the major points such as Surya weds Sangna and then Sangna runs away. Surya then chases after her. I kind of changed her reasoning for running away though. In the story Sangna runs away from Surya because her eyes were too weak and tender to bear the light of Surya but in my story Sangna runs away because she feels inferior to Suryan. 

"Surya" from Tales of Ancient India. Cox. Tales of Ancient India: Krishna and the Gods (1887). Web source: Public Domain.